Katharine Maltwood: Seeking the Tree of Life

KATHARINE MALTWOOD

The work of Katharine Maltwood is a reflection of her life experiences and the era in which she came of age. Influenced by the Victorian belief that industrialization threatened the physical and spiritual health of both individuals and society – and as witness to the horrors of the First and Second World Wars – Maltwood’s research and artistic work can be seen as a rebellion against the radical and large-scale social transformations taking place around her. John Maltwood aptly described his partner by saying “all her work contained a thought – a lesson.” This explanation of Maltwood’s research and artistic creations emphasizes her vision of art as a teaching tool and call to return to spiritual idealism espoused in the late nineteenth century. Katharine Maltwood’s art works and historic and folkloric research were designed to communicate and inspire philosophical thought and emotional experience.

THE COLLECTION

Items in the Katharine Maltwood fonds demonstrate a strong connection with place: many resources describe, document, or re-envision terrestrial areas (Glastonbury and Vancouver Island are well represented in the collection), as well as interior spaces including the art studios and households she inhabited throughout her life. This abundance of interior and exterior landscapes emphasises Maltwood’s connection with the histories and lore of the world around her. Documents describing her travel experiences as well as newspaper and magazine clippings of visual culture from around the globe are both a testament to her creative curiosity and demonstrate her life’s work in search of divine knowledge.

Maltwood believed the wisdom embodied in the Glastonbury Zodiac – and within all creative works – reflected both mystical ideals and the evolution of human consciousness. Thus, for Maltwood, art served as an instructive and redemptive force, one that was intended to be passed down to subsequent generations. With the Katharine Maltwood fonds available online as a digital collection, the Legacy Art Galleries and the University of Victoria Special Collections are fulfilling this legacy.