Caroline Armington

Caroline Armington

(1875 – 1939)
Caroline Helena Armington, originally from Brampton, Ontario, began her artistic path studying under the portrait painter John Wycliffe Lowes Forster. It was during this early chapter of her training that she met fellow artist—and future husband—Frank Armington. While her heart lay in the arts, practical concerns and family expectations led Caroline to pursue nursing. She trained at Guelph General Hospital and later worked in both New York City and Toronto. This profession not only supported her financially but also enabled her dream of studying abroad, ultimately taking her to France in 1900, where she married Frank in a civil ceremony.

The couple later spent a period in Manitoba, where Caroline taught and continued practicing private nursing, before relocating permanently to Paris in 1905. It was there that Caroline began producing etchings, a medium in which she would achieve significant recognition. Her first etching was acquired by the National Gallery of Canada in 1910—an early sign of the esteem her work would garner. That same decade, she and Frank were commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway to create a series of etchings. Five pieces from this project later entered the collection of the British Museum.

World War I brought new challenges and service: Caroline returned to nursing, joining the American Ambulance Service in Paris, while Frank served alongside her as an orderly. Their creative pursuits continued nonetheless, with both artists remaining active in etching societies across France, England, and the United States.
In 1939, as their health declined and Europe was once again gripped by war, the Armingtons made the difficult decision to leave France. During their journey to safety, Caroline suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after arriving in New York.

Caroline’s etchings—often capturing the places the Armingtons visited during their extensive travels—were admired by art lovers and collectors alike, especially among international travelers of the early 20th century. Today, her work remains part of major museum collections around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Glenbow Museum, Library of Congress, The Met, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the British Museum, and the Louvre.