Thomas John Thomson (1877-1917)
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Tom Thomson was a Canadian landscape painter, known for strongly influencing the Group of Seven painters. Tom Thomson was never an official member of the Group of Seven, due to his mysterious, early death. Though his life was cut short at the age of forty, Thomson’s work and methods inspired a generation of Canadian artists.
Thomson was born near Claremont, Ontario not far from Toronto. His family eventually relocated to the countryside of Georgian Bay, where Thomson spent most of his childhood. Thomson’s rural surroundings taught him respect and appreciate nature as well as music and the arts.
Thomson attempted to enlist in the army, but was denied to due poor health conditions. Thomson settled on a position as a machinist at Kennedy’s Foundry in Owen Sound and took business courses in Chatham for a short while. Unsatisfied with his local options, Thomson travelled to Seattle, Washington in 1901. In Seattle Thomson profited from a position as a commercial artist, which taught him important graphic design skills. Thomson returned to Canada by 1905, and found employment in Toronto at a photoengraving company. Within a couple of years, Thomson started working at another commercial firm, Grip Ltd. At Grip, Thomson met a group of like-minded artists, who shared an appreciation for painting landscapes of Canada. Thomson’s co-workers included J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Fred Varley, Franklin Carmichael and Franz Johnson. Outside of the office the painters organized trips into Canada’s wilderness to capture the majestic lakes and forests surrounding Toronto. Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson later joined the group from Grip Ltd to for the Group of Seven.
Thomson covered a lot of territory in Canada, frequently travelling to the Mississagi Forest Reserve and Algonquin Park among other destinations. While in the wilderness, Thomson made numerous ink drawings, watercolor paintings and small oil paintings to document his surroundings.
Thomson had considerable success exhibiting his paintings in Toronto, and in 1913, Thomson sold a painting to the Government of Ontario. Around the same time Thomson was granted a year’s supply of funds by Dr, James MacCallum, enabling him to paint full-time. Thomson spent most of the year at Algonquin Park, inviting his friends from Toronto to make frequent visits. Thomson enjoyed his time at Algonquin so much that he became a guide and fire ranger for the park. During the winter months, Thomson abided in a shack outside of the Group of Seven’s studio building in Toronto. While many of his friends joined the First World War, Thomson was restricted from entrance due to his health, and continued to paint throughout the wartime years.
Thomson’s mysterious death occurred between July 8th and July 16th in 1917. His body was discovered in Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. It is believed the cause was an accidental drowning, but the exact circumstances are not certain.
Tom Thomson’s continues to be remembered as one of Canada’s most important artists of the twentieth century. His paintings hang in major Canadian museums and private collections. Do you think you own a painting by Tom Thomson? Contact us. We are the experts on Thomas John Thomson.