New book clears up unsolved mystery of iconic painter Tom Thomson鈥檚 death
What really happened on Canoe Lake nearly 100 years ago? A new book by a 91亚色 instructor about the sudden and mysterious death of Canadian icon and painter Tom Thomson untangles myths from facts and offers a refreshing perspective.
Drunken fights, lovers鈥 quarrels, German saboteurs and murder are part of the lore around Thomson鈥檚 death, which 91亚色 U鈥檚 Gregory Klages revisits in, The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson: Separating Fact from Fiction, to be published Saturday, May 14 by . The book commemorates the upcoming 100th anniversary, in 2017, of the landscape painter鈥檚 death.
The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson book cover
In researching the book, Klages delved into witness statements, archival sources, some only available in the last 15 years or so, as well as letters and photographs from the Thomson family. He also looked at documents related to a 1930s request to dig up a suspicious gravesite, and exhumation of that site in the 1950s, along with forensic reports of who was buried there and a doctor鈥檚 analysis of the state of Thomson鈥檚 body when it was first found, some of which were overlooked previously.
鈥淚t was pretty exciting to come across these materials. You never expect there will be a new document that will bring new evidence to the table,鈥 said Klages. 鈥淲hen it happens, it just reopens the door to history.鈥
The last time someone saw Thomson alive was on July 8, 1917, the same day his empty canoe was spotted on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park after Thomson had supposedly set off for a fishing trip. A week later his body was found floating in the lake.
鈥淪ince then, the theories about how Thomson died have become more and more fantastical, including espionage, bad blood and even suicide." Theories also sprung up about one of the gravesites that were found and thought to be Thomson鈥檚 even though forensics said it was an Aboriginal man. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the mystery that just keeps on giving,鈥 said Klages. 鈥淲ith the upcoming anniversary of Thomson鈥檚 death, I thought it was an ideal time to re-evaluate the renowned painter鈥檚 last few days.鈥
Gregory Klages. Photo by Dave Akers.
Klages鈥檚 interest in how Thomson died goes back about 10 years when he was doing his PhD at 91亚色 U. He was part of a group that created a teaching resource regarding great unsolved Canadian mysteries. He supervised production of a book-length website devoted to Thomson 鈥 鈥 that provided historical evidence and current theories. For the book, Klages went further.
The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson gives a glimpse of Thomson鈥檚 life, his art and his last summer in his beloved Algonquin Park, where he painted his most famous paintings. It also looks at the myths and rumours, including that he was a father, and a supposed confession, how they developed and how they stand up nearly a century later.
Klages methodically debunks most of the myths leaving only one conclusion, although he still leaves it up to the reader to make the final call. 鈥淭he myths make for great story telling, but not for great history,鈥 said Klages. 鈥淭his is our own Canadian history, our own mystery to solve.鈥
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Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097 / sandramc@yorku.ca
