Died 1947 | ||
Full Name William Tracy Wallace Spouse(s) Mary Jane Nesbit (m. 1906) Education OCAD University, Goldsmiths, University of London, Westminster School of Art | ||
William Tracy Wallace (November 14, 1880 – 1947), known as W. T. Wallace, was a Canadian-English artist and designer.
Wallace was born in Milton, Ontario in 1880. He studied at the Ontario College of Art and was a member of the Toronto Art Students' League.
In 1902 Wallace immigrated to England with his business partners, Archibald Abernathy Martin, Thomas Garland Greene and Norman Mills Price. The group briefly studied at Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute and the Westminster School of Art before establishing Carlton Studios, an advertising and publishing graphics house based in London.
Carlton Studios became the largest graphic design company in the United Kingdom, reaching a clientele that included Boots the Chemists, Sandeman and State Express 555. The firm also claimed to have introduced the "studio idea" to Great Britain. In December 1903 J. E. H. MacDonald, future co-founder of the Group of Seven, joined the company; notable artists such as Albert Angus Turbayne and Alfred Garth Jones were also employed at Carlton.
In 1910 Theodore A. Stephens compiled four books entitled Twelve Months Advertising for..., featuring a series of articles on advertising by George Edgar, with designs produced under Wallace's "personal supervision" and published by Carlton. In the following year, Norman Price moved to New York City to set up Carlton's United States branch, located in the Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue. In February 1912 Wallace crossed the Atlantic, travelling from Southampton on the RMS Olympic to visit the American studio, just two months prior to the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Wallace was Chairman of the Sales and Advertising Syndicate until December 1914, when it was decided that the company should be wound up voluntarily.
Family
William Tracy was born to John Wallace, Jr. and Mary, née Lyon. His maternal grandfather was William D. Lyon, a prominent Ontarian politician.
He married Mary Jane Nesbit in 1906 and together they had 4 sons. Their youngest son, Lt. Bruce Martin Tiffany Wallace RNVR, was killed in January 1942 when his minesweeper HMT Unicity capsized and sank on sweeping duties off Blyth; he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for sacrificing his life to ensure the safe rescue of his crew.