Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Kane, Paul

KANE, Paul, Canadian artist, b. in Toronto in 1810; d. there in 1871. He early evinced a love of art, and after studying in Upper Canada college he visited the United States in 1836, and followed his profession there till 1840, when he went to Europe. There he studied in Rome, Genoa, Naples, Florence, Venice, and Bologna. He finally returned to Toronto in the spring of 1845, and after a short rest went on a tour of art exploration through the unsettled regions of the northwest. He travelled many thousands of miles in this country from the confines of old Canada to the Pacific ocean, and was eminently successful in delineating the physical peculiarities and appearance of the aborigines, as well as the wild scenery of the far north. He returned to Toronto in December, 1848, having in his possession one of the largest collections of Indian curiosities that was ever made on the continent, together with nearly four hundred sketches. From these he painted a series of oil-pictures which are now in the possession of George W. Allan, of Toronto, and embrace views of the country from Lake Superior to Vancouver's island. Mr. Kane is the author of “Wanderings of an Artist” (London, 1858).