REVIEW: Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Woman Who Loved Him

by Elizabeth Read

Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Woman Who Loved Him by Roy MacGregor

The early death of Tom Thomson, one of the founding members of what would become the Group of Seven, has been a continual source of mystery for Canadians, especially art and nature lovers. Roy MacGregor, who’s fascinated by the events of that July of 1917, goes over in great detail each piece of information and every rumour he’s been able to access in the decades since he started garnering recollections of the Huntsville locals who were connected to the Thomson legend.

The first part of the book traces Thomson’s development as an artist who wanted to paint in a uniquely Canadian style. He was drawn to the awesome wilderness of Algonquin Park in an era when people travelled there by horse and buggy or train. Resorts were being developed for the tourists who visited for the healthy air but Thomson preferred roughing it in the wild. He lived simply, travelling by canoe, fishing for his supper, and painting to record the beauty he saw all around. He visited the Huntsville area for protracted periods and became involved with a local woman, Winnifred Trainor, giving her many of his sketches. Working at a furious pace, Thomson left an astounding legacy of art before his mystifying demise at the age of thirty-nine.

Given the fact that Thomson’s death was covered by newspapers and an inquest was held, it’s surprising how many differing accounts of the events have endured. Was it an accidental drowning? Was it a suicide? Or was it a murder? Thomson’s friends, family and acquaintances diverge in their opinions. Skimpy forensic evidence raises questions and appears to be indicative of a cover-up. Was Thomson’s canoe upright or upside down? Why was his custom paddle never located? What was the purpose of the fishing line looped around his leg sixteen or seventeen times? Was he engaged to a local woman named Winnie Trainor or was he just dallying with her? Had he impregnated Winnie, and was he feeling trapped into marriage? Depending on the source, conflicting explanations been offered. MacGregor examines every possibility and attempts to form a decision on whether it’s plausible or not.

Despite the author’s best efforts, the contradictory facts are often difficult to resolve, especially as those with first-hand recollections have died off.  Adding to the confusion is the location of Thomson’s burial site – at the request of his family in Toronto, Thomson’s body was to have been exhumed and reinterred but there are doubters this was actually done.

Thomson’s death came too early for him to achieve both the critical and financial success he hoped for.  It also changed the course of Winnie’s life. The author describes her as being a widow before she became a wife. The book is dedicated to Winnie and it contains the author’s firsthand experiences when he was a child playing in the street outside her house.  By the 1960s, Winnie was an eccentric character living a lonely isolated life. She, too, never, reached her potential. Everything changed for her as well as for the world of art when Thomson died.