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This landscape shows Duncanson’s engagement with Canadian geography during his time in Quebec. It reinforces the exhibit’s argument that Black artists helped shape the early visual culture of Canada.

Black and White Still Image of a Minstrel Show occurring at Orangeville Lions Club in Ontario, during the 1950s. Pictured are around 2 dozen men on a stage, wearing face paint to darken their skin.

A bill was set into the council of the Immigration Act prohibiting any person of African descent from entering Canada for one year. The explanation was that they were deemed unsuitable for the climate and requirements.

This document represents a significant turning point in the history of Canadian slavery. Issued by Intendant Jacques Raudot, a high-ranking royal official in New France, in 1709, this ordinance officially recognized the right of colonists to own…

The photo shows both Daisy and Oscar Peterson playing piano. Oscar would soon become one of the greatest jazz pianists in the world. His music strengthened the human rights movement becoming a symbol of Black excellence and bringing both white and…

Widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Oscar Peterson performed with legendary figures such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong. Born to a railway porter and a domestic worker, Peterson…

This mountainous view demonstrates Duncanson’s ability to balance a sense of grandeur with more quiet introspection. Its presence in the exhibit again asserts his role in mapping the visual identity of the Canadian East.

Picture of Palais Royal in Toronto, a very well known leisure spot for dancing c. 1930s for white people only. After several protests from the Black communities in the area, they desegregated in 1947. Only after 27 years of being open as a dancing…