How racism kept B.C.'s 'first professional painter' from fame

If you have a painting on your wall with a signature G.T. Brown in the bottom right corner, it's worth a lot of money and a lot of interest to B.C. art historians.

The largely unknown African-American artist Grafton Tyler Brownheld an art gallery in Victoria inthe late 1800s, where he sold dozens of paintings

And now, more than acentury later, a handful areon display in Victoria'sLegacy Art Gallery.

But the rest are scattered throughout the province, according to University of Victoriahistorian John Lutz. And they're valued at more than$70,000 apiece.

"They've never been gathered together," Lutz told host Jason D'Souza on CBC's North by Northwest."He had the one exhibit in 1883, and now we're having a second showing in Victoria 134 years later."

But who was Grafton Tyler Brown, and why are his images so significant?

B.C.'s first professional artist

Grafton Tyler Brown was born on Feb. 22, 1841 in Pennsylvania. He was listed as 'black' in the U.S. census for the first 20 years of his life.

He moved to California at 17, where he took up painting as a hobby. He eventually got a job as a lithographer, drawing up panoramicviews of towns and landscapes, honing his craft.

Lutz says Brown eventually inherited the lithography business, and shortly thereafter, was listed as "mulatto," "quadroon," and eventually "white" in the national censuses.

Brown was light skinned, and identifying as white provided him better opportunities, said Lutz.

"He was Caucasian for the rest of his life in his professional dealings," said Lutz.

Brown eventually decided to make his living as a painter. He travelled to B.C. after joining a geological survey party. They ventured throughout the province, whileBrown painted astonishing landscapesof the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan, and the Pacific Coast.

"At the time, it was exotic territory," said Lutz. "After a year here, he had Victoria's first professional art exhibit."

Lost treasures

Brown only stayed in B.C. for a couple of years before moving on to reinvent himself as a drafter back in the U.S. Lutz suggests that the artist may have feared that people would learn of his African-American heritage.

But Lutz saidas many as70 of his paintings could have been sold at his only art exhibition. And they are some of the earliest paintings of the province's landscapes.

He's located several in private residences, while four are in the provincial archives.

"Most of them are probably still out there on the walls," he said, adding that they sell in the U.S. for $75,000 USD. "They're worth checking your wall for."

Aside from the dollar value, the paintings have worthto art historians who are trying to piece togetherthe past of Brown and the province.

If you come across a Grafton Tyler Brown, Lutz urges you to contact him. He is also holding a talk about Brown's life at the Legacy Art Gallery on Feb. 4 for Black History Month.

With files from CBC's North by Northwest

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled:How racism kept B.C.'s 'first professional painter' from fame