Arthur: "…the awful damage & death toll in the
devastated area, that is indeed a woeful sight -
and our 20,000 homeless (we are all caring for them),
and the numerous blinded people,
and the little children – a sight of any of these would
depress the tenderest soul…
my school is full of coffins now & all boarded up.”
Arthur Lismer was an artist and an educator,
and would later become a founding member of
the famous Group of Seven.
At the time of the Halifax Explosion, he was the Principal
of the city’s Victoria School of Art & Design.
On the morning of December 6th, 1917, Arthur Lismer
was late leaving his home in Bedford on his daily
commute to Halifax.
Arthur: “I missed my usual train and stayed at home for
a later one. The first time in many weeks
– so escaped – some, who took that train, didn’t.”
When Lismer arrived in Halifax, he found the art school
“shattered”, with “every window broken”.
Arthur Lismer was one of tens of thousands of people
affected by the Halifax Explosion.
In the weeks that followed, he and other artists and
photographers recorded the wreckage of the city.
As a witness to the disaster, Lismer produced a series of
sketches depicting its devastation.
Visual records, like these sketches, along with
photographs, were circulated across Canada and the
world through newspapers, books and postcards.
They were an important way for Canadians to
see the effects of the Halifax Explosion.
A sketch is an interpretation of reality
created by an artist.
Like other evidence – including photographs – a sketch
reveals one person’s perspective on an event
or a moment in the past.
Evidence like this can give us important clues that help
to understand the perspectives of people who lived
through the event.
How can an analysis of Arthur Lismer’s sketches
provide a deeper understanding of the aftermath
of the Halifax Explosion?
There are five key steps to analyzing primary sources:
1. The 5Ws.
2. Context.
3. Exploring.
4. Reaching Conclusions.
5. Finding Proof.
Consider the 5Ws – Who is the artist?
When and where was the art created?
Why was it created?
What is depicted in the art?
Arthur Lismer was born in England in 1885.
He emigrated to Canada in 1911, working as
a commercial illustrator in Toronto before
moving to Halifax.
Three weeks after the explosion in Halifax Harbour, the
Toronto-based Canadian Courier featured several of
Lismer’s sketches depicting the devastation
caused by the blast.
Arthur: “In response to a long-delayed wire from the
Canadian Courier, these quick-fire sketches
were made on the spot.
They were finished on a desk of coffins.
They tell the story better than photographs.
The camera is a machine. It feels nothing.
The artist puts into his impressions – himself.
As he was powerfully affected by the heart-rending
scenes he depicts.”
Shortly after, in 1918, more of Lismer’s sketches
appeared in a book entitled The Drama of a City.
The sketches featured in the book and in the Canadian
Courier helped illustrate for the nation the story of what
happened following the Explosion.
Consider the wider context of the Halifax Explosion.
Do Arthur Lismer’s sketches represent a
common experience for people living through
the aftermath of the disaster?
Support began to pour into Halifax within hours
of the explosion.
Trains, from as far as Boston, Massachusetts,
arrived with medical personnel and supplies
to help treat the wounded.
Relief stations were set up to provide those in need with
clothing, food and medical supplies.
Thousands of people were left homeless and relied on
community support and external relief
in the weeks that followed.
Churches and theatres were transformed into
shelters, providing emergency housing for survivors with
nowhere else to turn.
People of different ages, genders, ethnicities, and
religions were killed and wounded in the Explosion.
However, the working-class neighbourhood of Richmond
was the most devastated area in Halifax.
Many children lost parents, and many parents
lost children. The Explosion marked a significant loss,
not only for individual families, but also to the
larger community.
To what extent do these sketches represent the broader
context of the Halifax Explosion?
Explore the details of the sketches.
What is going on in these images?
Looking closely at a sketch can offer clues about the
perspective of the artist, as well as the event itself.
Consider the choices Lismer made
as he created this sketch.
A man carries a wounded woman; buildings lie in ruins;
a black sky hangs overhead as soldiers carry the
wounded away; a woman covers her face, reaching out,
as a soldier looks on in the background; bodies scatter
the ground, wounded… or worse.
Each sketch tells a story.
Consider how different people are depicted.
Why do you think that Lismer chose to sketch the
scenes he did, and what might that tell
us about the event?
As you analyze sketches within their wider context,
develop a conclusion based on what you observe and
what you can infer.
What does this evidence suggest about Arthur Lismer’s
perspective as an artist and survivor?
What have these sketches revealed to you about the
aftermath of the Explosion?
One person’s perspective provides us with a small slice
of the past.
To develop a deeper understanding of how people
experienced the Halifax Explosion, we must
take multiple perspectives into account.
Compare Arthur Lismer’s sketches to other
primary sources.
How do the other sources confirm or refute
your conclusions about Lismer’s experiences
after the blast?
Over time, countless memories, stories, and
traces are lost, resulting in voices from
the past being rendered silent.
The primary sources that remain shape our
understanding of history.
We can only work with the evidence that survives.
For a historian, this means there is rarely a complete
picture of the past.
More often, we are given a window to look through -
a glimpse into the bigger picture of history.