Jack Weldon Humphrey, 1901 – 1967
Canadian artist Jack Weldon Humphrey was born in St. John, New Brunswick. He took his first formal art studies at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, under Philip Hale from 1920 to 1923, then studied under Charles Hawthorne from 1924 to 1929 at the National Academy of Design, serving as his summer studio assistant at Provincetown.
‘Swallow Tail, Grand Manan’ depicts a strongly regional scene in typical East Coast folk art style. A small rocky promontory with a cottages and an iconic white lighthouse help guide ships through to the St. Lawrence seaway. This lighthouse is symbolic, stoically awaiting the return of the soldiers or seamen to the close knit community nearby.