"TOM THOMSON, 1877-1917" - Leith
Posted by: 
JDandDD
N 44° 37.293 W 080° 52.636
17T E 509736 N 4940918
Plaque is a few steps southwest of Leith Church in Leith, Ontario.
Waymark Code: WMJB1
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 07/26/2006
Views: 81
Tom Thomson, an important member of the Group of Seven, was born in Claremont, Ontario but raised from age 2 in Leith. The turning point in his life was obtaining a job in 1907 with Grip Ltd. It was there that he met J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Fred Varley, Franklin Carmichael and Franz Johnson, all ultimately members of the Group of Seven, which didn't officially organize until after Thomson's death in 1917.
Thomson died sometime between July 8 and July 17, 1907 at Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park. His birch canoe and body were found in Ahmek Bay just off the shore from the current Camp Ahmek. A cairn, still in existence, was raised on a point near the bay and he was buried in the Leith Church cemetery.
Text on Plaque:
TOM THOMSON
1877 - 1917
One of Canada's most distinquished painters. Thomson was born at Claremont, Ontario County, but two months later moved with his parents to Leith where he lived until the age of twenty-one. After working in Toronto as a commercial artist until 1913, he supplemented his limited income from painting, and fulfilled his love for the Canadian wilderness by serving as a guide and fire ranger in Algonguin Park. An exponent of a distinctive style of Canadian landscape painting, Thomson influenced the work of the "Group of Seven". Among his better known paintings are "West Wind", "Jack Pine", "Spring Ice" and "Northern River". His brief career ended tragically in July 1917 when he was drowned in Canoe Lake, Algonguin Park.
Address or location of plaque: Tom Thomsons Lane, Leith, Ontario
Physical location of plaque: Village
"Ontario Plaques" Website for this "Plaque": [Web Link]
A web-site for more details.: [Web Link]
Description of any physical remains at site of "Historical Plaque": Tom Thompson grave site
This 'Plaque' describes: A 'Person'
Condition of sign: Excellent
Is this a bilingual sign?: No !
What is the second/third language?: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
A "Visited" only remark, will be deleted.
No Waymark owner "Visits" allowed when setting up the Waymark.
Subsequent visits, at another time with photo are acceptable.
NOTE: All photos must include the 'O.H.P.Plaque' at its location to qualify for a "Visited"