Raphael, William

William Raphael RCA (August 22, 1833 – March 15, 1914), born Israel Rafalsky ( Yiddish : ישראל ראַפֿאַלסקי ), 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. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] He was the first Jewish professional artist to establish himself in Canada, [ 3 ] 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. [ 4 ]