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
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.