Sybil Henley Jacobson, (b. July 21, 1881 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 ...

, d. November 4, 1953 near

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

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 ...

) was a Canadian painter. Her oil and watercolor paintings of prairie landscapes, portraits, and still life are in a traditional style. Her work is largely found in private collections, but is also found the major collections at

Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery The MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG; french: Musee d’art MacKenzie) is an art museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The museum occupies the multipurpose T. C. Douglas Building, situated at the edge of the Wascana Centre. The building holds e ...

, Moose Jaw Art Museum and National Exhibition Centre, and

Nutana Collegiate Nutana Collegiate is a high school located in the Nutana, Saskatoon, Nutana neighbourhood of central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, serving students from grades 9 through 12. Nutana was the first public high school in Saskatoon and is part of the Saskato ...

. In 1929 she was one of ten founding members of the Women's Art Association of Saskatchewan.

Family life

Jacobson is the daughter of Edward and Lucy Atkinson. She has two sisters and a brother. She married Peter Henley in 1914, a sculptor she met in Paris, who died two years later. She immigrated to Saskatchewan to farm in 1912. Jacobson married Dr. Johann Sigurdir Jacobson in 1935 and he died a year later in 1936. They had two children together, Johanna born in 1919 and Jacob born in 1921. They lived in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

, Lac Vert Nord, and

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 ...

before moving to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1936.

Education and career

Jacobson studied at the Hastings and St. Leonard's Municipal School of Science, at Lambeth School of Science and Art, and for three years at

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, all in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

. While at the Royal Academy Schools, Jacobson studied under

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

. During her years of study she was also under the direction of

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

, Sir George Clausen,

Ernest Crofts Ernest Crofts (15 September 1847 – 19 March 1911) was a British painter of historical and military scenes. Biography Born in Leeds on 15 September 1847, Ernest was son of John Crofts, Esq. of Adal, near Leeds, a Justice of the Peace, and gra ...

Sir Frank Dicksee Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee (27 November 1853 – 17 October 1928) was an English Victorian painter and illustrator, best known for his pictures of dramatic literary, historical, and legendary scenes. He also was a noted painter of portra ...

and other masters. Jacobson worked as an art teacher in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

in 1925, Lac Vert Nord, and at the Canadian Institute of Associated Arts, Vancouver,B.C. from 1937-38. She established a studio in

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are k ...

in 1932.

Group exhibitions

*1926: Memorial Art Gallery *1930: Moose Jaw Women's Art Association, ''Provincial Art Exhibition'' *1937-40: Vancouver Art Gallery ''Annual B.C. Artists' Exhibition'' *1940s: John Britnell Art Gallery *1945-46: Vancouver Art Gallery ''Annual B.C. Artists' Exhibition'' *1966: Mendel Art Gallery ''Nutana Collegiate Memorial Art Gallery Collection'' *1971: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery ''Saskatchewan: Art and Artists''

References

External links

Biography at Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting

“Journal of Canadian Art History / Annales d'Histoire De l'Art Canadien.” Journal of Canadian Art History / Annales d'Histoire De l'Art Canadien, vol. 9, no. 2, 1986, pp. 203–205.

“Sask Artist Wins Prize at Exhibition” StarPhoenix, 1930.
1881 births 1953 deaths 20th-century Canadian women artists 20th-century Canadian artists Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Artists from London Artists from Saskatchewan British emigrants to Canada {{Canada-artist-stub