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Background Information About James Henderson
Below are selected highlights of Henderson’s
life (see the web site for more details):
Biography
• James Henderson was born into a middle
class family in Glasgow, Scotland in 1871.
• The son of a sea captain, he took
an apprenticeship in lithographic
printing at age 16.
• He enrolled in night courses at the
Glasgow School of Art, where he was
influenced by the Scottish Impressionist
School. Visiting galleries and sketching
from nature nurtured his creative drive.
• In 1900 he married Jean Lang in Glasgow.
• Following employment in London as an
engraver and lithographer, Henderson and
his wife emigrated to Regina in 1910, where
he engaged in commercial art assignments.
• Periodic visits to the picturesque Qu’Appelle
Valley appealed to Henderson’s artistic
sensibilities, and he relocated with his wife
to Fort Qu’Appelle in 1915 or 1916. The
environment, rich with lakes, dramatic hills,
and meandering coulees probably reminded
them of their Scottish homeland. They lived
in a house on the Qu’Appelle River, 45 miles
east of Regina, for the remainder of their lives.
• Henderson painted his beloved valley in
every season and mood, and lived a quiet
life. Acquaintances described him as a gentle
man with a keen sense of humour, who loved
dogs, music, golf, and visiting friends.
• Henderson died in Regina in 1951, just short of
his 80th birthday. He was buried alongside his
wife, overlooking the valley at Fort Qu’Appelle.
About Henderson’s Life
• In addition to painting landscapes, Henderson
also painted portraits. While these include
portraits of Saskatchewan political and
business figures, he more importantly
established a career as a painter of portraits
of Indigenous peoples. There is evidence
that Henderson had a personal relationship
with the Indigenous people he painted;
it is thought that a Chief of the Standing
Buffalo Reserve near Fort Qu’Appelle named
Henderson as Honorary Chief Wicite Owapi
Wicasa: the man who paints the old men.
(Researchers have questions about the origin
and translation of Henderson’s honorary
Dakota name. The web site and exhibition
catalogue explore this subject in greater detail.)
• Recognizing Henderson’s significant
achievements, the University of Saskatchewan
bestowed on him an honorary Doctor of
Laws degree at its spring convocation in
1951. Gordon Snelgrove, Head of the Art
Department, referred to Henderson as the
“dean of Saskatchewan artists…esteemed
throughout Canada as a painter of first rank.”