Artists and Patrons

[ An unidentified man II ]

An unidentified man II, Tom Thomson, 1912, Library and Archives Canada/Bibliotheque et Archives Canada, e000945379, The person depicted in this photo is believed to be either H.B. Jackson or W.S. Broadhead. Both men were early Toronto friends of Tom Thomson. Both men accompanied Thomson on canoe trips through 'New Ontario' in 1912

Tom Thomson worked within a network of persons interested in the arts. Some supported him with money, some bought his work, while others were just as interested as he was in creative expression.

William Broadhead: An artist at the commercial design firm, Grip Limited, Broadhead lived with Tom Thomson in 1912. That summer, the two explored the Missassagi Forest Reserve, west of Sudbury, Ontario.

A. Y. Jackson: Alexander Young Jackson, born in Montreal in 1882, studied art in Chicago and Europe. Leaving Montreal to work as a graphic designer and artist in Toronto, he would often discuss his ideas with Tom Thomson. The two shared a studio space on Severn Street, in a building financed by Lawren Harris and Dr. James MacCallum. Jackson enlisted in the army in 1914, and was injured in 1916. After Thomson’s death, in 1920, Jackson was one of the founding members of the 'Group of Seven'.

A.Y. Jackson, Letter to the Children, February 31, 1914
A.Y. Jackson, Alex Y. Jackson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallym, March 5, 1914
A.Y. Jackson, Alex Jackson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallum, 1914
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, Letter to the Kids, August 29, 1914
A.Y. Jackson, Alex Y. Jackson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallum, October 13, 1914
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, Letter to Kate, April 18, 1915
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, Letter to Jack, September 31, 1915
A.Y. Jackson, Alex Jackson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallum, January 10, 1916
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, Letter to Katrinka, May 11, 1916
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, Postcard to the Kids, August 27, 1916
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, A Painter's Country — War Artist, 1958
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, A Painter's Country — Dr. MacCallum, The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson, 1958
A.Y. Jackson, Alex [Y. Jackson]. Letter to Yvonne, September 15, 1966
A.Y. Jackson, A.Y. Jackson, "Foreword," in Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man ... Tom Thomson: The Story of A Man Who Looked For Beauty and for Truth in the Wilderness, 1967

H. B. Jackson: In May of 1912, Tom Thomson and H. B. “Ben” Jackson explored the Canoe Lake and Tea Lake area of Algonquin Park.

Harry B. Jackson, Letter to Blodwen Davies, April 29, 1931
Harry B. Jackson, Letter to Blodwen Davies, May 5, 1931

Arthur Lismer: Arthur Lismer was born in England, in 1885. He emigrated to Canada in 1911, and took a job with Grip Limited, a commercial art firm. After Thomson’s death, in 1920, Jackson was one of the founding members of the 'Group of Seven'.

Dr. James MacCallum: Tom Thomson and some of his peers were aided by the patronage of Dr. James MacCallum, a Toronto ophthalmologist. MacCallum owned a summer home at Go Home Bay, in Ontario’s Georgian Bay, to which he invited artists. He provided financial support and advice to Tom Thomson and other artists. In 1917, artists J. E. H. MacDonald and J. W. Beatty, subsidized by Dr. MacCallum, erected a memorial cairn dedicated to Thomson at Canoe Lake.

Dr. James MacCallum, Letter to Tom Thomson, May 28, 1917
Dr. James MacCallum, Letter to [John Thomson?], September 1, 1917
Dr. James MacCallum, Letter to T.J. Harkness, November 13, 1917
Dr. James MacCallum, Letter to T.J. Harkness, May 6, 1918
J.M. MacCallum, Tom Thomson: Painter of the North, The Canadian Magazine, 31 mars, 1918
Dr. James MacCallum, Letter to Bobby, January 24, 1930

J. E. H. Macdonald: James Edward Hervey Macdonald (born in England in 1873), came to Canada with his parents in 1887. He worked at the Toronto commercial art firm, Grip Limited, from 1895 to 1911, where he became art director. After Thomson’s death, in 1920, Jackson was one of the founding members of the 'Group of Seven'.

J.E.H. Macdonald, Inscription on Tom Thomson Memorial Cairn, Hayhurst Point, Canoe Lake, September 31, 1917
J.E.H. MacDonald, Letter to T.J. Harkness, January 24, 1920
J.E.H. Macdonald, Letter to Blodwen Davies, May 21, 1931