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LA PHOTOGRAPHE QUÉBÉCOISE
Sally Elizabeth Wood 1857-1928 Born in Brome Township, Quebec, Sally Elizabeth Wood learned her trade as an apprentice at Notman’s studio in Montreal. She began taking portraits for John A. Wheeler in his studios at Knowlton and Cowansville, Quebec. Upon Wheeler’s retirement in 1897, Wood established her own business.
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THE ATLANTIC TALENT Elsie Holloway
For her early work, Wood used an 8x10 inch glass plate camera and photographed exteriors of homes, stores, and schools. Besides portraits and architecture, she documented landscapes and domestic life. In 1905, James Valentine and Sons published a series of her photographs as postcards.
1882- 1971
Photographer Elsie Holloway was in business in St. John’s, Newfoundland, for 40 years. In 1914, she photographed hundreds of enlisted men in the Newfoundland Regiment. For years, the Holloway Studio was also popular for children and family portraits.
Wood photographed until 1907. Her work is identified with the signature Miss. S.E. Wood.
Holloway and her brother, Bert, learned photography from their father, a founder of the Photography Society for Amateurs. In 1908, two years after their father died, the siblings opened the Holloway Studio. Elsie took most of the studio portraits while Bert focused his attention on outdoor scenes. Holloway continued the business after her brother died in World War I. As business increased, her staff included eight assistants. Holloway’s career highlights included meeting and photographing Amelia Earhart in 1932 at Harbour Grace. In 1939, the photographer’s presence was noted when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stopped on their royal tour. Some questions remain as to who took which pictures: Elsie, her father, her brother, or other photographers. Most are simply stamped “Holloway.” For a time Holloway’s glass negatives had been incorporated into a greenhouse. Those that survived are in the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.
16 • PhotoEd
Image courtesy The Rooms Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.
MP-1994.32.4, Constance Clare Bancroft, Knowlton, QC, 1899, Sally Eliza Wood © McCord Museum.
