John David Kelly who signed his work J. D. Kelly was an "enormously popular" painter, printmaker and artist-illustrator known for the series of calendar illustrations he did for the Confederation Life Association, depicting great moments in Canadian history. He researched his historical paintings with such accuracy that he has been described by the Toronto Globe & Mail as a reconstructor rather than a painter of historical scenes. His work "made history more real to hundreds and thousands of Canadians".
- Occupation
- painter, illustrator, printmaker
- Citizenship
- Canada
- Born
- 1861
- Died
- 1958
