Marmaduke Matthews was born in 1837 at Barcheston, Warwickshire, England. He was educated at Oxford, came to Canada from England in 1860, and settled in Toronto. Matthews was a charter member of the Ontario Society of Artists, and in 1894, he was elected its president. In 1880, he was chosen as a charter member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and was appointed its first secretary by the Governor General, the Marquis of Lorne. Matthews is best known for his landscape paintings, and he was one of the earliest and most successful artists to paint the Rocky mountains. William Van Horne, one of Canada's greatest art collectors and president of the The Canadian Pacific Railway, commissioned several artists, including Matthews, to follow the construction of the railway west, and draw the landscape along the way. This project began in 1888, and every summer for a period of ten years, Matthews would return to the Rockies to paint the landscape. These paintings brought Matthews acclaim as an artist, but they never brought him wealth. He died in Toronto in 1913.
Judge John de Navarre Kennedy, son of Gilbert and Alice Kennedy, was born on May 31, 1888 in London, England. He graduated from Cambridge University with a B.A. in 1909. In 1914, Kennedy married Elsie Margaret Pinks and they had one daughter, Anne Macomb (Mrs. Dudas). In 1970, after the death of his first wife, Kennedy married Marjorie Helen Troop. Kennedy was called to the Bar in B.C. in 1918, and in Ontario in 1921. He practised with the law firm Manning, Mortimer and Kennedy in Toronto. Judge Kennedy held the position of judge in the Court of Peterborough from 1952-1963. Kennedy was well-known for his work in the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies where he was president, and in the Humane Trap Development Committee where he was chairman. He was also involved in several recreational activities, such as painting in watercolours, exhibiting his works at the Roy Canadian Academy, National Gallery of Canada. Kennedy is author of "In the Shadow of Cheka", "Crime in Reverse", "Aids to Jury Charges", and several other books and publications. He was also the editor of Chitty's Law Journal. In 1978 Kennedy received the Queen's Jubilee Medal. Kennedy died December 3, 1979.
Spencer J. Harrison was born in 1962. An artist who has lived and painted in Peterborough for several years, Harrison's work has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally. Of special significance is his project "Would You Beat this Man?, or more affectionately, "The Fag Project"" which was shown in several cities across Canada and addresses the issue of fear and hatred of gay people. The project is known widely as "The Queer Project." Harrison is also an art instructor and a graduate of the Frost Centre, Trent University. Harrison was artist-in-residence at Trent University in 1994-1995.