TALK | Tracking Time: Alexander Henderson’s Photographs of the Intercolonial Railway – 1873-1876

Talk

Tracking Time: Alexander Henderson’s Photographs of the Intercolonial Railway – 1873-1876

Alexander Reford

Thursday, July 20, 4 p.m., aire Desjardin, Great hall

Alexander Henderson was a pioneer of Canadian photography, hailed as the country’s first professional photographer. Henderson was hired to photograph the construction of the Intercolonial Railway during its construction in the 1870s. Laden with cameras and heavy glass plates, his images reveal the region’s landscapes and depict the natives working to build the railway in primitive conditions. The remarkable stone viaducts and culverts spanning the region’s rivers and creeks, stand fast 150 years later, captured for posterity in Henderson’s remarkable images. During his time off, Henderson took to the beach, creating a series of sunset shots that illustrate his mastery of the art of photography. On the occasion of the exhibition Art et nature from the McCord Stewart Museum, on view in the Great Hall (opening is on Thursday, July 13 at 5 pm) Alexander Reford will share his thoughts on Henderson’s talents and offer insights into the building of the Intercolonial from Rivière-du-Loup to Metis and beyond garnered from two decades of research on railway history.