Valentine Fanshaw

Born in Sheffield, England, Fanshaw was the son of an artist. He studied at the Sheffield School of Art (1803-1900), the Royal College of Art in London with Gerald Moira (1900-02), and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp (1903). In 1912, he arrived in Winnipeg and became a teacher and art director at Kelvin High School, a position he held from 1913 to 1940. Fanshaw was a painter and graphic artist, specializing in woodblock engraving. In 1943, William Colgate praised his fine landscapes and woodblock engravings of western subjects. The National Gallery of Canada houses his watercolour titled “A Threat to Harvest,” depicting heavy clouds over a field of crops ready for harvest. He passed away in St. James, Winnipeg, at the age of 62.

Literature Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume 1: A-F, 5th Edition, Revised and Expanded," compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1997