Phyllis Jacobine Jones (known professionally as Jacobine Jones) was born in England 4 April 1897, daughter of an English father and Danish mother. After the death of her father in 1905, she and her mother travelled considerably in Europe. It was following the death of her mother in 1925 that she began her study of, and career in, sculpture. She attended Regent St. Polytechnic in London and studied under Harold Brownsward. While a student she was gold medallist and exhibited at the Royal Academy. Her Black Cavalry was exhibited in the Paris Salon in 1935. In 1932 Miss Jones moved to Toronto. Her first work was done at the Ontario College of Agriculture in Guelph where she began her animal sculptures. Her first architectural sculpture was in 1934 for the Gore Vale Insurance building in Galt. While she became a leader in the field of architectural sculpture in bronze, stone or plaster, Jacobine Jones also produced small sculptures for private homes. From 1951 to 1956 Jacobine Jones was the head of the department of sculpture at the Ontario College of Art. While classical influences were evident in her work she also used modern design concepts. She was a senior memnber of the Society for Sculpture in Canada, and the Royal Canadian Academy. A list of her exhibitions, solo and group, and some major public commissions can be found in the appendix. Jacobine Jones died 13 September 1976 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, her home in later years.
