Sign-In
Cart
William Raphael: Life & Work
Hardcover
Series: The Canadian Art Library
Canadian ArtGeneral ArtIndividual Artists
Publisher Price: $50.00
ISBN13: 9781487103774
Publisher: Canadian Art Library
Published: Mar 30 2026
Pages: 128
Weight: 2.80
Height: 0.73 Width: 9.67 Depth: 11.93
Language: English
A painter, art educator, and medical illustrator, William Raphael (1833?1914) was the first Jewish artist to establish a professional practice in Canada. Active during the latter half of the nineteenth century, Raphael made a name for himself as a portraitist, painting the likenesses of some of Quebec's most prominent politicians, businessmen, and military figures. He further excelled at genre scenes, and his works are celebrated for their important documentation of Indigenous communities, urban life, leisure activities, and architecture in Canada before and after Confederation.
In William Raphael: Life & Work, author Pierre-Olivier Ouellet traces the artist's career from his early years in Prussia and his training in Berlin to his time in Quebec. The book details how after Raphael moved to Montreal in 1857, he met the famed photographer William Notman (1826?1891) and worked for him painting sets and colourizing photographs. This early career connection helped to situate Raphael within the province's burgeoning cultural scene and made him a key figure in the formation of the Art Association of Montreal in 1860.
Raphael's unparalleled contributions to the visual folklore of Quebec have strengthened our understanding of nineteenth-century Canada. Combining realism with a picturesque sensibility, his portraits and depictions of daily life and civic spaces captured the spirit of an emerging country. Today, Raphael's paintings hang in the nation's leading institutions, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Also in
Canadian Art
Mindfulness Coloring Book for Children: The best collection of Mandala Coloring book
Wise Kid
Paperback
Animals Color by Numbers for Adults: Adults Coloring Book Stress Relieving Designs Patterns
Firework Publishing
Paperback
Richard Johnson: Resilience--Ice Huts and Root Cellars (2007-2021)
Smart, Tom
Bergeron-Johnson, Lucie
Hardcover
Diffracting the North: Contemporary Latinx Canadian Experiences and Practices in Film, New Media, and Visual Arts
Álvarez Hernández, Analays
Zarza, Zaira
Aceves Sepúlveda, Gabriela
Paperback
Drawing from History: Central Technical School and the Roots of Canadian Art Education
Garnet, Dustin
Hardcover
Brushstrokes for Change: The Story of Mary Ella Dignam and the Artists Who Followed
Broda, Maggie
Paperback
My Name Is Arnaktauyok: The Life and Art of Germaine Arnaktauyok
Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok), Germaine
Paperback
To See What He Saw: J.E.H. MacDonald and the O'Hara Years, 1924-1932
Munn, Stanley
Cucman, Patricia
Hardcover
Keep in Touch: The Serendipitous Life of Canadian Arts Icon David Silcox
Silcox, Nancy
Fraser, John
Paperback
The Pornographic Delicatessen: Mid-Century Montreal's Erotic Art, Media, and Spaces
Purvis, Matthew
Paperback
Animals Color by Numbers for Adults Vol.2: Adults Coloring Book Stress Relieving Designs Patterns
Firework Publishing
Paperback
The Kingston Prize Le Prix Kingston: Canada's Portrait Competition Le Prix Du Portrait Du Canada
Donville, Jason
Hardcover
Brushstrokes for Change: The Story of Mary Ella Dignam and the Artists Who Followed
Broda, Maggie
Hardcover
Wetland Project: Explorations in Sound, Ecology and Post-Geographical Art
Marks, Brady Ciel
Hardcover
So You Want to Be an Artist: A Guide to Essential Professional Practice for Emerging Fine Artists
McClyment, David
Paperback
Àdisòkàmagan / Nous Connaître Un Peu Nous-Mêmes / We'll All Become Stories: A Survey of Art in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region
Basciano, Rebecca
Burant, Jim
Hardcover
Where the Power Is: Indigenous Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art
Duffek, Karen
McLennan, Bill
Wilson, Jordan
Hardcover
The Great Canadian Art Fraud Case: The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson Forgeries
Dellandrea, Jon S.
Hardcover
Many Lives Mark This Place: Canadian Writers in Portrait, Landscape, and Prose
Hartman, John
Hardcover
Canadian Watercolours and Drawings in the Royal Ontario Museum, Volume 3
Allodi, Mary
Gehmacher, Arlene
Hardcover
Under Different Moons: African Art in Conversation
Salami, Titilope
Porto, Nuno
Shelton, Anthony Alan
Hardcover