Connecting the Dots: The Leggotype and Canadian Nation-Building in Canadian Illustrated News (1869-1883) & l’Opinion publique (1870-1883)

This dissertation is a rigorous investigation of the photo-mechanical processes developed by William Augustus Leggo and their use in the weekly illustrated journals, Canadian Illustrated News (CIN) and l’Opinion publique (OP), published by George-Édouard Desbarats in Montreal, Quebec in the late nineteenth century. Although the English- and French-language journals shared the same publisher, they were never translations of one another. They did, however, occasionally share images. These illustrations were often framed by the associated text differently, both materially and conceptually. This art historical study, which prioritizes the production and interpretation of the illustrations published in both journals, contributes to Canadian photography history, as well as the cognate fields of history, visual culture, nationalism, and communications. Employing methodologies developed from extensive primary research, this investigation begins with biographical studies of Leggo and Desbarats to establish a temporal and contextual groundwork for the journals. Then, an in-depth study of Leggo’s patents brings to light as much specification as possible on his proprietary printing processes. Patents for the Leggotype and Leggo’s Granulated Photography, primarily used in CIN and OP, are assessed in comparison to other contemporary photo-mechanical processes. Next, a historiographical analysis of the Leggotype reveals that from conception into the twenty-first century, the process was frequently tied to Canadian nation-building. How this manifests in the promotion, reporting, and historical study of the Leggotype and the journals is a key contribution of this dissertation. Therefore, it is explored in two ways in the final chapters. First, a material analysis of one issue from both journals demonstrates the subtle and overt ways post-Confederation nation-building goals were presented in both image and text to each linguistic community. Second, the serialized portrait galleries of the journals’ are compared. Who was selected, omitted, and relegated to the margins of this canon reveals the implications of photography-derived illustrations in relation to the complex parameters of settler-colonial identity in the nineteenth century. Prominent amongst Canada’s early illustrated periodicals, CIN and OP appeal to scholars in a variety of disciplines. This dissertation provides a solid platform for future researchers by framing its contents in the highly informative context of the journals’ languages, technology, editorial ambitions, and materiality.

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