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William Notman


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William Notman

Canadian photographer, born Scotland
Canadian, (1826–1891)
Born 8 March 1826, died 25 November 1891. In the early 1850s, Notman learned photographic processes in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1856, he immigrated to Canada and opened a photographic studio later that year on Bleury Streetin Montréal, Québec. In 1868, Notman opened a branch studio in Ottawa,Ontario, run by William J. Topley. From 1872 to 1877, Notman was a partnerwith his brother James Notman in the St. John, New Brunswick branch studio. When the St. John studio burned down in 1877, James went on to manage the Boston branch studio with William as a partner briefly. Notman's sons, William McFarlane Notman and Charles Frederick Notman joined the business in 1872 and 1888 respectively. In 1868-72, he opened branch studios in Toronto, Ontario, Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John, New Brunswick. In 1872 and after, Notman established the Notman Photographic Company with branches in Boston, Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island, and Albany and New York City, New York. In 1876, Notman became president of the Centennial Photographic Co., a joint-stock operation chartered by the state of Pennsylvania. The business had the exclusive rights to produce photographs of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. After Notman's death, the studio continued under the management of William McFarlane Notman, then CharlesFrederick Notman until 1936 when it was bought by the Associated ScreenNews. The studio continued operation as Wm. Notman & Son until 1993. The majority of the output of his Montreal studio from 1856 to 1993 is housed inthe McCord Museum of Canadian History, in Montréal, Québec, Canada.


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