George Harvey
Welsh Courtyard
1875
oil on canvas
34.6 x 61 cm
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Purchase, 1933
Photo: Gary Castle

George Harvey’s arrival from England in Halifax in 1881 coincided with the Royal Canadian Academy exhibition held in the city that same year. Harvey submitted seven works to this exhibition, including Welsh Courtyard. Known as a landscape painter, George Harvey was a respected artist who painted in the English academic tradition. In 1887, Harvey was offered the position of first Headmaster at the new Victoria School of Art and Design, a post he held until 1893. Harvey’s influence was felt in Halifax particularly through his commitment to teaching and through his many students who would later become leading figures in the local art community, among them, Lewis Smith.