William Raphael

1833-1914

William Raphael was born in Prussia, Germany. He studied painting at the Royal Academy of Berlin under portraitist Johann Eduard Wolff and painter of genre scenes and sceneries, Karl Begas. Seeking better opportunities in North-America, he left Germany and arrived in New York City in late 1856. He stayed in New York four months and made his living by working on portrait commissions. He then moved to Montreal in April of 1857.

During his early years in Canada, he kept working on portrait commissions. In 1859, he worked in photography at the studio of William Notman and subsequently with photographer A.B. Taber. He became involved in the Montreal Art scene as early as the 1860’s and became a member of the Art Association of Montreal. He was also a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists in 1867 alongside Otto R. Jacobi.

In Montreal, Raphael roamed the streets with his sketchbook making studies of the city and its inhabitants. From these sketches, he would later create large colourful canvases depicting lively genre scenes. Other than these works, he also painted landscape, religious scenes, still-lifes, portraits, Indian encampments, animal portraits and habitants. He expanded his subject matter while travelling in many parts of Canada, as well as in the United-States and in Scotland. Many of his oil landscapes were made into prints, and other works were also used for illustration purposes in different publications. As his reputation grew as a painter, he painted more and more portraits for notables including politicians, governors and prime-ministers. Several of these works decorated the walls of the parliament building in Ottawa.

Aside from the art he produced, he was very active in the field of art education, both in public institutions and in his own school. He advertised himself as a “Teacher of landscape painting” as early as 1866. He later taught at the High-School of Montreal and when the Art Association of Montreal opened in 1880, he was the first teacher to present the course of “Figure Painting and Drawing” to advanced students. During the sessions of 1881-1882, he also took over Allan Edson’s class in “Composition and Landscape” as well as a course in “Figure Painting and Drawing from the Antique.” He was later replaced by two younger artists, Robert Harris and William Brymner, due to his outmoded teaching methods’. In 1885 Raphael set up his own private school which he expanded two years later to accommodate two levels of students.

During his lifetime, Raphael was also appreciated for his expertise in the restoration of paintings and his great talent for anatomical drawings. In this field, he created diagrams for physicians as teaching aids and produced illustrations for medical journals. Furthermore, he was actively involved in many professional organisations. He became a member of the Ontario Society of Artists (1879), he was a charter-member of the Royal Canadian Academy (1880), he was an original member of the Pen and Pencil Club (1890) and was a member of the Council of Arts and Manufactures of the Province of Quebec (1904). He exhibited regularly with the Society of Canadian Artists, the Art Association of Montreal and the Royal Canadian Academy. William Raphael died in Montreal at the age of 81.

Collections:

- National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
- Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
- Art Gallery of Nova-Scotia (Halifax, NS)
- Art Gallery of Hamilton (Hamilton, ON)
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
- Winnipeg Art Gallery (Winnipeg, MN)
- Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Quebec, QC)
- Musée d’Art de Joliette (Joliette, QC)
- Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
- McCord Museum of Canadian History (Montreal, QC)
- Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery (Owen Sound, ON)
- The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, ON)
- Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, NB)
- Concordia University (Montreal, QC)
- Centre Historique des Soeurs de Sainte-Anne (Lachine, QC)
- Maison St-Gabriel (Montreal, QC)
- Museé du Château Ramezay (Montreal, QC)
- Power Corporation of Canada (Montreal, QC)

Affiliations :

- Art Association of Montreal
- Society of Canadian Artists (1867)
- Ontario Society of Artists (1879)
- Royal Canadian Academy (1880)
- Pen and Pencil Club (1890)
- Council of Arts and Manufactures (1904)