Katherine E. Wallis

Katherine E. Wallis was the daughter of James Wallis, first minister of St. James the Apostle, and his second wife.  Miss Wallis donated a bronze relief sculpture, entitled,  “Jesus and the Children” to St. James the Apostle that remains on display in the church.

Katherine E. Wallis was born in 1860 in Peterborough, Ontario. She studied art as a copyist at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland and later at the Royal College of Art in London, England. In London she discovered sculpting.  World War I interrupted Katherine E. Wallis’ career while she served as a nurse in the Canadian hospital in Paris, France for a period of five years. She was remembered as a kind and caring, sympathetic and understanding. For her services the French and English governments bestowed a medal upon her.  After World War I, Miss Wallis returned to Canada for a period of time, to exhibit her work and to be with her sister in Peterborough.

In 1929 she returned to Paris and became the first Canadian to be elected Societaire of the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts for her sculpture titled “La Lutte pour la Vie.” Miss Wallis remained in France until World War II began.

Miss Wallis took up residence in Santa Cruz, California but returned to Canada and Europe often, exhibiting at Royal Academy (1897), the Royal Canadian Academy (1904-37), the Ontario Society of Artists (1922), the National Gallery of Canada (1928), and at Wembley (1924-25), among others. Her work can be found in the collections of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Canada, the Petit Palais (Paris), and the Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool).