Daniel Fowler
Daniel Fowler was an English-born Canadian artist, writer and farmer. He is still considered one of Canada's best artists working in watercolour.
The son of Daniel Fowler and Mary Ann Pope, he was born in Camberwell and grew up in the village of Downe. He was educated at schools in Camberwell and Walthamstow. He articled in law at the Doctors' Commons but abandoned law for art following his father's death in 1829. From 1831 to 1833, he studied with James Duffield Harding. By 1832, he was giving lessons in drawing. During a tour of the Alps in 1834-35, he contracted smallpox and convalesced in Rome. He returned to London, resuming teaching and painting; Fowler exhibited his work at the Society of British Artists and the Royal Academy of Arts.
For the sake of his health, in 1843, he emigrated to Upper Canada with his family, settling on a farm on Amherst Island. He abandoned painting for 14 years to learn farming and work on improvements to his house. In 1857, he travelled to England to visit his mother. This trip reacquainted him with art and inspired him to resume painting on his return. He won several prizes at the Upper Canada Provincial Exhibition in 1863; he continued to show his work there until 1868. Fowler also exhibited with the Art Association of Montreal, the Society of Canadian Artists, the American Society of Painters in Water Colors and the Ontario Society of Artists. In 1876, he received a medal at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the first international prize awarded to a Canadian. In 1880, he became a charter member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Fowler also contributed articles to various periodicals including The Week, Chambers’s Journal, All the Year Round and the Canadian Monthly and National Review. He also wrote an autobiography which remained unpublished at his death. In 1979, it was published as Daniel Fowler of Amherst Island, 1810–1894.
In 1835, he married Elizabeth Gale. The couple had three daughters and two sons. His son Reginald served in the Ontario assembly.
He died at home on Amherst Island at the age of 84.
His art is included in the collections of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum.
A historical plaque was erected by the Ontario Heritage Trust on the site of Fowler's home on Amherst Island.
