Chronology

1869	CWJ was born on August 25th in Rochester, Kent, England. Parents: Charles Thomas Jefferys and Ellen Kennard. Lived at Gad's Hill and were neighbours of Charles Dickens. CTJ was a building contractor ⁽¹⁾. They lived above the maternal grandfather's pub in Rochester ⁽²⁾.
1874	CTJ's family leave England. They go to Philadelphia, later to Hamilton, Ontario, sometime in the mid-'70s ⁽³⁾
1875	Emigrated with his family to Philadelphia, U.S.A. (or 1878?), then to Hamilton, Ontario, c. 1878, settling in Toronto in 1881.
1878	The Jefferys family moved to Hamilton, Ontario c. 1878
1881	CJT family settled in Toronto ⁽⁴⁾. CWJ attended Winchester Public School. Makes friends with Fred Brigden.
1884	Attended evening classes at Ontario School of Art & Design, Toronto
1885	CWJ entered the workforce to help with family finances. He apprenticed to a firm of lithographers, The Toronto Lithographic Company for 5 years. The lithographers farmed him out to the Globe and Mail where he learned about newspaper sketching. Started night classes given by George A. Reid.
1886	Joined G.A. Reid's private evening life class; instructors included Mary Hiester Reid and William Cruikshank. As well as CWJ and others, they instructed F.H. Brigden and F.S. Challener. Formation of the Toronto Art Students League.
1888	Joined Toronto Art Students' League upon the closure of Reid's class. Did freelance illustrations for the Toronto Telegram.
1889	Hired by Toronto Globe as a staff illustrator. First public exhibition by the Toronto Art Students League. First exposure to 'foreign works' at an exhibition in Toronto in December. To Montreal and Quebec with C.M. Manly (Aug-Sep). Creative Work: Champlain Market, Lower Town, Quebec City, P.Q., Accordion Player
1890	To Maritime Provinces with J.E. Atkinson for Toronto Globe (Apr). Sketched historic spots at Niagara, Ontario (Sep). G.A. Reid & Jean Adams joined the Toronto Art Students League ⁽¹⁾. Spent August Civic Holiday at George Reid's home in Lambton Ontario. Began reading Canadian history ⁽¹⁾. Read Joseph Pennell's 'Pen Drawing & Pen Draughtsmen'
1891	Project of Toronto Art Students' League annual calendar. Formation of Nulla Dies Sine Linea (Never a Day Without a Line) Club. Began studying oil landscape painting. First exhibited at Ontario Society of Artists Annual (life studies) (May). CWJ works as an illustrator for Globe, The World, The Mail and Empire, etc. ⁽¹⁾. Acquaintanceship with Jean Adams ^(1). Studying wildflowers in August ⁽¹⁾. Drawing pioneer relics in November ⁽¹⁾. Creative Work: Goldenrod, The Intolerant Sun Sinks Down With Glaring Eye, Untitled
1892	January - out of work - mental and emotional conflicts ⁽¹⁾. Spring - walks and meetings with Jean Adams; studying Canadian history ⁽¹⁾. Works as a 'sketch artist' for various Toronto newspapers ⁽¹⁾. To Quebec in September ⁽²⁾. To New York (Oct), in search of work as a newspaper illustrator. Hired by New York Herald as artist-reporter
1893	First Toronto Art Students' League calendar published. To Chicago for World's Columbian Exposition; first exposure to Scandinavian landscape painting. In Toronto for summer. First exhibited at Toronto Industrial Exhibition (Sep). Painted in oils at G.A. Reid's art school at Onteora, New York (Sep-Oct). Rejoined Herald. Covered William Jennings Bryan's campaign. Creative Work: Autumn Mists, Bearded Man Seated (Pen & Ink)
1894	Took a three-month course at the Art Students' League of New York (winter). First shown at Royal Canadian Academy, National Gallery of Canada; and at Art Association of Montreal's annual spring exhibition. Living with Jay Hambidge at New Rochelle, N.Y (to spring 1895). Married fellow artist Jean Adams. December 29. Creative Work: Astoria, Long Island.
1895	Moved to Woodside, Newark, New Jersey. Exhibited in New York Watercolour Club. Exhibited with Pennsylvanian Academy of Fine Arts. Daughter Jeanette was born in December.
1896	Attended G.A. Reid's summer school in Onteora, in the Catskills in New York (Aug).
1897	Shared studio with Henry Morton in New York while on the staff of the New York Herald ⁽¹⁾ Exhibited at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts ⁽¹⁾ Sketching trip to St. Antoine Quebec (Aug)
1898	Exhibited at Newark Sketch Club ⁽¹⁾
1899	Charles Robert Jefferys, son of Charles W. Jefferys and Jean Adams Jefferys, died aged 1 year and 7 months on Feb 10th, 1899 (Toronto, Daily Mail and Empire - February 18, 1899) Death of 2 sons on Feb 14th and of Jean Adams on June 20th ^{(1,2)* - Problem with the date - Jenny was 5 years old when they died. In early 1899 she would only be 3 1/2.} Exhibited at Pan American Exposition, Buffalo ⁽²⁾ Founding member of Mahstick Club, Toronto ⁽²⁾ *** check the date Acquainted with critic Lawrence Gilman ⁽¹⁾
1900	Spent considerable time in Quebec on the Richelieu River ^{(3; 2)}***If not both years, then more likely in 1899 when several paintings were produced
1901	CWJ returned permanently to Toronto. Appointed Art Director of Grip Ltd. Covered Royal Tour of Duke & Duchess of Cornwall & York (later George V) from Quebec to Pacific and back. Sketching trips to Grand River Valley & Muskoka.
1902	Elected member of Ontario Society of Artists. His Pine Woods was purchased by Ontario Government. 'The Moon' launched, with Jefferys as art director and chief cartoonist. To Lake of the Woods with Knox Magee (Jul). September - moved his studio to Medical Bldg., Bay & Adelaide. Shared space with A.C. Goode & A.H. Robson.
1903	Left The Moon to do illustrations and cartoons for the Toronto Star ⁽³⁾ To Buffalo in March to see Scandinavian pictures. Graphic Arts Club formed - CWJ elected the first president.
1904	Toronto Art Students League issued the last Art League Calendar and League disbanded. Met Sir Wilfred Laurier in the capacity of Star artist/reporter. Appointed to the board of Ontario School of Art & Design ⁽¹⁾ Founding member of Mahstick Club ⁽¹⁾ Elected to O.S.A. executive ⁽¹⁾ To New York, Newark, Boston, and Concord with C.M. Manly & W.W. Alexander. They visited Walden Pond. Sketched in Kawartha Lakes district (summer).
1905	Opened studio with A.H. Robson in a loose partnership as commercial illustrators & designers. On the editorial staff of Toronto Star. 2-man exhibit with C.M Manly at Graphic Arts Club, Toronto (Mar) Sketching tour to Lake Temagami with W.W. Alexander & H.G.(Jimmy) Dart.
1906	Closed his studio and worked on his own from here on Started contributing works of historical art ⁽³⁾ Moved his studio to 402 1/2 Wellesley Street (parent house) ⁽¹⁾ Became a contributor to Canadian Courier Became engaged to Clara West ⁽²⁾ Trip to Manitoba painting prairies and harvests ⁽³⁾ Trip to Lake-of-the-Woods ⁽²⁾ Trip to Buffalo to see an exhibit of American paintings ⁽¹⁾
1907	Married Clara West (June); wedding journey from Winnipeg to Banff, Lake Louise, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Lake of the Woods (Jun-Aug). "Ferried down Bow River through Bear's Hills to see Cree War Dance with Augustus Bridle" ⁽¹⁾ Back in Toronto took rooms on Pembroke Street ⁽¹⁾ Illustrations for Canadian Courier. Completed "first big oil," Wheat Stacks on the Prairie (purchased by Ontario Government, 1912).
1908	Autumn on the Prairie was purchased by Ontario Government. Founder-member of Arts and Letters Club, Toronto. To Quebec to cover Tercentenary celebrations for Toronto Star (Aug). Left Star to work as Liberal Pary election campaign cartoonist.
1909	Elected vice-president and treasurer of Ontario Society of Artists (to 1913). Elected commissioner, Department of Fine Art, Canadian National Exhibition (to 1918). Birth of daughter, Katharine. Sketching trip to Muskoka (Nov).
1910	Moved with his family to the house at York Mills, north of Toronto city limits, on Don River. Appointed art director of Toronto Star Weekly. Sketching trip to Lake of the Woods (Jul). Covered Laurier's western tour for Canadian Courier (Fort William, Winnipeg, Brandon, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary), then sketched in Qu'Appelle Valley (Jul-Aug).
1911	1911 Did drawings and covers for Canadian periodicals - McLean's Magazine, Canadian Courier, Canadian Magazine, Eatons. Drawings and colour illustrations for J.F. Fraser's Canada As It Is, published by Cassell & Co., London Mural decorations (Lady of the Lake) for the house of D.B. Hanna in Rosedale, Toronto. Sketching trip to Qu'Appelle Valley with wife Callie & Katherine. There is a sketch of them at Lost Mountain lake in which Callie is wearing the blue cloak ^(1,2).
1912	Appointed instructor of freehand drawing and painting at the University of Toronto School of Architecture (to 1939). Commissioned to do frontispieces for Chronicles of Canada published by Glasgow Brook, Toronto and re-issue of Makers of Canada series. One-man exhibition of western sketches at Arts and Letters Club (Sep). Birth of daughter, Elizabeth. Elected associate member of Royal Canadian Academy. Lecturer & part-time instructor at Ontario College of Art (OCA) ⁽¹⁾ Contributed work to an exhibition of 9 Canadian artists at the MacDowell Club, New York ⁽¹⁾ Exhibited at the 1912 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto Play Wright and Manager A Rented Room The Valley Approaching Storm, Qu'Appelle Valley Flight of Ducks on the Prairies Canadian Illustrations
1913	Lawren Harris & J.E.H. MacDonald see a Scandinavian exhibit in Buffalo, N.Y. (CWJ saw another in 1893) ⁽¹⁾ CWJ Elected President of Ontario Society of Artists - until 1918
1914	Traveled with A.Y. Jackson & J.W. Beatty to view Western developments of Canadian Northern Railway as a guest of CNR
1915	Birth of daughter, Margaret. Two western paintings were included in Canadian Northern Railway Exhibition, Canadian National Exhibition. Visited New York in April to arrange for American and French artists to show at the OSA Annual exhibition. ⁽¹⁾ Began 'Willow Creek' series of watercolours in May - 1916 ⁽¹⁾
1916	Birth of daughter Barbara On OSA Hanging Committee with Robert Gagen & J.E.H. MacDonald - until 1919. Worked on 'Sam Slick' illustrations and notes for Robert Glasgow publishers - but not published until 1958 by Ryerson ⁽¹⁾ Illustrated articles and stories by Stephen Leacock and poems by Robert Service for Macleans Magazine ⁽¹⁾ Sold 'Willow Creek in May' to the National Gallery of Canada ⁽¹⁾ Spring trip to the western part of Niagara Peninsula Sketching trip to Lake Mazainaw in the summer - stayed with Robert Glasgow and family ^(1,2)
1917	Appointed to Canadian War Memorials (domestic commission) to cover military training in Ontario. Appointed joint assistant editor of the first series of Chronicles of America series Discussions with Sir Edmund Walker about the possibility of becoming a war artist overseas in a project initiated by the National Gallery. He abandoned the idea for himself because of poor health and financial considerations. ⁽¹⁾ To New York in the summer for work on Chronicles of America illustrations ⁽¹⁾ Continued to work on Sam Slick ⁽¹⁾ Worked on drawings for E.W. Thomson's 'Old Man Savarin Stories'. ⁽¹⁾ Sketching trip to Go Home Bay with C.H.C. Wright, head, U. of T. Dept. of Architecture ^(1,2) To Boston and other parts of Massachusetts in the fall. Visited with ex-TASL colleague David F. Thomson ⁽¹⁾
1918	To New York to collect illustrations for Chronicles of America (Feb-Mar). Covered training exercises of Royal Air Force, Toronto, and of Polish army-in-exile at Niagara-on-the-Lake and Camp Petawawa. Summered at Peninsula Lake (also throughout the 1920s).
1920	According to William Colgate, invited to join Group of Seven but declined. ⁽³⁾ Taught evening course on drawing and graphic reproduction, Ontario College of Art (to 1923). Illustrated the Ontario Readers Primer published by T. Eaton Co., Toronto On the executive committee of the Ontario Society of Artists until 1924. First Group of Seven Exhibition in Toronto
1921	Commissioned by Ontario Dept. of Education to illustrate public school histories of Canada and England, edited by George M. Wrong, published by Ryerson Press, Toronto Appointed to Hart House Sketch Club Committee Spent summer at brother Walter's cottage on Peninsula Lake, Muskoka, painting watercolours. ⁽²⁾
1922	Instructor drawing at University of Toronto Dept. of Architecture Summered at Peninsula Lake Taught evening classes at Ontario College of Art
1924	Elected president of Arts and Letters Club (to 1926). Participated in the Canadian Section of Fine Arts, British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, England. Sketching trip to Bobcaygeon, Ont. (Apr). Western expedition: Winnipeg, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Calgary, Gleichen, Calgary, Ghost Ranch, Morley, Edmonton, Wainwright, Edmonton, Jasper, Edmonton, the Battlefords, Cut Knife Hill, Saskatoon, Duck Lake, Batoche, Fish Creek, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Fort William (Jun-Aug).
1925	Taught drawing, illustration, and graphic art at Ontario College of Art (to 1927). Founder-member, Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Elected full member of Royal Canadian Academy.
1926	Illustrated Ryerson Canadian History Readers series (to 1929).
1927	Included in the National Gallery of Canada exhibition of Canadian art at Musee du Jeu de Paume, Paris. Illustrated Nelson's Pictures of Canadian History series. One-man exhibition at Hart House, University of Toronto (Dec.).
1928	Elected president of Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (to 1931). Worked on two large historical mural panels for Manoir Richelieu, Murray Bay, P.Q. (Jul-Aug).
1929	Designed J.B. Tyrrell Medal for the Royal Society of Canada (executed by Emanuel Hahn). Taught outdoor sketching classes at University of Toronto School of Architecture Summer School at Gull Lake, Haliburton (Sep; also 1930, '31). Toronto Star began publishing Dramatic Milestones in Canada's Story series (1929-30), later issued in book form as Dramatic Episodes in Canada's Story by Ryerson Press (1930).
1930	Started work on historical murals for Chateau Laurier, Ottawa (1930-31). One-man exhibition at Arts and Letters Club (Sep). Took an extended vacation in Jamaica (Nov-Mar 1931) for health reasons.
1931	Received LL.D. degree from Queen's University, Kingston (May) for services to art and history.
1932	Included in an exhibition of Canadian art at Roerich Museum, N.Y., organized by Lawren Harris (Mar).
1933	Completed 6 large mural panels depicting the life of prehistoric man for the Royal Ontario Museum.
1934	Canada's Past in Pictures published by Ryerson Press. One-man exhibition at Mellors Gallery, Toronto (Nov).
1935	Included in Exhibition of Canadian Painting by a Group of Selected Artists at National Gallery of Canada (Apr).
1936	Sketching trip to French River, Ontario (May). Conducted "Canadian Historical Tour" to Quebec and Maritimes, Kingston, and Bay of Quinte areas (Jul-Aug; also in 1937?).
1937	Designed historical panels for Clifton Memorial Gate, Niagara Falls (executed in bas-relief by Emanuel Hahn). Death of wife Callie West Jefferys (Dec).
1938	Included in A Century of Canadian Art, Tate Gallery, London. Engaged as a historical consultant by the Dept. of Mines and Resources on the restoration of Port Royal Habitation, Lower Granville, N.S.
1939	Included in Royal Canadian Academy - organized exhibition of Canadian art at New York World's Fair.
1940	Elected vice-president of Ontario Historical Society. Began compiling material for The Picture Gallery of Canadian History.
1942	Elected president of Ontario Historical Society (to 1944). The first volume of The Picture Gallery of Canadian History was published by Ryerson Press. One-man exhibition of drawings and watercolours held at the Art Gallery of Toronto (Sep).
1945	Publication of vol.2 of The Picture Gallery of Canadian History. Publication of William Colgate's C.W. Jefferys (Ryerson Press). The Art of C.W. Jefferys held at Willisted Art Gallery, Windsor (Sep), and Elsie Perrin Williams Memorial Art Gallery, London (Nov.).
1946-47	Worked on Vol. 3 of The Picture Gallery of Canadian History
1948	A Catalogue of the Sigmund Samuel Collection of Canadiana and Americana compiled and annotated by CWJ, published by Ryerson Press, Toronto Exhibition of Oil Paintings of Canadian Scenes and Also Black and White Drawings by Charles W. Jefferys is shown at Little Gallery ⁽¹⁾ Sketching trip to Haliburton, Ontario ⁽¹⁾
1949	Represented by A Prairie Trail in 'Painters of Canada...1669 - 1948' exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. Exhibited Western Sunlight in Fifty Years of Painting in Canada at the Art Gallery of Toronto (Oct-Nov). June 21 - Founding of Halifax 1749 was reproduced on a Canadian 4-cent stamp issued to mark the bicentenary of Halifax
1950	Volume III of The Picture Gallery of Canadian History published, assisted by Tom McLean.
1951	CWJ died on October 8. Funeral service at St. John's Church, York Mills; eulogy was given by Lorne Pierce ⁽¹⁾
1952	C. W. Jefferys Memorial Exhibition was held as part of the 80th annual Ontario Society of Artists exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto (Mar-Apr), then traveled. Jefferys' papers and the personal historical collection were purchased by Imperial Oil Ltd. (donated to Public Archives of Canada, 1972).
1955	Imperial Oil Ltd. published 4 portfolios of reproductions of Jefferys' historical drawings.
1958	Sam Slick in Pictures published by Ryerson Press
1960	Ontario Department of Travel and Publicity plaque to Jefferys unveiled at his house at 4111 Yonge St., York Mills.
1964	The official opening of C.W. Jefferys Secondary School, Downsview, Ont.
1975	Western Sunlight was included in the National Gallery of Canada exhibition, The Canadian Landscape in Art, shown in Peking and Shanghai.
1976	Charles William Jefferys: 1869-1951 organized by Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario curated by Robert Stacey (Nov-Dec; traveled until Aug. 1977).
1978	Exhibition of Jefferys' historical drawings and landscapes, C.W. Jefferys Gallery, Ontario Legislative Building, Queen's Park, Toronto (Jul-Sep).
1979	Art, Education, and Government: C. W. Jefferys exhibition held in C.W. Jefferys Gallery, Ontario Legislative Building (Jun-Sep).
1982	Nulla Dies Sine Linea: C. W. Jefferys R.C.A, LL.D. exhibition mounted at Red Deer and District Museum (Feb), traveled until Oct. 1983.
1983	Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating C.W. Jefferys' contribution to Canadian historiography unveiled at University College, University of Toronto (Oct).
2000	A statue of C.W. Jefferys was commissioned by the North York Historical Society and executed by sculptor Adrienne Alison installed in York Mills Park, Toronto (Oct 21, 2000). A commemorative booklet titled C.W. Jefferys - An Alien Astray in an Inexplicable World by Bob Trueman was published for the occasion.
	^{(1) Stacey 1977} ^{(2) Stacey 1986} ^{(3) Colgate 1944} ⁽⁴⁾Stacey 1985

Chronology

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