An absurdly long and brief history of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada’s (NGC) newest virtual exhibit, Photostories Canada, has been decades in the making. A photostory is an artistic medium that combines photographs and text to tell a story. The story, in this case, is the nation of Canada: its history, ideals, and identity throughout its existence as a nation.
The new exhibit uses publications spanning from the early 1950s to the 1970s from newspapers and magazines both within Canada and internationally. While a majority of these photostories are in English, there are a few photostories for Francophones to enjoy, as well. The virtual exhibit allows its online audience to explore at any pace as visitors can choose which subject, year, or location interests them. Presenting the exhibit in this way stops it from becoming overwhelming, as there are over 800 photostories.
Visitors can sift through the wide variety of topics through the photostories, transporting them from the industry stories of Toronto and Vancouver, all the way to the remote environments of the Canadian arctic.
Beyond informing its visitors of the historical sites and environments of the nation, the exhibit provides insight into the groundbreaking advancements in science, technology, and sports that took the world by storm. Photostories Canada provides an ample resource for people of all ages to learn about the nation in an accessible and digestible way.
Along with this research, the virtual exhibit maintains certain motifs to keep its cohesiveness while still providing an educational experience. Every photograph featured is in grayscale. During the 1950s to 1970s, printing in colour was a costly process. Rather than colourize the photographs, the designers and photographers intended to keep the photographs in their grayscale state not only to maintain their authenticity and connection to the historic developments they represent. The exhibit quotes famed Canadian photographer Ted Grant for this reasoning: “If you photograph people in black and white you photograph their souls, but if you photograph them in colour you photograph their clothes.”
With the new exhibit, the National Gallery offers a fresh, objective view of the nation of Canada. It creates an atmosphere of pride for our nation’s achievements without feeling too heavy-handed, and offers our nation’s more contemporary history that can easily be disregarded in the classroom. Not only is the artistry within the photostories captivating to witness, but also provides an intriguing, exciting research tool.
If you would like to explore the virtual exhibit, you can do so, here.
