Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- ca. 1894 – 1986 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
29.5 cm of textual records and graphic material
82 photographs
6 artefacts
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Fairlies were a prominent Canadian family who lived and worked throughout Ontario during the first half of the twentieth century.
Reverend John Fairlie (1844-1919) and his wife Hannah Waldrup Fraser (ca. 1847-1929) came from Scotland to Quebec in 1873, then to Kingston in 1900. They had nine children—four girls and five boys. One of their sons, Matthew Fraser Fairlie (ca. 1883-1944), attended Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He graduated in 1902 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mining Engineering and moved to Cobalt, Ontario with his wife, Anne Louise Fitzpatrick (ca. 1881-1961) to work for Kerr-Addison Gold Mines Ltd. during the Silver Rush of 1903. They moved to Toronto in the late 1920s, purchased a house in Forest Hill, and adopted two children: Alan Fraser Fairlie (1927-2001) and Joyce Fairlie (1929-1956). Alan attended both Crescent School and Upper Canada College (ca. 1935-1948), two prestigious all-boys private schools in Toronto. Joyce attended Bishop Strachan School for girls (ca. 1935-?).
After attending the University of Toronto for Radio Broadcasting (1949-?), Alan F. Fairlie started a film company, Monarch Productions Ltd. He was commissioned to produce films for the Canadian Rugby team in Bermuda, the development of Giant’s Tomb in Penetang, Ontario, and various programs for CTV Television Network. He also shot and produced his own films documenting archaeological caves in Yucatan, his travels to Mexico, and footage in various countries throughout Europe. Alan married Snezana Susanne Popovich in 1962. They had two children: LuAnne Fairlie (1963- ) and Matthew Peter Fairlie (1966- ). Alan retired to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia where he lived until his death in 2001.
Archival history
Toronto-based artist Max Dean purchased the Fairlie materials at an antique market in Toronto. From approximately 1992 to 2012, he amassed a collection of over 600 photographic albums. After years of collecting albums from various places, Dean realized that he had more albums than he could properly care for. He allowed the Curators of Photography at the AGO to make a selection of albums, which he later donated to the AGO’s photography collection in 2012. The Fairlie collection is the largest concentration within the larger acquisition of 237 albums. The fonds was transferred from the AGO’s Prints and Drawings vault to the Archives and Special Collections in 2015; the 12 albums remain in the AGO’s photography collection.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO credit line: Gift of Max Dean, 2012
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of materials created, received, or collected by members of the Fairlie family. This includes textual records, personal and professional correspondence, financial and legal documents, newspapers and articles, publications, posters and promotional material from Alan’s filmmaking career, as well as photographic material such as studio portraits, film stills, and a number of negatives depicting travel destinations and events.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The fonds has been arranged by the archivist following the original order of the creator where possible.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Various copyright holders. Some material in this fonds/collection is in the public domain. Permission of the Art Gallery of Ontario is required for publication. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds/collection.
Language of material
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
Note
Source of title proper:
Title based on the contents and provenance of the fonds.
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
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Prepared by Laura Gentili, 2015. Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019.