Frederick Simpson Coburn (A.R.C.A. 1920, R.C.A. 1927) was born in Melbourne, Québec on March 18, 1871. After attending Saint Francis College in Richmond, he trained as an artist, studying first at the Arts and Crafts School in Montréal, at New York's Carl Hecker School of Art, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Germany, in Paris, and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
Like many artists from this time, Coburn achieved recognition first as an illustrator and then as a painter. From 1898 to 1913, he illustrated many literary works, including those of William Henry Drummond, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and Louis Fréchette. Coburn returned to Canada from Europe in 1913. At this time, he began painting Québec landscapes, in particular winter scenes with horses, which became some of his most well-known work.
Coburn's work can be found in The National Gallery of Canada, the National Archives of Canada, the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, and Bishop's University. As well, his work is found in private collections in the USA, Belgium, Germany, and Japan.
He died in Melbourne, Québec, on 26 May 1960.
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