Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [189-?]–1985 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
4,125 photographs
227 pictures
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
Materials now constituting the Photographs of Canadian Art collection were obtained by curators at the Art Gallery of Toronto, now the Art Gallery of Ontario, between the 1920s and 1985 in the course of acquiring works of art and arranging exhibitions for the gallery. The photographs were assembled during this period by staff in the library and archives of the gallery as a curatorial resource.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Collection consists of a single series of copy prints (of paintings, drawings and prints), and photos of sculptures and other works of art and architecture, chiefly by 19th- and 20th-century Canadian artists and architects, arranged in alphabetical order by surname, with photos of works by unknown artists at the end of the series. The collection comprises 646 artists and architects, and includes some reproductions of works of art, chiefly clippings. Many of the works of art reproduced in the photographs are in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is 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
Includes 4123 black-and-white photographic prints, 1 colour print (photograph) and 1 transparency, with 227 pictures (reproductions).
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
In descriptions of file contents, the term “paintings” is used collectively for works in oil, acrylic, or similar non-aqueous liquid and watercolour. The term “copy print” is extended to include photos of paintings that include part or all of a frame. Some photos of sculptural works comprise several objects identified separately by title.
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 and finding aid prepared 2013, revised 2016.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Description and finding aid prepared and updated by Gary Fitzgibbon.
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019.