General Information

Serial #

86/200

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Paper print in a wood frame with synthetic glazing, paper backing and metal hanging hardware

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Marine Transportation

Category

Commemorative

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

(From Artifact Worksheet, see Ref. 1) This print is a reproduction of a drawing made by Richard D. Wilson as part of the Bank of Montreal’s centennial project to document cities, towns, and villages across Canada. Richard D. Wilson was born and educated in Montreal, Canada. He attended the Beaux-Arts and the Royal Canadian Academy’s art classes. (ref. 2) After serving with the Royal Canadian Engineers during the Second World War, Wilson pursued a career in commercial art in Montreal. He served as an advertising executive with a large Canadian pharmaceutical company before taking up art as a full-time career. The Bank of Montreal commissioned Wilson to make some five hundred drawings across Canada. (ref.2) This collection was issued to celebrated two events: the founding of the Bank of Montreal in 1817 and the Centennial of Canada. (ref.2) This collection can be found at Library and Archives Canada.

Function

Artist's depiction of two tugboats in the Port of Montreal.

Technical

This print depicts two tugboats, Felicia and Rival. A tugboat or a tug is a type of vessel that maneuvers other vessels by pushing or pulling them either by direct contact or by means of a tow line. As Joseph Monteiro notes in Marine Towing Operations in Canada, “Marine towing is a segment of water transportation in Canada. It accounts for a small but noticeable proportion of water transport revenue in Canada. It has played and continues to play an important role in the evolution of water transport in Canada. From the timber days in the nineteenth century to the offshore drilling days of the twenty-first century, it has played a key role.” (ref.3) As Canada moved into the twentieth century, the demand for towing services grew and the nature of towing services change. The Rival was built in 1923 by Sorel Mechanical of Sorel, Quebec as the Rival for Sincennes McNaughton of Montreal, Quebec. It was later acquired by Island Tug and Barge Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1960, Island Tug and Barge was acquired by McAllister Towing of New York, New York, becoming subsidy of this company. In 1969, Island Tug and Barge Limited was acquired by Genstar Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia. The tug is no longer in documentation and its current, or final disposition is unknown. Felicia was built in 1923 by Sorel Mechanical Shops Limited of Sorel, Quebec as the Felicia for Sin-Mac Lines Limited of Sorel, Quebec. This tug was later acquired by Sincennes-MacNaughton Limited of Montreal. In 1959, Felicia was acquired by McAllister Towing Limited of Montreal. In 1965, the tug was acquired by Bury Court Shipping Company Limited of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1994, Felicia was retired from service and was placed on the beach at St. Joseph de la Rive, Quebec.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

In the print, one the tugboat in the foreground: "RIVAL"/ On the tugboat in the background: "FELICIA"/ Print's title in pencil, lower proper right: "Port de Montréal - Montréal Harbor 86/200"/ Artist's signature in pencil, lower proper left: "R.D. Wilson"/ Printed in the lower proper left corner of the print, partially covered by the frame: "PUBLIÉ PAR - PUBLISHED BY TECHNO COULEUR INC. MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC H3S 1A7"/ There are printed markings in the lower proper right corner but they are mostly covered by the frame. They can be read if the print is removed from the frame.

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Print is of two predominantly red tugboats with white, black and yellow trim and each has a red and white Canadian flag and a blue and white Québec flag. The background is predominantly olive grey representing the water and skyline, with some green, tan, red and darker grey shading on buildings. The print is bordered in white with grey pencil markings and some black printed markings at the bottom. It is placed in a brown and gold-finished wood frame with a brown paper backing.

Decoration

N/A