Charles Walter Simpson (1878–1942) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

artist and illustrator.

Life and work

Simpson was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

on 16 April 1878 He died in Montreal on 16 September 1942. Beginning in January 1918, he served with Canadian forces in the

First World War 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 ...

. Simpson was one of the first group of "official

war artists A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

"—

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

arranged for Simpson, along with

Frederick Varley Frederick Horsman Varley (January 2, 1881 – September 8, 1969) was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Career Early life Varley was born in Sheffield, England, in 1881, the son of Lucy (Barstow) and Samuel James Smith Varley the 7th. He ...

, J.W. Beatty and Maurice Cullen to be sent overseas to record Canada's participation in the conflict. Simpson was 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 ...

. His diploma submission, ''Indian Summer, Montreal Harbour'' was deposited in the collection of 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 ...

in 1921. Simpson worked as an illustrator, creating images for books commissioned by various firms to promote their industries or commemorate their achievements. ''Legends of the St. Lawrence''(1926) by Katherine Hale was commissioned by the

Canadian Pacific Railway Company Canadian Pacific Limited was created in 1971 to own properties formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), a transportation and mining giant in Canada. In October 2001, CPR completed the corporate spin-offs of each of the remaining business ...

to be used as a luxury gift for children who were travelling on the company's around the world tours.

Selected works

Simpson's published works encompass 43 works in 48 publications in 2 languages and 128 library holdings.WorldCat Identities

Simpson, Charles W. (Charles Walter) 1878-1942
/ref> * 1940 — ''The Mechanics' Institute of Montreal: One Hundredth Anniversary 1840-1940'' * 1936 — ''Canadian Pacific Rockies by Betty Thornley'' * 1936 — ''From Rags to Writing Paper: a Series of Twelve Sketches by Charles W Simpson'' * 1933 — ''Canadian Cities of Romance'' by Katherine Hale * 1932 — ''August Sixth, Nineteen Thirty Two, the Opening of the Welland Ship Canal: a Canadian Conception, a Canadian Achievement'' by Canada * 1929 — ''Croquis montréalais'' by Victor Morin (English title: ''Old Montreal with Pen and Pencil'') * 1927 — ''Le Conseil de Québec de 1769'' * 1926 — ''Legends of the St. Lawrence'' by Katherine Hale * 1925 — ''Légendes du Saint-Laurent'' by Amelia Beers (Warnock) Garvin * 1919 — ''Cotton'' by Dominion Textile Company Limited, Montreal

Gallery

File:La Corriveau (Simpson).png, The skeleton of '' La Corriveau'', in her iron cage, terrifying a traveller, 1926 File:SIMPSON Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.jpg,

Lower Canada Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house c ...

in 1792 (Chapel of Bishop's Palace, Quebec City), 1927

Notes

References

* Davis, Ann (1992). ''The Logic of Ecstasy: Canadian Mystical Painting, 1920–1940''. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...

. ;
OCLC 26256269

External links

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

archives
"Departure time" (BR102)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Charles Walter 1878 births 1942 deaths 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 20th-century Canadian painters Artists from Montreal Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts World War I artists 20th-century Canadian war artists 19th-century Canadian male artists 20th-century Canadian male artists