Thomson, View from the Windows of Grip Ltd

Grip was a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

design firm that was home to many of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's premier designers and painters during the first half of the 20th century. The company was founded in 1873 by the cartoonist J. W. Bengough to publish his satirical weekly magazine '' Grip''. Bengough also published

chapbook A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...

s and did design work and advertising for various clients. He lost control of the company in the 1890s and the magazine ceased publication in 1892. After that date the company became better known as an important design firm, providing artwork, wood cuts, and other services for merchandise and print advertising. In the early 20th century it was technologically and artistically one of the most sophisticated design firms in the country. It was one of the first employers of many of Canada's major artists of the period, and is perhaps most important as where many of the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is official ...

met one another for the first time. In 1906

J.E.H. Macdonald James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873–1932) was an English-Canadian artist, best known as a member of the Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stemming from early modernism in Europe in the ear ...

became its head designer. In 1908

Tom Thomson Thomas John Thomson (August 5, 1877July 8, 1917) was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career, he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels and approximately 50 larger works on canvas. His w ...

and Frank Johnston joined the firm as two of Macdonald's designers. In 1911

Franklin Carmichael Franklin Carmichael (May 4, 1890 – October 24, 1945) was a Canadian artist and member of the Group of Seven. Though he was primarily famous for his use of watercolours, he also used oil paints, charcoal and other media to capture the Ontario ...

was hired as an office boy. That same year

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL. D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

crossed the Atlantic to come work for the firm. The year after,

Fred Varley Frederick Horsman Varley (January 2, 1881 – September 8, 1969) was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Career Early life Varley was born in Sheffield, England, in 1881, the son of Lucy (Barstow) and Samuel James Smith Varley the 7th. He ...

made the same journey to work for Grip. The company was later renamed Rapid Grip. Later it became known as Batten, then Bomac Batten, until it was finally purchased by the Laird Group. ''Grip'' magazine was briefly revived in 2000 as a satirical quarterly, published by the Toronto-based Lategan Media Group.

References

*''A Caricature History of Canadian Politics. Events From the Union of 1841, As Illustrated by Cartoons From "Grip", and Various Other Sources'' (1886) by

John Wilson Bengough John Wilson Bengough (; 7 April 1851 – 2 October 1923) was one of Canada's earliest cartoonists, as well as an editor, publisher, writer, poet, entertainer, and politician. Bengough is best remembered for his political cartoons in '' ...

. {{Tom Thomson Magazine publishing companies of Canada History of art in Canada