Katherine Maltwood, at work on Magna Matter. London, c.1910.

March 11 – April 15, 1978

University Centre

View the online catalogue:

The Maltwood Collection – Catalogue

On April 2, 1901 Katherine Sapsworth married John Maltwood, an advertising manager, whose not inconsiderable fortune enabled her to devote her entire life to travel, collecting, writing and sculpture. After John Maltwood’s retirement from business in 1921, she and her husband made extensive tours of the Middle East, India, China, Korea and both North and South America. As a result, the diverse range of the Maltwood Collection began to develop. In 1938 the couple decided to leave England and settle in Victoria, B.C. They purchased the house at Royal Oak, formerly a restaurant called “The Thatch” and here the Maltwoods arranged their sizeable collection, including Mrs. Maltwood’s own sculptures and the many items associated with her antiquarian interests. Mrs. Maltwood died in 1961, bequeathing the house, her collection, and an endowment to the University of Victoria. Her husband died in 1967.