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Historica Canada has released a new Heritage Minute, featuring Mary Riter Hamilton, Canada’s first woman battlefield artist. Starring Megan Follows, the short film depicts Hamilton’s remarkable journey to post-war Europe, where she painted the shattered landscapes of France and Belgium and used art to help a grieving world process the devastation of the First World War.
As the author of I Can Only Paint: The Story of Battlefield Painter Mary Riter Hamilton, I was privileged to serve as a consultant on the project, contributing to multiple iterations of the script. It was essential to me that Mary’s own voice remained central to her story, avoiding fabricated quotes. Her letters and writings provided the foundation for authentically conveying her perspective and the emotional weight of her work.
Hamilton’s paintings are more than records of destruction; they are acts of witnessing and mourning. Confronting the mass grief of the post-war world, her art became a way to memorialize what was lost, offering solace and remembrance through her unflinching portrayals of ruin and resilience. It was equally important to highlight how profoundly this experience affected Hamilton herself—a dimension the Heritage Minute traces.
This Heritage Minute brings renewed attention to Hamilton’s legacy, ensuring her contributions to Canadian art and history are remembered. I hope viewers come away with a deeper appreciation for her aesthetic, her courage, her vision, and her role in helping the world grapple with the aftermath of war.
Watch it here:
Recent Media Coverage
Anthony Wilson-Smith. “The Making of Two Minutes: Dramatizing the Lives of Two Visionary Canadians.” Policy Magazine, 25 Aug 2024.
Jonathan Pinto. Interview with Irene Gammel. CBC Radio, 23 Oct 2024.
Sarah Law. “Canada's 1st Female Battlefield Artist to Be Featured in Upcoming ‘Heritage Minute.’” CBC News, 24 Oct 2024.
This article discusses Hamilton's painting Trenches on the Somme: “What I also appreciate about that particular painting, and that's a strategy she uses in many paintings, is that she takes us right inside the trench,” Gammel told CBC's Up North on Wednesday. “She takes us into the position of the soldiers at the time who would have been in these trenches … and so the result of this is pretty extraordinary.”
Alex Nino Gheciu. “Heritage Minute on Battlefield Artist Mary Riter Hamilton Reflects ‘Uncertain Times.’” The Globe and Mail, 29 Oct 2024,
Alex Nino Gheciu. “New Heritage Minute to Tell Story of Canadian Battlefield Artist Mary Riter Hamilton.” ChekNews, 29 Oct 2024.
Andy Johnson. “Heritage Minute Honours War Artist.” Zoomer Radio News, 29 Oct 2024.
“New Heritage Minute Celebrates Mary Riter Hamilton.” Newswire.ca, 29 Oct 2024.
