A newly discovered painting by Darrell Morrisey, September 2026

Darrell Morrisey’s signature 

This newly discovered painting by Darrell Morrisey is "Tall Ship in Harbour"; on the reverse side is a second painting, "Street Scene". It was Darrell's custom to use both sides of the boards on which she painted; the dimensions of this painting are 30 X 22 cm (11.8 X 8.7 inches) which are similar to the dimensions of Darrell's other paintings. Painting on boards of this size was probably due to having to travel light; Darrell never set up a permanent home of her own, her home base was always her parents' residence in Montreal. 

Another Montreal artist who painted on small boards is James Wilson Morrice, I remember seeing his studies, done in oil, that were on permanent display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; see, for instance, Morrice's painting "Gibraltar" which is 23.5 X 33 cm (9 X 13 inches). 

On the reverse of "Tall Ship in Harbour" is a street scene, possibly a view of residences from a lane. The painting was discarded by Darrell; there is a piece of paper, an illegible note, glued to the front of the painting.   

"Tall Ship in Harbour" joins other paintings by Darrell Morrisey that have been discovered over the last fifteen years. Where, in London, were tall ships docked in the 1920s? There are perhaps two locations and one of them is still the location of tall ships. Darrell spent prolonged periods of time in London in the 1920s; this painting was auctioned from a town near Chistlehurst where she had family friends, the Charles Darrell family, and near where she had been a student around 1913. This is a beginning of a provenance for the painting. 

From being a "forgotten" member of the Beaver Hall Group of artists, Darrell is forgotten no more. We know something of her life, her family, and a collection of her paintings can be seen in my essay at archive.org. It seemed unlikely that we would know as much as we do about her back in 2010 when several of us began researching Darrell's life. 

I've said it before, “I love a mystery”, and discovering the story of Darrell Morrisey's life, and against all odds discovering several of her paintings, has been a mystery I have loved working on. 

"Tall Ship in Harbour" by Darrell Morrisey

Detail of "Tall Ship in Harbour"

Detail of "Tall Ship in Harbour"

Detail of painting and Darrell Morrisey's signature on "Tall Ship in Harbour"

Photo has been enhanced using Chat GPT

Enhanced image (by Chat GPT Artificial Intelligence) of Darrell Morrisey's "Tall Ship in Harbour"

Painting on reverse of "Tall Ship in Harbour" 

Note: Darrell Morrisey was born in Montreal in 1897. At some point Darrell discovered a love for painting and she attended art classes at the Art Association of Montreal on Philips Square. She became a member of the important Beaver Hall Group of artists but, possibly due to her itinerant lifestyle, she never attained the recognition that she deserved. She died in London, UK, in 1930s of a pre-existing illness.

Phillips Square across from The Bay, March 26, 2011

Just announced: The Hudson's Bay Company is going out of business, closing all but six stores. These photographs taken from The Bay’s downtown Montreal store across the street from Philips Square. Update: all Hudson Bay stores have now permanently closed.

30 December 2011, downtown Montreal

 

Restaurant Julien

The Bay in the distance

At The Bay

At The Bay

Phillips Square and The Bay on the left 

Phillips Square seen from The Bay, 26 February 2011

Photographs of Phillips Square taken from The Bay on Ste. Catherine Street on 26 February 2011.

"The square features a bronze monument of King Edward VII, who ruled from 1901 to 1910. He visited Montreal in 1860, while he was still the Prince of Wales, and opened the Victoria Bridge. The statue was designed by Louis-Philippe Hébert and was erected in 1914. The four allegorical figures at the base of the monument represent Peace, the Four Founding Nations, Abundance, and Liberty." From Wikipedia.

St. James United Church in downtown Montreal

Just a few blocks east of Phillips Square, adjacent to Ste. Catherine Street, where Morgan's Department Store (now The Bay) was located, you will find the prestigious Saint James United Church, pictured below. For many years the front of the church was lost to view when buildings for stores were constructed here; however, a few years ago these buildings were demolished so that the original front of the church was restored to view. And what a view it is! It is a magnificent building in downtown Montreal.

Interior

Historical photographs of St. James United Church

In this photograph you can see how the front of the church 
was lost to view when buildings housing stores were constructed;
these buildings have all now been demolished.

St. James Church was hidden behind these stores; they brought
in needed revenue but they were also an eye sore.