Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [ca. 1882]-1978, predominant 1944-1968 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
70 cm of textual records ca. 600 photographs 6 zinc etching plates
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Frances Norma Loring, sculptor, was born in Wardner, Idaho October 14, 1887. She studied sculpture in Geneva, Munich and Paris 1901-1905. In 1905 at the Art Institute of Chicago, she met Florence Wyle with whom she subsequently shared studios in New York (1909-1912) and Toronto (1912-1966). A member in 1920 of the Ontario Society of Artists, she was a founding member (1928) of the Sculptors' Society of Canada and a chief organizer of the Federation of Canadian Artists and the National Arts Council. Among her best-known public monuments are the lion of the Queen Elizabeth Monument in Toronto (originally near the entrance to the Queen Elizabeth Way) and war memorials at St Stephen, New Brunswick and Cambridge (formerly Galt), Ontario. Frances Loring died in Newmarket, Ontario February 3, 1968. Florence Wyle, sculptor, was born in Trenton, Illinois November 24, 1881. While studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1905, she met Frances Loring, with whom she later moved to New York. Loring moved to Canada in 1912, where Wyle joined her the following year. They each produced a considerable body of work in their studio, a converted church, in Toronto. A member of the Ontario Society of Artists (1920), Wyle was the first woman sculptor to become a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy. She was also a published writer (Poems, 1958). Among her public sculptures is the relief of Edith Cavell on the grounds of the Toronto General Hospital. Florence Wyle died in Newmarket, Ontario January 13, 1968. Loring & Wyle’s works are in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian War Museum and in several public and private buildings in Ontario.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Frances Loring (1887-1968) and Florence Wyle (1881-1968) were Canadian sculptors. Frances Loring was born in Wardner, Idaho. She studied art in Europe as well as Chicago, Boston, and New York. Florence Wyle was born in Trenton, Illinois, and studied medicine at the University of Illinois and then art at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she later taught classes. She then worked in New York where she shared a studio with Frances Loring. Loring and Wyle moved to Toronto in 1912, and in 1920 bought an old church and converted it into a studio. Loring and Wyle were both active in Canadian art movements and were founding members of the Sculptors Society of Canada in 1928. Their work can be seen at the National Gallery in Ottawa, Art Gallery of Toronto, and in the streets of Toronto on such buildings as the Toronto General Hospital and Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, and on memorials in small towns in Ontario, New Brunswick and Maine.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The first body of material now constituting the Frances Loring and Florence Wyle fonds remained in the artists' studio from 1966 until it was donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1982 or 1983. Further material was given to the Gallery by Frances Gage, an executor of the Loring & Wyle estate, in 1987.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The fonds consists first, of papers of Frances Loring: correspondence (largely genealogical), lists of her works, a collection of short stories, articles, newspaper clippings, information about Loring’s father, Frank C. Loring, and two etching plates. Second, papers and other materials of Florence Wyle: poems, diaries, journals, articles, biographical information (including birth certificates, passport), lists (including prices and exhibitions) of her works, and various etching plates. The third part of the fonds comprises a collection of photographs of works by both artists. Lastly, the 1987 accrual to the fonds contains further biographical documentation and correspondence (relating to artworks, to the Loring and Wyle Trust Fund, to personal matters including finances, and to their estate) and an additional collection of photographs. Fonds consists of the following series: (Frances Loring) Lists of art works (Frances Loring) Biographical information Loring genealogy and historical background (Florence Wyle) Poems (Florence Wyle) Diaries, calendars and journals (Florence Wyle) Historical and biographical information (Florence Wyle) Price lists, exhibitions, catalogues, works (Florence Wyle) Articles/lectures (Florence Wyle) Miscellaneous Photographs (1983 donation) Loring & Wyle papers (1987 accrual) Loring & Wyle photographs (1987 accrual)
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright of material in the Loring & Wyle fonds formerly belonging to Frances Loring and Florence Wyle has been transferred to the Art Gallery of Ontario. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission for the reproduction of any part of the fonds.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
http://ago.ca/sites/default/files/SC029.pdf
Photocopies of the series Photographs (1983 donation) are available from the reference desk.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
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Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
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Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
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Sources
Archivist's note
Prepared by Gary Fitzgibbon, 2008. Revised in 2016.
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019.