This week we are highlighting Mr.Duncan Donovan, the man that has captured many of the moustached headliners found in our weekly post, and who has a pretty distinguished moustache himself!
Duncan Donovan was born on January 4,1857 to Richard Donovan and Sarah MacMillian. They lived on East 1/2 Lot 29, 9th Concession of Lochiel Township, and this is where a young Duncan Donovan grew up. In 1899, Donovan married Miss Catherine Campbell. The couple would often attend St.Finnan's Cathedral in Alexandria, and Donovan began making his name as a well-respected photographer there. He began his career while working under Mr. Duncan MacMillian, who had a studio in Maxville. In 1902, he became a partner in the studio of A.G.A Robinson, and soon afterward he took control of the business under his own name. Donovan retired in 1924, and sold his business to Mr.P.A Charlesbois. Eventually Donovan passed away on March 17, 1933, but his legacy was not soon forgotten.
Charlesbois preserved Donovan's glass plates of photographs, which were eventually purchased by the Archives of Ontario, by a well-known Glengarrian, Hugh P. MacMillian. Many of these photos are now part of the museum's collection, others can still be found at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto. These photographs are cherished by the Glengarry Pioneer Museum as they allow visual insight into the lives of Glengarrians in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Many of the photographs are featured in a display that is part of the temporary exhibit, "Portraits of the Past," this year. Some others are stored safely away in our climate-controlled storage facility, occasionally brought out to be showcased in exhibits, or used to highlight a glorious moustache or two!
No comments:
Post a Comment