Arthur Lismer in Georgian Bay

Behind every artwork lies a story, and the McMichael Archives work to ensure that those stories are never lost. With the launch of this magazine, we’re delighted to open the vaults of the McMichael’s archival collection, offering rare glimpses into the worlds of the artists and histories we hold dear.

As the McMichael Archivist Linda Morita explains: “The McMichael Archives is renowned for its holdings of artist papers, invaluable for researching Canadian art history specifically and preserving Canadian culture in general. Primary source materials such as photographs and drawings provide insight into an artist’s life and art for researchers, scholars and Canadian-art enthusiasts.”

For this first feature, Morita turns to the papers of the Group of Seven member Arthur Lismer. Acquired by the McMichael in 2014 through the generous support of the artist’s family in the United States, the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation, these documents reveal a more personal side of Lismer’s world. “Arthur Lismer’s family vacations on Georgian Bay were an annual tradition, timed around his teaching schedule, and produced many of his most iconic paintings,” writes Morita. “Photographs and cartoons provide a glimpse into the personal side of these sketching trips and can confirm sketching locations, dates, methods. The personal side of the Arthur Lismer family (Arthur reading and smoking his pipe, his wife, Esther, doing chores, and their daughter, Marjorie, reading) is endearingly revealed in this cartoon of a rainy day at the cottage.”