James MacCallum
James M. MacCallum | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Metcalfe MacCallum 1860 Richmond Hill,north of Toronto |
| Died | 1943 Toronto,Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | studied medicine at theUniversity of Torontoand later earned his doctorate in medicine at the same university; further training in London and Berlin |
James Metcalfe MacCallum(1860–1943) was a Canadianophthalmologistand one of the most important patrons ofTom Thomsonand theGroup of Seven.
Biography
[edit]He was born inRichmond Hill,north of Toronto, but due to his father, a Methodist minister, being sent to the area,[1]spent part of his early life on the rural shores ofGeorgian Bayand Muskoka. He studied medicine at theUniversity of Torontoand later earned his doctorate in medicine at the same university.[2]After further training in London and Berlin, he became a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto in 1903.[1]He was affiliated with theToronto General HospitalandHospital for Sick Children.[2]He was also an influential member of theMedical Council of Canadaand theCollege of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.[2]
In 1911, he built a cottage on an island in Go Home Bay in Georgian Bay, naming it "West Wind Island". That same yearLawren Harriswas staying nearby with Dr. David E. Stanton Wishart, also a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.[2]He would soon meet many of Harris' artist friends, purchasing works from them and inviting them to this cottage to paint. Several took him up on the offer and completed major work at Go Home Bay. This includedTom Thomson,J.E.H. Macdonald,Arthur Lismer,andA.Y. Jackson.[3]
When Jackson for want of funds spoke of leaving Canada for greater opportunity, MacCallum offered to pay his expenses for a year so he could stay in Canada and paint. Thomson, always short of money, was also funded for a year by MacCallum. He also used his funds to pay for a quarter of the construction costs of theStudio Buildingas a permanent workspace for artists in Toronto. When Tom Thomson died, it was MacCallum who paid for the memorial cairn inAlgonquin Park.[3]
MacCallum became close friends with Thomson and the Group of Seven artists. While not painting himself he was a frequent presence at the Studio Building and accompanied members on expeditions north, such as a trip in 1916 with Lawren Harris and his cousin Chester, to fish with Tom Thomson[4]and several important trips made painting theAlgomaregion with Harris.[3]
MacCallum died in 1943 leaving his large art collection to theNational Gallery of Canada.He wished that his cottage would become a permanent setting for painters to stay, but difficulties arose and it passed to his estate from which it was purchased by H. R. Jackman and his wife, Mary.[5]
The Dr. James M. MacCallum Papers are in Library and Archives, National Gallery of Canada.
References
[edit]- ^ab"James Metcalfe MacCallum".www.ophthalmology.utoronto.ca.University of Toronto.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^abcdKing, James (2012).Lawren Harris: Inward Journey.Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishing. p. 65.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^abcRoss King (25 September 2010).Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven.McMichael Canadian Art Collection. pp. 2–.ISBN978-1-55365-807-8.
- ^"Tom Thomson Catalogue Chronology".www.tomthomsoncatalogue.org.Art Gallery of Ontario.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^Landry 1990,p. 25.
Bibliography
[edit]- Reid, Dennis (1969).The MacCallum Bequest.Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada.Retrieved20 December2020.
- Landry, Pierre B. (1990).The MacCallum Jackman Cottage Mural Paintings.Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada.Retrieved4 January2021.
External links
[edit]- James Metcalfe MacCallum archival papersheld at theUniversity of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
- Dr. James M. MacCallum Papersat theNational Gallery of Canada,Ottawa, Ontario
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