Stream Rocky Mountains (Near Glacier B.C.)

Thomas Mower Martin was born in London, England, the son of Edward H. Martin, sub-treasurer of the Inner Temple. Originally intended for military service with the East India Company, Martin was educated at military school in Enfield. After being orphaned at age 15, he lived with his aunt who supported his decision to leave military life and pursue carpentry and draftsmanship. Though he received part-time instruction at the South Kensington Schools in London, he was largely self-taught as an artist. His early work as a building contractor's draftsman provided exposure to the Royal Academy exhibitions, deepening his interest in painting.

In 1862, Martin and his wife Emma Nichols emigrated to Canada, settling initially in Muskoka, Ontario on 107 acres of land offered by the Canadian government. The land proved unsuitable for farming, being mostly rock and swamp, forcing the family to relocate to Toronto after a year. Martin established himself as a professional painter in Toronto, where he built a studio and began earning commissions. He worked primarily in landscapes, animal subjects, still lifes, and occasional portraits, executed in oils, watercolours, and etchings.

Martin became a founding member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1872 and had been exhibiting with the Art Association of Montreal since 1870. In 1877, he was appointed the first director of the Ontario Government Art School, where he taught oil painting to artists including Lucius R. O'Brien and John Colin Forbes. He resigned from this position in 1879 to pursue his ambition of painting across Canada. In 1880, Martin became a founding member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and in 1909 joined the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists.

Martin was among the group of artists sponsored by the Canadian Pacific Railway to paint landscapes in Western Canada, becoming known as one of the "Railway Painters." He made his first trip west in 1887 and returned approximately ten times over subsequent summers, painting extensively in the Rocky Mountains alongside artists F.M. Bell-Smith and Marmaduke Matthews. His travels throughout Canada provided material for his 1907 book "Canada," featuring 77 of his paintings with text by Wilfred Campbell. He also provided illustrations for A.R. Moncrieff's "Kew Gardens" (1908) and J.T. Bealby's "Canada" (1909).

Martin continued painting until shortly before his death in Toronto in 1934 at age 95. His works are held in major collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Royal Ontario Museum, and Windsor Castle in England. He and Emma had nine children together before her death in 1911. Martin was also a member of the Swedenborgian church and wrote several philosophical and religious pamphlets throughout his life.