Tom Thomson

@Artists, Career and Family ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Tom Thomson was a distinguished Canadian artist and painter during the early part of the 20th century Canadian Artists & Painters Artists Leo Celebrities Tom Thomson was a renowned Canadian painter and artist during the early 20th century, who inspired the formation of the ‘Group of Seven’, the first national school of art in Canada, established in 1920. After taking up different odd jobs in Canada and the US, he returned to his hometown, Ontario, to pursue a career in arts. While working in various photo-engraving firms, he honed his artistic skills and started making weekend painting trips with a couple other adventurous painters, until he discovered Algonquin Park, which became his painting hub. His wilderness-themed paintings and sketches were largely inspired by this provincial park. Some of his career’s most popular artworks have been ‘The Northern River’, ‘The Jack Pine’, and ‘The West Wind’. He died unexpectedly at a time when he had just started mastering his craft and getting some recognition. He is counted among Canada’s hugely talented artists, for his superb portrayal of Canadian wilderness on the canvas, his marvelous use of striking colors, and simple interpretation of landscapes. He has been highly credited and appreciated by art historians for marvelously capturing the rugged beauty of Algonquin Park during the early 1910s.

Personal Details

Birthday: August 5, 1877 Died on: July 8, 1917 Nationality: Canadian Famous: Artists & Painters, Artists Birth Place: Claremont Gender: Male Sun Sign: Leo Information Detail Birthday August 5, 1877 Died on July 8, 1917 Nationality Canadian Famous Artists & Painters, Artists Birth Place Claremont Gender Male Sun Sign Leo Born in Claremont Famous as Artist Died at Age 39

Claremont

Tom Thomson born at Unsplash Birth Place

In 1901 while living in Seattle with his brother George, he met Alice Elinor Lambert, and developed a romantic relationship with her for a short time. Unsplash Personal Life

Being a passionate fisherman, he used to often go on canoeing trips to Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. It was during one such trip on July 8, 1917 that he went missing, and his body was found floating on the lake eight days later. Unsplash Personal Life

Though the initial cause of his death was recorded as accidental drowning, the truth remains a mystery till date, as to whether it was an accident, murder or suicide. Unsplash Personal Life

Thomas John Thomson was born on August 5, 1877, near Claremont, Ontario, as the sixth of ten children, to a farmer John Thomson and Margaret Mathewson. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

When he was just two months old, his family relocated to Rose Hill, near Leith, north-east of Owen Sound, where he was brought up. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Despite his ill health, he completed his education in local schools and showed great interest in sports, swimming, fishing and hunting. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His countryside upbringing drew him closer to arts and inspired him to give drawing, music and design a try. However, he was forced to find a job as per the tradition followed by his Scottish family. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He volunteered for Second Boer War in 1899, but failed to enlist due to his medical condition. Soon after, he joined Kennedy’s iron foundry as a machine apprentice, but was fired after eight months. Unsplash Career

Following the footsteps of his two elder brothers, he enrolled in the Canadian Business College, in Chatham, Ontario. He dropped after eight months and moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1901 to help his brother, George, in setting up the Acme Business College. Unsplash Career

Thereafter, he started working as a commercial artist, which helped him sharpen his skills in lettering and design. Unsplash Career

He returned to Canada in 1904 and joined a photo-engraving firm, Legg Brothers, in Toronto as a senior artist. Unsplash Career

In 1909, he moved on from Legg Brothers to Grip Ltd., a renowned Toronto photo-graving firm. Support from the head designer, J.E.H. MacDonald, helped him improve his artistic skills and sharpen his designing sense. Unsplash Career

He used a unique method of creating on-the-spot sketches and expanding them into large oil finished studio paintings, which resulted in three of his most popular works, such as ‘The Jack Pine’, ‘The West Wind’, and ‘The Northern River’. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	August 5, 1877
Died on	July 8, 1917
Nationality	Canadian
Famous	Artists & Painters, Artists
Birth Place	Claremont
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Leo
Born in	Claremont
Famous as	Artist
Died at Age	39

Tom Thomson

Canadian

Aug 5, 1877

Biography

Personal Details

Claremont