George Howard Monks (1853-1933) 1874 - 1875

Editor: So, here we have William Notman's portrait of George Howard Monks. It's a cabinet card, a fairly common format at the time. What strikes me is the deliberate presentation of Monks; what story do you think Notman is trying to tell with this image? Curator: Note the studio imprint: Montreal, Toronto, Halifax. Notman was running a commercial enterprise, churning out these portraits. How does the industrial production of these images challenge our notion of a unique work of art? Editor: That's a great point! Thinking about it as a manufactured object changes how I see it. Thanks for the insight!