The Face of David Thompson
By the time of his death David Thompson’s finances had deteriorated greatly since his days as a wealthy NWC partner. His life work of surveying and mapmaking was also never recognized to the extent it should have been and, as such, one of Canada’s greatest explorers died in relative poverty. While impossible to know exactly, these factors may have contributed to the fact that there is, quite devastatingly, no formal image of Thompson known. We are not at a total loss, however, as there are several recognized descriptions of Thompson in existence that can give a remarkably full idea of his person. His second eldest daughter, Mary, in 1885 wrote to J.B. Tyrell in Ottawa saying, “We never had a portrait of father done. When we wished to remember him, we would gaze at a portrait of John Bunyan.” The fact that this example is given by his own daughter and remains on the historical record, lends great strength to the likeness. One other widely recognized and wonderfully executed description was made by J.J. Bigsby. Bigsby, of the boundary survey of 1817, remarked in his book The Shoe & Canoe that Thompson had a marked resemblance to the Irish orator John Philpot Curran, stating the following reflection of meeting Thompson at a dinner party hosted by William MacGillivray.
“I was well placed at table between one of the Miss McGillivray's and a singular-looking person of about fifty. He was plainly dressed, quiet, and observant. His figure was short and compact, and his black hair was worn long all round, and cut square, as if by one stroke of the shears, just above the eyebrows. His complexion was of the gardener's ruddy brown, while the expression of his deeply-furrowed features was friendly and intelligent, but his cut-short nose gave him an odd look. His speech betrayed the Welshman although he left his native hills when very young. I might have been spared this description of Mr David Thompson by saying he greatly resembled Curran the Irish Orator…”
Coupled, these descriptions lend a highly detailed and cohesive understanding of what David Thompson would have looked like around the time he lived in Williamstown. Similarly, the timing lends to the fact that while the 250th anniversary of Thompsons birth has passed, this is a bicentenary portrait modelled after an about 50 year old David Thompson.
Completion of the portrait
We are fortunate to have in our Glengarry circle an accomplished portraitist who is thoroughly accustomed to historic period oil portraiture with authentic pigments and style, Aino Lutter. Using the recognized contemporary descriptions of Thompson’s appearance, Lutter drafted a cartoon study of Thompson which would form a basis of the deliberations that would lead to the final portrait on oil. The cartoon sought to most accurately accommodate the descriptions of Thompson into one comprehensive image. The background imagery paired with the landscape orientation of the portrait was suggested to depict his life’s work but ultimately it was decided that a more scaled back background would better suit. Great care was put to the deciding of dress in the portrait. Many North West Company partners were painted with sparse detail to their clothing, many donning black coats with a simple white neck dressing as in the case of Thompsons peers, Simon Fraser and Jospeh Frobisher. Joshua Reynolds followed a similar route in his portrait of explorer Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Reluctant to add any unnecessary detail, yet also seeking to elaborate on the work of Thompson, it was decided that the neck dressing would be modelled off of an original oil of Irish explorer Robert McClure that happens to be in the possession of Lutter. The explorers garb, modest and free of any unnecessary decoration, appropriate to Thompsons work, seemed to match both his profession and character.
Commemorating David Thompson
Two generous museum benefactors sponsored the rendering of the portrait and unveiled it at a gala honouring Thompson held on April 30th, 2022 which marked the 252nd anniversary of the birth of David Thompson. The portrait can now be viewed in the museum in Williamstown in the Nor’Westers exhibit where it can be displayed amongst the portraits of Thompsons peers as well as several artefacts which formerly belonged to Thompson. Rather than this image write over history, it can speak to the life of Thompson and the debt our nation owes him for his contributions to exploration
The Face of David Thompson
By the time of his death David Thompson’s finances had deteriorated greatly since his days as a wealthy NWC partner. His life work of surveying and mapmaking was also never recognized to the extent it should have been and, as such, one of Canada’s greatest explorers died in relative poverty. While impossible to know exactly, these factors may have contributed to the fact that there is, quite devastatingly, no formal image of Thompson known. We are not at a total loss, however, as there are several recognized descriptions of Thompson in existence that can give a remarkably full idea of his person. His second eldest daughter, Mary, in 1885 wrote to J.B. Tyrell in Ottawa saying, “We never had a portrait of father done. When we wished to remember him, we would gaze at a portrait of John Bunyan.” The fact that this example is given by his own daughter and remains on the historical record, lends great strength to the likeness. One other widely recognized and wonderfully executed description was made by J.J. Bigsby. Bigsby, of the boundary survey of 1817, remarked in his book The Shoe & Canoe that Thompson had a marked resemblance to the Irish orator John Philpot Curran, stating the following reflection of meeting Thompson at a dinner party hosted by William MacGillivray.
“I was well placed at table between one of the Miss McGillivray's and a singular-looking person of about fifty. He was plainly dressed, quiet, and observant. His figure was short and compact, and his black hair was worn long all round, and cut square, as if by one stroke of the shears, just above the eyebrows. His complexion was of the gardener's ruddy brown, while the expression of his deeply-furrowed features was friendly and intelligent, but his cut-short nose gave him an odd look. His speech betrayed the Welshman although he left his native hills when very young. I might have been spared this description of Mr David Thompson by saying he greatly resembled Curran the Irish Orator…”
Coupled, these descriptions lend a highly detailed and cohesive understanding of what David Thompson would have looked like around the time he lived in Williamstown. Similarly, the timing lends to the fact that while the 250th anniversary of Thompsons birth has passed, this is a bicentenary portrait modelled after an about 50 year old David Thompson.
Completion of the portrait
We are fortunate to have in our Glengarry circle an accomplished portraitist who is thoroughly accustomed to historic period oil portraiture with authentic pigments and style, Aino Lutter. Using the recognized contemporary descriptions of Thompson’s appearance, Lutter drafted a cartoon study of Thompson which would form a basis of the deliberations that would lead to the final portrait on oil. The cartoon sought to most accurately accommodate the descriptions of Thompson into one comprehensive image. The background imagery paired with the landscape orientation of the portrait was suggested to depict his life’s work but ultimately it was decided that a more scaled back background would better suit. Great care was put to the deciding of dress in the portrait. Many North West Company partners were painted with sparse detail to their clothing, many donning black coats with a simple white neck dressing as in the case of Thompsons peers, Simon Fraser and Jospeh Frobisher. Joshua Reynolds followed a similar route in his portrait of explorer Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Reluctant to add any unnecessary detail, yet also seeking to elaborate on the work of Thompson, it was decided that the neck dressing would be modelled off of an original oil of Irish explorer Robert McClure that happens to be in the possession of Lutter. The explorers garb, modest and free of any unnecessary decoration, appropriate to Thompsons work, seemed to match both his profession and character.
Commemorating David Thompson
Two generous museum benefactors sponsored the rendering of the portrait and unveiled it at a gala honouring Thompson held on April 30th, 2022 which marked the 252nd anniversary of the birth of David Thompson. The portrait can now be viewed in the museum in Williamstown in the Nor’Westers exhibit where it can be displayed amongst the portraits of Thompsons peers as well as several artefacts which formerly belonged to Thompson. Rather than this image write over history, it can speak to the life of Thompson and the debt our nation owes him for his contributions to exploration
Recognized for Recognition
The museum mounted an exhibit meant to recognize the contribution of agriculture to our community titled "Salute to Farmers." From this event came the publication "Salute to Farmers of South Glengarry" which detailed local farms and farming families who particpated in telling their stories. The exhibit and publication were a great success with hundreds of copies sold. The museum was, in turn, recognized for its recognition of agriculture by the Onatrio Association of Agrciultural Societies by being presented with the meritous Service Award for outstanding and dedciated servie to the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society.
The museum mounted an exhibit meant to recognize the contribution of agriculture to our community titled "Salute to Farmers." From this event came the publication "Salute to Farmers of South Glengarry" which detailed local farms and farming families who particpated in telling their stories. The exhibit and publication were a great success with hundreds of copies sold. The museum was, in turn, recognized for its recognition of agriculture by the Onatrio Association of Agrciultural Societies by being presented with the meritous Service Award for outstanding and dedciated servie to the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society.
Funding From the Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum of Williamstown, Ontario was pleased to welcome MPP Jim McDonell to the museum on Saturday, August 27th, 2016. MPP McDonell was invited to host a small event for the Ontario Trillium Foundation in recognition of the generous grant they bestowed upon the GNLM this past spring. In the ceremony, MPP McDonell presented the GNLM board of directors president, Kenneth MacDonald, with a plaque from the Ontario Trillium Foundation acknowledging the awarded funding. The grant was geared towards updating existing and expanding new technology so that museum functions could be performed more efficiently and in an increasingly diverse and effective way, fitting the needs of this digital age.
By applying for this grant, the museum sought to overcome some significant obstacles it had in the relaying, preserving, and presenting museum content to the public. The museum had only one computer set up in their small office space but the grant allowed for them to purchase another computer for their upstairs workroom, enabling multiple volunteers or staff members to work at the same time. The cataloguing software used at the museum was also added to the new computer so that people could access and work in the database simultaneously and have the cataloguing system in better proximity to the artifact room. Additional equipment purchased under the OTF capital grant were a new camera, a blu-ray player, and a laptop. The museum seeks to create audio/visual material with these pieces so that the offerings of the museum and community in general can be broadcast more widely and to an increased audience who might find spending a day or weekend touring Williamstown to be of interest.
The museum is also putting this equipment to good use in respect to its educational value. With increased technology here at the museum and the ability to create engaging and mobile audio/visual content that could be shared easily, the museum hopes to reach much larger audiences and offer engaging material to all ages. The museum and its members are extremely grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for giving them the necessary resources to overcome these obstacles. A provincial organization, the Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding to many organizations for projects that align with their values which are organized into ‘action areas.’ In this instance, the GNLM’s project of updating and expanding museum technology in order to reach out to an increased audience as well perform tasks more efficiently aligned with Trillium’s ‘Inspired People’ action area. As expressed by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, this area places value on enriching people’s lives through arts, culture, and heritage through connectivity and better quality programming and infrastructure.
A Williamstown resident himself, MPP McDonell was pleased to have the funding granted so locally. Museum personnel behind this project would not only like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation itself but also the people behind it such as Trillium representative, Jean-Paul Gagnon who aided the project extensively, providing much guidance and support along the way.
The Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum of Williamstown, Ontario was pleased to welcome MPP Jim McDonell to the museum on Saturday, August 27th, 2016. MPP McDonell was invited to host a small event for the Ontario Trillium Foundation in recognition of the generous grant they bestowed upon the GNLM this past spring. In the ceremony, MPP McDonell presented the GNLM board of directors president, Kenneth MacDonald, with a plaque from the Ontario Trillium Foundation acknowledging the awarded funding. The grant was geared towards updating existing and expanding new technology so that museum functions could be performed more efficiently and in an increasingly diverse and effective way, fitting the needs of this digital age.
By applying for this grant, the museum sought to overcome some significant obstacles it had in the relaying, preserving, and presenting museum content to the public. The museum had only one computer set up in their small office space but the grant allowed for them to purchase another computer for their upstairs workroom, enabling multiple volunteers or staff members to work at the same time. The cataloguing software used at the museum was also added to the new computer so that people could access and work in the database simultaneously and have the cataloguing system in better proximity to the artifact room. Additional equipment purchased under the OTF capital grant were a new camera, a blu-ray player, and a laptop. The museum seeks to create audio/visual material with these pieces so that the offerings of the museum and community in general can be broadcast more widely and to an increased audience who might find spending a day or weekend touring Williamstown to be of interest.
The museum is also putting this equipment to good use in respect to its educational value. With increased technology here at the museum and the ability to create engaging and mobile audio/visual content that could be shared easily, the museum hopes to reach much larger audiences and offer engaging material to all ages. The museum and its members are extremely grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for giving them the necessary resources to overcome these obstacles. A provincial organization, the Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding to many organizations for projects that align with their values which are organized into ‘action areas.’ In this instance, the GNLM’s project of updating and expanding museum technology in order to reach out to an increased audience as well perform tasks more efficiently aligned with Trillium’s ‘Inspired People’ action area. As expressed by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, this area places value on enriching people’s lives through arts, culture, and heritage through connectivity and better quality programming and infrastructure.
A Williamstown resident himself, MPP McDonell was pleased to have the funding granted so locally. Museum personnel behind this project would not only like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation itself but also the people behind it such as Trillium representative, Jean-Paul Gagnon who aided the project extensively, providing much guidance and support along the way.
