Carol Payne Lecture - Concordia's Speaking of Photography Series

EV-1.605, Concordia University, 1515 Ste-Catherine Street West, Montreal, QC H3G 2W1
View Larger Map ›

The Official Picture: The National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division and the Image of Canadian Nationhood, 1941-1971

Friday, 1 November 2013, at 6:30 PM
Concordia University, EV-1.605 (map)

Carol Payne 
Department of Art History, Carleton University

The National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division was the country’s official photographer during the mid twentieth century producing a governmentally endorsed portrait of the nation, an 'official picture' of Canada. Though long overshadowed by the NFB’s cinematic productions, Division photographers shot some of this country’s most dynamic media photographs of the time. In images of WWII munitions workers, the country’s dramatic scenery, and in thousands of portraits of Canadians, the Division sought to foster a sense of national cohesion. Millions of Canadians (and international audiences) saw Division photographs in newspapers, magazines, and the Board’s own books, exhibitions, and filmstrips. Carol Payne’s lecture will introduce this long neglected agency, recounting the story of the Still Photography Division’s role in Canadian nation building during the Second World War and the two decades that followed. At the same time, looking back over the Division’s history provides an opportunity to consider where the history of photography in Canada stands today.

This lecture, co-sponsored by McGill-Queen's University Press, also marks the release of Carol Payne’s book, The Official Picture.

Speaking of Photography is organized by the Department of Art History, Concordia University, and is made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor, with additional support from the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art; members of the Art History Graduate Student Association; Ciel Variable magazine; Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal; and Château Versailles Hotel.

All lectures in the 2013-14 series will be held in EV-1.605, the York Amphitheatre, on the ground floor of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex, 1515 Ste-Catherine Street West. Metro Guy-Concordia (map).

Visit the Speaking of Photography website at any time for current details, additional information, and descriptions of past lectures.