Welcome to our guide about the life and work of Canadian artist Manly MacDonald. This guide acts as a complimentary resource for the Manly MacDonald Collection at Loyalist College. The collection is made up of 101 of MacDonald's works, which were gifted to Loyalist College by his family in 2004. Our sincere and heartfelt thanks goes out to the MacDonald family for entrusting this beautiful collection to us. We are delighted to be able to share the story of Manly MacDonald with the world.
Unless otherwise noted, the information in this guide is sourced from Charles Beale’s book Manly Edward MacDonald (1889-1971): Interpreter of Old Ontario. Page numbers for Beale’s book are noted in brackets, i.e.: (p. 4). A copy of Manly Edward MacDonald (1889-1971): Interpreter of Old Ontario can be viewed in the Parrott Centre Library. We are grateful to Charles Beale for his detailed research.
Manly Edward MacDonald (August 15, 1889 – April 10, 1971) was a Canadian impressionist painter, known for his rural landscapes and plein-air painting (xii); the act of painting outdoors. A contemporary of the Group of Seven, MacDonald’s work can be found in collections around the world, including the John M. Parrott Art Gallery at the Belleville Public Library, the Canadian War Museum and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and even in the personal collection of the British Royal Family.
Fast Facts: What is Impressionist Art?
From Sotherby’s: “Impressionism describes a style of painting developed in France during the mid-to-late 19th century; characterizations of the style include small, visible brushstrokes that offer the bare impression of form, unblended color and an emphasis on the accurate depiction of natural light.” (2024, sothebys.com/en/art-movements/impressionism)
MacDonald was born in Point Anne, close to Belleville, Ontario, on August 15, 1889. He was one of five children born to farmers William and Sarah MacDonald; the family included brothers George and Frank , sister Maria, and fraternal twins Manly and Manson. (p. 1)
Fast Facts: Where is Point Anne?
Located four kilometers east of Belleville, the village of Point Anne was established in 1837. Originally a farming and fishing community, Point Anne later became well known for its stone quarries and cement plants. The community’s population declined after the Second World War, and in 1973, the cement plant operations were moved to Bath, Ontario. In 1998, the City of Belleville and Thurlow Township amalgamated, and Point Anne was absorbed into the larger community of Belleville. In addition to MacDonald, Point Anne is also the birthplace of hockey players Dennis and Bobby Hull. (Source: Whalen, V. (2013). Point Anne: History of a cement factory village. The Hastings County Historical Society.)
In his book Manly Edward MacDonald (1889-1971): Interpreter of Old Ontario, Charles Beale details MacDonald’s early artistic efforts: “Manly’s early preoccupation with art was clearly apparent. At the age of three he was sketching and painting on every saved piece of brown wrapping paper that came into the family’s home” (p. 4). Growing up on the farm and on his father’s fishing boats provided MacDonald with an appreciation for nature, and would inspire his work for the rest of his life. (p. 2)
In 1902, at just thirteen, MacDonald was sent by his teacher to Belleville to take the high school art examination. Beale notes that, “this was no doubt an unusual opportunity for a thirteen year old, and doubly so since MacDonald never finished his other subjects beyond grade eight” (p. 6). By age 19, MacDonald had enrolled at the Ontario College of Art (OCA), then known as the Ontario School of Art, in Toronto.
In 1945, the Ontario College of Art (OCA) became the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in 1996. In 2010, the institution was re-named Ontario College of Art and Design University, or OCAD University. It is considered to be one of the best universities in the world for art and design.
MacDonald enrolled at the Ontario College of Art (OCA), then known as the Ontario School of Art, in Toronto, in 1908. By 1911, he had begun taking courses at the Albright School of Art in Buffalo, New York (p. 14). The following year, he began taking classes at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Art (p. 14), before eventually returning to the Ontario College of Art from 1914 to 1916 (p. 20).
During the First World War, MacDonald received a Royal Canadian Academy travelling scholarship, intended to take him to Europe. He was moved by the war, and he spent his time drawing and taking in the war effort (p. 22). It was during this trip that MacDonald married fellow artist and OCA student Beverly Lambe, and the couple's first child, Sarah Beverly MacDonald was born the following year (p. 22). Nicknamed Sally by the family, his daughter became a regular subject for MacDonald, and she appears in several of his paintings and sketches (p. 28).
In addition to his work in Europe during the war, MacDonald was also commissioned to paint scenes that documented the war effort in Canada. The Canadian War Memorials Fund, an organization established to document Canada's First World War effort, commissioned a number of artists, including members of the Group of Seven, to capture scenes around the country, and placed a particular focus on work being done by women. MacDonald's painting Land Girls Hoeing, can be found in the permanent collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. (Source: The Canadian War Museum. (2024). Canvas of war: Masterpieces from the Canadian War Museum. Retrieved on August 9, 2024 from https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/canvas/cwliste.html)
MacDonald and his family returned to Europe in 1920, and he sketched, etched and painted scenes throughout France, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain (p. 27). When they eventually returned to Canada in 1922, MacDonald set up a studio space at the Studio Building in Toronto (p. 28). The family continued to split their time between Toronto and the Quinte region for many years.
Located at 25 Severn Street, the Studio Building was the home and working studio of several Group of Seven painters and many of their artistic contemporaries, including Manly MacDonald. It is considered a hugely significant location in the history of Canadian art. Although not currently occupied, the building still stands, and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2005.
(Source: Canadian Register of Historic Places. (2024). The Studio Building National Historic Site of Canada. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://shorturl.at/q7xkI)
MacDonald held his first public exhibition in Belleville, Ontario, in 1922. The following year, in 1923, he became of of the artists chosen for the first British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, Middlesex, England (p. 30). He would exhibit at subsequent British Empire Exhibitions, including the third, held in 1925. He also exhibited regularly in the Canadian Painters Series at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto (p. 36).
Starting in the 1920s and continuing into the 1960s, MacDonald completed a number of commissions for the Coutts, Coutts Hallmark, and Hallmark Card companies (p. 32), and his works appeared on numerous Christmas cards. He also produced his own card sets, and all of the cards included scenes from in and around the Quinte region.
Although he is best known for his landscapes, MacDonald also painted portraits, and viewed them as some of his best works (p. 36). Notable works include:
Fast Facts: Portraits
The Manly MacDonald Collection at Loyalist College includes five portraits - The Little Child; The Young Lady Sally MacDonald; W. G. A. Lambe, Esq.; Captain Miller; and Portrait of a Girl in White.
In 1938, a number of MacDonald's works were exhibited at the Tate Gallery in London, England, as a part of a major exhibition of Canadian art. A year later, one of his paintings was selected for inclusion at the 1939 New York World's Fair (p. 50). In 1943, MacDonald returned to the Ontario College of Art (OCA), this time as an instructor. He continued teaching at the OCA through 1947, and he became known for being and encouraging and supportive figure for his students (p. 58). MacDonald was also known for his many talks and demonstrations for groups of all ages, including school children, which were done across Ontario, usually without payment (p. 62).
One of MacDonald's important commissions came in 1959, when the City of Toronto commissions a painting of the city's skyline; it was gifted to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Toronto the same year. The painting later became part of the Queen's Royal Collection at Sandringham, where it remains today (p. 76).
Ill health forced MacDonald to stop teaching at the OCA in the 1960s, but he continued to paint and exhibit his work (p. 78). He accepted commissions from the Abitibi Power and Paper Company in 1960 (p. 76), donated work to the Lennox and Addington Hospital Auxiliary (p. 78), and to the University Women's Club of Belleville (p. 80).
MacDonald continued painting until the end of his life; it is estimated that he completed more than 2000 works. His art can be found in many private collections - he was well known for gifting his works - and in galleries around the world.
In 1917, MacDonald married fellow Ontario College of Art (OCA) student Beverly Lambe (p. 22). In 1918, they welcomed their daughter Sarah Beverly MacDonald (1918-1981). Son Francis Duncan MacDonald (1923-2007) joined the family five years later.
MacDonald died in Toronto, Ontario on April 10, 1971 at age 81. He rests at the Belleville Cemetery in Belleville, Ontario.
In 2004, Duncan MacDonald (1923-2017) and his wife Barbara made the decision to donate 101 paintings, etchings, linocuts and sketches by Manly MacDonald to Loyalist College. At the first showing of the donated works in April 2004, Duncan expressed his delight that his father's work would be displayed to the community. Several pieces are on permanent display in the Parrott Centre Library. In 2024, staff in the Parrott Centre digitized the whole collection, making it available in an online gallery as Manly MacDonald Collection at Loyalist College.
The Parrott Centre Library recommends the following sources for information on MacDonald's life, and to view his work.
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We can be reached by phone at 613-969-1913, Ext. 2249, or by email at library@loyalistcollege.com
