Homage to Wallace Havelock Robb
The Women's Literary Club of St. Catharines was founded in 1892 by a local author Emma Harvey (Mrs. J.G.) Currie (1829-1913) and held its last official meeting on February 19, 1994. The intention of the club was “the promotion of literary pursuits.” The early meetings of the club included papers that were presented and music that was performed by Club members. The literary pursuits that would dominate the agendas for the entire life of the Club reflected an interest in selected authors, national and local history, classical history, musical performance, and newsworthy events.
The club members collected articles, photographs, literary works, as well as other items in detailed scrapbooks. In addition to the Women's Literary Club of St. Catharines scrapbooks, club member Elsie Stevens spent great effort in organizing clippings, articles, correspondence, poetry, photographs, and more in a scrapbook to honour their poet icon, Wallace Havelock Robb (1888-1976). This substantial compilation of Robb materials reveals the longstanding connection between the club and poet over several decades.
Wallace Havelock Robb was described as many things, including: naturalist, historian, and poet. He lived on a 500 acre estate just outside of Kington which he named "Abbey Dawn". Robb's acreage became a bird sanctuary, museum, gallery, and poet's retreat.
It was sometime around the late 1940s that the Women of the Literary Club of St. Catharines came to know Robb. The group began to attend his poetry recitals and they soon formed a friendship. The Women's Literary Club began to sponsor their own Robb recitals held in St. Catharines inviting literary friends like Dr. Louis Blake Duff and Mr. A.E. Coombs.
It was the Women's Literary Club of St. Catharines that presented Robb with his iconic robe he was known for wearing during recitals. The poets robe was especially created for Robb with symbols of on both arms. The colours are described as wine-red representing trilliums with bands of blue for bluebirds, on one arm a symbol of gold for the sun and on the other a green laurel wreath for his poetic achievements.
The friendship between the Women's Literary Club and Wallace Havelock Robb endured for many years. He would often write to individuals in the club sharing information about his upcoming recitals and include portions of his poetry in his correspondence. Robb was so fond of the women of the club that he devoted a portion of his poem "Arrayed in Wampum" to them.
Click here to view the entire Wallace Havelock Robb scrapbook