George Cuthbertson

George Adrian Cuthbertson (1898–1969) was a Canadian marine and industrial artist, researcher, and author. He was born in Toronto, Ontario.

Early life and training Cuthbertson grew up both in Toronto and Montreal. He studied at the Toronto Model School, the University of Toronto, and the Westmount Academy in Montreal, Quebec.

Military service He entered the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1914, but left after one year. in which are found many of his sketches and illustrations of industrial mining-related scenes. A Cuthbertson sketch of prospector Thomas Baycroft appeared most recently in the May 2022 edition of the CMJ. In addition, Cuthbertson was also commissioned by the International Nickel Company (INCO, now Vale Canada Ltd) to illustrate scenes of the company's mines and plants in the Sudbury, Ontario region. One of his color illustrations "The Great Frood Mine" appears on the cover of one of the editions of the 1950s INCO publication "The Romance of Nickel".

Works Many of his works describe the history of shipping on the Great Lakes. The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario features several of his works: drawings as a child in Toronto, Ontario wartime watercolours, charcoal study sketches done after the war.

Maritime Subjects include: Esquimalt, British Columbia Barquentine Puako, Fremona & Tory Head; Dugout Canoe, "Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) Rainbow and (HMS) Algeria" Vancouver, British Columbia Harbour; "M.L. in Heavy Weather"; Egeria Cutter; Sir Henry Harness; Halifax, Nova Scotia Kingfisher; "Triumph at Halifax"; "Canadian Submarines Arriving at Halifax"; Warwick and Knapton Canal; Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa River-Lake Champlain (Barge Series); Barge Hon. L. Hill of Whitehall, N.Y.; Ottawa Transportation Co., Then Hull, Quebec now Gatineau, Quebec "Blue Barges" (6); Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge; Mutton Harbour/ Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Acadia elevation; Castlegar Ferry Landing and West Robeson Canadian Pacific Railway Steamer; Cliff Face Construction (Caribou Road); A Mississippi and Ohio River Steamer, Pittsburg (Sailor smoking cigar); and others.

Some of Cuthbertson's graphite art commissioned by the International Nickel Company appears in the November 1937 issue of the Canadian Mining Journal, including:

The Converter Aisle at Copper Cliff, Battery of Marcy Rod Mills, Copper Cliff, Wire Bar Casting at Ontario Refining Co. Ltd., A Rough Sketch of the Frood Mine Hoist, Interplant Surface Railway Equipment, Thomas Baycroft - Old Time Prospector for Canadian Copper Co. - Discovers Traces of Nickel Ore, and The Frood Mine.

Some of Cuthbertson's color illustrations commissioned by the International Nickel Company appear in the May 1946 issue of the Canadian Mining Journal, including:

The Great Frood Mine, The Frood Open Pit, Converter Aisle, Hot Metal Car, and Rod Mill Aisle.

Archives There is a George A. Cuthbertson fonds at Library and Archives Canada. The archival reference number is R3008, former archival reference number MG30-D193. The fonds covers the date range ca. 1897 to 1968. It consists of 1.4 meters of textual records, 257 artworks, 41 photographs, and 4 reproductions. One additional single item (a watercolour painting of HMCS Tuna by George A. Cuthbertson) exists at Library and Archives Canada. The archival reference number is R16633.