Just A Boy From Leith
Tom Thomson was born on a warm summer’s day in August 1877 near Claremont, Ont., sixth of the ten children of John Thomson, a farmer, and Margaret Mathewson. When Tom Thomson was just two months old, his family moved to a farm in the vicinity of Leith, overlooking the Georgian Bay. Here he spent a normal childhood; tramping through the woods, hunting, and fishing. Tom also participated in more family orientated activities such as singing in the Leith’s Presbyterian church choir, playing the mandolin, reading (especially poetry), sketching, and painting. During his teen years, Tom left school for a year because of what was described as “weak lungs” or “inflammatory rheumatism” and roamed the countryside. It is not known if he finished high school.
At the age of 22, Tom, no longer a boy, went off to college in Chatham ON, remaining there for almost a year. In 1901, just eight months after starting college, Tom made the decision to move on to the Seattle Business School that his brother and a family friend were running. No longer a boy, Tom would face many growing pangs during his time in Seattle, but these pangs would lead Tom to discover his true calling in the world of art!