Frank Milton Armington

Canadian [1876-1941]

Manitoba Society of Artists

Frank Armington was born in Fordwich, Ontario. Beginning in 1892, he studied under portrait artist J.W.L. Forster for seven years. It was during these classes that he met Caroline Wilkinson, his future wife. Frank visited Paris in 1900, to study at the Académie Julian. In 1903, while living and teaching in Manitoba, Frank became a founding member and first Vice President of the Manitoba Society of Artists. During his years in Winnipeg, Frank worked with the Winnipeg Tribune and taught at Havergal College, supplementing his income with various commercial-art assignments. He exhibited his work at the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibitions from 1902-1905 before returning to Paris with Caroline. Here, Frank attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and enrolled once again at Académie Julian. One of his paintings was accepted for the Salon d’Automne in Paris and his work would continue to be accepted into the French Salons for some years to come. Frank began to etch in 1906, learning the techniques from a fellow student. Both he and Caroline soon became proficient. In 1910, the National Gallery of Canada purchased four of his etchings, with additional examples purchased the following year. Around this time, he and Caroline had a joint show of their work at the Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts in Halifax. They then traveled across Canada while working on the CPR commission (these works are illustrated in the book “Sixty Days in Canada”. In 1915, Frank donated 28 etchings to the New York Public Library. In 1928, the Library of Congress purchased fourteen of his etchings including seven nudes. In 1929 Frank and Caroline held a joint show at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario). Not only did Frank Armington produce numerous etchings in his career but was an accomplished painter of both landscapes and portraits. Following Caroline’s death in 1939, Frank remained in New York for the remainder of his life.

The Armingtons made Paris their home for almost four decades, traveling throughout France, and to numerous countries including Belgium, England, Italy, Sweden, and Algeria. Their print work depicts sites encountered during their trips and they were involved with etching societies in France, England and the United States. Initially popular with travelers, their accomplished etchings can be found in numerous international collections including: National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa); Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); Glenbow Museum (Calgary); Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.); The Met (New York); Museum of Fine Arts (Boston); British Museum (London); The Louvre (Paris), and many more.

Literature: “Caroline and Frank Armington: Canadian Painter-Etchers in Paris”; Janet Braide and Nancy Parke-Taylor; Art Gallery of Peel; 1990.