Gems of British Columbia

Maynard. Hannah, Gems of British Columbia, 1891 

Through Hannah’s curiosity and devotion to photography, she has been able to change the culture in Victoria through her photomontages, and pushing boundaries of photography using multiple exposures. Hannah has been able to document the progress of Victoria through her “Gems of BC” collection which plays an integral part in developing Victoria into the city it is today. Ultimately, Hannah’s passion for experimentation has created many opportunities for people in Victoria to witness emerging photographic techniques.

Maynard. Hannah, Richard and Hannah Maynard, c. 1885. 

Maynard. Hannah, A Multiple Exposure Self Portrait, 1890. 

As a female photographer and businesswoman during the Victorian era, Hannah Maynard suffered from several setbacks as a result of the gender inequality present within contemporary society. The standards for women in the 19th century expected them to almost exclusively attend to domestic matters and entrepreneurship was discouraged. Despite these beliefs, Maynard was able to excel as a well-recognized artist and had independently established a trusted and successful photographic gallery, studio and store.  In the early stages of her career, her store had been boycotted by the community due to her gender and her work was often mis-credited to her husband, Richard Maynard.  However, by the end of her career, she had earned the respect of the public as one of the only two female photographers in British Columbia by using her clever business skills, innovative photography and perseverance.  An example of her talent both as an artist and an entrepreneur is the piece “Gems of B.C.”. For this piece, Maynard took photos from all of the children she had photographed over the year and assembled them into a unique collage to be sent out annually to her customers, showing the children to be valued as gems. This project was strong as it gained her recognition and respect, it displayed her ingenuity as an artist and the alignment between children and precious gems was one used to play to the maternal values of many of her customers, furthering her career success in a misogynist society.  

Hannah Maynard’s own store which was an important milestone for a woman entrepreneur during Victorian Era.

Hannah Hatherley Maynard's photographic studio in Victoria. Hannah is standing in the doorway, 1863.

Maynard, Hannah. Richard and Hannah Maynard's daughter, Laura Lillian, known as Lillie; born 1867, died 20 Dec 1883., 1874.

This development of camera technology further brought along the invention of television, which involves the transmission of images through wires and radio waves which are converted by electrical pulses. In the United states, this gained extreme popularity during the early 1950s. 178,000 television sets were sold in 1947, allowing viewers to access moving pictures whilst at home. As a result, visual media overtook other mediums such as radio, newspaper, and the telegraph in efficiency in outreach to audiences.

Example of a “Daguerreotype” photograph

New concept of the handmade photomontage

Maynard. Hannah, Unknown Title, circa 1890.

Hannah Maynard’s “Gems of British Columbia” series is considerably one of her most notable work as well as celebrated photomontage from the 19th C. in Canada. Photomontage as a movement wasn’t really deemed a style until the twentieth century by the dadaist movement. What is important to note though is that this style of layering photographs on top of other ones, as well as techniques such as double printing, composite photographs, and double exposure  has been around since early on after the invention of the camera. This style of photography was a portal into the creative minds of artists such as Maynard and further expanded the boundaries of what art could be. Although this style found great popularity in the twentieth century, initially photomontage images were perceived as comical rather than a true art form; they were referred to as trick photography. Often times the presented photographs of this century were portraiture. With the rising trend of photomontage, portraiture took on a more personalized interpretation to these images as a way to help artists create a signature photography style. The photomontages produced in the Victorian era had elements such as surrealism which allowed for greater expression and more in depth meaning to the photographs which represented the lives of the artists. This new trend of photography was the gateway into how people began to play with ideas and concepts as a form of artistic freedom. Not only was it interesting imagery but the emphasis on the lives of the artists and how they could represent that in a symbolic way, altered how people interacted with art at this time. The beginning of photomontage in the 19th century significantly shifted the path of photography and laid down the path for the new wave of photomontages as seen in dadaism.

Maynard. Hannah, Gems of British Columbia, series, 1880-1893 

Maynard. Hannah, Five Shots of Hannah Maynard, Multiple Exposure, ca.1893

Maynard. Hannah, Statuary from Life; girl with bird, 1884.