Charles William Jefferys (August 25, 1869 – October 8, 1951), also known as C. W. Jefferys, was a Canadian painter, illustrator, author, and teacher, best known as a historical illustrator.

Biography

Jefferys was born in Rochester,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He moved with his family first to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, then to

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, and finally to Toronto around 1880. There he attended school and was apprenticed with the York Lithography Company from 1885 to 1890.

Career

From 1889 to 1892 Jefferys worked for the ''

Toronto Globe ''The Globe'' was a newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with ''The Mail and Empire'' in 1936 to form ''The Globe and Mail''. History ''The Globe'' is pre-dated by a title of the same ...

'' as an illustrator and artist. He produced artwork for several printing companies. From 1893 to 1901, he worked for the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

''. Returning to Toronto, he became a newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, appearing in numerous publications, including ''Hardware Merchandising.'' Jefferys created a series of illustrations and essays for the ''Toronto Star Weekly'', which in 1920 were published as ''Dramatic Episodes in Canada's Story''. The following year he was chosen by the Ontario government to illustrate a textbook, ''Ontario Public School History of Canada'', written by George Wrong. Along with

Ivor Lewis Ivor Rhys Lewis (1882 – November 1958) was a Canadian artist and business director. Lewis was born in Wales, but emigrated to Canada as a small boy. He trained as an artist at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Ontario School of Art, a ...

and other artists, Jefferys co-founded the Graphic Arts Club (later named the Canadian Society of Graphic Art), which by the 1940s became one of the primary artists' groups in Canada. As well, from 1912 to 1939, he taught painting and drawing in the Department of Architecture at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was commissioned by the Canadian War Records department to paint soldiers training at Camp Petawawa and Niagara. Jefferys had an interest in history and he produced accurate and meticulous portrayals of early Canadian life. The best known collection of his historical sketches is the three volume ''The Picture Gallery of Canadian History'' (c. 1942–1960). In 1926, he was made a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

. He also was a member of the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke M ...

and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Jefferys was a founding member of the

Arts and Letters Club of Toronto The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto (usually just called ''The Arts and Letters Club'') is a private club in Toronto, Ontario, which brings together writers, architects, musicians, painters, graphic artists, actors and others working in or with a ...

and was its president from 1923 to 1924.

Death and legacy

Soon after Jefferys's death in 1952, more than 1,000 of his drawings were sold to the Imperial Oil Company, which in 1972 donated the collection to

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

. A plaque at 4111 Yonge Street, where he died, quotes him as saying,

"If my work has stirred any interest in our country and its past, I am more than paid".

Jefferys received numerous awards, including an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Queen’s University in 1934. C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, a public high school in Toronto, is named for him. There are works by him in the art collection of the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

the National Gallery of Canada, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. A statue of Jefferys, created by Adrienne Alison, has been installed in York Mills Valley Park. Jeffreys has been designated as an Historic Person in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.

Gallery

File:The founding of Halifax, 1749. by Charles W. Jefferys.png, Founding of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Briti ...

File:Daumont de Saint Lusson.jpg,

Simon-François Daumont de Saint-Lusson Simon-François Daumont de Saint-Lusson (died after 1677) was a military officer of New France and deputy of Jean Talon. Saint-Lusson was sent to Sault Ste. Marie by Talon to claim Lakes Huron and Superior and all of the vast region "contiguous ...

File:Arrival of Radisson in an Indian camp 1660 Charles William Jefferys.jpg, Arrivée de Pierre-Esprit Radisson dans un camp amérindien en 1660.
Dessin par Charles William Jefferys. Image:Montcalm leading his troops at the Plains of Abraham.jpg, Montcalm à la tête de ses troupes sur les plaines d'Abraham.
Aquarelle de Charles William Jefferys. File:Frontenac with the Indians.jpg, Frontenac avec les amérindiens.
Aquarelle par Charles William Jefferys. File:Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the western plains.jpg,

Henry Kelsey Henry Kelsey ( – 1 November 1724) was an English fur trader, explorer, and sailor who played an important role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. He is the first recorded European to have visited the present-day provi ...

en compagnie d'Amérindiens observant des bisons dans les plaines. Lithograph.

References

Bibliography

* * Stacey, Robert. ''Charles William Jefferys 1869-1951.'' Kingston, Ontario: Hanson & Edgar, 1976.

External links

* * *
Jefferys
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

CWJefferys.ca
run by the artist's grandson
Books which discuss his work

info on Picture Gallery of Canadian History

from Archives of Ontario

at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferys, Charles William 1869 births 1951 deaths 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 20th-century Canadian painters Canadian illustrators English emigrants to Canada People from Rochester, Kent University of Toronto faculty Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian war artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts World War I artists 19th-century Canadian male artists 20th-century Canadian male artists