John Elliott Woolford (1779-1866) was employed as a draftsman by George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, when he served under him in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and, later when he served as Colonial Governor in

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 ...

. Some of his work is held by the National Gallery of Canada. Woolford joined the Army at 19, and by 1800 he served under Ramsay when he commanded an expedition to Egypt. While in Egypt his skill in drafting came to Ramsay's attention, and Ramsay commissioned him as a full-time draftsman, drawing sketches, or making painting, of important landmarks. Woolford may have been an apprentice at the Drawing Room of the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

. He may have studied under Paul Sandby, professor of drawing at the Royal Military Academy. Woolford left the Army in 1803, and worked for a decade as a landscape painter, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, until Ramsay hired him to be his draftsman, again, when he was appointed

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the viceregal representative in Nova Scotia of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonwealt ...

. When Ramsay was appointed Governor General of British North America Woolford remained in Nova Scotia, where he worked to complete the buildings for

Dalhousie College Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

. He joined Ramsay in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, in 1821. Woolford accompanied Ramsay on a tour of the Canadian wilderness, in 1821. In 1823 Ramsay arranged a sinecure for Woolford, when he was appointed assistant barrack-master in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...

. He soon was appointed barrack-master general, in Frederiction. He served in this position for 36 years. Halifaxnsgovthouse.jpg, ''The Government House in Halifax'', 1819 Chaudiere Falls, Philemon Wright s on the Ottawa, 1821.jpg, ''The Chaudiere Falls, Philemon Wright's on the Ottawa'', 1821 Portage at Lake Nippising, 1821, by John Elliott Woolford.png, ''Portage at Lake Nippising'', 1821

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolford, John Elliott 19th-century British painters 1779 births 1866 deaths