Picturing Canada

The contemporary books in this display challenge the photographic fictions that helped shape ideas of Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Display Wednesday, 15 April - Wednesday, 13 May 2026 V&A South Kensington Free In 1867, Canada became a self-governing democracy separate from Britain. As the new nation expanded westward and photography became an important tool to visualise Canada’s unsettled land. Pictures of vast empty landscapes and fur-clad settlers circulated in books, albums and periodicals, helping to spread an idea of Canada as a place of economic potential for those hardy enough to withstand the harsh conditions. This visual legacy remains relevant today. The contemporary books in this display challenge the photographic fictions that helped shape historic ideas of Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They include documentation of the physical remnants of imperial expansion, depictions of Eastern European settlers in the prairies, and a performance that conjures the diverse inhabitants of Canada.