William Raphael

William Raphael, born Israel Rafalsky, was a Prussian-born Canadian painter of portraits, still lifes, genre scenes and landscapes, best known for his lively scenes of the Montreal harbour and market life. Raphael played a foundational role in the development of professional art practice in Canada, helping to shape the country's nineteenth-century artistic landscape through his work as a painter, teacher, and institutional founder. He was the first Jewish professional artist to establish himself in Canada, a charter member of Montreal's Society of Canadian Artists in 1868, a member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1879 and a charter member of the Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880.