Signy Hildur Eaton (; July 1, 1913 – September 10, 1992) was a Canadian socialite, art collector and philanthropist. She was married to

John David Eaton John David Eaton (4 October 1909 – 4 August 1973) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family (Toronto), Eaton family. He was the second son of Sir John Craig Eaton and Flora Eaton, Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario. He w ...

, of the prominent Eaton family of

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 ...

Biography

Signy Hildur Stefansson was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, to Icelandic immigrants Fridrik Stefansson and Anna Olson. Her father emigrated from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

in 1876 and settled in

New Iceland New Iceland ( is, Nýja Ísland ) is the name of a region on Lake Winnipeg in the Canadian province of Manitoba which was named for settlers from Iceland. It was settled in 1875. Background In 1875, over 200 Icelanders immigrated to Manitoba es ...

, Manitoba, he was a publisher and part-owner of ''

Lögberg Lögberg (), or Law Rock, was a rocky outcrop in south west Iceland, at the location for the assembly of the country's Althing parliament. The original Althing was gathered at Þingvellir, an area of dramatic landscapes which was easily accessible ...

'', an Icelandic language newspaper. Her maternal grandfather was a member of the ''

Alþingi The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...

''. While studying art at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.John David Eaton John David Eaton (4 October 1909 – 4 August 1973) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family (Toronto), Eaton family. He was the second son of Sir John Craig Eaton and Flora Eaton, Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario. He w ...

, grandson of

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was an Irish businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Hi ...

, founder of the eponymous T. Eaton Company Limited, who was working at the iconic store on

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

. Her future mother-in-law, Lady Eaton, a noted society doyenne, organized a reception to introduce Signy to

society at

Ardwold Ardwold was the residence of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sir John was the youngest son of Timothy Eaton, the founder of the T. Eaton Company Department Store, or Eaton's, and he inherited the business and becam ...

, the family's Toronto home. In 1933, Lady Eaton presented her to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and Queen Mary at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. Signy and John David were married on August 9, 1933, at Kawandag (now

Rosseau Lake College Rosseau Lake College is a co-ed boarding and day school for students from Grades 7 to 12, located on Lake Rosseau, in the village of Rosseau, on the southern border of the District of Parry Sound in Northern Ontario, Canada. RLC is a member of th ...

), the Eaton family home on

Lake Rosseau Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The south end of the lake is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, and the north end is in Seguin Township. The lake is surrounded by many cottages, some dating back to the late 1 ...

. The

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

and Icelandic flag were flown, Icelandic songs were sung and the bride wore a "Viking headress". Signy and John David had four sons;

John Craig Eaton II John Craig Eaton II (born May 30, 1937, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian philanthropist and former businessman who is a member of the prominent Eaton family. Family and career He is the great-grandson of Timothy Eaton, founder of the former E ...

(born 1937),

Fredrik Stefan Eaton Fredrik Stefan Eaton, (June 26, 1938 – February 20, 2021) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Eaton family. He was the great-grandson of Eaton's department store founder Timothy Eaton. Life and car ...

(1938–2021), Thor Edgar Eaton (1942–2017) and George Ross Eaton (born 1945). As Mrs. John David Eaton, Signy was active in Toronto society. In 1937, the Eatons built a

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...

style residence designed by Alvan "Shy" Mathers and Eric Haldenby at 120 Dunvegan Road in the Toronto neighbourhood of Forest Hill. ''

The Toronto Telegram ''The Toronto Evening Telegram'' was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at the federal and the provincial levels. The paper competed with ...

'' named her one of the best dressed women in Toronto. Signy filled their Forest Hill home with works by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painte ...

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French Fauvism, Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramic art, ceramics and textile as well as decorative schemes for public bu ...

, Thelma van Alstyne,

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall; russian: link=no, Марк Заха́рович Шага́л ; be, Марк Захаравіч Шагал . (born Moishe Shagal; 28 March 1985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with se ...

Georges Rouault Georges Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris – 13 February 1958) was a French painter, draughtsman and print artist, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born in Paris into a po ...

Jean-Paul Riopelle Jean-Paul Riopelle, (October 7, 1923 – March 12, 2002) was a Canadian painter and sculptor from Quebec. He had one of the longest and most important international careers of the sixteen signatories of the ''Refus Global'', the 1948 manif ...

and

Roloff Beny Roloff Beny (1924–1984) was a Canadian photographer who spent the better part of his life in Rome and on his photographic travels throughout the world. Born Wilfred Roy Beny in Medicine Hat, Alberta, he later took as his first name ''Roloff'', ...

. In November 1967, their home was burgaled and $250,000 in art was stolen. They had other homes in Muskoka, Caledon,

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

and Palm Beach. She was active in many philanthropic causes particularly the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

and the Hospital for Sick Children. In 1959, in recognition of her philanthropy and interest in her ancestry, the Icelandic government named her a Knight of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...

's only

order of chivalry An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order (distinction), order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic Military order (religious society), military orders of the ...

. She was appointed to the board of governors of

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

when it was founded in 1961 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the university in 1971. Signy died of a stroke in Toronto on September 10, 1992, at the age of 79. Her funeral was held on September 15, 1992, at

Timothy Eaton Memorial Church Timothy Eaton Memorial Church is a church located at 230 St. Clair Avenue West in Forest Hill, Toronto, Forest Hill, Toronto, Ontario. Originally Methodist Church, Canada, Methodist, since 1925, it has belonged to the United Church of Canada. The ...

. She was interred in the Eaton family mausoleum at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Her vast art collection was divided among her four sons and some pieces were sold at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

in 1994 and 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Signy Stefansson 1913 births 1992 deaths People from Winnipeg University of Manitoba alumni

Signy Stefansson Eaton Signy Hildur Eaton (; July 1, 1913 – September 10, 1992) was a Canadian socialite, art collector and philanthropist. She was married to John David Eaton, of the prominent Eaton family of Toronto. Biography Signy Hildur Stefansson was born in ...

Canadian socialites Canadian philanthropists Canadian art collectors Women art collectors Canadian people of Icelandic descent Recipients of the Order of the Falcon Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto