BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Thomas Philip Oxenham Menzies

January 30 1874 - December 8 1960

Art Historical & Scientific Association of Vancouver


Menzies was born in England, and came to Canada c1912, and arrived in Vancouver c1923.

He was appointed to the position of Secretary-Curator of the Vancouver Museum in 1924, taking over the position from Will Ferris. He retired as Curator of the Vancouver Museum in 1938. Although he does not appear to have been an exhibiting artist, he did pen & ink drawings as illustrations for the Association's Museum & Art Notes periodical and for his personal seasonal greeting cards.


The Wakius Totem Pole, 1939


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK

References

THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

"Mr. Menzies is a man of varied experiences in many countries, including India, Australia, and South Africa. He was a sailor in his early years and a soldier in the last war. It was typical of him that, when he first presented himself before the A. H. & S. A. as an applicant for the post, he informed the committee that he had no particular qualifications for the job except that he was an enthusiastic entomologist. Perhaps it was because of his original way of describing his lack of qualifications that he was appointed from among many other applicants. He has a keen sense of humour peculiarly his own (upon one occasion he brought back with him from the Cariboo a foot-long specimen of the boa constrictor, which he exhibited alive in a glass case in the museum) and his keen interest in the Indians and their lore prompts him annually to send his Christmas wishes to his friends upon cards which he illustrates with pen-and-ink sketches of a totem pole, a thunder-bird or some other relic associated with the Indians. For a good many years now he has been ably assisted in the work of the Museum by Mrs. Ruth Corbett and Mr. H.L. Nelson."
      From "Springboard for the Future"
      Vancouver City Museum Golden Jubilee 1894 - 1944" (pamphlet), pages 18-19

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