Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days
Painting
Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
I see . . . (Describe what you see in the drawing.)
I think . . . (Explain what you think is happening in the drawing.)
I wonder . . . (What questions do you have about the drawing?)
LOOK
Look closely at all three drawings by Harold Cromwell. What are some similarities and differences?
THINK
What is the purpose of these drawings?
What message do you think Harold Cromwell is trying to get across?
How would you use these drawings as primary sources to learn about Weymouth Falls?
Details
Date 1970s
Materials - Ink
- Paper
- Glass
- Wood
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
- Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
- Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
Cromwell’s ancestors were Black Loyalists who came to Canada after the American Revolution. Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. He used simple materials: ballpoint pens, plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Click here to see other Harold Cromwell drawings in the Canadian Museum of History collection.
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is an ink drawing by artist Harold Cromwell (1919–2008), depicting a field in which men and women are gathering blueberries. It is one of three drawings from Cromwell’s Good Old Days series, which depicts everyday life in rural Nova Scotia, based on the artist’s own memories. The Canadian Museum of History collection has all three drawings in the series.
Cromwell is the most widely recognized African Nova Scotian folk artist in Canada. He was a descendant of Joseph and Jane Cromwell, a Black Loyalist and former enslaved American who were offered freedom and safe passage to Canada in 1783, following the American War of Independence.
Cromwell began drawing in the 1940s, while recovering from injuries he suffered during the Second World War. His art gained particular attention during the political and social movements of the 1960s.
Many of Cromwell’s works are intricate, ballpoint-pen drawings depicting daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art documented life in rural Nova Scotia for more than 50 years. The artist used simple materials around him to create his drawings, drawing on plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home.
Cromwell described his art as being grounded in his personal experience of history, during times when he tackled difficult questions about the past, identity and race. As such, his art is both very personal and highly original.
Harold Cromwell’s Good Old Days series has been accredited by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CPERB) as being of significant historical and cultural value to Canada.
Please click here to see the other drawings by Harold Cromwell in the Canadian Museum of History collection.
- Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
- Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
- Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
Cromwell’s ancestors were Black Loyalists who came to Canada after the American Revolution. Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. He used simple materials: ballpoint pens, plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Click here to see other Harold Cromwell drawings in the Canadian Museum of History collection.
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is an ink drawing by artist Harold Cromwell (1919–2008), depicting a field in which men and women are gathering blueberries. It is one of three drawings from Cromwell’s Good Old Days series, which depicts everyday life in rural Nova Scotia, based on the artist’s own memories. The Canadian Museum of History collection has all three drawings in the series.
Cromwell is the most widely recognized African Nova Scotian folk artist in Canada. He was a descendant of Joseph and Jane Cromwell, a Black Loyalist and former enslaved American who were offered freedom and safe passage to Canada in 1783, following the American War of Independence.
Cromwell began drawing in the 1940s, while recovering from injuries he suffered during the Second World War. His art gained particular attention during the political and social movements of the 1960s.
Many of Cromwell’s works are intricate, ballpoint-pen drawings depicting daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art documented life in rural Nova Scotia for more than 50 years. The artist used simple materials around him to create his drawings, drawing on plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home.
Cromwell described his art as being grounded in his personal experience of history, during times when he tackled difficult questions about the past, identity and race. As such, his art is both very personal and highly original.
Harold Cromwell’s Good Old Days series has been accredited by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CPERB) as being of significant historical and cultural value to Canada.
Please click here to see the other drawings by Harold Cromwell in the Canadian Museum of History collection.
Summary
- Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
- Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
- Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Essential
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is a ballpoint-pen drawing by Harold Cromwell (1919–2008).
Cromwell’s ancestors were Black Loyalists who came to Canada after the American Revolution. Cromwell was injured in the Second World War and began drawing during his recovery. People paid attention to his art, particularly during the social upheaval of the 1960s.
Cromwell’s drawings depict daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. He used simple materials: ballpoint pens, plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home. His art tackles difficult questions about the past, identity and race.
Click here to see other Harold Cromwell drawings in the Canadian Museum of History collection.
In-Depth
Wild Blueberry Picking Back in the Old Days is an ink drawing by artist Harold Cromwell (1919–2008), depicting a field in which men and women are gathering blueberries. It is one of three drawings from Cromwell’s Good Old Days series, which depicts everyday life in rural Nova Scotia, based on the artist’s own memories. The Canadian Museum of History collection has all three drawings in the series.
Cromwell is the most widely recognized African Nova Scotian folk artist in Canada. He was a descendant of Joseph and Jane Cromwell, a Black Loyalist and former enslaved American who were offered freedom and safe passage to Canada in 1783, following the American War of Independence.
Cromwell began drawing in the 1940s, while recovering from injuries he suffered during the Second World War. His art gained particular attention during the political and social movements of the 1960s.
Many of Cromwell’s works are intricate, ballpoint-pen drawings depicting daily life, nature, community and labour in his hometown of Weymouth, Nova Scotia. His art documented life in rural Nova Scotia for more than 50 years. The artist used simple materials around him to create his drawings, drawing on plain white paper, paper plates, and even the furniture in his home.
Cromwell described his art as being grounded in his personal experience of history, during times when he tackled difficult questions about the past, identity and race. As such, his art is both very personal and highly original.
Harold Cromwell’s Good Old Days series has been accredited by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CPERB) as being of significant historical and cultural value to Canada.
Please click here to see the other drawings by Harold Cromwell in the Canadian Museum of History collection.