Residents are invited to participate in a new project celebrating the life and work of renowned Norfolk County artist William Edgar Cantelon.
The Norfolk County heritage and culture team is eager to hear from anyone who has a Cantelon painting or story associated with the artist’s work.
Dubbed “The Cantelon Project” the year-long effort aims to document and establish an inventory of the late artist’s work through a high-quality publication and department-wide exhibition. It also seeks to capture the oral history associated with Cantelon’s paintings.
Born in Streetsville in 1866, Cantelon settled in Woodhouse Township after studying art in Chicago. He opened a studio on Norfolk Street in Simcoe where he also taught art to young students.
Cantelon painted portraits, flora and fauna, landscapes and historical landmarks. It’s estimated he created more than 8,000 paintings many of which captured historical Norfolk County landmarks and people.
In the 1940s, Cantelon’s work caught the attention of representatives of Public Archives of Canada who wanted to purchase the collection. But Cantelon refused to let it leave the community even though the sale would have eased his financial burden.
In 1945, The Norfolk Historical Society embarked on a fundraising drive to purchase the collection and by 1947, the community had contributed $2,000. Norfolk County Council contributed the remaining $1,500 to acquire the collection just weeks before Cantelon’s death in 1950.
The collection was subsequently displayed at the Eva Brook Donly Museum. In 2018, the Norfolk Historical Society transferred its holdings, including the Cantelon collection to Norfolk County Heritage and Culture and it is now housed at the Norfolk Public Archives.
According to the historical society’s website, some original Cantelon pieces occasionally appear at auction where they are purchased for $1,200 to $1,500 by Canadian and American buyers.
Anyone with works or a related story about Cantelon is asked to contact the heritage and culture team by April 15 at 519-426-5870 ext 8127 or [email protected] .
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