William Notman: Life & Work by Sarah Parsons

In 1856 William Notman was a fugitive from the law. But in less than a decade this Montreal artist transformed his fortune and the world of photography. Read and download the online art book here: www.aci-iac.ca/william-notman
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an old black and white photo of a store front
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
William Notman created the “house style” of the studio, rather than an individual style, which allowed him to open studios in other cities. “Notman & Fraser Photographic Studio,” Toronto, 1868, McCord Museum.
an old black and white photo of a man in a tuxedo sitting on a chair
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, was among Notman’s high-profile clients. William Notman, “John A. Macdonald, Politician,” Montreal, 1863, McCord Museum.
a group of people standing in the snow with one person falling off their skis
William Notman: Life & Work
William Notman did not pioneer the composite, but he and his team of artists developed it in ingenious ways that thrilled his clients, built new audiences, and brought him great fame. William Notman & Son, “The Bounce,” Montreal Snowshoe Club, 1886, McCord Museum.
an old black and white photo of people sitting in front of a teepee tent
William Notman: Life & Work
William Notman’s work on a functional magnesium flare also helped to stage his studio scenes. “Around the Camp Fire, Caribou Hunting Series,” Montreal, 1866, McCord Museum.
an old black and white photo of a woman sitting on a sled with a dog
William Notman: Life & Work
William Notman preferred the tricky and complicated process of the wet collodion process over the more popular daguerreotype. “Missie Alice Notman in Sleigh with Nurse,” Montreal, 1865, McCord Museum.
three men sitting next to each other in front of an easel
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
Although “William Notman” is stamped on thousands of photographs, it indicates the studio and not necessarily photographs taken by William Notman himself. “Adolphe Vogt, John Fraser and Henry Sandham, Notman Staff,” Montreal, 1868, McCord Museum.
an old advertisement for the northman and sandham photographer's to the queen
William Notman: Life & Work
By 1860 Notman had joined the craze for the newly fashionable cartes-de-visite. His process cut production costs by rendering eight small negatives on the same plate and enabled prints to be made from the negative. Notman & Sandham, “Notman & Sandham Carte-de-Visite Mailing Envelope,” c. 1880, McCord Museum.
three men standing in front of a painting with cactuses and rocks behind them, one man is holding a large rock
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
Canadian artist Kent Monkman “employs honour, irony and subversive wit... to reimagine a 19th century Canadian frontier in which the red men get the jump... on the white men.” Winnipeg Free Press. Kent Monkman, “Shooting Geronimo,” 2007, distributed by Vtape.
In his handbook for sitters, “Photography: Things You Ought to Know,” Notman advises that “lace scarfs, open mantles, shawls, etc., greatly assist in securing graceful flowing lines.” William Notman, “Mrs. William Notman Senior,” Montreal, 1865, McCord Museum.
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
In his handbook for sitters, “Photography: Things You Ought to Know,” Notman advises that “lace scarfs, open mantles, shawls, etc., greatly assist in securing graceful flowing lines.” William Notman, “Mrs. William Notman Senior,” Montreal, 1865, McCord Museum.
an old photo of a woman in a dress
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
William Notman was also very fashion conscious and would counsel his sitters on the best dress to pose in. “The best materials, and those which look the richest, are silks, satins, reps and winceys.” Wm Notman & Son, “Miss Emily Notman,” Montreal, 1889, McCord Museum.
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four pictures of native american women in black and white, one is holding a bow
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
Kent Monkman is a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry whose works subvert the 19th-century Westernized image of Canadian indigenous peoples. Kent Monkman, “The Emergence of a Legend” (5/5), 2006.
This hand-tinted portrait illustrates William Notman’s impressive aesthetic range and flexibility. “Master Hugh Allan,” Montreal, 1867, McCord Museum.
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
This hand-tinted portrait illustrates William Notman’s impressive aesthetic range and flexibility. “Master Hugh Allan,” Montreal, 1867, McCord Museum.
an old fashioned wooden camera with black leather coverings on it's front and sides
William Notman: Life & Work
Each of William Notman’s photographic styles required a different camera. This large-format view camera from c. 1870 was manufactured by Scovill in Waterbury, Connecticut.
an old drawing of people dressed in fancy clothing
Art Canada Institute - Institut de l'art canadien
Recognizing the appeal of belonging to prominent groups, Notman advertised and grew the field of class portraits as well as images of athletic associations and other markers of bourgeois sociability and success. Notman/Topley Studio, “Fancy Ball Given by the Governor General Lord Dufferin at Rideau Hall on February 23, 1876,” Ottawa, composite, 1876, Library and Archives Canada.
an old black and white photo with many pictures
William Notman: Life & Work
A wonderful “Canadiana” composite of composites by Notman, showing his adeptness at the technique. Wm. Notman & Son, “Canada That We Love and Prize,” composite of composites, 1882, McCord Museum.