Ella May Walker Virtual Exhibit

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Ella May Walker (1892-1960) was an Edmonton musician, artist, author and advocate for Edmonton’s history. She had a wide variety of interests and was very active in the local cultural life. She was also a working mother of two sons which was rare for her time.

Ella was instrumental in shaping the City of Edmonton Archives as well as many other Edmonton cultural and heritage organizations. We chose Ella May Walker for our first virtual exhibit, not only because of the richness of her material we have at the Archives, but also to acknowledge and celebrate her role in our history.

Biography

Ella was born Ella Jacoby in Minnesota in 1892 and moved with her family to Dundurn Saskatchewan in 1902. She felt cheated because she didn't have a middle name so she gave herself one, May, after the month she was born in. She used different combinations of her name for different activities. She went by Mrs. O.J. Walker for her volunteer and community work, Ella May Walker for her artwork and Ella Jacoby Walker for her novel. This can make it a little confusing so we'll either refer to her Ella May Walker or simply Ella.

Education

Ella returned to the States in 1911 to study art at the Chicago Institute of Art and music at the Northwestern University School of Music. In 1913 she attended the University of Saskatchewan where she met and married Osman J. Walker. The Walker's both earned degrees from McGill University; Osman a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Ella a Diploma of Licentiate¹ in music.

Move to Edmonton

Ella moved to Edmonton in 1920 when Osman accepted a position at the University of Alberta's Chemistry Department. From the beginning she actively involved herself in Edmonton’s music, theatre and art communities. She taught piano from her Garneau home, helped stage theatrical productions and was an active member of the Edmonton Art Club. She was a church organist and played organ for silent movies in the Allen Theatre.

Allen Theatre [detail from EA-160-273]

Blueprints for the Allen Theatre [MP-1918-78]

Creativity and History Promotion

In the 1930s Ella's creative energies were refocused on art when she met Arthur Lismer (one of the Group of Seven). She began to work in a variety of media, from paintings to sculpture.

Detail: Muchias' Tiny House [EAA-1-9]
Muchias' Tiny House [detail from EAA-1-9]

She told stories of Edmonton's past with her artwork and from there she moved to writing them. She wrote articles for newspapers and a novel of short stories that traced Edmonton from the start of the Fort to the glory days of the City Centre Airport. She promoted her artwork, her novel, and Edmonton's history through shows, exhibits and lectures.

Ella's interest in Edmonton's history is evident in all of her creative work and her efforts to promote and preserve it did not go unnoticed. In 1948 City Council appointed her to the Archives and Landmark Committee.

The movie theatre Ella May Walker played organ in as a new Edmontonian in the 1920s was demolished in 1972. However, it has been revived as a scaled down version in Fort Edmonton Park. Researchers from the Park collaborated with City of Edmonton Archivists and used records at the Archives to help them recreate the theatre. The first movie to play in it was Northern Light, a story of Edmonton. Ella probably would have been thrilled to see it.

After her death in 1960, Ella May Walker's son, Wilfrid Walker, donated artwork and records to the City of Edmonton Archives.

Edmonton musician and artist

Ella May Walker, the artist, part of the City of Edmonton's Archives Online Exhibit.

Edmonton novelist and journalist

Ella May Walker, the Author, as part of the City of Edmonton's Archives Online Exhibit.

Preserving historic sites

Ella May Walker was one of Edmonton's pioneers in heritage conservation and, in the language of the day, was a preservationist. She served on the Archives and Landmarks Committee from its creation in 1947 until 1953.

Her work continues to this day

One of Ella May Walker’s most lasting contributions to Edmonton was her efforts to preserve local historic sites. Today the City of Edmonton Historic Resources Program administers over 100 designated heritage buildings.

Photos

Ella May Walker 1949
The Allen Theatre 1919
Allen Theatre interior 1919
Allen Theatre Blueprint
Jasper Avenue 1953
Capitol Theatre circa 1961
Fort Edmonton 1860
Fort Edmonton
Nails

1. Diploma of Licentiate, McGill University program

Images

Every effort has been made to respect copyright for images used in the City of Edmonton Archives virtual exhibits. For more information please contact us at cms.archives@edmonton.ca or 780-496-8711.

Contact Us

City of Edmonton Archives

Prince of Wales Armouries, 2nd floor
10440 108 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta

Email	cms.archives@edmonton.ca
Link	https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca

Ella May Walker Virtual Exhibit

Biography

Education

Move to Edmonton

Creativity and History Promotion

Photos

Bibliography