James Henderson letters to Dr. Wilfred D. Roy, 1938-1940

James Henderson was born on August 21, 1871 in Glasgow, Scotland. At the age of 16 years old, James began an apprenticeship in Lithography. While working his apprenticeship he took on more responsibility and was enrolled in evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art. Seven years later James began working in London. While there he had an array of jobs. He worked as a commercial artist, lithographer, and engraver. He held these jobs over a course of 15 years. James immigrated to Canada via a ship called The Parisian on March 20, 1911. When he first arrived in Canada, he started out in Winnipeg as a lithographer. Five years later he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan; soon after he moved to Fort Qu'Appelle. While in Fort Qu'Appelle, James's art flourished with a focus on oil landscapes and portraits of many indigenous people. The portraits were mainly of the Cree, Sioux, Saulteaux, and Assiniboine tribes of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Due to his work with the Indigenous people, they gave him the title of Honorary Chief at Fort Qu'Appelle's Standing Buffalo Reserve, with this title he was given the name "Wiciteowapi Wicasa" or "man who paints the old men". He also was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan. James Henderson passed away on July 5, 1951, in Regina. He was the first Saskatchewan artist to be nationally and internationally recognized. His work can be found at the Mackenzie Art Gallery at the University of Regina and the National Gallery of Canada Ottawa, and The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.