Lewis Parker (January 16, 1926 – March 27, 2011) was a Canadian illustrator, painter and muralist. An important and distinguished historical painter, Parker specialized in historical scenes and North American native cultures. He was also a children's book illustrator, and his work is featured in educational texts used across Canada. He made major contributions toward interpreting and promoting the understanding of the history of Canada. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. Early life and training Born in Toronto in 1926, Lewis Parker was the eldest of four born to Gilbert and Dorothy Parker. From an early age, Parker showed passion, determination and discipline in teaching himself to draw. So focused on drawing was Lewis that his mother, concerned for his social life, would invite his schoolmates over after school, hoping this would encourage Lewis to play. Lewis responded by sketching favourite cartoon characters for his delighted peers. By the age of 12, Lewis had amassed dozens of sketchbooks filled with people and storybook characters. In 1939, Parker attended Central Technical School in Toronto. Ever self-motivated, he applied his disciplined approach to all studies. Seldom openly defiant, Parker submitted his own versions of assignments, always far more detailed than required. From 1941 to 1944, Parker apprenticed at Rabjohn Illustrators, where he met a significant mentor, Bert Grassick. His formative experience at Rabjohn influenced the connections he later made with artists in Toronto’s art scene. Enlisting in the Canadian Army in World War 11 between 1944 and 1946, Parker gained valuable experience as a cartoonist and illustrator for the Maple Leaf, Canada’s overseas newspaper. Artistic career After World War 2, Parker became a political cartoonist for the ‘yellow pages’ that bookended Maclean's Magazine in the 1950s. Between 1947 and 1956, he formed a commercial art firm with Bill Sherman and Gordon and Norman Laws called Sherman, Laws and Parker, a business focusing on visual arts in advertising. During this time, Parker recognized a need to design his own direction in the artistic milieu. Between 1966 and 1968, Parker received two Canada Council Grants. The first was to study the Aztec and Mayan cultures in Mexico, where he relocated for a year with his family in 1966, completing several historical works. The second, awarded in 1968, enabled him to travel with wildlife photographer Eugene Aliman to western Canada to study the Plains Indians. Parker was then commissioned by the Huronia Council of Ontario