John Wycliffe Lowes Forster (1850–1938), often known as J. W. L. Forster or RCA (Royal Canadian Academy), was a prominent Canadian portrait painter and landscape artist.
Born on December 31, 1850, in Norval, Ontario.

He began his artistic training in Toronto in 1869 as a student and later apprentice/partner of portrait painter John Wesley Bridgman.
He showed early talent, winning first prize in the amateur class at the Upper Canada Agricultural Society fair in 1871 for a portrait of his teacher.

He pursued further studies abroad, traveling to England and Europe multiple times.
From 1879–1883, he studied in Paris at institutions including the Académie Julian, learning from masters such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Jules Joseph Lefebvre, Gustave Boulanger, Tony Robert-Fleury, and Carolus-Duran. Although he initially aspired to historical painting, he was encouraged (and eventually convinced) to specialize in portraits.

Upon returning to Toronto in 1883, he established a successful studio on King Street and became a member of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA).
Over his long career, he completed over 500 portraits and historical tableaux, capturing prominent figures in Canadian politics, business, religion, education, military, and history—including:

Prime Ministers like Sir John A. Macdonald, Alexander Mackenzie, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Other notables such as Sir Sandford Fleming, Timothy Eaton, Sir Isaac Brock, and Alexander Graham Bell

Here are some examples of his work and style:

Forster’s approach emphasized capturing the “soul” of his subjects, as described in his writings.
He also authored books, including two volumes of autobiography (Under the Studio Light and Sight and Insight) and a survey of early Ontario artists.
He even designed the Virginia state flag in 1915 (unfurled at Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration) and sketched Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations by royal permission.

He passed away on April 24, 1938, in Toronto (some sources note an automobile accident as the cause), at age 87.
Many of his works are held in the National Gallery of Canada and other institutions. In his will, he bequeathed collections to support his vision of a portrait gallery of eminent Canadians.

Forster remains recognized as one of Canada’s leading portraitists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.