Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Thomson, George |
Othernames |
Geo. Thomson |
Born |
02/10/1868 |
Birthplace |
On farm near Claremont, Ont. |
Places of residence |
Born on a farm near Claremont, Ont., and when 9 moved with his family to Rose Hill farm near Leith, in Sydenham Township. In 1889 attended school in Chatham, Ont. He then worked in a Detroit lumber company. Then he moved to Seattle (where his brother Henry was). In 1906 he moved to New York City. He eventually moved to New Haven, Connecticut (and lived there for 16 years). He later returned to Owen Sound, Ontario (where he would live for the next 39 years). |
Titles & honors |
His works are in some permanent collections (e.g. National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, etc.). He was voted Owen Sound's "Citizen of the Year" in 1965. |
Father |
John Thomson |
Mother |
Margaret Thomson (nee Mathieson) -d. 1 |
Nationality |
Canadian |
Education |
Attended S.S.#13 Sydenham (Leith School) Attended the O.S.C.I. for highschool 1889 went to Chatham, Ontario to study at the Canada Business College for a year 1899 entered law school 1901 received his degree at the University of Washington |
Notes |
George Thomson was an older brother of the famous Canadian landscape artist, Tom Thomson. He was born on February 10, 1868, on a farm near Claremont, Ontario, and was the eldest of the Thomson children. Like his younger brother, he too became a successful painter. An article by Brian Meehan provides a lot of detail about George Thomson's career, and also provides a listing of his works. He painted in the Owen Sound area, as well as Haliburton, and Muskoka. The day before he died, he was out sketching at Lion's Head and Barrow Bay, along with his brother Fraser. He was 97 years old, and was likely Canada's oldest practising artist at the time. In 2010, a black and white image of George Thomson, shown seated in a living room near a piano and a potted fern, was added to the Grey Roots Archival collection. When he was a young fellow at Leith, he used to help his father John by rowing out a boat off the point to catch enough fish to bring home to salt and fill some barrels with. This salt fish helped supply the Thomsons with food in the winter. The Thomson farm, "Rosehill", was next to Colonel James P. Telford's property, and Col. Telford was an avid fisherman, and a friend of John Thomson's. George later married J. P. Telford's daughter, Jean Telford, in 1914 (his second marriage). When he was 21 years of age, he left the Grey County area, spending some time in Chatham at a business college, and then went to Seattle. He had a business partnership with Frank McLaren and they operated a business college. George married Frank's daughter, Margaret Euphemia McLaren, in 19_. They had a son, George McLaren Thomson, but unfortunately, Margaret passed away six months later. PAINTINGS One of his paintings was called "Spring". Seven of his paintings were shown at Owen Sound on August 20th, 19__ at the Owen Sound Public Library (mostly American scenes, as he was living in the States at the time). |
Occupation |
Owner of Acme Business College (at Seattle, between 1892-1906) Artist / Painter / Paintings |
Publications |
Croft, Melba, RENEWAL OF A CANADIAN PORT (OWEN SOUND ON GEORGIAN BAY), pp. 226-227 (has an image of George Thomson, and one of a landscape painting he did) Langlois, Denis, "George Thomson Painting Among Items Appraised at TOM Event", THE SUN TIMES, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 (shows a winter scene that was signed "Winter Yielding to Summer" by Geo. Thomson) Meehan, Brian, "George Thomson: Retrospective", Oct. 25 to Dec. 22, 1996, a newsprint article produced for the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery |
Relationships |
Sister: Elizabeth Thomson (Mrs. Harkness) Brother: Henry Thomson Sister: Louisa Thomson (Mrs. Henry) Sister: Minnie Thomson (Mrs. William Henry) Brother: Tom Thomson (1877-1917) Brother: Ralph Thomson Sister: Margaret Thomson (Mrs. Tweedale) Brother: James Brodie Thomson Brother: Fraser Thomson Sister: M Arts Student League (New York City) Division St. United Church (Owen Sound) Grey County Historical & Art Society Business Partner: Frank McLaren Sketching Friend: John Corfe Sketching Friend: Horace Vick |
Role |
Artist |
Spouse |
1. Margaret Euphemia McLaren, m._______ , 2. Jean Telford, m. 1914 |
Children |
With Margaret, had a son, George McLaren Thomson (Margaret died six months later) |
