Carl Schaefer

Carl Schaefer (1903-1995) RCA

Carl Fellman Schaefer was born in Hanover, Ontario in 1903. When his mother died when Schaefer was only 5 years old, he went to live with his grandparents. As a boy, Schaefer helped his grandfather with finishing furniture. Following his graduation from high school, Schaefer decided to study at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD) because he had heard that Group of Seven artists Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald were instructors there. During his time at OCA, Schaefer befriended Thoreau MacDonald and A.Y. Jackson. Schaefer served as an Official War Artist during the second World War and was later president of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Schaefer’s work is held within the collections of the Canadian War Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.