Art Gallery of Ontario
E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives

Charles William Jefferys & Robert Stacey Fonds

CA OTAG SC038

Dates of creation:

(1839 - 1987)

Extent:

5 m of textual and graphic records

Scope and content:

Fonds consists of records relating to the life and work of the artist and author Charles William Jefferys. It includes the artist’s correspondence, notebooks, research materials and manuscripts of his written work. Also included in this fonds are the research materials compiled by Robert Stacey, the artist’s grandson, about all aspects of the life and work of Jefferys, including information on all Jefferys’ writings and art, articles and reviews published by and about Jefferys, as well as information about the artist’s personal life, professional activities and travels. Stacey also conducted research on the Jefferys family history.

Contains series:

1. Jefferys family genealogy compiled by Stacey
2. Jefferys’ accounts and business records
   
3. Jefferys’ associations and clubs records
4. Jefferys’ personal records
5. Jefferys’ correspondence
6. Stacey’s research files on places and people associated with Jefferys
7. Writings by Jefferys
8. Writings on Jefferys
9. Stacey’s research files on Jefferys’ illustrations
10. “The Moon” files
11. Stacey’s research files on Jefferys’ art
12. Stacey’s notes on locations associated with Jefferys
13. Stacey’s research files on owners of Jefferys’ art
14. C.W. Jefferys Estate Archives contents
15. Stacey’s research files on Jefferys’ exhibitions
16. Jefferys’ notebooks
17. Portraits of Jefferys and family
18. Newspaper clippings collected by Jefferys and Stacey
19. Jefferys’ photographs and clippings from Western Canada

Biographical sketch:

Charles William Jefferys (1869-1951) was a prolific Canadian artist, illustrator and author. He was a talented landscape painter whose work was widely exhibited and collected, but is best known for his illustrations of Canada’s past. He was born in Rochester, Kent. In 1875 the Jefferys family emigrated to Philadelphia, then in 1878 they moved to Hamilton before settling in Toronto around 1880. Jefferys began formal training as an artist in 1884 when he started attending evening classes at the Ontario School of Art. The following year, Jefferys began a five-year apprenticeship at the Toronto Lithographic Company, where he was also hired out to work occasionally as an illustrator for The Globe. He worked as an artist for The Globe, as well as for a number of other Canadian newspapers until the fall of 1892 when he was taken on as an artist-reporter for The New York Herald. Jefferys lived in New York and New Jersey until 1899, returning to Canada permanently in 1901, eventually settling in York Mills. Jefferys illustrated a large number of books and articles providing illustrations for The Makers of Canada (1903-1911), Chronicles of Canada (1914-1916), was co-founder of the satirical periodical The Moon (1902-1904), and wrote and illustrated Canada’s Past in Pictures (1934) and The Picture Gallery of Canadian History (1942, 1945, 1950). He also gave frequent lectures and published numerous articles on art, architecture, and Canadian history. From 1912 to 1939 Jefferys was instructor of freehand drawing at the Department of Architecture at the University of Toronto. He also was a lecturer and part-time instructor at the Ontario College of Art. Jefferys worked for Canadian War Records in 1918, recording the activities Polish Army in Exile at Niagara and Toronto and the Siberian Army in Exile in at Camp Petawawa, Ontario. Jefferys was active in many organizations, including the Ontario Society of Artists, Royal Canadian Academy, Art Students’ League, and the Arts and Letters Club. He exhibited his art widely throughout his life, in Canada and abroad, and his work appears in major institutions across Canada.

Robert Stacey (1949- ) is the grandson of C.W. Jefferys. He is an art historian, author, editor, picture editor and curator based out of Toronto. Has written numerous books and articles on C.W. Jefferys and many other aspects relating to Canadian art and graphic design, with titles including The Hand Holding the Brush: Self Portraits by Canadian Artists, Canadian Bookplates, Massanog: the art of Bon Echo, and Sir Daniel Wilson (1816-1892): ambidextrous polymath.

Custodial History:

Upon the death of Jefferys in 1951, ownership of his papers and effects passed to his four heirs, Margaret Stacey, Elizabeth Fee, Barbara Allen, and Katherine Helm. The C.W. Jefferys Estate Archives was divided and held by each of these individuals, but eventually came under the general administration and care of Robert Stacey. Stacey used the material during his research on the life and work of Jefferys. He arranged the records and supplemented the original manuscript material by collecting published work on Jefferys as well as compiling copies of original Jefferys material from archival and museum collections throughout Canada. The Estate donated the archives to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1989.

Notes:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Donated by the Estate of C.W. Jefferys in 1989.

Restrictions on access:

Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.

Terms governing use and reproduction / publication:

Various copyright holders. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.

Associated material:

Archival material relating to C.W. Jefferys may also be found at Library & Archives Canada, the Archives of Ontario, and the Université de Montréal.

Accruals:

No further accruals are expected.

Provenance access point:

Jefferys, Charles W. (Charles William), 1869-1951.
Stacey, R.H. (Robert H.)

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