Homage
This is a tribute to Hannah Maynard... a brilliant woman who worked here in Victoria from the 1860s to the 19-teens, when she retired... saying she supposed it was time to make way for a younger generation (she was 78). She was a photographer; she had her own studio, and also served as the city's official police photographer. She got her husband into it, too, and they travelled and took photos and worked in their studio and basically led what sounds like my kinda dream life! (Um, though I could certainly do without the five children.)
Anyway. She was known for her "eccentric eye." Here's what was written about her recently in British Columbia magazine:
"She used photography to explore and blur the line between reality and illusion, at times verging into the surreal. Innovation characterizes her work, even in her mugshots of accused criminals. Throughout her life she continued to experiment with photographic techniques, and a seeming obsession with death in her later years infuses her images with aspects of the macabre - or was it just her dark sense of humour?"
The article goes on to note that "she liked to construct photographs with the same subject appearing in various poses." She has one great pic of three of herself... like this one of mine... only they're having tea in an ornate drawing room... and hers is 100 times better than mine!
Man, it just amazes me that she was doing all this stuff way back then. A friend told me where to find her old studio, on Pandora Street. I must check it out.
Anyway... here's to you, Hanna. A woman of character and creativity.... and so far ahead of her time. And right here in little old Victoria!
Homage
This is a tribute to Hannah Maynard... a brilliant woman who worked here in Victoria from the 1860s to the 19-teens, when she retired... saying she supposed it was time to make way for a younger generation (she was 78). She was a photographer; she had her own studio, and also served as the city's official police photographer. She got her husband into it, too, and they travelled and took photos and worked in their studio and basically led what sounds like my kinda dream life! (Um, though I could certainly do without the five children.)
Anyway. She was known for her "eccentric eye." Here's what was written about her recently in British Columbia magazine:
"She used photography to explore and blur the line between reality and illusion, at times verging into the surreal. Innovation characterizes her work, even in her mugshots of accused criminals. Throughout her life she continued to experiment with photographic techniques, and a seeming obsession with death in her later years infuses her images with aspects of the macabre - or was it just her dark sense of humour?"
The article goes on to note that "she liked to construct photographs with the same subject appearing in various poses." She has one great pic of three of herself... like this one of mine... only they're having tea in an ornate drawing room... and hers is 100 times better than mine!
Man, it just amazes me that she was doing all this stuff way back then. A friend told me where to find her old studio, on Pandora Street. I must check it out.
Anyway... here's to you, Hanna. A woman of character and creativity.... and so far ahead of her time. And right here in little old Victoria!