Photography in Canada, 1839–1989: An Illustrated History
is the first-ever comprehensive work to consider how photography
has revolutionized the way that we understand ourselves and our
country.
A selection of press images is available through
the link at the bottom of this release.
TORONTO, May 8, 2024
/CNW/ - The first comprehensive book to be published on the history
of this art form in Canada, Photography in Canada, 1839–1989: An Illustrated History
is now available in a beautiful print edition published by
the Art Canada Institute.
Written by art historians Sarah
Bassnett and Sarah Parsons,
the 495-page photo-rich volume tells the story of photography from
its introduction in 1839—when it was considered a novelty—through
to the cusp of the digital age in 1989. Celebrating the work of
internationally renowned creators like William Notman, Jeff
Thomas, and Suzy Lake, it
also showcases the work of photographers who have been historically
under-represented due to geographical region, gender, race, sexual
orientation, or other factors.
"The long, complex, and fascinating history of photography in
our country has been critically understudied, with key contributors
overlooked—oversights we seek to address with this publication,"
says Sara Angel, Founder and
Executive Director of the Art Canada Institute. "Through meticulous
research, authors Sarah Bassnett and
Sarah Parsons highlight both
renowned and overlooked photographers who have captured moments
that both shape and reflect the country's rich and complicated
history. The result is a vivid tapestry that we hope will bring
readers fresh insights and new appreciation for the art form."
Snapshots in history
Photography in Canada
takes readers into Canada's
earliest studios, follows the adventures of geographic expeditions,
traces the significance of cameras for soldiers in battle, reveals
the importance of imagery in oppression and resistance, and
captures poignant moments from everyday life. It examines
photography's role in settler colonialism, Indigenous cultural
revivals, mass media, state propaganda, and cultural diplomacy. It
offers perspectives from photographers from coast to coast to
coast, capturing precious moments on city streets, in portrait
studios, at home, at construction sites, or in the wilderness. With
hundreds of previously unpublished images and a compendium of
dozens of photographers, Photography in Canada is filled with a rich array of
fascinating stories, uncovering fresh visual perspectives along the
way.
Unsung talents
Among the under-recognized contributors to photography in
Canada who are featured in these
pages are:
- Chow Dong Hoy (1883–1973), one
of the first photographers of Chinese descent to work in
Canada. Hoy's photographs offer a
rich visual document of the people in Quesnel, British Columbia, which was a
predominantly Asian Canadian and Indigenous community at the turn
of the century. Hoy created an extraordinary record of his
multiracial community, with elegant and creatively staged portraits
that provide a unique archive of frontier life that is quite
different from government archives.
- Sunil Gupta (b.1953), who
immigrated to Montreal in 1969 and
began to photograph his friends and lovers as part of his process
of coming out. His photographs convey his experiences building
community during the gay liberation movement.
- Peter Pitseolak (1902–1973), the
first to photograph traditional life in the Arctic from an Inuit
perspective. Active in the 1940s and 1950s, Pitseolak used borrowed
cameras and taught himself photography before acquiring his first
camera. His work captures the people of his community in and around
Cape Dorset (now Kinngait in
Nunavut) during a period of
immense change and government incursion.
- Claire Beaugrand-Champagne
(b.1948), one of the few women to work as a press photographer in
Quebec in the 1970s, she develops
her projects over time and in dialogue with the communities and
people featured in her work. Whether documenting everyday life in
rural Quebec or the activities of
new immigrants to Canada,
Beaugrand-Champagne skillfully captures revealing details and a
sense of personality in her subjects.
- Hayashi Studio (1911–1935), a photography studio run by
Japanese Canadian photographers in Cumberland, B.C., on Vancouver Island. The
studio's archive offers rare insights into an early Japanese
Canadian community as well as glimpses of the Chinese and Black
communities living in the area, the mining industry, and daily life
in coastal British Columbia in the
early twentieth century.
Weaving a new narrative
"Much of what's been written so far is dominated by studies of
photographers who had privileged access to mainstream
institutions," says author Sarah
Parsons. "We chose to also highlight the contributions of
photographers from varied geographical regions and historically
marginalized groups, including women, Black, Indigenous, and Asian
photographers. Much of the work produced by these individuals has
not been written about, exhibited, or woven into the narrative of
history as thoroughly as that of their white male counterparts. Our
hope is that this book will stimulate new studies in these
under-researched areas, and that readers will delight in some new
discoveries."
A rich legacy
In writing this history, we are indebted to all the scholars,
archivists, and curators who have contributed to the growing field
of photography studies in Canada,"
says author Sarah Bassnett. "But no
book, no matter how long or authoritative, can be truly definitive,
and we had to make difficult choices about which photographs and
photographers to include and which stories to tell. We have tried
to cover a wide geographical range of photographers and a variety
of genres and techniques to best represent the rich legacy of
Canadian photography."
"I've always been fascinated by how photography shapes our
relationships to each other and the world," says author
Sarah Bassnett. "In working on this
book with Sarah Parsons, I was
interested in bringing to light the way critical issues in the
field relate to the Canadian context."
Photography in Canada,
1839–1989: An Illustrated History is available as an
open-access online book here, and the print edition can be
ordered here.
"We are excited to offer this print edition alongside the
already available digital edition," says Sara Angel, "because we know many art and
photography lovers enjoy the visual appeal and immersive experience
of holding a book in their hands, making fresh discoveries with
each turn of the page."
About the authors
Sarah Bassnett is a Professor of
Art History at Western University,
where she specializes in the history of photography and photo-based
contemporary art. Her research focuses on the intersections of
photography and social change, especially as they relate to issues
of power and resistance. Her award-winning book, Picturing
Toronto: Photography and the
Making of a Modern City (2016), examines photography's role in
the liberal reform of the early twentieth century.
Sarah Parsons is an Associate
Professor in Art History and Visual Culture at York University, where she specializes in the
history of photography and modern and Canadian art and also teaches
courses on art crime. Her publications on Canadian photography
include William Notman: Life
& Work (Art Canada Institute, 2014). Her current research
project, "Feeling Exposed: Photography, Privacy, and Visibility in
Nineteenth-Century North America" will culminate in a publication,
online essays for the McCord Museum in Montreal, and an exhibition at The Image
Centre at Toronto Metropolitan
University (May 9–August 3, 2024).
About the Art Canada Institute
The Art Canada Institute is the only national institution whose
mandate is to promote the study of an inclusive, multivocal
Canadian art history to as broad an audience as possible, on a
digital platform, and free of charge in both English and French,
across Canada and internationally.
To accomplish this, ACI works with Canada's leading cultural institutions, art
historians, curators, and visual culture experts, and is dedicated
to the creation of authoritative original content on the people,
themes, and topics that have defined Canadian art
history.
To learn more about ACI and to access our free digital
library, please visit us!
aci-iac.ca
IMAGES
Download image files here.
SOURCE Art Canada Institute