Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [189-]-ca.2000 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
719 photographs
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives at the Art Gallery of Ontario is a leading Canadian centre for research in art. It collects published and archival materials related to the collection, exhibitions and public programs of the AGO, and Canadian art in general with a geographic focus on Ontario.
The library holds more than 380,000 items including books, rare books, artists’ books, multiples, and artist files. Archival collections include the archives of the Art Gallery of Ontario and extensive special collections (artists’ archives and related collections).
The library was established in the library of the historic Grange House in 1933 when the gallery received a donation of 200 books on art from the Carnegie foundation. That same year the library opened to gallery staff and members of the public, and was soon supervised by a librarian.
The gallery’s Stage II expansion in 1977 provided a larger facility for the library, which was renamed the Edward P. Taylor Reference Library and became part of the Curatorial Division. The current facility for the Library & Archives was opened in 1993 with the gallery’s Stage III expansion. In 2017 the entrance of the Library & Archives was expanded to include a lounge space as part of the revitalization of Grange Park.
The AGO Archives, which consists of records created by the gallery, was established in September 1975 under the direction of Margaret Machell, who worked as Keeper of the Grange and AGO Archivist until her retirement in 1981. Following her departure, the Archives reported to the gallery’s administrative branch until 1989 when it merged with the Reference Library to become the Edward P. Taylor Research Library & Archives. The department was renamed the Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives in 2017.
Archival history
Photographs in the Photographs of Canadian Artists collection were acquired by the curatorial department of the Art Museum of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario/AGO) beginning in 1912. The photos remained there until the 1920s when they were transferred to the AGO library, where they continued to accumulate until ca. 2000, when accruals ceased.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO credit line: various
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Collection comprises photographic prints submitted with replies to biographical questionnaires sent by the AGO to Canadian artists between 1912 and 1984. The collection was augmented with 239 photographs purchased from Toronto photographer M.O. Hammond (1876–1934) between 1927 and 1934. Collection also includes photos and copy prints obtained in connection with Gallery exhibitions and photos acquired by other Gallery departments, with news photographs and reproductions of photos from agencies and other institutions. Photos were added to the collection up to the end of the 1990s.
The photographic prints in the collection are chiefly gelatin silver prints but also include chromogenic colour prints, diffusion transfer prints and photos produced by other processes. The collection includes images of 598 artists in studio portraits and snapshots, at exhibition openings and in their studios, and in group photos. Some photographs are annotated with biographical details on verso or in accompanying textual records.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged in a single series, sorted alphabetically by artists’ surnames.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections by appointment. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Various copyright holders. Copyright may still rest with photographers of items in the collection. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the collection.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation revision deletion
Description prepared 2016.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Description prepared by Zoë Lepiano and Gary Fitzgibbon.