The Extended Moment. The Photographs Collection of the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada

This lavish book showcases the superb photography collection of the National Gallery of Canada, created over the past 50 years. In 1967, when the collection was established, the photography market was in its infancy, allowing the acquisition of works by pioneers of the medium such as Charles Negre, William Henry Fox Talbot, Gustave Le Gray, and Roger Fenton, among others. Today the collection boasts an impressive array of works by world-renowned photographers.

Ann Thomas chronicles the formative years of the collection under its founding curator, James Borcoman. She discusses the role of influential figures in the world of collecting and curating photographs, offering an insider’s view of how the key collections entered the museum over the years. John McElhone takes a more technical approach in discussing how the photographic process has evolved, and helps clarify issues related to image appearance and identification.