Charles William Jefferys (August 25, 1869 – October 8, 1951) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 painter, illustrator, author, and teacher best known as a historical illustrator.

Biography

Born in Rochester, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Jefferys arrived in Toronto, Ontario (after living in Philadelphia and Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

) with his family around 1880. After attending school, he apprenticed with the Toronto Lithography Company from 1885 to 1890. From 1889 to 1892 he worked for the Toronto Globe as an illustrator and artist. From 1893 to 1901, he worked for the New York Herald

New York Herald

The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...

. Returning to Toronto, he became a magazine and book illustrator. Along with Ivor Lewis

Ivor Lewis

Ivor Rhys Lewis was a Canadian artist and business director.Lewis was born in Wales, but emigrated to Canada as a small boy. He trained as an artist at the Ontario School of Art, and was hired in the art department of the Eaton's department store chain in Toronto...

 and other artists, Jefferys co-founded the Graphic Arts Club (later named the Canadian Society of Graphic Art), which by the 1940s became the primary artists' group in Canada. As well, from 1912 to 1939 he taught painting and drawing in the Department of Architecture at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

.

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 he was commissioned by the Canadian War Records department to paint soldiers training at Camp Petawawa and Niagara. http://www.askart.com/askart/j/charles_william_jefferys/charles_william_jefferys.aspx

Jefferys had an intense interest in history and his reputation rests principally on his accurate and meticulous portrayal of early Canadian life. The best known collection of his historical sketches is "The Picture Gallery of Canadian History".

A plaque in his honour quotes him, "If my work has stirred any interest in our country and its past, I am more than paid."

C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute

C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute

-External links:* at the Toronto District School Board website...

, a public high school in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, is named in his honour.

External links

• Charles William Jefferys at The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
  
  
• Books which discuss his work
• "C.W. Jefferys: Picturing Canada" television documentary
• C.W. Jefferys at theCanadaSite
• info on Picture Gallery of Canadian History
• excerpt from Picture Gallery of Canadian History
• from Archives of Ontario
• Historical Plaques at TorontoHistory