Manuscript Collection MS COLL 00240 - The Carl Schaefer Collection of Thoreau MacDonald Material 

Carl Schaefer was born in Hanover, Ont., in 1903, and attended the Ontario College of Art. The Group of Seven artists J.E.H. MacDonald and Arthur Lismer were among his teachers. During the 1930s, he painted the Hanover landscapes for which he perhaps became best known. He was the first Canadian painter to be awarded a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, and spent 1940-41 painting in Vermont near Darmouth College. Three years later he was commissioned into the RCAF where he created over 100 works for the Canadian War Records. His friendship with Thoreau MacDonald dates back to the days when he was a student under J.E.H. MacDonald when they were frequent visitors at the Studio Building.