Read by Nathan Fehderau
Charles William Jeffreys was born at Rochester, England, in 1869. With his family, he emigrated first to Philadelphia and later to Canada. He trained as a lithographer and studied art first with G.A. Reid and later at the Toronto Art Students' League under C.M. Manley. Over the years, he contributed illustrations to various newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States. In addition, he wrote and illustrated several books with historical subjects including The Picture Gallery of Canadian History. As an illustrator, he often travelled, making sketches of local landscapes or historic sites wherever he went. In 1900, while on assignment, he first saw the prairies which were to become one of his favorite subjects. He painted various historical murals for government and commercial buildings alone and with others and, during the First World War, painted for the War Memorials. He was a member of many art and literary societies including the Royal Canadian Academy. In 19 31, he was awarded an honorary LLD from Queens University. He died in Toronto in 1951.
