George Théodore Berthon

Who was George Théodore Berthon?

George Théodore Berthon was a painter from France.

Berthon's father, René Théodore Berthon, was a court painter to Napoleon and likely trained his son in art. As well, his exposure to art in Paris would have been significant. As an adult he lived in England for a number of years and was exposed to their portrait tradition. The first verifiable record of his immigration to Canada is an advertisement for his portraiture services in a Toronto newspaper in 1845.

Berthon was notable in the history of Canada for his work with formal portraits in the Victorian tradition. His work is important both as a historical record and as a first rate example of the style of Canadian portraiture during that period.

He was a founding member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.