Denis Galloway
Encyclopedia
William Albert Denis Galloway (5 March 1878 - 7 May 1957), better known as Denis Galloway, was a Scottish ethnographic artist and photographer. The elder son of Sir William Galloway
(1840–1927), Mining Professor at University College of Wales in Cardiff
, and Christiana Maud Mary Gordon (1853–1880). His younger brother was Christian Francis John Galloway (1880–1969). Galloway was a renowned ethonographic artist and photographer who travelled extensively in Europe, whilst living firstly in Zealand and later in Romania
, recording the customs and costumes of the local people, from about 1914 until he returned to England in 1950.
.
Galloway joined the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
, being appointed a 2nd Lieutenant on 10 March 1897, a Lieutenant on the 7 December 1898, a Captain on the 6th June 1903. He then resigned his commission on 30 April 1907. In 1901 his occupation was Artist Lieutenant in the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
.
In 1904, at the age of 26, Galloway joined the Slade School of Fine Arts in London
.
, in Zealand, the Netherlands
. While living there, he joined Jan Tooroop's artist group in Domburg. He spent the next ten years painting, etching, sketching and photographing the village, the dike, the people and their traditional way of life. Following the destruction of the area in the bombing of October 1944, Galloway's work became an invaluable record of life in the pre-war era, and, as such, has been kept by the Polderhuis Westkapelle
(The Dyke and Polder War Museum of Westkapelle). Examples of Galloway's work are also held in the Royal Archives of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
.
Between 1926 and 1950, Galloway lived mainly in the town of Cluj
, Romania
. He worked for the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania
in Cluj between 1927 and 1929, spending periods of 5 to 6 months in different ethnographic areas of Transylvania. He painted watercolours of traditional rural holidays, paying particular attention to the finer details of traditional folk costumes. He collected ethnic objects and took photographs in the Kalotaszag region, in Piladureni, Hateg
and in the Banat
region.
Between 1930 and 1938, Galloway's connections with the Museum loosened, but there are a large number of his negatives from that time taken in the Nasaud
county, and in the Tara Barsei, Osa
and Bucovina regions which, in 1950 at the age of 72, Galloway donated to the Ethnographic Museum for their archives. They now hold about 450 negatives of his taken in the Netherlands, Germany
, Poland
and the Czech Republic
, 647 negatives of pictures taken in Romania
, and 27 autochrome glass plaques.
Galloway's pictures are generally characterised by a harmony of composition and aesthetics. He aimed to produce a faithful documentation of the finest details, as can be seen in his paintings displayed at Westkapelle.
Galloway's photographs fall mainly into three categories:
1 Pictures taken under the direction of ethnographical professor Romulus Vuia. These had a clear "ethnographic importance", registering information related to dwellings, households, specific activities, clothes and customs. These were also taken in both geographically and ethnically diverse communities (Romanian
, Hungarian
, Saxon and Slavic
), with distinctive historical statuses. His pictures kept a colourful and detailed image of traditional Transylvanian rural life in the years 1920-1930.
2. Pictures based on his own ideas, the common element in this group is aesthesis. These landscapes and snapshots, with their blurred characters immortalize ordinary people through skilfully captured aesthetic moments.
3. Pictures made for the village people, his models, are the most numerous. Here Galloway's negatives became a means of bonding, a way of strengthening his position within the community.
In 1953, Galloway joined the Folk-Lore Society and in his will he bequeathed his remaining collection of ethnographic photographs to the Folk-Lore Society at University College, London.
Denis Galloway died, aged 79, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.
Sir William Galloway
Sir William Galloway was the eldest son of William Galloway , JP, Paisley shawl manufacturer and coal and iron master of Paisley, Scotland and his second wife Margaret Lindsay , daughter of Thomas Lindsay, brewer of Glasgow. He was educated firstly in Scotland, then in Germany and London...
(1840–1927), Mining Professor at University College of Wales in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, and Christiana Maud Mary Gordon (1853–1880). His younger brother was Christian Francis John Galloway (1880–1969). Galloway was a renowned ethonographic artist and photographer who travelled extensively in Europe, whilst living firstly in Zealand and later in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, recording the customs and costumes of the local people, from about 1914 until he returned to England in 1950.
Early years
Galloway was born in Cardiff, where his father was a mining engineer. He was educated at home with his brother and later attained his BSc in Mining Engineering at the University of WalesUniversity of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
Galloway joined the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers is the most senior regiment in the British Territorial Army, having given continuous loyal service to the crown since 1539. It is part of the reserve forces, and is the only remaining Militia unit in the British Army...
, being appointed a 2nd Lieutenant on 10 March 1897, a Lieutenant on the 7 December 1898, a Captain on the 6th June 1903. He then resigned his commission on 30 April 1907. In 1901 his occupation was Artist Lieutenant in the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers is the most senior regiment in the British Territorial Army, having given continuous loyal service to the crown since 1539. It is part of the reserve forces, and is the only remaining Militia unit in the British Army...
.
In 1904, at the age of 26, Galloway joined the Slade School of Fine Arts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Life in Europe
In 1914 Galloway settled in WestkapelleWestkapelle
Westkapelle can refer to:* Westkapelle - a place in the municipality of Knokke-Heist in Belgium* Westkapelle - a place in the municipality of Veere in the Netherlands...
, in Zealand, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. While living there, he joined Jan Tooroop's artist group in Domburg. He spent the next ten years painting, etching, sketching and photographing the village, the dike, the people and their traditional way of life. Following the destruction of the area in the bombing of October 1944, Galloway's work became an invaluable record of life in the pre-war era, and, as such, has been kept by the Polderhuis Westkapelle
Westkapelle
Westkapelle can refer to:* Westkapelle - a place in the municipality of Knokke-Heist in Belgium* Westkapelle - a place in the municipality of Veere in the Netherlands...
(The Dyke and Polder War Museum of Westkapelle). Examples of Galloway's work are also held in the Royal Archives of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Between 1926 and 1950, Galloway lived mainly in the town of Cluj
Cluj
Cluj may refer to*Cluj-Napoca, county seat of Cluj County, named Cluj until 1974*Cluj County, Romania*Cluj-Napoca International Airport*U Cluj, a Romanian sports club*U Cluj, a Romanian football club*CFR Cluj, a Romanian football club...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. He worked for the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania
Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania
The Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania is situated in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. With a history of more than 80 years, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania is one of the first and greatest of its kind in Romania...
in Cluj between 1927 and 1929, spending periods of 5 to 6 months in different ethnographic areas of Transylvania. He painted watercolours of traditional rural holidays, paying particular attention to the finer details of traditional folk costumes. He collected ethnic objects and took photographs in the Kalotaszag region, in Piladureni, Hateg
Hateg
Hațeg is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 12,507. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad, Silvașu de Jos and Silvașu de Sus.Țara Hațegului is the region around Hațeg town...
and in the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
region.
Between 1930 and 1938, Galloway's connections with the Museum loosened, but there are a large number of his negatives from that time taken in the Nasaud
Nasaud
Năsăud is a town in Bistriţa-Năsăud County in Romania located in the historical region of Transylvania. The town administers two villages, Liviu Rebreanu and Luşca.The name Năsăud is possibly derived from the Slavic nas voda, meaning "near the water"...
county, and in the Tara Barsei, Osa
Osa
Osa may refer to:*Osa peninsula, a peninsula in Costa Rica*Osa, Allahabad, a village in Allahabad, India*Osa, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship *Osa, Russia, name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Osa class missile boat...
and Bucovina regions which, in 1950 at the age of 72, Galloway donated to the Ethnographic Museum for their archives. They now hold about 450 negatives of his taken in the Netherlands, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, 647 negatives of pictures taken in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, and 27 autochrome glass plaques.
Camera and pictures
Galloway used a Goertz camera on 8x11cm, 9x12cm and later 13x18cm glass plaques.Galloway's pictures are generally characterised by a harmony of composition and aesthetics. He aimed to produce a faithful documentation of the finest details, as can be seen in his paintings displayed at Westkapelle.
Galloway's photographs fall mainly into three categories:
1 Pictures taken under the direction of ethnographical professor Romulus Vuia. These had a clear "ethnographic importance", registering information related to dwellings, households, specific activities, clothes and customs. These were also taken in both geographically and ethnically diverse communities (Romanian
Romanian
Romanian refers to something of or relating to Romania, a country in southeastern Europe, the Romanian people, or the Romanian language.Romanian may also refer to:...
, Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian may refer to:* Hungary, a country in Central Europe* Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing from 1000 to 1946* Hungarian people, the ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary...
, Saxon and Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
), with distinctive historical statuses. His pictures kept a colourful and detailed image of traditional Transylvanian rural life in the years 1920-1930.
2. Pictures based on his own ideas, the common element in this group is aesthesis. These landscapes and snapshots, with their blurred characters immortalize ordinary people through skilfully captured aesthetic moments.
3. Pictures made for the village people, his models, are the most numerous. Here Galloway's negatives became a means of bonding, a way of strengthening his position within the community.
Final years
In 1950, Galloway returned to Britain and settled in London with his brother, Christian. He donated his Dutch art to the Museum at Westkapelle, and his Transylvanian negatives to the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania.In 1953, Galloway joined the Folk-Lore Society and in his will he bequeathed his remaining collection of ethnographic photographs to the Folk-Lore Society at University College, London.
Denis Galloway died, aged 79, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.
External links
- http://new.heritagehouse.hu/page/90/ The Heritage House of Hungary.
- http://www.muzeul-etnografic.ro/en/main-buildings-section/documentary-fund.php The Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania
- http://www.polderhuiswestkapelle.nl/exposities/eerdere-exposities/zeeuws-expositie-denis-galloway/ The Polderhuis Exhibition, Westkapelle.
- http://ziuadecj.realitatea.net/cultura/lumea-satului-transilvan-salvata-de-un-britanic--32520.html Ziua de Cluj, Newspaper Article.8 Aug 2008