Objects Record
Images
Additional Images [6]
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2016.3.1 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Portrait, "Charles Raymond" by John Forster, 1892 |
Date |
1892 |
Year Range from |
1892 |
Year Range to |
1892 |
Description |
Portrait of Charles Raymond painted by John Wycliffe Lowes Forster in 1892. The painting is a large scale oil on canvas portrait with an ornate carved gesso and wood frame. Charles Raymond is standing in the center of the image with his whole body visible down to his knees. He is wearing a black three piece suit with a white shirt and the chain of a pocket watch visible on his vest. He has white hair and a beard and his looking off to the left. His left hand is partially in his vest pocket as well as holding a pencil. His right hand is resting on a table at his side. Behind him along the right side of the image is a red curtain that is gathered in the middle with a table sitting in front. There is a teal, green, gold and red tablecloth draped over the table with numerous books and papers visible on top. One spine visible in the foreground reads "Appletons". Raymond's hand is resting on a paper that features a series of sketches of sewing machine parts and tools. The artists signature appears in the bottom left corner "JWL Forster 1892". The painting has an ornately carved wood and gesso gold painted frame. The outer most edge of the frame is a series of semicircles with round spheres in the center of each. This extends up to a larger section of carved intertwining leaves around the frame. The section of frame closest to the painting is a series of flatter overlapping carved leaves. |
Notes |
Artist Biography - John Wycliffe Lowes Forster John Wycliffe Lowes Forster was born on 31 December 1850 in Norval, Halton Hills. Forster began studying portraiture in Toronto in 1869. As a young man, he travelled to England and Europe, where he furthered his painting studies in Paris, before returning to Toronto in 1883. There established a permanent studio where he worked for the next few decades while also exhibiting both locally and internationally. Forster was among the most popular academic portraitists in Toronto during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His sitters included: Alexander Graham Bell, Bliss Carman, Timothy Eaton, and prime ministers Laurier, Macdonald and King, among others. He was also commissioned by the Ontario government to complete portraits of historical figures including James Wolfe, John Graves Simcoe, Isaac Brock and William Lyon Mackenzie. Forster's work is represented in the federal and Ontario parliamentary collections and numerous other public collections. His writings include two volumes of autobiography and a survey of early Ontario artists. He died on 24 April 1938 in Toronto. Updated 2024 Sources: "John Wycliffe Lowes Forster" by Robert Stacey, The Canadian Encyclopedia, (accessed 18 December 2024): https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-wycliffe-lowes-forster |
Artist |
John Wycliffe Lowes Forster |
People |
Raymond, Charles |
Search Terms |
Raymond Sewing Machine Company |
Subjects |
ARTS COSTUME - MALE HISTORY - LOCAL PORTRAITS SEWING |
Medium |
Paint, Oil |
Dimensions |
H-195 W-152 cm |
Dimension Details |
Above measurements are for the overall piece (painting and frame together). Image only: Height - 165 cm Width - 116 cm |
Collection |
Artifacts |