Wilfrid John Flood (January 17, 1904 – March 28, 1946) was an English-born Canadian

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

and artist. He was born in Dalston, England and studied at the Bolt Court School of Art in London. Flood immigrated to Canada in May 1924, settling in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. He worked as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

and cartographer for the federal

Department of Mines and Resources Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the depar ...

; he later was employed with the National Research Council. He was guided in his artistic development by

Franklin Brownell Franklin Brownell (born Peleg Franklin Brownell, also known as Franklin Peleg Brownell) (July 27, 1857 – March 13, 1946) born in New Bedford, Massachusetts was a landscape painter, draughtsman and teacher active in Canada. He artistic career i ...

, Ernest Fosbery and Frederick Varley. Flood provided illustrations for various publications including ''The Romance of Canada'' by A.L. Burt, a high school history textbook. He also provided maps and drawings for the '' Canadian Geographical Journal'' between 1936 and 1939. Paintings by Flood have been exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. One of his paintings was included in an exhibit of Canadian art at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...

. In 2023, ''Wilfrid Flood (1904-1946): A Passion for Pictures'', a holding of the gallery's extensive collection of works by Flood, was shown at the Ottawa Art Gallery. He served as president of the Ottawa Art Club from 1932 to 1934 and was secretary for the Art Association of Ottawa from 1933 to 1946. Flood was a founding member and first secretary for the Ottawa branch of the Federation of Canadian Artists. With Henri Masson, he was a founding member of Les Confreres du Caveau, an Ottawa association of painters. During WWII, Flood painted the sky and scenery in a realistic “torpedo attack teacher” designed to train officers in a simulated naval engagement. Flood was a member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art and was elected to the Ontario Society of Painters in 1942. Flood died of a heart attack in Ottawa at the age of 42.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flood, Wilfrid John 1924 births 1946 deaths 20th-century Canadian painters Artists from Ottawa Canadian cartographers English emigrants to Canada People from Dalston