William NotmanLife & Work

“Notman’s photographs still resonate as vivid works of art beyond simply documentation, and they serve as a rich starting point for exploring the complexity of nineteenth-century life in Canada.”

– Sarah Parsons

This book illuminates the life and work of a remarkably industrious and resourceful entrepreneur. In 1860 William Notman produced a commemorative maple box of photographs for Queen Victoria; legend has it she was so pleased that she named him “Photographer to the Queen,” a title which Notman strategically mounted above his Bleury Street studio. At a time when the artistic potential for the medium of photography was being tensely debated, Notman boldly advertised himself “Photographic Artist.” His studio produced photographs in almost every genre, from individual and group portraits to landscapes and industrial photographs, and he was generous in sharing his innovations, hoping to exert his influence on the wider field of practitioners. Sarah Parsons demonstrates that the scale and reach of William Notman’s photographic output are unparalleled in nineteenth-century Canada and his photographs remain a lively visual archive of Anglo-Canada’s early social and cultural history.

Copyright Information

Banner Image: William Notman, Around the Camp Fire, Caribou Hunting series, Montreal, 1866. McCord Museum, Montreal, purchase from Associated Screen News Ltd., VIEW-596.A. © McCord Museum.