Emily Carr to Lawren Harris, n.d.

Emily Carr and Lawren Harris met in 1927 and became close friends, writing to each other frequently. Harris was a founding member of The Group of Seven, and offered Carr mentorship and insight on her work at the time.

In this letter to Lawren Harris, Emily writes to clarify the context of her previous letter to him. She mentions Bess, Lawren’s second wife whom he married in 1938. Although there was no year attached to this letter, just a misspelt “Teuday,” we can assume this letter was written some time between 1938 and 1945 (the year of Carr’s death).

What I like about this particular letter is the tone Emily writes to Lawren. She somehow manages to be both apologetic and offended- how could Bess think she was snappy to, Lawren, her beloved friend?

There’s a hint of contempt for Bess, which I found curious. After a little digging I came across an account from the Art History Archive that Lawren’s second marriage was fairly scandalous at the time. According to the AHA, Lawren fell in love with Bess Housser, the wife of his school friend F.B Housser, years before in the early 1900s. They decided it was impossible to leave their respective spouses despite their love for each other. Then finally, in 1938 Lawren left his first wife Trixie and married Bess. Trixie threatened to charge Lawren with bigamy but never went through with it. Needless to say, it was a shocking event. The tone Emily addresses Bess with in this letter might be related to the two lovers discreditable history.

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She then goes on to explain how she just sent a painting his way and that she hopes he won’t be disappointed. Lawren was crucial in the acquisition of Carr’s artwork to the Vancouver Art Gallery and helped curate her collection while she was in Victoria. She also mentions Ira Dilworth, who was the literary executor of her writings. Her tone to both of these friends is grateful and tender.  However, she does say she is disappointed in her work which I found surprising. It’s easy to say now, decades later how influential Emily’s work was and still is – but at the time it’s clear she was not fully appreciated for her work yet and only after her death did her paintings receive the proper reception they deserved.

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From this intimate letter to her friend, we can catch a glimpse of this self consciousness which I think exists in all artists to a certain extent. It’s encouraging in a way, that Carr felt these very same natural feelings many artists have always struggled with. Especially looking back, we can see how wrong she was and that of course her work was important and worth pursuit, despite her own self criticism prevalent in this letter.