The Unwritten Rules of History

A Beginner’s Guide to Online Canadian Historical Images

This is an image of a wooden box contains historical black and white photographs.

 

Are you ready for another resource guide? This time I wanted to address the issue of online Canadian historical images. Many of us love to add images to lectures or presentations. However, you’ve likely learned by now that it is really hard to find Canadian historical images online. Google is fantastic, but even if you put the word “Canadian” next to an image search, you’re still going to end up mostly with American images. Unwritten Histories to the rescue!

The inspiration/origins of this blog post can be found on Kenneth R. Marks’ blog, The Ancestor Hunt. I was really excited to see that several weeks ago, he published several lists of online historical photograph repositories, organized by province. He kindly gave me permission to repost these lists here. However, Marks’ original list was geared more towards genealogists and history buffs rather than professional historians and/or educators. So instead, I’ve put together a short guide to how to use these images and where to find them, designed specifically for historians and/or educators. And by that I mean that I have limited this list to freely-available, online collections from institutions, museums, archives, universities, libraries, and historical societies. As with my previous guides, this is done mostly to ensure that the sources listed below are authentic and their provenance is clear. The links included here are also primarily of online image repositories, rather than online exhibits, since otherwise this list would never end. That is also why, with a couple of exceptions, I’ve listed the repositories and not each specific collection. And to be clear, by “images” here I am referring primarily to photographs, maps, and illustrations.

Here’s how the guide is organized. First, I discuss the issue of copyright with respect to historical images. Second, I discuss the issue of representation and the power dynamics involved in photographs, including the issue of metadata. Third, I have compiled a short list of my favourite online image sources, with information about each. And finally, I have put together an edited version of Marks’ list, organized by province.

I’ve tried to make this list as comprehensive as possible. However, I am sure that I missed something. If I did miss a collection that you think should be on the list, please let me know in the comments below! Let’s consider this a work-in-progress.

One final note:  information on using photograph images in teaching and research is beyond the scope of this blog post, though it is in the pipeline! In the meantime, I highly recommend Samantha Cutrara’s work on this, particularly her online seminar for Canada’s History, “Using Primary Sources as a Form of Social Justice” and her fantastic (and free!) e-book, Doing Digital Humanities and Social Sciences in Your Classroom.

Without any further ado, on to the photos!

 

Copyright

A quick caveat: obviously, I am not a lawyer. This section represents my understanding of Canadian copyright law with respect to the use of online images. Special thanks to Krista McCracken for their help with this.

If you don’t want to read through all this, here’s the TL;DR version.

  • If the photograph is produced before 1949, it can be used however you want.
  • If the photograph was produced after 1949:
    • If created by an individual or an employer, it is protected by copyright for the lifetime of the creator, plus fifty years.
    • If created by or for the federal/provincial/territorial governments it is protected by copyright for fifty years.

Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown of what this all means.

When it comes to using images, for any purpose, it’s important to know about Canada’s copyright legislation. All photographs, historical or otherwise, are protected under Canada’s Copyright Act. This means that photographs cannot be reproduced without explicit permission by the creator for the duration of a particular work’s copyright. How long does copyright last? That depends. In general:

  • For most works, copyright protections for photographs produced after 1949 last for the life of the creator*, plus fifty years.
  • Any photograph produced by or for the federal/provincial/territorial governments that is not protected by Crown copyright lasts for fifty years.

*This means the photographer, not the people appearing in the picture. Copyright will generally stay with the photographer unless they specifically transfer it to their client. However, unless specified otherwise, if the creator was an employee of an organization, the copyright generally stays with the organization. If you don’t know when the author or employer died, then a work enters into copyright either the year of publication plus fifty years or the year of creation plus seventy-five years, whichever comes first.

Obviously I’m simplifying things here, but it is generally enough for most people to function. However, if you would like to see a much more detailed breakdown, check out this guide from UBC.   Even better, if you have any questions or concerns, go and speak to a librarian at your institution. Many larger institutions even have librarians that specialize in copyright issues, and they will be happy to help.

However, there are two important exceptions. First, the Fair Dealing provision of Canada’s Copyright Act allows the use of photographs for research, private study, education, criticism, review, or news reporting, providing the image is properly credited. This means that you can use an image under copyright (for education purposes) in:

  • A PowerPoint presentation
  • On a classroom handout
  • Your institution’s learning management system *

*Provided doing so does not violate your own institution’s copyright policies (some places require that you only use copyright-free images in material that can be accessed by students).

Second, some photographs are covered by a Creative Commons license.  This means that the creator of an image will allow it to be used in certain cases. If you’ve ever seen “CC BY” on an image, or even just a circle with two c’s inside, that’s what it is referring to. There are many different kinds of Creative Commons licenses and licensing conditions, and you can find out about all of them here.

Photographs produced before 1949 or where the creator of a particular work has relinquished their rights to the work are considered to be part of the Public Domain, which means they are completely free to use in any way that you want.

Expert Tip: While it is totally ok to charge for a reproduction, this means that archives cannot legally prevent you from downloading a digitized image from their collection created prior to 1949 and using it however you want. However, in general, it is considered best practice to always include the name of the archive where you obtained the image, and a link back.

There is one final matter to discuss here, and that is the use of graphic images, like my personal favourite primary source, travel posters. Graphic images are covered by the same copyright protections as all other works, with the exception of the provision for photographs produced before 1949.

Whew. Thank goodness I didn’t become a lawyer.

 

Representation

There is a second matter to consider when it comes to the use of online historical images, and that is representation. As I’ve mentioned in previous guides, historical representation matters, and one of the important ways that we can fight against systemic oppression is by ensuring that the photographs we use, regardless of settings, reflect the diverse nature of our country. However, I will be the first to acknowledge that the vast majority of online Canadian historical images mostly contain images of white people. What’s more, many images depict women, non-binary, and trans* folk as well as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in stereotypical and/or inappropriate ways. These two issues are due to a combination of historical collection practices, the historical expense of photography, and the motives of photographers. As Paul Seesequasis (Willow Cree) reminds us,

Photography is not benign. From Edward Curtis’s JP Morgan- funded photographic trek cataloguing a so-called “vanishing race” to Robert Flaherty of “Nanook of the North” fame who sought a romanticized capture of Inuit life, the outsider’s gaze has been dominant toward Indigenous peoples. It has also been highly suspect, from Curtis’s suitcase of ragalic “props” to turn of the century photographers like Walter McClintock, who, while surrounded by Blackfeet living a contemporary life, sought only camp scenes and traditional dress. The photos of Curtis say more about the photographer than they do the subjects, who are posed within his tragic trope and the myth of the “vanishing race.” (https://shekonneechie.ca/2018/06/21/turning-the-lens/)

This is neither the time nor the place to talk about the interpretation of historical photographs (a blog post for another day). But it is important that we be aware of the power dynamics involved in creating and disseminating photographs. In the past I have shied away from using images that I considered to be problematic. But I have since reversed my position, largely thanks to a conversation with Melissa Shaw. She told me that as long as I was using the images in an ethical fashion, I was not responsible for the behaviour of either the original photographers or the individuals collecting images. This is my personal decision, and yours may be different. And that’s ok.

As a short aside, I’ve been really excited to see how many institutions and individuals (like Seesequasis) have issued calls for information about identifying subjects in historical photographs, as a way of correcting a historical power imbalance while paying tribute to those who have come before us. For instance, LAC’s Project Naming (originally conceived by Nunavut Sivuniksavut), calls on members of the public to identify the names of Indigenous individuals depicted in archival images as an important way of restoring their identities and historical value. These are important first steps.

 

Metadata

One final note on the issue of representation, particularly as it relates to searching online collections: metadata. Since Stephanie Pettigrew is much more informed on this, here is her definition of what metadata is:

Metadata, simply put, is “data about data.” It is a set of data that describes other data.

Metadata can be split into broad categories: Primary, Secondary, Supplementary, Derived, and Controlled. For the purposes of this project, we will be concerned mostly with Primary and Secondary, with some Supplementary.

Primary: Information pertaining to images/maps such as the file name, file size, format, resolution, last access, last modification, author, editor, etc.

Secondary: Descriptive information, dates, referencing information such as subject headings, access information such as use restriction, etc.

Supplementary: Extended descriptions or anecdotal data not provided by the original source. This could include errors in print runs, enhanced context, etc.”

For more on metadata, check out this link:

The problem with many image archives is that they are searchable only by supplementary metadata, rather than primary metadata – assuming that researchers know the primary metadata they’re looking for in the first place. And supplementary metadata is very subjective. This subjectivity can mean that it is very difficult to search online image archives. What do I mean by that? Well, the language that we use to describe the world has changed significantly. However, most archival collections are only processed once, and as a result, can contain a lot of dated language or metadata that is no longer relevant. What’s more, our own cultural biases often influence how we classify images. For instance, today, we generally don’t like classifying images by race or ethnicity. However, if you’re using LAC’s image database, it is nearly impossible to find images of Chinese-Canadians unless you know a person’s specific name.

 

My Favourites

Special thanks to Stephanie Pettigrew, Laura Larson, Shirley Tillotson, Claire Campbell, Sarah Van Vugt, Ben Bradley, Linda Steer, Carla-Jean Stokes, Gillian Leitch, Dale Barbour, Nancy Marguerite Anderson, Ed Dunsworth, Susie Colbourn, Patrick Mannion, Jared Wesley, M. Diane Rogers, @gfss_history, and @edmon_guy for their fantastic suggestions!

 

Library and Archives Canada

Expert tip: When I refer to “organizing results,” what I mean is the ability to either change the order in which they appear (alphabetically, by date, relevance, etc.) or having the ability to search within your search (by selecting online images from a certain period, for example). When it comes to looking through a huge collection, the ability to organize results can be a huge time saver. The reason I prefer organizing results rather than just inputting strict search terms is that I like to see everything that is available before narrowing it down. However, this can be challenging from a programming perspective, so it’s not super common.

 

McCord Museum

  • Oh how I love this collection. The McCord Museum online collection contains over 130,000 images of artwork, photographs, textual archives, and objects relating to (what would be known as) Canada going back to the 11thcentury, with a particular focus on Montreal. However, also included in the database are an additional 17,500 images from seven other museums (Centre d’études acadiennes de L’Université de Moncton, Guelph Museums, Musée minéralogique et minier de Thetford Mines, New Brunswick Museum, North Vancouver Museum and Archives, Sir Alexander Galt Museum and Archives, and the Musée acadien de L’Université de Moncton). You can search within six different collections: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings; Dress, Fashion, and Textiles; Indigenous Cultures; Decorative Arts; Photography; and Textual Archives. However, I generally just go for the quick search, which is a keyword search. And yes, the results can be organized. This archive is particularly good for images of objects and clothing that would have been used in daily life, particularly around the turn of the last century.  Like, would you look at this jar? I die.

 

Nova Scotia Archives

  • I cannot say enough good things about this website. It just makes me happy. However, since we’re just talking historical images today, that’s what I’m going to focus on. The Nova Scotia Archives contains a massive collection of images, from artwork to photographs to textual documents, spanning all of the province’s history. They are particularly strong on Acadian history, Black Nova Scotian history, and anything to do with sailing/shipping. There are three ways to search this collection. First, they have compiled resource guides for a number of topics and fonds. There is a separate search function for each of these guides. This is usually the best option unless you are looking for something super specific. Second, you can do a keyword search in the search bar at the top of each page. Unfortunately, you can’t organize the search results, but it will search across all of their holdings at the same time. Finally, you can use the advanced search options through MemoryNS to look for digital objects.These search results can be organized.

  

UBC Open Collections

  • This database contains more than 225,000 images, including photographs, periodicals, maps, and textual documents, mostly relating to BC and UBC history. This is where I get most of my cool travel poster images from. You can use their search function, which is pretty much the same as the Toronto Public Library one, or you can search within each individual collection. One of the best parts is that they’ve digitized just about every BC historical newspaper that was ever published. They also have a particularly strong collection relating to Chinese-Canadian history, thanks to the Chung Collection.

 

Canadian Museum of History

  • This is a bit of a hidden gem, because I don’t think many people know about it. The Canadian Museum of History maintains an enormous database of images, particularly photographs of objects from their collections. The random results search function is really fun to use, but the entire database is fully keyword-searchable. While you can’t limit searches, and there isn’t any way to limit your search, their collection makes is worth the trouble.

 

Ad*Access

  • If you’re a big fan of the Nursing Clio blog, as I am, then you have surely marvelled at their wonderful Sunday Morning Medicine illustrations. But because they are so awesome, they have revealed where they obtain these images. And even better, some of them are Canadian! Ad*Access is an initiative of Duke University Libraries and collects together more than 7,000 Canadian and American advertisements printed in newspapers and magazines from 1911 to 1955. The collection concentrates on five different categories: beauty and hygiene; radio; television; transportation; and WW2 propaganda. Their search guide is particularly awesome, and even includes pre-set searches that allow you to study groups of particular interest. This one is both fun and a crowdpleaser.

 

Library of Congress

 

Online Repositories by Province/Territory

National

Expert Tip: For period artwork, Stephanie suggests The British Museum or the Louvre. And if you want to search the Louvre for specific entries, you can Google the name of the painting with the word “Louvre” and it will show up. Don’t forget to also check Wikipedia, especially the Wikimedia Commons, for artwork, as well as all kinds of other images.

 

British Columbia

 

Yukon

 

North-West Territories

 

Nunavut

 

Alberta

Saskatchewan

 

Manitoba

 

Ontario

 

Quebec

 

New Brunswick

 

Nova Scotia

 

PEI

 

Newfoundland and Labrador

 


I hope you enjoyed this week’s resource guide. If you did, please consider sharing it on the social media platform of your choice! And don’t forget to check back on Sunday for a brand new Canadian history roundup! See you then!

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14 Comments

  1. Jessie Chisholm

    The Rooms Archives Division (Newfoundland & Labrador) has an extensive online database of photographs that can be searched by keyword, subject, photographer, fonds etc. Consult: https://www.therooms.ca/collections-research/our-collections and limit your search to digital items by clicking on the box for images.

    • Andrea Eidinger

      Thanks for the tip! Added!

  2. Sarah

    Interestingly, when I talked to UVic’s Copyright Office team, they suggested that I should still try to get permission to reproduce every image I used in my dissertation, and recommended that if an organization or company said no to my request, I not reproduce the image (even if it would legally be okay). I took some images out as a result!

    • Andrea Eidinger

      There is literally no legal reason to do that. I mean, besides paranoia. But again, I’m not a lawyer. 🙁

      • Meera Nair

        I’m a bit late to this discussion.
        But, when students of all ages and ranges (grade school assignments through to doctoral dissertations) incorporate any type of copyright-protected material (including imagery) into their own work, such use is most likely fair dealing. See https://fairduty.wordpress.com/resources/fair-dealing-for-students/. I am happy to discuss this further if anyone wishes.

        • Andrea Eidinger

          Thanks for letting us know!

  3. Adele Torrance

    Hello! Can you please list Ingenium’s Digital Archives page? https://ingeniumcanada.org/archives. Ingenium is the crown corporation that oversees the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
    Thank you! Adele, Archivist, Ingenium

    • Andrea Eidinger

      Done!

  4. Les Oystryk

    Not sure if this kind of on- line photo collection is within the scope and description of the ones you have listed, but I think it may be worth looking at and perhaps including the “Flin Flon Heritage Project” web-site. This is an entirely community based, non-funded, effort to collect and make available photographs and other materials related to the complete history of Flin Flon and surrounding area. It is a unique example of such an initiative.
    It is a massive collection and continues to grow with many, many donations of photos which have been scanned and categorized. Just a suggestion.

  5. Pete Violette

    I was lucky to find photos of my wife’s ancestors at https://www.mbsl.qc.ca/. The Musee du Bas Saint Laurent has a large collection of digital photos, accessed by clicking the tab Cyberphotos. Most helpful to me was the collection from Stanislas Belle, who operated a photo studio in Riviere-du-Loop beginning in 1894 to about 1916. The collection contains over 20,000 photos of individuals, preserved on glass. Many who lived in the surrounding area, went to his studio to have photos taken. I found several of family members in the collection, however the museum does charge for copies of the images.

  6. Bill Jones

    Unless I missed it, I’m not seeing the Canadian Dictionary of National Biography as a resource. There are many studio portraits of noteworthy Canadians contained within. http://www.biographi.ca/en/

    • Andrea Eidinger

      Thanks Bill! I didn’t include it, mostly because the photos are drawn from many of the other collections included in the list. But thanks for the suggestion!

  7. Alison

    The Canadian Heritage Photography Foundation has an extensive digital collection of images on their site, mostly taken by the late Canadian photographer George Hunter as early as the 1920s! https://www.thechpf.com

  8. Kristopher

    Thanks for the great post on historical images! I really appreciate the effort you put in to discussing copyright and representation. It’s great to see someone take such a thoughtful look at this topic.

    As someone who is interested in history and photography, I found your article really interesting. I also wanted to let you know about some of my favorite online image sources, Link here: https://www.airphotog.com/. I hope you find them useful.

    Thanks again for the great post, and keep up the good work!

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