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Textbook: Ch. 8 – TOM THOMSON, MURDERED? CANOE LAKE, ONTARIO, 1917 ART, NATIONALISM, AND AMERICANIZATION IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD
Tom Thomson: A Young and Handsome Iconic Painter and Outdoorsman Tom Thomson, a Canadian painter and outdoorsman, is widely known as an icon. His young and handsome appearance and his love for nature epitomized the romantic notions of the North. Thomson's paintings captured the imagination of generations of Canadians and inspired the famous Group of Seven. His success in the art world signified the beginnings of cultural nationalism. Early Life and Career Tom Thomson was born in 1877 near Claremont, Ontario. He moved to Seattle, Washington, as a young man and worked as a photo-engraver, which sparked his interest in art and painting. Despite having no formal training, Thomson had a natural talent for art. He later moved to Toronto in 1905 and landed a job at Grip Limited, a design firm, where he met J.E.H. MacDonald. Thomson and MacDonald started going on weekend sketching trips to nearby lakes, which allowed them to develop their artistic skills and foster their passion for nature. Thomson's Adventure in Algonquin Park In the summer of 1912, Thomson made his first trip to Algonquin Park, Ontario, where he fell in love with the park's wilderness and started to develop his signature style of painting. Thomson's experiences in Algonquin Park inspired many of his most famous works of art, and he continued to visit the park throughout his career. Thomson's paintings of Algonquin Park and other Canadian landscapes captured the beauty and essence of the country and contributed to the emergence of Canadian art as a distinctive cultural force.
History Tom Thomson tom thomson Tom Thomson and his impact on Canadian art and culture Tom Thomson and his artwork • Thomson spent summers as an Algonquin Park ranger from 1913 to 1917 • He made numerous sketches of the rugged northern landscapes and used them as models for his paintings • Although he only painted for four years, he produced a significant amount of work • His artwork broke with conventional landscape style and was vividly realistic yet almost abstract in its use of bright colors and texture Mystery surrounding Thomson's death • Thomson's apparent drowning at Canoe Lake in 1917 has been scrutinized for decades • Evidence suggests something strange surrounded not only his death but also his burial and the removal of his body • His mysterious death helped make him famous, and his paintings very valuable Thomson's impact on Canadian culture • Thomson's death marked the symbolic beginning of something new in Canada in the postwar period • His death and the end of the war unleashed newfound confidence of Canadians in themselves and their standing in the world • The end of the war released a new nationalism that exploded from Canadians’ paintbrushes • Other areas of Canadian cultural life experienced intensive growth during this time • The decade also signified the growth of a common North American culture dominated by the US • Canadian government developed new ways to protect Canadian culture, from the creation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to tariffs on magazines. Tom Thomson’s Mysterious Death tom thomson’s mysterious death
History Introduction to Tom Thomson's Disappearance • Tom Thomson had been visiting Algonquin Park every year since 1913 to sketch and paint the landscapes. • He was an expert canoeist, fisherman, and swimmer and knew the terrain around Canoe Lake well. • Thomson was last seen on July 8, 1917, and his disappearance generated news, curiosity, and suspicion. News Report on Thomson's Disappearance • The Toronto Globe reported on Thomson's disappearance on July 13, 1917. • The report stated that Thomson had been missing for five days and that a search party had been organized to look for him. • Thomson's canoe was found overturned in Canoe Lake, and his fishing line and tackle were still in it. • The report mentioned that Thomson's friends had described him as a strong swimmer and speculated that he may have drowned while trying to swim to shore. • The article also suggested that Thomson may have become lost or injured while hiking and was unable to return to his campsite. Tom Thomson's Disappearance • Tom Thomson, a talented artist from Toronto, went missing in Algonquin Park on July 8, 1917. • His disappearance generated news, curiosity, and suspicion. • His canoe was found overturned in Canoe Lake, but there was no storm or rough weather. • Thomson was an expert canoeist, fisherman, and swimmer who knew the terrain around Canoe Lake well. • He carried a light fishing rod and a dunnage bag, both of which were missing. • There was a chance that Thomson might be alive, but four days of searching failed to find a trace of him. Thomson's Life and Art • Thomson lived in Toronto and spent more than half of each year in the northern wilderness.
History • He was fond of the woods and had a deep love of nature, which was reflected in his landscape paintings. • His painting "Northern River" gained attention at the Ontario Society of Artists Exhibition and was bought by the National Gallery in Ottawa. • Thomson was originally from Owen Sound, and part of his life was spent in British Columbia. • He worked as a commercial artist in Toronto for a time. Rumours and suspicions surrounding Thomson’s disappearance Discovery of Thomson’s body raises more questions Summary: The article explores the various rumours and suspicions that surrounded the disappearance and death of Canadian artist Tom Thomson in 1917. There were many theories regarding the circumstances surrounding his death, including accidental drowning, foul play, a lover’s quarrel, or run-in with illegal poachers. Following the discovery of his body, questions were raised about the cause of death, including the presence of a bruise on his temple and fishing line wrapped around his ankle. Reports of his body being exhumed and reburied added to the mystery.
Background information
Investigations into Thomson's death
M.R. Dixon's letter to the Toronto Star
Background information: • Tom Thomson was a renowned artist who died under mysterious circumstances in 1917. • His burial location and cause of death have been the subject of much speculation and investigation for several decades.
Investigations into Thomson's death: • Investigations began in the 1920s and continued until the 1990s to uncover the truth about Thomson's death. • In the 1950s, the body was reportedly exhumed from the Canoe Lake grave to determine if the remains were indeed Thomson's.
History • This led to M.R. Dixon's letter to the Toronto Star in 1956, in which he claimed to have buried Thomson in 1917 and refuted reports of foul play. 3. M.R. Dixon's letter to the Toronto Star: • Dixon was the undertaker who embalmed and buried Thomson's remains in 1917. • He disputed reports of foul play and stated that the cause of death was accidental drowning, as confirmed by a death certificate provided by the superintendent of the park. • Dixon also refuted claims that the body was never removed from the lake and that the casket was empty, stating that the body was well-embalmed and the casket was a hardwood one. • He criticized those who desecrated the cemetery at Canoe Lake instead of obtaining an exhumation order to examine the alleged empty casket. Cultural Nationalism in the 1920s cultural nationalism in the 1920s Canadian Cultural Nationalism and its Impact on Art • Thomson’s death in WWI helped fuel Canadian cultural nationalism, which was also fueled by the war and gave Canadians a new sense of identity and national consciousness. • Canadian artists and writers were greatly impacted by the war and victories at Ypres and Vimy Ridge, which showed that Canadians could perform well on the world stage. • The new nationalism of the 1920s found its most eloquent expression in art, with Canadian artists inspired by the war setting out to create a distinctive Canadian style. The Group of Seven and their Impact on Canadian Art • The Group of Seven formed in Toronto just after the war and aimed to create an original Canadian artistic style, including J.E.H. MacDonald, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Fred Varley, Frank Carmichael, Arthur Lismer, and Frank Johnston. • Four of the group members had served as war artists, which contributed to their sense of nationalism and their search for a distinctive Canadian style. • The Group of Seven aimed to replace European paintings in Canadian salons and did so successfully through self-promotion and a unique style mixed with a bit of myth making.
History • The group held its first exhibition in Toronto in 1920 and thereafter at the National Gallery in Ottawa and a British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1924–25, which helped speed them to fame. • The Group of Seven's paintings focused on a uniquely Canadian theme: the North, stressing the nature, ruggedness, and vastness of Canada. Criticism of the Group of Seven • The Group of Seven claimed a national status, though its artists were based almost exclusively in Toronto. • Much of their work was of landscapes of Ontario, and their emphasis on landscape painting left members open to the charge that they were much too narrow in their subject material. Canadian art and literature in the postwar period • The Group of Seven and other Canadian artists of the period expressed a distinct image of Canada but left little impression of the radical changes that had remade the nation. Critics argue that the group’s artists were simply good at creating a myth around their work, inspired by Scandinavian artists. • The postwar period marked a colorful growth in the Canadian art scene, fueled in part by postwar nationalism and a new sense of maturity that Canadians felt in the period. • Canadian writers such as Lucy Maud Montgomery and Morley Callaghan gained popularity in the period, but some Canadians said that Callaghan’s work did not add to a particular understanding of Canada. • Canadian poets were striving for a new style, one that broke from the traditions of English Victorian poetry, which still prevailed in popular Canadian poetry of the period. Poets at McGill University, referred to as the Montreal Group, led the charge. • The growth in national culture was also evident in the creation of new publishing ventures and academic organizations, such as The Canadian Forum, The Dalhousie Review, The Canadian Bookman, and The Canadian Magazine. • Many of the academics, authors, and journalists who worked on these publications were actively involved in the Canadian booster clubs that proliferated after the war. • Patriotic associations such as the Canadian Club reached 115 chapters by 1928. • Courses in Canadian history and the study of Canada began to emerge; the Canadian Historical Association was founded in 1922.
History • Historians such as Frank Underhill, A.R.M. Lower, and Harold Innis advocated a distinctly Canadian historical and political economic scholarship. The Canadian Historical Review began to publish in 1920, and its second issue hailed “The Growth of Canadian National Feeling.” Mass American Culture mass american culture American mass consumer culture in 1920s Canada • Canadian nationalists viewed American culture as destructive • Ordinary Canadians embraced American culture • American mass consumer culture came in different forms • American magazines had higher circulation than Canadian ones • Canadians consumed over 50 million US magazines in 1926 • US "star system" publicized and popularized Hollywood movie stars in Canadian magazines • Motion pictures, mainly American, became a prominent leisure activity • Canadian movie house companies were dominated by US-owned firms • Canadian films were rarely shown on Canadian screens due to US studio system domination American mass consumer culture, Hollywood's influence on Canadian film industry, radio, mass spectator sports Hollywood's impact on Canadian film industry • Many Canadians worked in Hollywood studios • Hollywood's better climate allowed movies to be shot there year round • Famous Canadians in Hollywood included Jack Warner, Louis B. Mayer, Mack Sennett, Mary Pickford, and Norma Shearer • Hollywood created an image of Canada: Mounties, mountains, and maple trees Radio's impact on Canadian culture
History • Radio swept North America in the 1920s • Canadian airwaves were dominated by US programming • Comedy and sports programs, especially American baseball, became popular in Canada • Canadian radio programming in the 1920s was imported from the United States Mass spectator sports • Technological developments enabled better information dispersal through radio and newspapers • Canadian spectator sports remained dominated by the US market • NHL became largely under the control of US interests, and the Stanley Cup was awarded to American professional teams • Hockey was broadcast on Canadian radio networks and popular, but baseball remained as popular in Canada as hockey, if not more so • Canadian newspapers and radio reported on the famous New York Yankees of the 1920s and Babe Ruth was one of the most famous people in North America Canadian Cultural Nationalism and Protectionism • Ruth hits his first professional home run in Toronto, playing against Maple Leafs baseball team. • Many Canadian nationalists seek protectionist measures to support Canadian cultural industries in response to American popular mass culture. • Broadcasting dominated by US broadcasters and programming led to debasement of Canadian culture. • Cultural nationalists saw US culture as low-brow and immoral and argued that Canadians should have their own cultural outlet. • The best way to achieve this was to get the state to take a role in broadcasting and create a public broadcaster. • Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King created a royal commission in 1928 to look into the issue of radio, leading to the creation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1936. • Canada developed a “mixed market” in broadcasting with privately owned stations and a network of publicly owned stations.
