From one brush stroke to the press of a button, capturing a likeness, it would seem, is a lifelong
obsession, and an activity that many of us today cannot live without. The latest exhibition at the
Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, Strike a Pose – The Art of Self-Obsession, shows how the people of
Niagara-on-the-Lake have been documenting themselves for centuries, whether in paint, ink, pencils,
photography or pixels. Thankfully, this obsession with ‘selfies’ has provided the Museum with a rich
visual history.
Strike a Pose – The Art of Self-Obsession opens on Wednesday December 6, 4pm, and runs to the end
of April, 2024. Sponsored by Niagara-based Selfie Mode, their Selfie Booth will add a fun and interactive
element to the exhibit. Keen selfie-posers are encouraged to take a picture of themselves, which can
then be included in the exhibit.
“We’re lucky to have a long history with photography here,” said NOTL Museum Assistant Curator,
Shawna Butts. “For example, many of the pictures I chose for this exhibit were taken by photographer
William Quinn, who had his studio in the family home on Ricardo Street.” Local historian Joseph Masters
writes that locals used to enjoy watching Quinn set up his gear. “And once he was underneath his
camera hood,” said Ms. Butts, “ according to Masters, they’d give him some swift kicks in the rear!”
Luckily today, local photographers are treated a little more gently.
Before the advent of photography, the only way for people to leave behind a tangible and visible legacy
was to immortalize themselves in paintings and drawings. This exhibit gives the NOTL Museum the
opportunity to highlight its fine examples of early settler portraits, including Mary and Peter Servos,
John Crooks, and Captain William Milloy. As well, the museum has a unique collection of ‘miniatures’,
handheld portraits that were popular well into the 20 th century. One rare image is that of War of 1812
heroine, Laura Secord, created several years before her death.
Curating this exhibit has allowed Ms. Butts to show the similarities in how artists carefully created a
portrait, how photographers created a studio image, and how today’s selfies are just as carefully posed,
edited, and shared.
Visitors are encouraged to take many photographs and share them widely, and no-one will receive a kick
in the rear end.
Strike a Pose – The Art of Self-Obsession
Opening December 6, 2023, 4pm
NOTL Museum, 43 Castlereagh Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake
For mor information: www.notlmuseum.ca