Tom Thomson's Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River, 1916

This is actually a story of three, possibly related paintings that were completed on the Barron River between St. Andrews Lake and High Falls Lake. "Muskoka River" is erroneously employed in the titles of two out of the three. Creative Scene Investigation and circumstantial evidence build the case that Thomson stayed on the west bank of the Barron River and completed three sketches looking eastward across the strong flow of the Barron River in the early summer of 1916.  The current looked to be too strong to easily cross. The research of Bob and Diana McElroy of  Point Alexander supplied the foundation required to construct the puzzle pieces and discover the truth behind these works. 

Thomson was supposed to report for Fire Ranger duty at Achray on Grand Lake around May 1st, 1916. Old-timers from that area recalled that Thomson initially stayed in the Old Rangers Cabin on the point just west of Achray. That cabin west of the present-day pier is now gone.  

Thomson probably found time to paint in May 1916 before the fire season got busy. As Tom noted in his October 4, 1916 Letter to his patron Dr. MacCallum:

"Have done very little sketching this summer as I find that the two jobs don’t fit in.  It would be great for two artists or whatever you call us but the natives can’t see what we paint for.  A photo would be great but the painted things are awuful [sic]."

Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River
Alternate title: Rushing Stream Spring 1916
Oil on wood panel 8 7/16 x 10 1/2 in. (21.5 x 26.7 cm) 
Tom's Paint Box size. Catalogue 1916.33 

In January 1977  Ronald Pittaway interviewed Professor Dwight (1889 - September 1977) regarding his painting studies (Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections, L-2-86b, Theodore W. Dwight, page 16). Professor Dwight was 88 years old at the time but still recalled many details from Achray 42 years previously. Pittaway also spoke with Thomson's friend Daphne Crombie in January 1977 (see Tom Thomson's "Path Behind Mowat Lodge"):

"Most of the time I was going to Achray, the park ranger there was a chap named Godin, G-O-D-I-N, Ned Godin and I told him this story when I went back the next year, about this painting [Jack Pine or The West Wind]. Oh well, he said, that it probably is here because he said Tom Thomson worked with me when he was on the staff here. They gave him an appointment and I think they told Ned Godin if Tom wanted to go off and paint why they’ll let him. I imagine, he didn't say so. I didn’t raise the question, but he did alot (sic) of painting there while he would be paid by the government you see... Ned retired about 1934..." [Professor Dwight referred to Edward Godin as "Ned" during the interview and those notes will remain as such.]

Thomson felt he didn’t have enough time to paint but apparently, Ed Godin, his boss let him go and paint whenever… the government was paying. That was money well spent. 

It is unclear when Thomson was on the Barron River portage between St. Andrews Lake and the downstream High Falls Lake. The following "Maps by Jeff" locates the painting site for "Woodland Waterfall". "Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River" was painted just metres downstream from "The Waterfall" which is the plein air sketch for the studio painting completed the following winter in The Shack behind the Studio Building. 

The details of the painting locations are also described in the following graphic. 

The above graphic combines the two plein air sketches into one. The colours and the flowing water could easily convince the viewer that this is a single, panoramic painting completed at the same time. My Thomson friend observes:

" the sketches may actually overlap, though likely are from slightly different angles."

My Thomson friends provided a convincing image from the painting location for "Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River". The following graphic compares their photo on the left with Thomson's sketch on the right. 

Further, my Thomson friend observes: 

"In going through our photos, I noticed that some of the rocks in that area are reddish in colour, especially where recently cracked or in a spot where they are dry and not lichen-covered.  Perhaps that relates to some of the reddish-browns in TT's sketches.  The portage trail alongside the river by the falls is certainly quite red, being kept bare by all the foot traffic."

Without getting too deep into the mineral composition of the Canadian Shield, feldspar rocks make up about 60% of the Earth's crust by weight. Iron oxide within the feldspar is probably responsible for the reddish colour that Thomson observed.

"Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River" was included in the tall stack of panels moved from Thomson's Shack to the Studio Building in the spring of 1918. Lawren Harris and J.E.H MacDonald applied the Thomson Estate Stamp both on the front and the back. In this case, paint was eventually dislodged from the wooden panel in the lower right as depicted in the following graphic. 

Inscription recto: 

• l.r., estate stamp 

Inscription verso: 

• c., estate stamp; u.l., in ink, AM; 
• c.r., in graphite, 1915; 
• l.r., label, in ink, James M. MacCallum; 
• under label in graphite, No 69 Mrs Harkness; 
• u.c., graphite, Needs frame of shape to through [sic] the background farther back / something with a deep roll-spring foliage on Muskoka River / a very good example of sureness of brush stroke McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg (1970.1.3) 

Provenance: 

• Estate of artist Elizabeth Thomson Harkness, Annan and Owen Sound 
• Mrs. W.T. Goodison, Sarnia 1925, by descent 
• Roberts Gallery, Toronto 
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg (1970.1.3). 
• Purchased with funds donated by R.A. Laidlaw, Toronto, 1969

Someone thought the painting needed a very special frame and wrote those instructions on the back of the sketch. My Thomson friend comments:

"presumably someone thought that it should be mounted in a deep frame with perhaps a rounded profile, to emphasize the depth of the view (or something like that).  I think it works pretty well even in a digital image with no frame at all."

Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River
Alternate title: Rushing Stream Spring 1916

As noted, this painting was referred to as "Rushing Stream" for many years. The story behind the name change has yet to be discovered. 

Creative Scene Investigation suggests that the original name should have been left untouched with no mention of "spring". White cedar is green all year and not just in the spring. The flow in the "rushing stream" was not the torrent of meltwater when it would be dangerous to even approach the cataract. The flow in autumn is sometimes just a trickle that one can step across. The likely timing of this sketch was early summer after the biting bugs had subsided due to the heat. The summer of 1916 was indeed hot and dry, similar to 2012 which was a drought year in Ontario. The photo in the lower right of the graphic below is potentially a good comparison for 1916.

Finally, the river flowing between St. Andrew's Lake to High Falls Lake is the Barron and not the Muskoka. The Muskoka River flows westward through Bracebridge into Lake Muskoka. Tom would have passed through on his train rides between Toronto and Huntsville but there is no record that he ever painted in that area. 

The word "Muskoka" is used only twice in the Tom Thomson Catalogue Raisonné. According to the McElroys, the other painting "Rapids on Muskoka River, Spring 1916" (1916.45) "may have been painted along this stretch of the Barron River". The following graphic includes the two "Muskoka" paintings along with "The Waterfall". The palette is very similar in all three and the two on the left were sketched along the Barron River. There is no hint that Tom was anywhere near Bracebridge and the Muskoka River between May to October 1916. Thomson was working as a Fire Ranger based at Achray during that period. Tom did manage to squeeze in some fine paintings during his working day possibly much to the chagrin of his boss Ed Godin. All three of the following paintings could have been completed during the same outing when Tom was "working" as a Fire Ranger. The meltwater spring of the Barron River is typically stronger than Tom depicted in his sketches so the timing of these works was probably early summer.

A plein air artist of Thomson's ability could have easily completed the above three paintings in an afternoon following the western bank of the Barron River downstream. The sun would have been on his back and the afternoon light filtering through the trees would have front-lit the scenes. The colours and the characteristic confidence in the brushwork are similar in each.  It is well documented that Tom could complete a sketch in as little as 15 minutes...

The following is used with permission from the McElroy web post "Between St. Andrews Lake and High Falls Lake". I am convinced that the location on the Barron River suggested by the McElroys is a good match for Thomson's painting location - not on the Muskoka River.

"Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River, 1916" went to Thomson’s eldest sister upon his passing. Elizabeth's husband was Thomas “Tom” J. Harkness who was appointed by the Thomson family to look after the affairs of Thomson’s estate. T. J. and Elizabeth lived in Annan, Ontario, just east of Owen Sound. From Elizabeth, aka "Mrs. Harkness", the painting went to Mrs. W.T. Goodison and I do not know the story behind that...

Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River, 1916

Recall that Robert A. Laidlaw was the wealthy friend of Lawren Harris who made the family fortune from the "R Laidlaw Lumber Company". The Laidlaw Foundation founded in 1949 was established with the purpose of providing financial support for charitable, conservation, educational, and cultural organizations in the Ontario region. This explains how " Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River" ended up at the McMichael in 1969 with funds provided by the Laidlaw Foundation. I happened to see it nose to nose during one of my many visits to that fine gallery...

Thank you for taking the time to read this... there is an interesting story behind "Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River, 1916" even though there was not a hint of sky to be found in the shadowy valley of the Barron River. Creative Scene Investigation and the terrific research of McElroy's boots on the ground weave an interesting tale of perhaps three paintings. 

The three works were possibly completed in a single afternoon plein air session during mid-summer along the west bank of the Barron River. Tom got into the creative zone with the sun on his back and the sounds of the cascades providing the soundtrack. No biting bugs were to be found - although I don't know that for certain. The works were not in the spring focussing on the colours of the white cedar and the Muskoka River was far to the west near Bracebridge. Tom was in his glory when he should have been a Fire Ranger. Ed Godin wisely allowed Tom to paint...

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick, Tom Thomson Post TT-135

PS: Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman - Summary As of Now contains all of the entries to date.

PSS: Bob and Diana McElroy of Point Alexander (personal website) have some terrific text and images that pertain to "Spring Foliage on the Muskoka River". Please refer to "Between St. Andrews Lake and High Falls Lake" for more interesting stories of that area.