The Early Life of Frederick Bourchier Taylor

Frederick Bourchier Taylor enters the world in Ottawa, Canada, on July 27, 1906. He is the son of Plunkett B. Taylor and Florence G. Magee. The stability of his early Canadian upbringing shifts as the First World War reshapes the lives of families across the Atlantic. Because his father is sent to England during the conflict, the family moves. Between 1916 and 1918, Frederick Bourchier Taylor lives in London, England, a brief period of displacement before the family returns to Canada.

The return to Ottawa marks a period of stabilization and formal education. He enters the Lisgar Collegiate Institute, completing his studies there in 1918. This formative era in Ottawa establishes the foundation of his identity before his later pursuits in architecture and the arts take hold.

University Studies and Diverse Talents

The academic path at McGill University begins in 1925. His parents had insisted on a formal university education before he could pursue a career in the arts. He settles into the study of architecture, a discipline that demands both technical precision and a keen eye for structure. By 1927, this focus yields a specific recognition when he is awarded the Anglin Norcross Prize for his architectural drawings. The precision required for these drafts suggests a disciplined approach to form and space.

Life at McGill extends far beyond the drafting table. The physical demands of the university environment reveal a different side of his character. He enters the ring and becomes the university's heavyweight boxing champion. This athletic prowess exists alongside a growing interest in skiing. He moves through these years balancing the rigid lines of architectural study with the physical intensity of the boxing ring and the outdoors.

Professional Life in Montreal and Britain

The post-graduation years find Taylor moving between the landscapes of Great Britain and Canada. He spends time studying and working in both regions, a period of professional wandering before a permanent anchor is found. By 1937, the movement stops in Montreal. This city becomes the center of his professional life, a place where his architectural training and artistic ambitions begin to intersect in the urban environment.

Life in Montreal is a balancing act of instruction and observation. He earns his living at the McGill School of Architecture, teaching drawing to students within the institution's walls. When he is not in the classroom, he is working on portraits, capturing the likenesses of his subjects to sustain his practice. This dual existence as an educator and a portraitist defines his early years in the city, providing the stability required to observe the shifting social and industrial textures of Quebec.

Documenting Canadian Industrial War Efforts

The outbreak of war in 1939 brings a shift in focus. Taylor attempts to lobby the Canadian Government to establish an official war-art program, but the effort fails. He does not wait for official sanction. Instead, he turns to family connections, utilizing the influence of his brother, the businessman E.P. Taylor, to bypass bureaucratic hurdles. This access opens the heavy doors of the Angus Shops of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Montreal and several Canadian shipyards.

The scene shifts to the grit of the wartime economy. Taylor moves through these industrial spaces to document the strenuous, often unacknowledged labor of the workforce. He produces a massive body of work, totaling over 200 pieces that capture the essence of Canadian production. His output includes nineteen small-sized studies and eight larger finished works. Much of this documentation focuses on the fur and garment industries of Montreal during the 1940s, capturing a specific, high-pressure moment in the nation's industrial history.

Artistic Style and Technique

Taylor’s visual language is shaped by the precision of his architectural training. He approaches a canvas with the eye of an architect and the hand of a graphic artist, blending structural clarity with a varied technical repertoire. His output spans from the delicate, controlled lines of etching and aquatint to the heavy, tactile presence of sculpture. This versatility allows him to move between the intimate detail of a print and the expansive scale of a landscape.

When documenting the industrial landscape, his palette shifts toward the functional. He employs a muted range of industrial greens, browns, and greys to capture the atmosphere of heavy labor. These tones strip away sentimentality, focusing instead on the grit of the environment. This approach is evident in his depictions of factory settings and shipyards, where the color serves the documentation of the scene rather than decorative intent. His landscapes and portraits often share this same grounded, observational quality.

His technical range is further demonstrated in works such as:

• St. James Cathedral (1948)
• Tug Boats (1938)
• Looking Up St. Cecile Street (1939)

Later Years and Death in Mexico

The landscape shifts in 1960. Taylor leaves the industrial echoes of Canada behind, settling in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This move marks a definitive change in his environment, trading the northern climates for the high desert air of Guanajuato. His personal life undergoes a parallel transition during these decades. Following his marriage to Nova Hecht in 1955, he remains with her until her death in 1982.

Life in San Miguel de Allende continues for a brief period after his loss. In 1983, he marries Elinor (Fen) Lasell. The years in Mexico represent the final chapter of a life defined by diverse pursuits, from the boxing ring to the architectural studio. He remains in San Miguel de Allende until his death on April 21, 1987.