Laura Muntz – Canadian Impressionist Painter

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw an increase in women working as professional artists, and Canadian women were becoming increasingly visible in organizations such as the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) and the Royal Canadian Academy of Artist (RCA).

While many explored themes of the domestic sphere and the natural world, areas traditionally associated with women, these artists also embraced modern painting techniques.⁠

Impressionist painter Laura Adeline Muntz Lyall, (born 18 June 1860, England; died 9 December 1930, Canada) was the first Canadian artist to receive an honourable mention at the Paris Salon and the first female Canadian Impressionist artist to have her work become part of the National Gallery of Canada’s collection in Ottawa.

Celebrated for her tender portrayals of women and children, Muntz studied at the newly opened Ontario School of Art (later OCA) under Lucius O’Brien and George Reid before moving to Paris to study at the Académie Colarossi. She later became a member of both the OSA and the Royal Canadian Academy.

Muntz’s paintings were acquired by private collectors, as well as art galleries in North America and Europe. Edward Rimbault Dibdin, curator of the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, England, wrote in the gallery’s catalogue, “Among the women painters of Canada, none stands higher than Miss Laura Muntz…We are happy to secure two pictures from her brush, which possess all the qualities of rich and liquid colour, masterly handling and deep feeling that characterize her art.”

Joan Murray, director emerita of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, wrote that, “as with many artists of her generation, the main reason Muntz is not better known in Canada today is that she was overshadowed by the widespread popularity of the works of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.”
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Estelle Muriel Kerr, (1879-1971) was a Canadian painter, illustrator and writer. Kerr studied with both Muntz and Mary Ella Dignam, attended the New York Arts Students League, and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris.

Kerr sketched in Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Holland during the summers and published a children’s book titled “Little Sam in Volendam.” She worked as a ambulance driver during the First World War and would publish “The Town Crier of Gevrey” based on her experiences. Kerr contributed illustrated stories and poems to Canadian and American publications as well as a number of children’s books.

We are delighted to offer a number of stunning works by Laura Muntz and Estelle Kerr in our August Canadian Historical Art auction.

About the Auction

⁠This auction features early Canadian artworks from the 19th and early 20th century by artists such as Cornelius Krieghoff, Frederick Verner, George Agnew Reid, Laura Muntz Lyall, Estelle Kerr, and Sir William Van Horne. From landscapes by William Armstrong and Otto Reinhold Jacobi, to bronzes by Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, this auction provides a glimpse of pre- and post-confederate Canada.

Bidding starts to close on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 2 PM ET.

View the digital catalogue.

Please contact us for more information.