From the Author
For his insights and contribution to my earlier work on Tom Thomson, thanks are due to Harold Town; to Joan Murray, who, in 1971, organized the first Thomson retrospective in thirty years; and to Iris Nowell, who carried out the basic research.
The ACI team expertly guided me through the complexities of preparing this first online book on Tom Thomson—particularly Rosemary Shipton, éditrice extraordinaire; John Geoghegan, super art sleuth; and Sara Angel, our intrepid leader.
From the Art Canada Institute
This online art book was made possible thanks to BMO Financial Group, Lead Sponsor for the Canadian Online Art Book Project. Much gratitude goes to the Title Sponsors for this publication: Consignor Canadian Fine Art and The McLean Foundation. The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the other sponsors for the 2014–15 Season: Aimia, Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., the Hal Jackman Foundation, K. James Harrison, Sandra L. Simpson, and TD Bank.
Thanks also to the Art Canada Institute Founding Patrons: Sara and Michael Angel, Jalynn H. Bennett, the Butterfield Family Foundation, David and Vivian Campbell, Albert E. Cummings, Kiki and Ian Delaney, the Fleck Family, Roger and Kevin Garland, the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation, Michelle Koerner and Kevin Doyle, Phil Lind, Sarah and Tom Milroy, Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau, Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan, Sandra L. Simpson, Pam and Mike Stein, and Robin and David Young; as well as its Founding Partner Patrons: The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and Partners in Art.
The ACI gratefully acknowledges the support and assistance of the Art Gallery of Alberta (Rochelle Ball); the Art Gallery of Ontario (Jim Shedden and Ebony Jansen); Carleton University Art Gallery (Sandra Dyck); Heffel Canada (Kirbi Pitt); Nancy Lang; the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Janine Butler and Ki-in Wong); the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Marie-Claude Saia); the National Gallery of Canada (Emily Antler and Raven Amiro); A.K. Prakash; Tom Thomson Art Gallery (David Huff); the University of Toronto (Heather Pigat and Daniella Sanader); the Vancouver Art Gallery (Danielle Currie); the Winnipeg Art Gallery (Nicole Fletcher); and private collectors who wish to remain anonymous.
Image Sources
Every effort has been made to secure permissions for all copyrighted material. The Art Canada Institute will gladly correct any errors or omissions.
Credit for Cover Image
Tom Thomson, Northern Lights, 1916. (See below for details.)
Credits for Banner Images
Biography: Studio portrait of Tom Thomson, c. 1910. (See below for details.)
Key Works: Tom Thomson, Sunset, 1915. (See below for details.)
Significance & Critical Issues: Tom Thomson, Hot Summer Moonlight, 1915. (See below for details.)
Style & Technique: Tom Thomson, Fire-Swept Hills, 1915. (See below for details.)
Sources & Resources: Tom Thomson, Sketchbook (page 32), c. 1905–11, Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, Brampton (1993.130.3).
Where to See: Installation view of Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by Tom Thomson, Art Gallery of Toronto, 1920. (See below for details.)
Credits for Works by Tom Thomson
After the Storm, 1917. Private collection.
Approaching Snowstorm, 1915. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4689).
Artist’s Camp, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, 1915. Thomson Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Autumn, Algonquin Park, 1916. A.K. Prakash Collection, Toronto.
Autumn Clouds, 1915. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, gift of R.A. Laidlaw, Toronto (1965, 1966.15.25).
Autumn Foliage, 1915. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the Reuben and Kate Leonard Canadian Fund, 1927 (no. 852).
Blue Lake: Sketch for “In the Northland”, 1915. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4716).
Burned Over Land, 1916. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, gift of the founders, Robert and Signe McMichael, 1967 (1966.16.66).
Burns’ Blessing, 1906. Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario.
The Canoe, 1912. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the J.S. McLean Collection, Toronto, 1969, donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988 (L69.48).
Cranberry Marsh, 1916. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4698).
Decorative Illustration: A Blessing by Robert Burns, 1909. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario (1972.18.5).
Decorative Landscape: Birches, 1915–16. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4724).
Decorative Landscape: Quotation from Maurice Maeterlinck, c. 1908. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, gift of Margaret Thomson Tweedale, Toronto, 1979 (1980.3.3).
Decorative Panel (II), 1915–16. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4718).
Decorative Panel (III), 1915–16. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4719).
Decorative Panel (IV), 1915–16. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4720).
The Drive, 1916–17. Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, Ontario, purchased by the Ontario Agricultural College with funds raised by students, faculty, and staff, 1926 (UG1926.134).
Drowned Land, 1912. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (no. 2449).
Early Snow, 1916–17. Winnipeg Art Gallery, acquired with the assistance of a grant from the Canadian Government, approved by the Minister of Canadian Heritage under the terms of the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, and with contributions by The Winnipeg Foundation, The Thomas Sill Foundation Inc., The Winnipeg Art Gallery Foundation Inc., Mr. and Mrs. G.B. Wiswell Fund, DeFehr Foundation Inc., Loch and Mayberry Fine Art Inc, and several anonymous donors (2000-2001).
Early Spring, Canoe Lake, 1917. Private collection, photography courtesy of Heffel.
Fire-Swept Hills, 1915. Thomson Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
First Snow in Autumn, 1916. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4670).
The Fisherman, 1916–17. Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, gift of the Ernest E. Poole Foundation, 1975 (no. 68.6.84).
Hot Summer Moonlight, 1915. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4648).
In the Northland, 1915–16. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Friends of the Museum, Dr. Francis J. Shepherd, Sir Vincent Meredith, Drs. Lauterman and W. Gardner and Mrs. Hobart Molson, 1922 (1922.179).
The Jack Pine, 1916–17. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 1519).
Lakeside, Spring, Algonquin Park, 1915. Private collection.
Moonlight, 1913–14. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 943).
Moonlight, c. 1913–14. Private collection.
Mowat Lodge (or Fraser’s Lodge), 1915. Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, gift of Mrs. Gertrude Poole, Edmonton, 1977 (77.30).
Nocturne, 1914. Art Gallery of Windsor, bequest of Miss Margaret Bowlby, 1988 (no. 88.26)
Nocturne: Forest Spires, 1916. Vancouver Art Gallery, presented in memory of Robert A. de Lotbinière-Harwood, by his friends, 1952 (52.8).
Northern Lake, 1912–13. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of the Government of the Province of Ontario, 1972 (72/25).
Northern Lights, 1916. Thomson Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Northern River, 1914–15. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 1055).
Northern Shore, 1912–13. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Philip N. Golomb, Kingston, 1972 (AE 15-046).
Oil Sketch for The West Wind, 1916. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the J.S. McLean Collection, Toronto, 1969, donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988 (L69.49).
Old Lumber Dam, Algonquin Park, 1912. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4671).
Opulent October, 1915–16. Private collection.
Path behind Mowat Lodge, 1917. Thomson Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Pine Trees at Sunset, 1915. Private collection.
The Pointers, 1916–17. Hart House Permanent Collection, University of Toronto.
Poplars by a Lake, 1916. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Vincent Massey, Toronto, 1944 (no. 15553).
The Rapids, 1917. Private collection.
Sandbank with Logs, 1916. Thomson Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Sketch for “Opulent October,” 1915. Private collection.
Sketch for “The Jack Pine,” 1916. The Weir Foundation, RiverBrink, Queenston, Ontario (982.65).
Sky (“The Light That Never Was”), 1913. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 4629).
Spring Flood, 1917. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, gift of R.A. Laidlaw, Toronto, 1965 (1966.15.23).
Study for “Northern River,” 1914–15. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (82/176).
Study of a Woman’s Head, c. 1903. Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario, gift of Fraser Thomson, 1967 (967.015).
Sunset, 1915. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4701).
Tea Lake Dam, 1917. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, purchased with funds donated by R.A. Laidlaw (1970.1.4).
View from the Window of Grip, c. 1908–11. City of Toronto Art Collection (A84-34).
The West Wind, 1916–17. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of the Canadian Club of Toronto, 1926 (no. 784).
Credits for Photographs and Works by Other Artists
Above Lake Superior, c.1922, by Lawren Harris. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the Reuben and Kate Leonard Canadian Fund, 1929 (1335).
Beaver Lodge, I, c. 1914, photograph by Tom Thomson. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (3567570).
Birch Tree, c. 1916, by Lawren Harris. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the Friends of Canadian Art Fund, 1938 (2468).
Breaking a Road, 1894, by William Cruikshank. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 572).
The cairn constructed in memory of Tom Thomson at Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park. Photograph by J.E.H. MacDonald, September 1917. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Canoeing through Drowned Land, I, c. 1912, photograph by Tom Thomson. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (PA-193562).
A Copse, Evening, 1918, by A.Y. Jackson. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa (CWM 19710261-0186).
A hand-tinted photo of the Thomson brothers, likely taken at the Seattle Engraving Company, c. 1902. Courtesy of John Libby Fine Arts, Toronto.
Indian Encampment on Lake Huron, c. 1845, by Paul Kane. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (3597).
A Lake in Southern Ontario, III, c. 1911, photograph by Tom Thomson. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (e002712902).
Landscape, n.d., by Harry van der Weyden. Reproduced on page 350 of The Studio, vol. 31, 1904.
Members of the Group of Seven at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto in 1920. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Night on the Skeena River, 1926, by A.Y. Jackson. Private collection, courtesy of Galerie Alan Klinkhoff.
Portrait of Dr. J.M. MacCallum (“A Cynic”), 1917, by A. Curtis Williamson. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, bequest of Dr. J.M. MacCallum, Toronto, 1944 (no. 4734).
Portrait of Tom Thomson, 2013, by Kim Dorland. Collection of the artist.
Publicity still from Joyce Wieland’s The Far Shore, 1977.
The Red Maple, 1914, by A.Y. Jackson. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, gift of Mr. S. Walter Stewart (1968.8.18).
Stoke-by-Nayland, c. 1810–11, by John Constable. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Charles B. Curtis Fund, 1926 (26.128).
Studio portrait of Tom Thomson, c. 1910. The Morrison Family collection.
Study for “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” 1884, by Georges Seurat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, bequest of Sam A. Lewisohn, 1951.
The Tangled Garden, 1916, by J.E.H. MacDonald. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, gift of W.M. Southam, F.N. Southam, and H.S. Southam, 1937, in memory of their brother Richard Southam (no. 4291).
Terre Sauvage, 1913, by A.Y. Jackson. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (no. 4351).
The Thomson children, c. 1887.
Tom Thomson at about the age of twenty, c. 1898. The Morrison Family collection.
Tom Thomson at Tea Lake Dam, Algonquin Park, 1916. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Art Canada Institute
Massey College, University of Toronto
4 Devonshire Place
Toronto, ON M5S 2E1
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Silcox, David P., 1937-, author
Tom Thomson : life & work / David P. Silcox.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents: Biography — Key works — Significance & critical issues — Style &
technique — Sources & resources — Where to see.
Electronic monograph.
ISBN 978-1-4871-0079-7 (pdf) . —ISBN 978-1-4871-0077-3 (epub)
1. Thomson, Tom, 1877-1917. 2. Thomson, Tom, 1877-1917—
Art Canada Institute, issuing body II. Thomson, Tom, 1877-1917. Paintings.
Selections. III. Title. IV. Title: Tom Thomson (2015)
About the Author
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