Hannah Maynard
1891-1892 (created)
The ‘Gem' Begonia. Happy New Year. 1892

Photograph, composite
British Columbia Archives
Item: J-01891, Accession number(s): 198207-008
 
This is a toned, black and white card mounted print of one of the annual “Gems of British Columbia" composite works produced by photographer Hannah Maynard of Mrs. R. Maynard's Photographic Gallery. The description in the image reads “The 'Gem' Begonia. Happy New Year. 1892.”
 
Mrs. R. Maynard was an artist, as well as a photographer. She was known for producing experimental works that involved photographic techniques such as double and multiple exposures, photo-sculptures, as well as composite and cut-and-paste montage imagery. The "Gems of British Columbia" series features portrait montages of selected children, largely Anglo-European subjects as well as a number of sitters from early Chinese and Black pioneering families, photographed throughout the year. These were sent as New Year's greeting cards to clients from 1881 until about 1895. In the 1880s, these composite photographs, which sometimes incorporated photo sculptures (also known as “Living Sculptures”) were published annually in the trade publication St. Louis Photographer (also known as St. Louis and Canadian Photographer).
 
This composite photograph represents a particular style in the “Gems of British Columbia” series where miniature portraits of children and babies appear superimposed on objects - in this case a begonia plant. It appears to be the Gem of 1892.
 
The leaves of the plant contain groupings of tiny portraits that could represent another work(s) in the “Gems” series from a previous year. The inclusion and re-purposing of older montage works within the composite image created for the year is a characteristic common to some of the designs of Mrs. R. Maynard's greeting cards. The words “The 'Gem' Begonia. Happy New Year. 1892” are written in varying sizes at the bottom of the image. Other designs in the series include children and babies superimposed on plants, shells, jugs, and an artist palette.
 
In addition, similar montages appear with portraits of children and babies framed within squares, stars, ovals, crowns, and diamond shapes which were also used as new year greetings as is the case for the “B.C. Gems 1894.”
 
LL/125224