Canadian Photographs: 1900 – 1950 : A Group Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: Thursday, July 17 – Saturday, August 30, 2025

Stephen Bulger Gallery is pleased to present “Canadian Photographs: 1900 – 1950,” a group exhibition.

Recent events have prompted citizens of Canada to reflect on our country’s significance. When we recall the places, events, and people that have shaped our collective memory, it is often photographs that come to mind. To support this reflection and inspire further appreciation, we have selected works from the gallery’s collection that highlight the important role photography plays in documenting history. This exhibition also offers an opportunity to recognize the contributions of Canadian photographers to the development of the medium.

This exhibition features photographs taken in Canada, as well as works created by Canadians elsewhere. Organized into thematic sections, the exhibition begins with images of Toronto as an emerging metropolis, followed by views of other regions across a span of fifty years. One section is dedicated to Canadian photographers working in the Pictorialist style, a movement that played a role in shifting photographic practices and paved the way toward Modernism. The final selection focusses on portraits of Canadians as well as photographs of events—both major and minor—that illustrate the era.

Included are works by photographers H.G. Cox, Arthur Goss, Minna Keene, Johan Helders, Yousuf Karsh, William Gordon Shields, John Vanderpant, Harry Waddle, Margaret Watkins, and C.D. Woodley, among others. This is the first of two related exhibitions—the second, “Canadian Photographs: 1950 – Today,” will open in November 2025.

(Image: [Head in Hand], circa 1925 © Margaret Watkins / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery)