The Collection of Artist John Bulloch Souter

In a collection that was transferred to the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives via the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums team, our Collections and Archives Assistant Lisette Turner was able to dive into the life and works of Artist John Bulloch Souter. 

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John Bulloch Souter, known by friends and family as Jake, was a  Scottish painter, sculptor, and illustrator. He was born in Aberdeen in 1890 to Alexander Souter, who was a local clothier, and Elsie Cruikshank. The collection comprises personal documents, mementos of Souter’s early life, his war time love letters, and documents pertaining to family affairs, as well as records detailing work for sale, correspondences with his art dealer, and his wife Christian’s recollections of the life they lived. Our team have limited experience cataloguing an artist’s collection, so it was great to utilise Lisette’s knowledge and experience of museum and art collections to create a cohesive archive catalogue that reflects the full range of records that depict the life of J. B. Souter.

Family

John was one of 7 children and the last in a line of accomplished siblings. His eldest brother Alexander was a Cambridge scholar, who went on to be a notable professor and lecturer in the Greek New Testament and other classical translations. Another brother, George, took after his father and lived a life as a hatter/clothier, whilst William Clark Souter, was a notable ophthalmic surgeon. William boarded the Terra Nova on a polar expedition to save Captain Scott’s ship and crew from the Antarctic ice. He gained additional notoriety for his photographic documentation of the expedition and was a recipient of the Polar Medal for his bravery. John’s youngest brother Radford T. Souter started his career with proud acclaim at the 1900 Geography Expedition in Paris for his detailed contour map.

DD3515/1/1/2/5: From left to right - William, George, Alexander, Radford and John

DD3515/1/1/1/4: Birth Certificates of Anne & Radford

John’s sisters led comparatively normal lives. We think Anne was a student teacher early in life, before becoming an Estate Manager.

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She left her home “Kinnoull” on 19 Anderson Drive to John upon her death in 1952 so that he and the love of his life could return to live out their days in Aberdeen.

Another sister, Elsie, strayed away from the domestic responsibilities of Victorian life and pursued a career as an educator. She became a respected local teacher at Skene Square (Senior Division) and was requested by the headmaster of Holburn Street School  to become a permanent fixture in 1910.

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Then came John Bulloch Souter.

Education

John attended Ferryhill School before moving on to Grey's School of Art.

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Following his time at Grey’s he attended the Allan Fraser School, also known as Hospitalfield, in Arbroath, which was an art school that later became a post graduate residential college. It was here that Souter was awarded the Bryne Travelling Scholarship by the Scottish Education Department. He toured the continent painting, drawing, and making lifelong friendships with various artists.

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Art

His debut work "The Breakdown", was displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in May 1926 (gallery 11, number 600). Due to a resounding outcry of racial indignation, it was taken down by the R.A. at the insistence of the council, after being deemed a threat to the empire and ‘Britishness’. Souter refused to sell it and destroyed the painting because of its controversy. He wouldn’t recreate the painting until much later in life.

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[ABDAG017849: This is the only known original composition study for "The Breakdown" which is held in the AAGM Collections]

The collection we now hold shows John’s capacity to utilise different mediums to portray a wide range of pastoral and figurative subject matters.  From the effortless lines of the female forms as he studies angles and curves, the jovial nature of farmyard friends, the calming scenes exemplifying the landscapes and villages of the countryside, to the haunting figures seemingly veiled in darkness, to the delicate doodles illustrating the finest details; there is no doubt that J.B. deserved the acclaim and accolades that he has received. He has warranted the several biographical drafts written about him and the honour of being added to the proud list of accomplished Aberdonian Artists.

    

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War Service

In WW1, John served as a Gordon Highlander in the  Royal Army Medical Corps. 

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During this time, he sustained a romantic relationship with Christian Mary Bella Gordon Grace Reid of Perth through letters. John and Christian were married in February 1926 and moved to London, where he would further his career. In WW2 Jack served as a translator for the Censorship department, although he was primarily based at Windsor Castle  where he restored paintings and created new works.

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Later Life

Retiring to Aberdeen in 1952, John remained with his wife until his death in hospital on 10 May 1972 at the age of 80. In John’s later years, his eyesight began to fail, but the impending visual impairments did not impede his creativity and talent.

Throughout their life together, Christian would often document their travels, family affairs, love, and life together, providing an interesting alternative view on the life of a private man, whom was once the centre of artistic ridicule.

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By Collections & Archives Assistant Lisette Turner