The Coming of the White Man by George Agnew Reid

Provenance:
Private Collection, France
Private Collection, Montreal

Literature:
Muriel Miller Miner, “G.A. Reid Canadian Artist”, Toronto, July 1946, pages 118 and 192, “The Coming of the White Man” (oil on canvas) reproduced page 48
John Edgecumbe Staley, “Reid – Painter of Canadian Character”, Macleans, March 1913, page 129, “The Coming of the White Man” (oil on canvas), reproduced page 129
“George A. Reid Documentation Fond”, Special Collections, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

This work was painted in 1912 by George A. Reid as a preparatory study for the canvas, “The Coming of the White Man”, measuring 72 x 108 inches, in the collection of the Province of Ontario and originally hung in the Entrance Lobby of the Legislative Building. The painting depicts early explorers travelling up the St. Lawrence River in white- sailed vessels, watched from ashore by the people of the First Nations. This canvas of historical subject matter was included in the 1912 Canadian National Exhibition and was met with much acclaim. Owen Staples, a fellow artist remarked, “A striking mural canvas is from the studio of Mr. G.A. Reid. It is entitled, ‘The Coming of the White Man’, and deals with the moment the sailing ships of the discoverer first burst along the shores. It is done in Mr. Reid’s happiest style and will attract much attention.”

This praised painting was illustrated in the March 1913 publication of Macleans, described by John Edgecumbe Staley as “a decorative composition, which has been exhibited several times, and always with success – it was one of the principal pictures of the last Toronto Canadian National Exhibition. It is a Canadian story of the times of the precursors.” According to Muriel Miller Miner, Reid had a model pose in “multifold positions and worked up thirteen figures of Indians standing, crouching and sitting in the foreground of the picture. “The Coming of the White Man”, when shown became instantly popular and was widely commented upon in Canada, England and the United States”. In discussing the creation of this important painting, Reid commented “My helpful model in the painting was a Blackfoot Indian, with the portentous name ‘Thunder Cloud’.”

In May 1943, Reid donated a large collection of works to the Department of Education “to form the nucleus of a government- owned educational collection for public buildings and institutions.” These works included the canvas of “The Coming of the White Man” and another famous work by the artist, “The Foreclosure of the Mortgage”. A pastel study of “The Coming of the White Man” is in the collection of R.S. McLaughlin, Oshawa, while countless photomechanical prints have been reproduced of the painting. Reid was a leading proponent for the advancement of art in Canada throughout his illustrious artistic career, and the discovery of this preparatory study by the academic painter is of great significance within the narrative of one of his most momentous works.