Canadian photographs from the collection of Christopher Varley

Donated in 2018 by former art museum curator Christopher Varley, this collection comprises 542 works by various Canadian makers from the late nineteenth into the present century. The photographs document diverse landscapes and changing cityscapes across the country, representing the geographic regions of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes. A number of early-twentieth-century “real photo postcards” by Philip Timms and others serve as mementos of a particular place and time, and reveal developments in the circulation of photographic imagery. Later twentieth-century prints by such artists as Geoffrey James and Douglas Curran exemplify the genres of landscape and street photography, while works by Fred Herzog and Fred Douglas are antecedents to the influential Vancouver School of conceptual photography. Representing some of the country’s most significant photographers in a broad range of media, the collection provides an in-depth and important scholarly resource on the history of Canadian photography.

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A group of men sit under blankets on a wooden dock, with the ocean and mountains in the background — Fig. 1
J. Howard Arthur Chapman (Canadian, born England, 1862–1942), *Kyuquot Indians, Vancouver Island, B.C*., ca. 1907, collotype. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0034)

A scenic view at night over a small town with the Aurora Borealis visible in the sky — Fig. 2
Jeremiah Doody (American), *Dawson by the Light of the Aurora Borealis*, ca. 1908, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0066)

A large group photo of workers on a wooden platform — Fig. 3
Unknown photographer, [Eureka Woolen Mill Co.], 1883–1904, albumen print mounted on card. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0067)

A low angle view looking down along a set of streetcar tracks — Fig. 4
Arthur S. Goss (Canadian, 1881–1940), *Track, College & Manning*, May 3, 1915, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0098)

A broken storefront window with materials in disarray on the street — Fig. 5
John Charles Medley Hayward (Canadian, 187?–1950), [J. Hayward Studio Window, Following Halifax Riot], May 1945, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0116)

A formal studio portrait of four men in fur coats and hats — Fig. 6
Charles Wesley Mathers (Canadian, 1868–1950), *Edmonton Police Force*, 1903, gelatin silver print mounted on card. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0158)

A woman relaxing on a bench beside the trunk of a large old-growth tree — Fig. 7
Neelands Brothers, *Cedar Tree, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C.*, 1891–1897, albumen print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0186)

The view down the sidewalk of a picturesque treed street, with the message side of the postcard below — Fig. 8
J. & J. Sutherland, *Boulevard, Vansittart Avenue, Woodstock, Ontario*, ca. 1910, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0281)

A person caught mid-dive into the ocean, with kids watching and a busy beach in the background — Fig. 9
Philip Timms (Canadian, 1874–1973), *"Joe" Diving, English Bay, Vancouver, B.C.*, 1905, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0292)

Two men holding babies on a forested path — Fig. 10
Philip Timms (Canadian, 1874–1973), [Two Men Holding Babies], ca. 1900, printed later by Fred Douglas, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0317)

A blue-toned image of a train crossing a bridge over water — Fig. 11
Unknown photographer, [Grand Trunk Locomotive 386 Crossing Grand River], 1898–1904, cyanotype. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0389)

A portrait of a man wearing overalls and a hat — Fig. 12
Unknown photographer, *Émile Boucher*, ca. 1927, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0440)

A foggy scene of a lone woman crossing the road at a terminal building — Fig. 13
Fred Douglas (Canadian, 1935–2005), [Seabus Terminal, North Vancouver], 1979, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0473)

A close-up image of a donut on a plate — Fig. 14
Fred Douglas (Canadian, 1935–2005), [Donut on a Plate], 1981, kallitype. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0476)

A rainy street scene at an urban intersection — Fig. 15
Fred Herzog (Canadian, born Germany, 1930), *Granville/Smythe*, 1959, inkjet print on watercolour paper. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0484)

Portrait of a man in a doorway — Fig. 16
Fred Douglas (Canadian, 1935–2005), [Chris Varley, Curator], 1975, gelatin silver print. The Image Centre, Gift of Christopher Varley, 2018 (RIC.2018.0471)