Roland Gissing Mount Columbia

PROVENANCE & HISTORICAL RECORD

The Chronology of a Global Journey

This masterwork by Roland Gissing is accompanied by a rare and complete physical record of its 20th-century travels, documented through original gallery, warehousing, and transport labels preserved on the verso:

Circa 1935–1940 | Origin & Acquisition: The T. Eaton Co. (Calgary, AB)
The painting was originally acquired through the Picture Department of the T. Eaton Co. in Calgary. Given Edward Garland’s prominent role as President of the United Farmers of Alberta (U.F.A.), it is highly probable the painting was a formal farewell gift presented in early 1940 to remind him of the Alberta landscape as he departed for his diplomatic post during WWII.

1940–1947 | Residence: Dublin, Ireland
The family arrived in Dublin in March 1940. The painting hung in the Garland residence, first at 22 Belgrave Square and later at 16 Brighton Rd., Rathgar, throughout his tenure as Secretary and Acting High Commissioner to Ireland. Because the painting was overseas during this period, it survived the 1944 fire that destroyed Roland Gissing’s studio and all remaining inventory in Alberta.

August 1947 | Transit: Strahan & Co., Ltd. (Dublin, IE)
The original Strahan & Co. label confirms the painting’s professional packing and transport from Dublin. Rather than a return to Canada, this label marks Garland’s transition to his new appointment as Canada’s Minister to Norway. In September 1947, the painting followed the family to Oslo, continuing its role as a symbolic piece of “home” in Scandinavia.

1953 – Present | Return to Canada & Conservation
Upon Garland’s retirement in 1953, the painting returned to Calgary and later to his retirement home in Creston, B.C. In 2017, the work underwent professional archival cleaning and revarnishing to ensure the stability and vibrancy of Gissing’s original pigments.

Historical Biography: Edward Joseph Patrick Garland (1887–1974)

Edward J. Garland was a “Giant of the West” and a cornerstone of Canadian political and diplomatic history. Born in Dublin on March 16, 1887, and educated at Belvedere College and Trinity College, he immigrated to Canada in 1909.

Political Titan: A homesteader in Rowley, Alberta, Garland became a central figure in the United Farmers of Alberta (U.F.A.), serving as its President in the early 1930s. He was a sitting Member of Parliament for the Bow River riding for 14 years (1921–1935).
Diplomatic Envoy: In 1940, he entered the Department of External Affairs. He served in Dublin (1940–1947) before being named Canada’s Minister to Norway (1947) and later Iceland (1949).

This painting of Mt. Columbia—Alberta’s highest peak—served as a diplomatic envoy in its own right, representing the rugged beauty of the Canadian West in official residences across Europe for over a decade.

Note: As the highest peak in Alberta, Mt. Columbia was a deliberate choice for a man who spent his life championing the province. For Garland, the painting was not just art, but a literal piece of the Alberta high country that represented Canadian strength in European capitals.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Medium: Oil on Canvas
Artist: Roland Gissing (Signed lower right)
Canvas Dimensions: 16” x 20”
Frame Dimensions: 19 ½” x 23 ½” (Original Period Frame)
Notable Markings: T. Eaton Co. (Calgary) Label; Strahan & Co. (Dublin) Transport Label; “E. J. Garland” hand-written identification.