Charles William Jefferys who signed his name C. W. Jefferys (August 25, 1869 – October 8, 1951) was an English-born Canadian artist, author and teacher best known for his historical illustrations.

Early life

Jefferys was born in

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about east-southeast of London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, ...

, to Charles Thomas Jefferys and Ellen Kennard. He moved with his family first to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1875, then to

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, in 1878, and finally to Toronto around 1880. There, he attended school and was apprenticed with the York Lithography Company from 1885 to 1890.

Career

From 1889 to 1892, Jefferys worked for the '' Toronto Globe'' as an illustrator and artist. He produced artwork for several printing companies. From 1893 to 1901, he worked for the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

''. Returning to Toronto, he became a newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, appearing in numerous publications, including ''Hardware Merchandising.'' Jefferys created a series of illustrations and essays for the ''Toronto Star Weekly'', which in 1920 were published as ''Dramatic Episodes in Canada's Story''. The following year, he was chosen by the Ontario government to illustrate a textbook, ''Ontario Public School History of Canada'', written by George Wrong. Along with Ivor Lewis and other artists, Jefferys co-founded the Graphic Arts Club (later named the Canadian Society of Graphic Art), which by the 1940s became one of the primary artists' groups in Canada. As well, from 1912 to 1939, he taught painting and drawing in the Department of Architecture at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was commissioned by the Canadian War Records department to paint soldiers training at Camp Petawawa and Niagara. Jefferys had an interest in history, and he produced accurate and meticulous portrayals of early Canadian life. The best known collection of his historical sketches is the three volume ''The Picture Gallery of Canadian History'' (c. 1942–1960). In 1926, he was made a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

. He also was a member of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Jefferys was a founding member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto and was its president from 1923 to 1924.

Death and legacy

Soon after Jefferys's death in 1952, more than 1,000 of his drawings were sold to the Imperial Oil Company, which in 1972 donated the collection to

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

. A plaque at 4111 Yonge Street, where he died, quotes him as saying,

"If my work has stirred any interest in our country and its past, I am more than paid".

Jefferys received numerous awards, including an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Queen’s University in 1934. C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, a public high school in Toronto, is named for him. There are works by him in the art collection of the

Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...

the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, and the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

. A statue of Jefferys, created by Adrienne Alison, has been installed in York Mills Valley Park. Jeffreys has been designated as an Historic Person in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.

Gallery

File:The founding of Halifax, 1749. by Charles W. Jefferys.png, Founding of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...

File:Daumont de Saint Lusson.jpg, Simon-François Daumont de Saint-Lusson File:Arrival of Radisson in an Indian camp 1660 Charles William Jefferys.jpg, Arrival of Pierre-Esprit Radisson in an American Indian camp in 1660.
Dessin par Charles William Jefferys. File:Montcalm leading his troops at the Plains of Abraham.jpg, Montcalm at the head of their troops on the planes of Abraham. Watercolour by Charles William Jefferys. File:Frontenac with the Indians.jpg, Frontenac with the American Indians.
Watercolour by Charles William Jefferys. File:Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the western plains.jpg, Henry Kelsey in the company of American Indians observing bison on the plains. Lithograph.

References

Bibliography

* * Stacey, Robert. ''Charles William Jefferys 1869-1951.'' Kingston, Ontario: Hanson & Edgar, 1976.

External links

* * *
Jefferys
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

CWJefferys.ca
run by the artist's grandson
Books which discuss his work

info on Picture Gallery of Canadian History

from Archives of Ontario

at the

, Ottawa, Ontario. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferys, Charles William 1869 births 1951 deaths 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 20th-century Canadian painters Canadian illustrators English emigrants to Canada People from Rochester, Kent Academic staff of the University of Toronto Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian war artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts World War I artists 19th-century Canadian male artists 20th-century Canadian male artists Canadian genre painters