If you missed the launch of McCord Museum’s exhibit, Notman, Visionary Photographer, two years ago in Montreal, you will have a chance to see it at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa from November 23 to April 14, 2019.
This is the first retrospective exhibit dedicated to William Notman, the most important Canadian photographer of the 19th century. His body of work, from his portraits to the landscapes that spanned the country from east to west, helped build the Canadian identity.
Notman, who came to Montreal from Paisley, Scotland in 1856, was Canada’s first celebrity photographer. He was known around the world. His vision set him apart from his contemporaries. He pushed boundaries and used new technology like stereography, where viewers could see photographs in three-dimensions.
Joseph Craig, master plasterer, appears second from right. Source: McCord Museum, Montreal.
He experimented with paint and photography, creating composite works that are now considered masterpieces. He broke down the barriers between photography and painting with his painted photographs, composites — the precursor of Photoshop — and studied stagings.
For Notman, photography was a new way to express one’s individual and collective identity, and he actively contributed to democratizing the portrait, photographing everyday people along with celebrities, First Nations peoples, trappers, and voyageurs.
A true entrepreneur, in 1872, he managed 26 franchised studios in Canada and the United States.
The exhibit features 300 vintage prints and artifacts.
Gail Dever with her larger-than-life great-great-great-uncle Joseph Craig — The Plasterer. Photo: Shannon Houle.
At least four of my ancestors, including my great-grandmother, worked for Notman in Montreal, which probably explains why more than 200 photos of my family were taken at his studio.
One of the featured, larger-than-life images at the exhibit in Montreal was of my great-great-uncle Joseph Craig, a master plasterer.
His photo was known as The Plasterer, and it was sold in Notman’s studios, along with images of Queen Victoria and the Irish-Canadian politician D’Arcy McGee.
Oh my goodness, Gail, that is awesome! Some of my collateral ancestors were photographed by Notman. It’s pretty cool to see a few of the same photos in my personal collection on the McCord website, but this is very cool!