Camera Workers, 1858-1950

The British Columbia, Alaska and Yukon Photographic Directory, 1858-1950

Notman, William McFarlane

Notman, William McFarlane[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Male 1857 - 1913  (55 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Notman, William McFarlane 
    Birth 1 Nov 1857  Montreal, PQ Find all individuals with events at this location  [8
    Gender Male 
    Where Active (Non-Specific Address) 1884; 1887; 1889; 1897; 1901; 1903; 1904; 1909  BC; Vancouver Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Visit 
    Burial 1913  Cimetière Mont-Royal, Outremont, PQ Find all individuals with events at this location  [9
    • According to his obituaries, a private funeral service was held.
    Death 1 May 1913  Montreal, PQ Find all individuals with events at this location  [8
    Association Notman, Charles Frederick (Relationship: Brother) 
    Association Notman, George Richard Woodwark (Relationship: Brother) 
    Person ID I103  Camera Workers | N, vol. 1, 1858-1900
    Last Modified 30 Apr 2023 

  • Photos
    William Notman and his three sons portrait, 17 Sep 1890.
    William Notman and his three sons portrait, 17 Sep 1890.
    Left to right, the sons are William McFarlane, George and Charles F. Courtesy of McCord Stewart Museum, object no. II-102011.
    William McFarlane Notman portrait, 30 Nov 1895.
    William McFarlane Notman portrait, 30 Nov 1895.
    Courtesy of McCord Stewart Museum, object no. II-112936.1.
    Wm. Notman and Son photograph of CPR 100-ton mountain engine, near Field, BC, 1889.
    Wm. Notman and Son photograph of CPR 100-ton mountain engine, near Field, BC, 1889.
    The photographer was William McFarlane Notman. This photograph was published as a stereograph by Nerlich and Company with a copyright date of 1905. It is not known if Nerlich and Company had permission to issue the photograph as a stereograph. Courtesy of McCord Stewart Museum, VIEW-2508.
    Nerlich and Company stereo, copyright 1905.
    Nerlich and Company stereo, copyright 1905.
    This photograph of a CPR locomotive, a coal car and two passenger cards was originally taken in 1889 by the Montreal firm Wm. Notman and Son. The photographer was William McFarlane Notman. It is not known if Nerlich and Company had permission to publish the Notman photograph as a stereograph.

    Documents
    W. Notman ID.
    W. Notman ID.
    On the verso of a carte de visite, this compact piece of art advertises the Notman studio locations, its exhibition wins for photography and the studio's royal patronage. Various photographers who visited BC worked for the Notman studio branches. William Notman (the father) never visited BC for photographic purposes.
    W.M. Notman news, Vancouver <i>World</i>, 7 Sep 1889, p. 4.
    W.M. Notman news, Vancouver World, 7 Sep 1889, p. 4.
    W.M. Notman travelled in style in 1889 via a specially equipped railway car.
    William Notman and Son news, Victoria <i>Times</i>, 18 Jan 1886, p. 1.
    William Notman and Son news, Victoria Times, 18 Jan 1886, p. 1.
    This article describes giant paintings created from photographs by the Notman studio artist James Weston for display at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, Eng., in 1886. The Victoria painting was likely based on a photograph by Richard Maynard. For details about these paintings and the source photographs see Mattison (2022).
    William Notman and Son ad, Montreal <i>Gazette</i>, 9 Mar 1887, p. 3.
    William Notman and Son ad, Montreal Gazette, 9 Mar 1887, p. 3.
    This ad provides pricing and availability of Stanley Dry Plates, as well as the fact that they are manufactured in Montreal, QC.
    William Notman and Son news, <i>Manitoba Free Press</i>, 21 Oct 1887.
    William Notman and Son news, Manitoba Free Press, 21 Oct 1887.
    This article reports on their return from a trip on the CPR to the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia. Richard and Hannah Maynard made a similar trip from Vancouver in May 1887.

  • Notes 
    • STATUS: Commercial (visit).
    • BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY: A son of famed Montreal photographer William Notman (1826-1891), he visited BC several times before and after the turn of the century. He was accompanied and assisted by one or both of his brothers, Charles F. and George R.W. A full account of his career and that of his brothers can be found in Stanley Triggs' fine study, William Notman: The Stamp of a Studio (1985). The McCord Museum also hosts a virtual exhibit, The Photographic Studio of William Notman, with much useful information. In 2016-2017, a major retrospective exhibit of the Notman studio's work, "Notman, A Visionary Photographer", was staged by the McCord Museum.
    • IDENTIFYING MARKS: print surface usually numbered, captioned and marked "Wm. Notman & Son, Photo, Montreal."

  • Sources 
    1. [S692] Correspondence, David Mattison.
      Letters, Notman Photographic Archives to Mattison

    2. [S413] J. Russell Harper and Stanley Triggs, eds., Harper & Triggs (1967), (Montreal: McGill University Press, 1967).

    3. [S323] Dennis Reid, Reid (1979), (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada National Museums of Canada, 1979).

    4. [S567] W. Stanley G. Triggs, Triggs (1985), (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario; Coach House Press, 1985).

    5. [S409] Roger Hall, Gordon Dodds, Stanley Triggs , Hall, Dodds & Triggs (1993), (Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, 1993), TR140 N67H34.

    6. [S569] McCord Museum (2005), (Montreal, Que.: McCord Museum, McGill University, 2005).

    7. [S891] Helene Samson and Suzanne Sauvage, Samson and Sauvage (2016), (Paris, France: Editions Hazan, 2016).

    8. [S924] Ancestry.ca (Web site).
      Notman Family Tree: William McFarlane Notman
      URL (accessed 30 Apr 2023): https://www.ancestrylibrary.ca/family-tree/tree/177901919/family

    9. [S832] Find a Grave (Web site).
      William McFarlane Notman
      URL (accessed 30 Apr 2023): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109000744/william-mcfarlane-notman