The portrait of Robert Kerr (d. 1824).

The importance of Dr. Robert Kerr in Canadian history is not large, but he played a significant role in the early years of what is now Ontario. Though his Canadian years were spent largely in active military service and, after his discharge, at Kingston and in the Niagara peninsula, nevertheless, in the compact and sparse settlements and posts of the times he was widely known and influential. Moreover, Kerr had a significant connection with one of the founders of Toronto. As this discussion will show, a fateful conjunction of art and medicine lies behind a portrait of Robert Kerr.