Tully, Sydney Strickland (1899) - 'At the Loom' - French Canadian Interior [Oil on canvas] ©Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives of Ontario
Sydney Strickland Tully (1860–1911) was a Canadian painter born and raised in Toronto, where she was the daughter of Maria Strickland and architect Kivas Tully. She received her early artistic training at the Central Ontario School of Art in Toronto before continuing her studies abroad at the Slade School of Art in London under Alphonse Legros, followed by further work in Paris at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi, and later at the Long Island Art School with William Merritt Chase. Her career encompassed portraiture, landscapes, and genre scenes, and she maintained a Toronto studio from 1888 until her death.
Tully’s father, Kivas Tully, was a prominent Irish Canadian architect who played a significant role in shaping public architecture in Ontario. As the first Ontario Provincial Architect, he supervised the competition that led to the design of the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen’s Park, which opened in 1893. His influence on provincial architectural development provides an important historical connection to Sydney’s own artistic legacy, situating her work within a culturally significant family lineage.