Charles William Jefferys was a Canadian painter, illustrator, author, and teacher, best known as a historical illustrator.
Biography
Jefferys was born in Rochester, England. He moved with his family first to Philadelphia, then to Hamilton, Ontario, 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. Returning to Toronto, he became a magazine and book illustrator. 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, 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. During World War I 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". He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Death and legacy
Soon after Jefferys' death in 1952, more than 1,000 of his drawings were sold to the Imperial Oil Company, which in 1972 donated the collection to the Public Archives of Canada. A plaque at 4111 Yonge Street, where he died, 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, a public high school in Toronto, is named for him. There are works in the art collection of the Royal Military College of Canada by Charles William Jefferys. A statue of Jefferys, created by Adrienne Alison, has been installed in York Mills Valley Park.
