The World of William Notman: The Nineteenth Century Through a Master Lens

Patricia Morley is professor emeritus of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University and the author of Margaret Laurence: The Long
Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

In the latter half of the 19th-century, William Notman of Montreal was
widely acknowledged as the leading photographer in Canada. He and his
three sons forged a powerful dynasty by combining creativity and flair
with technical mastery and business acumen. Notman established his
studio in 1856, the same year he arrived form Glasgow. He expanded into
Ottawa in 1868, and later into Toronto, the Maritimes, and the eastern
United States.

Photographs provided solid proof of social status and success. Notman
and his assistants photographed successful bourgeoisie, municipal
politicians, private residences, old buildings, and visiting
celebrities. Photos of children, their faces open or enigmatic, are
among the most intriguing. Trick effects such as “snow” from coarse
salt, combined with elaborate backdrops, made possible a tremendous
variety of studio portraits.

The book’s large format and fine paper set off the hundreds of
striking, full-page photographs to good effect. The large-print,
well-researched text is enlivened by many small images as well. This is
a book for unhurried browsing, a historical record that is also food for
fantasy and dreams.

The World of William Notman reveals a thriving society that sought to
find its identity in a new art that was part social record, part
fantasy.