<J.W. Cleary, Coconut Palms, Kingston Harbour, c. 1895> NEW YORK’s Patrick Montgomery assembled over ten years a huge collection of historical photos from the Caribbean.
<Valentine & Sons, A Boat on Kingston Harbour (variation), 1891> Montgomery says “I was surprised how few (local historical societies) had photo collections…. So I started poking around and talking to dealers, and it turns out they did exist, but not in the Caribbean. The climate and economy [largely] didn’t support that kind of archive.”
<Unknown photographer, Glendairy Prison Officials, Barbados, 1909> Thanks to $300,000 in support mainly from TORONTO’s Caribbean and Black community donors, the unique collection is now in the archives of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
<Felix Morin, Coolie Woman, Trinidad, c. 1890>
<Felix Morin, Bananas, Trinidad, c. 1890> The collection is distinctive in its reach, covering no fewer than 34 countries from 1840 through to 1940. (Canadian Art Magazine, June/2019)