Q & A

J.R. of Edmonton, Alberta writes:

I acquired this hand watercolor map from my aunt who served with the Canadian nurses in Bruge, Belgium during WW II.

This is #30 of a limited number however I do not know how many were made. My aunt told me the first one was painted for a Canadian Doctor serving in the same hospital as my aunt. I have attached a picture as well as the artist’s description of the map. I have not been able to find out much about the map and would be very interested to learn more about it. The map measures approximately 35" x 25" and is in very good shape. Thanks.

We asked Jeri Bass to respond:

As you know it is really hard to appraise something from a scan regardless of the quality of the scan. So let me preface this with a disclaimer that I cannot give a definite appraisal without seeing the map. However, I believe this map is the same as two others I have seen in the last 6 or 7 years. I have also seen reproduction posters of this or a similar map at military shows.

The originals I saw and which are the only type I know of are not water color but are a silk screening or block type process. The very fact that there is a number on the map which the owner believes to be a number for a limited edition would indicate that it is either not an original water color or that the number is not the limited number but some sort of code for the artist. Gee, I wish I could see the map ...to know if it is watercolor!

One of the maps I saw sold at $400.00 Canadian at Waddington's Auction a number of years ago. The other copy was at the Seattle Book Fair for $1,200.00 US, but did not sell during the fair and I heard later that the dealer had owned the map for a number of years. The reproduction posters run around $50.00.

There were a number of Belgium illustrators doing this sort of work and I believe one of them later moved to Quebec. But that is about all I know of the work.

Hope this helps.