Megan Follows Instagram – Watch our new #HeritageMinute on Mary Riter Hamilton, who painted the battlefields after the First World War as a testament to its devastating cost. She would suffer mental and physical illnesses as a result of documenting the experiences of Canadian soldiers.
Born in 1867 in Teeswater, Ontario, Hamilton made her living as an artist after the death of her husband. When the First World War broke out, she tried in vain to join the men painting the battlefields. After the armistice was signed, the Amputation Club of British Columbia (now the War Amps), commissioned Hamilton to document the aftermath of the war. At the age of fifty-two, Hamilton set out for Europe. She would paint some 350 works in three years, the largest collection of First World War paintings by a single artist in Canada. She persevered for those who had fought, often painting in poor working conditions which caused her to suffer physically and mentally. She donated most of her works and died in 1954, in poverty and relative obscurity.
This Heritage Minute was made possible thanks to funding from Canadian Heritage, with in-kind support from Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV (formerly William F Whites).
A massive thank-you to producers Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok (Scopitone Films), Raynor Shimabukuro, as well as our script consultants and cast and crew!
Credits:
Mary Riter Hamilton: Megan Follows
End Narrator: Lyse Doucet
Director: Elad Tzadok and Hayley Gray
1st Assistant Director: Rachel Rose
Director of Photography: Naim Sutherland
Steadi Operator: Leo Harim
1st Assistant Camera: Christian Cummins
Editor: Elad Tzadok
Composer: Iman Habibi
Production designer: Louisa Birkin
Head of wardrobe: Nicole McCormick
Key makeup: LK Gifford
Key Hair: Emma Garland
Written by Elad Tzadok and Hayley Gray | Posted on 29/Oct/2024 17:31:19
