Working life in Canada, 1890–1930: rehousing the Edith Sarah Watson albums at the Art Gallery of Ontario

Avery Steel

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14645097

Abstract

<p>The Edith S. Watson albums, held in the photography collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), are a collection of 16 scrapbook style photographic albums that contain 1,070 gelatin silver prints created by Edith Watson and dated from 1890 to 1930. This thesis project explores a method of rehousing photographic albums with a focus on preserving the albums’ structure, the photographs, and the tactile experience of viewing an album, as well as facilitating access to these albums within the AGO’s collection through the creation of facsimile albums. My thesis will be divided into three sections: first, I assess the historical significance and the condition of the albums; second, I examine three case studies, each an album dated from the late 19th to early 20th century and held in different institutions; third, I summarize the method of preservation and outline the steps for the rehousing of the Edith Watson albums.</p>

Highlights

This thesis project explores a method of rehousing photographic albums with a focus on preserving the albums’ structure, the photographs, and the tactile experience of viewing an album, as well as facilitating access to these albums within the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)’s collection through the creation of facsimile albums
Photographic albums can be at risk to several preservation issues: non-archival materials expose the photographs to chemical degradation; careless storage environments can accelerate damage; and frequent handling of an album deteriorates the object over time
All of these issues are demonstrated in the case of the sixteen Watson albums

Summary

Bibliography vi

Inscribed on verso - a Kootenay Indian, taken on a platform of a train, near Windermere, B.C. Published in Frances Rooney, Working Light: The Wandering. Edith (left) is holding a basic box camera This is the only photograph that shows any of her equipment. “A Kootenay Indian, taken on the platform of a train, 38 near Windermere, BC, Canada,” 1890s–1930s, recto of gelatin silver print, 23 x 17.5 cm. “A Kootenay Indian, taken on the platform of a train, 38 near Windermere, BC, Canada,” 1890s–1930s, verso of gelatin silver print, 23 x 17.5 cm.

SECTION I. INTRODUCTION

SECTION II. LITERATURE SURVEY

SECTION III: DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

SECTION IV: EDITH WATSON’S LIFE AND CAREER

SECTION V: CONDITION ASSESSMENT OF THE EDITH WATSON ALBUMS

SECTION VI: CASE STUDIES OF METHODS OF PRESERVING A PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUM

SECTION VII: THE PRESERVATION OF THE EDITH WATSON ALBUMS

Pages Removed from Album and Placed in Custom Archival Storage Boxes with Interleaving Tissue

SECTION VIII: CONCLUSION