Born and raised on a farm near Rockwood, Ontario, Soper developed an interest in wildlife and natural history at an early age. In 1911, the Soper family moved to Edmonton, Alberta. There, Soper attended Alberta College and the University of Alberta, taking courses in zoology.

Soper had a longstanding interest in the Arctic, inspired by previous Arctic explorers such as Franklin, Nansen, and Peary. When Soper was offered an opportunity by the Victoria Memorial Museum (now the Canadian Museum of Nature) to travel north as the official naturalist for the C.G.S. (Canadian Government Ship) Arctic’s 1923 eastern Arctic expedition, he readily accepted it.

Soper served as a naturalist on four separate expeditions to the Arctic. On these expeditions, Soper collected thousands of plant, animal, and geological specimens that are now housed in Canadian museums. He also explored, conducted surveys to create maps, and made scientific observations that contributed greatly to Canada’s understanding of its northernmost regions.

Soper was also an avid photographer and promoted interest in the Arctic through his visual representations, capturing hundreds of images documenting his time in the region. Soper’s photographs were featured in numerous scientific publications, including the world’s first photo of a brown lemming which was published by the Manitoba Society for Natural History.

Later in life, Soper would reflect on his photographs and use many as references for his watercolour paintings.

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You can borrow a book about him from the Internet Archive...

Arctic naturalist: the life of J. Dewey Soper
By Anthony Dalton (2010)