Precious album could have been lost in Blitz

King Street looking out on to Whites Island in Hamilton Harbour. *Images courtesy of Johnson Savage MD Collection, National Museum of Bermuda 

The arrival of arguably the most revealing and significant album of paintings in the island’s history came thanks to a large slice of good fortune.

Dr Johnson Savage’s collection of 39 watercolours and drawings depicting island life in the 1830s could have been lost forever during the Second World War.

But the album somehow became separated from the worldly belongings of Dr Savage’s great grandson, Johnson Francis Dawson Savage, which were all destroyed during the Blitz.

Dr Johnson Savage’s depiction of whale processing on Smiths Island. It is believed to be the only picture of this practice from that era.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “It’s a bit of a mystery what happened to the album during the Second World War.

“It was very fortunate that it was not lost forever with the rest of my parents possessions that were put in storage and lost during the Blitz.

“Before the war, the album, together with a huge number of other paintings by Dr Johnson from all over the world, were passed down from generation to generation.

“And I came across them again when we did a big tidy out of my mother’s Suffolk home when she moved out in 2004.

“Since that time the album has been sitting safely in my attic.”

Dr Harris, director of the National Museum left, with Major Peter Savage and his wife, Rosemary. *Photo supplied

The Bermuda album would probably then have remained in the UK had it not been for a chance meeting between Major Savage and Dr Adrian Webb, a member of the National Museum, in June last year.

Major Savage added: “I am a member of the Defence Surveyor’s Association having been in Royal Engineers myself.

“We often hold annual get-togethers and it was at one of these meetings I met Adrian Webb.

“He seemed very interested in the Savage family link to Bermuda and in turn put me in touch with Edward Harris from the National Museum. Within a few months Mr Harris came to visit me in the UK.”

Dr Harris flew to England in November to meet Major Savage at his Surrey home and see the album.

The director of the National Museum had initially hoped to make scanned copies of the paintings to be put on display in Bermuda, but was delighted when Major Savage offered to
donate the entire album to the museum.

Major Savage said: “I had already spoken with my siblings about the possibility of donating the album to Bermuda.

“But I really was not sure how much interest there would be and how Dr Harris would react to it.

“He was obviously very interested and we as a family are very pleased to return this collection of paintings by my great. great grandfather to the people of Bermuda.”

Major Savage and his wife, Rosemary, are now planning to visit Bermuda for the first time in April.

And they hope to visit some of the spots from where Dr Johnson Savage drew the paintings nearly 180 years ago. 

A painting of a group of soldiers enjoying a picnic under the Walshingham Calabash tree.