Historical Canadian Art - Donna Child Fine Art Gallery

Explore Original Works by A.J. Casson, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer and More

Historical art tells us where we’ve been. Its continuing relevance lies in how it changes the way we see where we are today.

Canada’s artistic history reflects how generations of artists have interpreted landscape, place, community and everyday life.

The Donna Child Fine Art Historical Canadian Collection brings together works—from intimate studies and works on paper to paintings and silkscreen prints—that reveal the perspectives and traditions that have shaped Canadian art.

These works are more than records of the past. Their ideas remain relevant today, as contemporary artists continue to reinterpret familiar subjects through new perspectives.

A LIVING LEGACY

Canadian art history is not a closed chapter. By presenting historical works within a contemporary gallery, DCFA brings past and present into conversation—each helping us understand the other.

COLLECTING HISTORICAL CANADIAN ART

Collecting historical Canadian art offers a tangible connection to the artists and artistic movements that have contributed to Canada’s cultural history. Whether acquiring an important work by an established artist, an intimate sketch or study, or discovering an artist deserving of renewed attention, each work carries its own history of artist, place and time.

DCFA provides guidance in the acquisition and stewardship of historical Canadian art, including provenance research, appraisal, conservation, restoration, custom framing, installation and collection management.

Explore the Sampson-Matthews Silkscreen Print Collection

Learn More About Our Appraisal Services

Historical Canadian Art Collection

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE GALLERY.

Artist: A.J. Casson (1898-1992)

Title: Elm & Maple (N.W. of Toronto)

Date/Period: C. 1935

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 9.3/4 inches

Signature/Labels: Initials & signature lower right

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Alfred Joseph (A.J.) Casson was one of Canada’s most celebrated landscape painters, renowned for his distinctive depictions of Ontario villages, forests, and rural architecture.
In 1926, Casson became the youngest artist invited to join the Group of Seven, bringing a fresh perspective characterized by bold design, luminous colour, and carefully structured compositions.
Throughout his career, Casson balanced his artistic practice with a successful career in commercial art, serving for many years as Art Director at Sampson-Matthews Limited, where he helped shape the visual identity of Canadian graphic design.

Description

Description:

Pencil drawing by A.J. Casson, Elm & Maple, NW of Toronto,
A strong example of the artist’s distinctive approach to landscape. Created circa 1935, the work is built through confident line work and subtle tonal shading, demonstrating Casson’s exceptional draftsmanship and his ability to capture the structure and character of the natural world.
The composition reflects a quintessential Casson style, with its carefully balanced arrangement of trees, quiet rural setting, and attention to the unique forms of the Canadian landscape. Through variations in line and tone, Casson creates depth and atmosphere while maintaining a refined simplicity.
This intimate study provides insight into Casson’s working process and his lifelong appreciation for the landscapes surrounding Toronto, which remained a central source of inspiration throughout his career.

Artist: A.J. Casson (1898-1992)

Title: Combermere

Date/Period: C. 1966

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 10 inches

Signature/Labels: Title lower left. Signature lower right.

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Alfred Joseph (A.J.) Casson was one of Canada’s most celebrated landscape painters, renowned for his distinctive depictions of Ontario villages, forests, and rural architecture.
In 1926, Casson became the youngest artist invited to join the Group of Seven, bringing a fresh perspective characterized by bold design, luminous colour, and carefully structured compositions.
Throughout his career, Casson balanced his artistic practice with a successful career in commercial art, serving for many years as Art Director at Sampson-Matthews Limited, where he helped shape the visual identity of Canadian graphic design.

Description

Description:

Preliminary drawing for the painting Snow Weather 1968 oil on canvas (22 x 32 inches), featured in J. Casson/His Life & Works/A Tribute. (shown below)
Study depicting the Village of Combermere in the Madawaska Valley (East of Algonquin).
Executed as a line-based drawing,
The work includes a grid and handwritten annotations recording the artist’s colour and tonal observations.

Artist: A.J. Casson (1898-1992)

Title: Miss Farmer’s —- Combermere

Date/Period: 1965

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 9 inches

Signature/Labels: Title & signature lower right

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Alfred Joseph (A.J.) Casson was one of Canada’s most celebrated landscape painters, renowned for his distinctive depictions of Ontario villages, forests, and rural architecture.
In 1926, Casson became the youngest artist invited to join the Group of Seven, bringing a fresh perspective characterized by bold design, luminous colour, and carefully structured compositions.
Throughout his career, Casson balanced his artistic practice with a successful career in commercial art, serving for many years as Art Director at Sampson-Matthews Limited, where he helped shape the visual identity of Canadian graphic design.

Description

Description:

Study depicting a window in the Village of Combermere in the Madawaska Valley.

Executed as a line-based drawing, the work includes handwritten annotations recording the artist’s colour and tonal observations during the development of the composition.

Local oral history in Combermere notes a “Miss Farmer” simply as a long-time local resident after whom Farmer Road was named.

Artist: A.J. Casson (1898-1992)

Title: Trilliums (Bayview, Toronto)

Date/Period: C. 1950

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches

Signature/Labels: Signature and initials lower right

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Alfred Joseph (A.J.) Casson was one of Canada’s most celebrated landscape painters, renowned for his distinctive depictions of Ontario villages, forests, and rural architecture.
In 1926, Casson became the youngest artist invited to join the Group of Seven, bringing a fresh perspective characterized by bold design, luminous colour, and carefully structured compositions.
Throughout his career, Casson balanced his artistic practice with a successful career in commercial art, serving for many years as Art Director at Sampson-Matthews Limited, where he helped shape the visual identity of Canadian graphic design.

Description

Description:

This delicate pencil drawing by A.J. Casson presents a thoughtful study of trilliums, executed as a refined line-based composition.
Characteristic of Casson’s lifelong appreciation for the beauty and structure of the natural world, the work demonstrates his careful observation and ability to convey form through simplicity and restraint.
Casson is well known for his later floral imagery, particularly his celebrated silkscreen prints featuring stylized botanical subjects, intimate pencil studies such as this are considerably less commonly encountered. The economy of line reflects Casson’s disciplined approach as a draughtsman. Every mark is purposeful, capturing the distinctive three-petaled form of the trillium while allowing the delicacy of the subject to remain central.

Autumn Warm Weather South of Barry’s Bay

Alan Caswell Collier

Oil on Panel, Framed
Art Size: 16″x36″

Artist: L.L. Fitzgerald (1890-1956)

Title: Hills, Sooke Basin, Saseeno, BC

Date/Period: 1948

Medium/Materials: Ink on paper

Dimensions: 8 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald was a Winnipeg-based painter celebrated for his finely observed landscapes, gardens, and still lifes, distinguished by their precision, subtle colour, and quiet intimacy.
In 1932, FitzGerald became the final artist invited to join the Group of Seven, bringing a distinctive Prairie perspective that broadened the group’s vision of the Canadian landscape.
A dedicated educator, FitzGerald taught for many years at the Winnipeg School of Art, where he influenced generations of Canadian artists while maintaining a rigorous studio practice.
FitzGerald’s work is represented in the collections of major Canadian institutions, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and he is widely regarded as one of Canada’s most accomplished modern painters.

Description

Description:

This ink sketch is a characteristic example of Lionel LeMoine Fitzgerald’s disciplined and economical approach to landscape.
Using a restrained vocabulary of fluid contour lines and rhythmic cross-hatching, Fitzgerald records the topography of the hills overlooking Sooke Basin, British Columbia, reducing the landscape to its essential forms while preserving a strong sense of depth and atmosphere.
The varied density of the hatching suggests shifts in light, vegetation, and terrain, reflecting the artist’s careful observation rather than a purely descriptive rendering.
Likely executed in the field, the drawing demonstrates Fitzgerald’s ability to distill a complex landscape into a balanced linear composition.
Such sketches served both as independent works and as visual records that informed later studio paintings.
The directness and confidence of the line underscore Fitzgerald’s mastery as a draftsman and provide valuable insight into his working process and his enduring interest in the structure and rhythm of the Canadian landscape.

Artist: Joachim Gauthier (1897-1988)

Title: Sketch

Date/Period: C.1950

Medium/Materials:Pencil on paper

Dimensions:7 5/8 x 11 1/4 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed lower left

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Joachim Gauthier was born in North Bay, Ontario, studied under Franklin Carmichael and J. E. H. MacDonald, and later accompanied A. J. Casson on sketching trips, exhibiting alongside members of the Group of Seven.
Gauthier enjoyed a distinguished 37-year career as a commercial artist with Sampson-Matthews Limited and was recognized early in his career for his originality by art director A. H. Robson.
A respected figure in Canadian art, Gauthier was elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1947, was a member of both the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour and the Ontario Society of Artists, and his work is represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.

Description

Description:

Pencil drawing by Joachim Gauthier depicts a quiet river or creekside landscape,
Executed through a combination of precise line work and subtle tonal shading. T
Composition reflects Gauthier’s careful observation of the natural environment, using variations in line and tone to define the landscape’s structure, texture, and depth.
The absence of colour emphasizes the strength of the drawing itself, with delicate shading conveying the movement of water, surrounding vegetation, and the contours of the scene.
This refined study demonstrates Gauthier’s skill as a draughtsman and his appreciation for the quiet beauty of the Canadian landscape.

Northern Farm

Joachim Gauthier

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 6″x5″
Framed Size: 11″x14″
Inventory # JG001

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Joachim Gauthier was born in North Bay, Ontario, studied under Franklin Carmichael and J. E. H. MacDonald, and later accompanied A. J. Casson on sketching trips, exhibiting alongside members of the Group of Seven.
Gauthier enjoyed a distinguished 37-year career as a commercial artist with Sampson-Matthews Limited and was recognized early in his career for his originality by art director A. H. Robson.
A respected figure in Canadian art, Gauthier was elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1947, was a member of both the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour and the Ontario Society of Artists, and his work is represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.

Artist: Lawren S. Harris (1885-1970)

Title: Mountains #2

Date/Period: C. 1925

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 7 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches

Signature/Labels: Estate #244 on back of piece

Notes: Preliminary drawing for the painting Mountains #2

About the Artist

About the Artist:
• Lawren Harris was one of Canada’s most influential artists and a founding member of the Group of Seven, renowned for his iconic depictions of the Canadian wilderness.
• Harris’s boldly simplified compositions and luminous use of colour transformed the Canadian landscape into powerful, spiritual expressions, particularly through his celebrated paintings of Algoma, Lake Superior, the Rocky Mountains, and the Arctic.
• A passionate advocate for modern Canadian art, Harris helped establish several important cultural organizations, including the Canadian Group of Painters, and played a pivotal role in shaping Canada’s artistic identity during the early twentieth century.

Description

Description:
• Study depicting a mountain and glacier landscape from Harris’s Rocky Mountain period in the mid- 1920s. This was his first visit to the Rocky Mountains.
• Executed as a line-based drawing with tonal shading, the work includes handwritten annotations recording the artist’s colour and tonal observations during the development of the composition.
• The study relates to Mountains #2 (c. 1926), oil on panel (11.75 x 14.75 inches), currently held in a private collection in Ontario.

Artist: Edwin Holgate (1892-1977)

Title: St. Laurent, 1941

Date/Period: March 10, 1941

Medium/Materials: Graphite & coloured pencil on paper

Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches

Signature/Labels: Location & date upper left

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Edwin Holgate studied at the Art Association of Montreal, later continuing his studies in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.
A veteran of both World Wars, Holgate enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1916 and served in France during the First World War. During the Second World War, he worked as an official Canadian war artist with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Holgate was a significant figure in Canadian art, helping establish the Beaver Hall Group in 1920 and was invited to join the Group of Seven in 1929. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters.
Known for his portraits, landscapes, and wood engravings, Holgate was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and his work is represented in major Canadian collections, including the National Gallery of Canada.

Description

Description:

The study relates to Canadian Destroyers, 1941, oil on canvas (61 x 72 cm), part of the Beaverbrook Collection of War Art at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, ON.
Study depicting HMCS St Laurent. Executed as a line-based drawing with tonal shading, and some coloured-pencil,
the work includes handwritten annotations recording the artist’s colour and tonal observations during the development of the composition.
Major ports like Halifax offered facilities for the docking, resupply, and repair of ships like the two Canadian destroyers depicted in in this sketch and in the complete painting. The destroyer closest to the dock is HMCS St. Laurent, and the metal framework at right is likely part of the prominent crane at Jetty Three in the Halifax Dockyards, which featured in a number of artists’ works.
Holgate created this work before the establishment of Canada’s official war art program in 1943. He later went on to become an official war artist with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Artist: A.Y. Jackson (1882-1974)

Title: Village in Gaspé (front)/ Untitled Village (back) Double-sided

Date/Period: ca. 1930’s

Medium/Materials: Pencil on paper

Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 11 3/8 inches

Signature/Labels: The piece is personally dedicated at the bottom: “To Carol Laing with best wishes from A.Y. Jackson.” These presentation signatures generally took place either at the time of sketching or years later when the artist gifted pieces from his extensive personal archives of preparatory drawings.

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Alexander Young Jackson was a founding member of the Group of Seven and one of Canada’s most influential landscape painters, known for his vibrant depictions of the Canadian wilderness and rural communities.
Born in Montreal, Jackson studied art in Canada and France, where he was influenced by European modernist movements. His experiences as an official war artist during the First World War profoundly shaped his artistic vision and commitment to documenting the Canadian landscape.
A lifelong advocate for Canadian art, Jackson travelled extensively across the country, inspiring generations of artists through his dedication to sketching directly from nature and his role as a mentor at the Banff School of Fine Arts and other institutions.

Description

Description:

Study depicting the a village on the Gaspé Penninsula. Executed as a line-based drawing with tonal shading, the work includes handwritten annotations recording the artist’s colour and tonal observations during the development of the composition.
A note at the bottom reads “To Carol Laing with best wishes from Alex Jackson”.
The back of the paper features a less developed sketch of a village, executed as a line-based drawing that lacks tonal shading and colour notations.
Framed to keep both sides visible.

Artist: John Joy (1925-2012)

Title: Street Scene #23

Date/Period: 2008

Medium/Materials: oil on board

Dimensions: 12×16 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed and dated lower left, titled on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Plein Air Painter: John Joy was dedicated to painting the Canadian landscape directly from nature, capturing the subtle changes in light, atmosphere, and colour that can be lost through photographic reference.
Inspired by Canadian Masters: His approach was influenced by his early mentors, renowned Canadian artists Doris McCarthy and Carl Schaefer, whose emphasis on direct observation shaped Joy’s distinctive sensitivity to the Canadian landscape.
Canadian Art Legacy: A founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists and a member of the Toronto Arts and Letters Club, Joy also exhibited with the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. His work is held in private collections across Canada and Europe.

Description

Description:

Oil painting by John Joy, Street Scene #23, depicts a snow-covered residential street framed by colourful houses and mature trees.
Executed with expressive, energetic brushwork and a strong use of colour, contrasting the cool blues and whites of the snow with vibrant oranges, yellows, greens, and reds.
The composition uses the winding snow-covered path and receding buildings to create depth, while the bare trees provide strong linear elements throughout the scene.
Joy captures the character of a winter neighbourhood through simplified architectural forms, visible brushwork, and carefully observed details such as snow-covered rooftops, fences, and windows.
The bold colour and direct handling of paint give the work a distinctly contemporary interpretation of the Canadian winter landscape.

Artist: John Joy (1925-2012)

Title: Head Lake Haliburton

Date/Period: not confirmed

Medium/Materials: oil on board

Dimensions: 8×10 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed lower right on front, signed and titled on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Plein Air Painter: John Joy was dedicated to painting the Canadian landscape directly from nature, capturing the subtle changes in light, atmosphere, and colour that can be lost through photographic reference.
Inspired by Canadian Masters: His approach was influenced by his early mentors, renowned Canadian artists Doris McCarthy and Carl Schaefer, whose emphasis on direct observation shaped Joy’s distinctive sensitivity to the Canadian landscape.
Canadian Art Legacy: A founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists and a member of the Toronto Arts and Letters Club, Joy also exhibited with the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. His work is held in private collections across Canada and Europe.

Description

Description:

Oil painting by John Joy depicting a winter landscape at Head Lake in Haliburton, Ontario.
The composition leads through a snow-covered foreground and winding creek toward the frozen lake and distant hills.
Expressive brushwork and strong contrasts of blue-white snow, dark evergreens, and warm orange-brown vegetation create depth and visual interest.
The warm light across the distant hills contrasts with the cooler foreground, giving the landscape a strong sense of atmosphere and distance.
A characteristic example of Joy’s direct approach to the Canadian landscape, combining close observation with confident colour and brushwork.

Artist: Claude Langevin (1942-2024)

Title: Avec Le Voisin

Date/Period: not confirmed

Medium/Materials: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 10×12 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed lower left, titled on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Born in Montréal in 1942, Claude Langevin was a self-taught Canadian artist who left medical studies to pursue a career in art. He worked as a landscape painter for more than 30 years.
Based in Sainte-Adèle in the Laurentians, Langevin drew much of his inspiration from the surrounding landscape, particularly the changing colours and luminosity of snow.
Langevin combined plein-air sketches with studio painting, using direct observation and imagination to create expressive landscapes characterized by bold colour, light, and atmosphere.

Description

Description:

Oil painting by Claude Langevin, Avec Le Voisin, depicts two figures walking through a snow-covered village landscape.
Executed with expressive brushwork and a bold, vibrant palette, contrasting the cool blues and whites of the snow with the warm colours of the buildings and sky.
Composition features colourful houses, rolling hills, and a winding road, creating a strong sense of depth and movement.
Langevin’s simplified forms, strong outlines, and energetic use of colour are characteristic of his distinctive approach to the Canadian landscape.
The figures add a sense of everyday life and scale, while the dramatic sky and winter setting give the composition warmth and atmosphere.

Artist: Claude Langevin (1942-2024)

Title: Les Sucres à l’Ancienne

Date/Period: not confirmed

Medium/Materials: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 24×30 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed lower left, titled on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Born in Montréal in 1942, Claude Langevin was a self-taught Canadian artist who left medical studies to pursue a career in art. He worked as a landscape painter for more than 30 years.
Based in Sainte-Adèle in the Laurentians, Langevin drew much of his inspiration from the surrounding landscape, particularly the changing colours and luminosity of snow.
Langevin combined plein-air sketches with studio painting, using direct observation and imagination to create expressive landscapes characterized by bold colour, light, and atmosphere.

Description

Description:

Oil painting by Claude Langevin depicting a traditional Quebec sugar bush in late winter or early spring, with a horse-drawn sleigh travelling through a maple woodland.
The scene references the long-established tradition of maple syrup production, with buckets attached to the trees, rustic buildings, stacked firewood, and the horse and sleigh reinforcing the painting’s historical character.
Langevin uses strong vertical tree trunks and the curving sleigh tracks to structure the composition and lead the eye through the wooded landscape.
Patches of brilliant white and blue snow are contrasted with warm reds, browns, greens, and ochres, capturing the changing light and colour of the season.
A characteristic Langevin landscape, the work combines expressive brushwork, strong colour, and careful observation to capture both the Canadian winter landscape and a traditional aspect of rural Quebec life.

Artist: Arthur Lismer (1885-1969)

Title: To Europe

Date/Period: 1932

Medium/Materials: Coloured pencil on paper

Dimensions: 10 1/8 x 11 1/8 inches

Signature/Labels: Initialed lower left, Lismer estate stamp and title/year on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Arthur Lismer was a founding member of the Group of Seven and one of Canada’s most influential landscape painters, known for his vibrant depictions of the Canadian landscape and coastal regions.
Born in Sheffield, England, Lismer studied at the Sheffield School of Art and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp before immigrating to Canada in 1911. He later served as an official war artist during the First World War.
In addition to his painting career, Lismer was a pioneering educator and advocate for art education, serving as the Educational Director at the Art Gallery of Ontario and helping establish innovative programs that brought art education to children and communities.

Description

Description:

This drawing is a fine example of Arthur Lismer’s keen observational skills and ability to create compelling compositions from everyday subjects.
Executed aboard ship during his 1932 voyage to Europe, the sketch depicts the vessel’s rigging and block-and-tackle mechanism through confident, expressive linework, with touches of blue coloured pencil suggesting the movement and reflection of water.
Best known for his landscape paintings, Lismer regularly used sketching as a way to study structure, movement, and composition. This work reflects his interest in the relationship between industrial forms and the natural environment.
As a dated travel sketch, it provides valuable insight into Lismer’s working methods and artistic practice during an important period of his career.

Artist: Arthur Lismer (1885-1969)

Title: Derelict Stump —- July 11 65

Date/Period: 1965

Medium/Materials: Brush drawing, ink on paper

Dimensions: 11 1/8 x 15 1/8 inches

Signature/Labels: Initials and Date lower right

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Arthur Lismer was a founding member of the Group of Seven and one of Canada’s most influential landscape painters, known for his vibrant depictions of the Canadian landscape and coastal regions.
Born in Sheffield, England, Lismer studied at the Sheffield School of Art and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp before immigrating to Canada in 1911. He later served as an official war artist during the First World War.
In addition to his painting career, Lismer was a pioneering educator and advocate for art education, serving as the Educational Director at the Art Gallery of Ontario and helping establish innovative programs that brought art education to children and communities.

Description

Description:

This finely observed brush drawing by Arthur Lismer exemplifies the artist’s distinctive approach to landscape, combining a keen sensitivity to the natural environment with a bold, expressive economy of line.
Derelict Stump bears all the hallmarks of Lismer’s mature style: a confident handling of the brush, a strong sense of structure, and an ability to transform a simple element of the Canadian landscape into a compelling visual statement.
Executed in ink on watercolour paper, with subtle washes of pale blue suggesting the atmosphere of the sky, the work demonstrates Lismer’s mastery of composition and tonal balance.
Rather than a preliminary sketch, this is a fully resolved and carefully considered composition, capturing the enduring presence and character of the natural world.
The contrast between the weathered stump and its surrounding landscape reflects Lismer’s lifelong fascination with the rhythms, textures, and quiet drama of the Canadian wilderness.

Artist: Arthur Lismer (1885-1969)

Title: Portrait of Tom Thompson/ Troop Carrier, N.S. double-sided

Date/Period: Ca. 1917

Medium/Materials: Pencil on Paper

Dimensions: 13 1/2 x 9 1/2

Signature/Labels: Lismer Estate Stamp on back

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Arthur Lismer was a founding member of the Group of Seven and one of Canada’s most influential landscape painters, known for his vibrant depictions of the Canadian landscape and coastal regions.
Born in Sheffield, England, Lismer studied at the Sheffield School of Art and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp before immigrating to Canada in 1911. He later served as an official war artist during the First World War.
In addition to his painting career, Lismer was a pioneering educator and advocate for art education, serving as the Educational Director at the Art Gallery of Ontario and helping establish innovative programs that brought art education to children and communities.

Description

Description:

Rendered in soft graphite, the sketch is composed of confident, abbreviated lines and subtle tonal passages that convey both the sitter’s relaxed posture and contemplative expression without unnecessary detail.
Identified as a portrait of Tom Thomson, the immediacy of the drawing suggests it was executed from life. The sketch provides a rare glimpse into the friendship between Lismer & Thomson. Its understated execution exemplifies Lismer’s confidence as a draftsman while offering a compelling record of one of Canada’s most celebrated artists.
The back features two sketches that bear strong similarities to small oil sketches by Lismer that are in the collection of the Canadian War Museum, dated to the First World War.
Framed to keep both sides visible.

Artist: Peter Clapham Sheppard (1882-1965)

Title: Muskoka Barn

Date/Period: not confirmed

Medium/Materials: oil on board

Dimensions: 8.5×10.5 inches

Signature/Labels: Signed lower left, titled on reverse, estate stamped on reverse

About the Artist

About the Artist:

Born in Toronto in 1879, Peter Clapham Sheppard was a Canadian painter known for his city scenes, landscapes, industrial subjects, and figurative works. He trained at the Central Ontario School of Art and Industrial Design under William Cruikshank, George Agnew Reid, and J.W. Beatty.
Sheppard developed a distinctive approach influenced by Impressionism and later Post-Impressionism, bringing strong colour, energetic brushwork, and an interest in everyday life to his paintings of Toronto, Montreal, New York, and the Canadian landscape.
He was particularly interested in the changing urban and industrial environment, frequently incorporating people, streets, markets, harbours, and working neighbourhoods into his compositions.
A member of the Ontario Society of Artists and an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy, Sheppard exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally throughout his career.
His work is held in major public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada and Art Gallery of Ontario, and was included in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s 2010 exhibition Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven.

Description

Description:

Oil painting by Peter Clapham Sheppard depicting a rustic barn set within the rural landscape of Muskoka, Ontario.
The barn forms the central focus of the composition, surrounded by rolling terrain, trees, a winding dirt road, and scattered farm materials.
Sheppard uses loose, expressive brushwork and visible strokes to define the landscape, architecture, and changing textures of the terrain.
Greens, blues, ochres, and earthy tones are balanced by a bright sky, giving the small composition a strong sense of light and depth.
The direct handling of paint and everyday rural subject are characteristic of Sheppard’s interest in recording the Canadian landscape and the working environments found within it.

Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, Ont.

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
Art Size: 9.75″x12″
Framed Size: 13.5″x16.25″
Inventory # JES0004

Algonquin Park

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
Art Size: 9.625″x12″
Framed Size: 13 7/8″x16 1/4″
Inventory # JES0006

Algonquin Park

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
Art Size: 9.75″x12″
Framed Size: 14″x16.25″
Inventory # JES0007

Hughie at Miners Bay

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
Art Size: 12″x9.75″
Framed Size: 17.75″x15.75″
Inventory # JES0010

Tangiers, 1913 First One I Owned

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Canvas Board, Framed
Art Size: 10.5″x13.75″
Framed Size: 16″x19″
Inventory # JES0011

Portrait, Paris 1911

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Wood, Framed
Art Size: 13.75″x10.5″
Framed Size: 18.375″x15.25″
Inventory # JES0012

Death of Augustus Caesar, Paris

J.E. Sampson

Oil on Board, Framed
Art Size: 12.75″x15.75″
Framed Size: 20″x23″
Inventory # JES0013

Hawkstone, 1937

Thomas Garland Greene

Graphite on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 8″x10″
Inventory # TGG001

Hawkstone

Thomas Garland Greene

Pencil Sketch, Framed
Art Size: 8″x10″
Inventory # TGG002

Maple Bush

Thomas Garland Greene

Paper Sketch, Framed
Art Size: 8″x10″
Inventory # TGG003

Black Creek

Thomas Garland Greene

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 9″x7″
Inventory # TGG004

Spring Time

George Arthur Kulmala

Oil on Panel, Framed
Art Size: 10″x12″
Inventory # GAK001

Cabin by a Creek

Charles MacDonald Manly

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 17″x11″
Framed Size: 20″x18″
Inventory # CMM001

Unknown Building, possibly CNE

Guttorn Otto

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 13.5″x19.5″
Framed Size: 22″x28″
Inventory # GO0143

Cemetery

Guttorn Otto

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 20″x14.25″
Framed Size: 29″x23″
Inventory # GO0170

Fence

Guttorn Otto

Watercolour on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 14″x20″
Framed Size: 25″x31″
Inventory # GO0171

Homestead

Guttorn Otto

Ink on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 6″x11″
Framed Size: 19.5″x23.5″
Inventory # GO3005

Rocks & Trees

Guttorn Otto

Ink on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 6″x5″
Framed Size: 23.5″x19.5″
Inventory # GO3006

Sketch

Guttorn Otto

Graphite on Paper, Framed
Art Size: 6″x12″
Framed Size: 16″x20″
Inventory # GO3007

Lac Megantic

Armand Tatossian

Oil on Canvas, Framed
Art Size: 20″x24″
Inventory # AT001

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Historical Canadian Art Collection

Recently Sold

AYJ0101 Jackson Birches, 1972 5.5×7 possible hand-coloured litho SOLD

FV0101 Varley Cemetery Workers, 1918 7.25×11 pencil on folded brown paper SOLD

JES0001 JE Sampson Jasper Park 9.25×11.875 oil on masonite UF SOLD

JES0005 JE Sampson Algonquin Park, Ont 9×12 oil on wood UF SOLD

JES0008 JE Sampson Untitled Fall Landscape 9.75×12 oil on canvas board UF SOLD

JES0009 JE Sampson Untitled Waterfall 9×12 oil on wood SOLD

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