Spectacular, scientific, and educational cultural practices were used to establish and define public identities in the British colonies of nineteenth-century Canada. In Visibly Canadian, Karen Stanworth argues that visual representations were the era's primary mode of expressing identity, and shows how the citizenry of Quebec and Ontario was - or was not - represented in the visual culture of the time. Through nine case studies, each representing key moments of identity formation and contestation, Stanworth investigates how a broad range of cultural phenomena, from fine arts to institutional histories to public spectacles, were used to order, resist, and articulate identities within specific social and economic contexts. The negotiation and planning underpinning civic culture are evident in rare moments of compromise such as the surprising proposal from the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society to merge their annual parade with the celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Equally astounding is the scale of nineteenth-century public spectacles; reenactments of Victorian scenes of war often attracted crowds of upwards of 10,000 people. Illustrated with over fifty images, many unseen for over a century, Visibly Canadian establishes the extraordinary significance of artwork and public spectacles in cutting across language, religion, and class to tell stories of nationhood, belonging, and difference.

Karen Stanworth is associate professor in the faculties of education and fine arts at York University.

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“An intriguing study of the visual culture produced by inhabitants of Québec and Ontario in the decades surrounding Confederation.” Quebec Studies

“In Visibly Canadian Stanworth makes a powerful argument for why visual culture matters, and how historians can enrich our understanding of the past by paying attention to images of all kinds.” Gillian Poulter, Department of History and Classics, Acadia University

“Visibly Canadian provides an innovative approach to the use and analysis of sources and challenges readers to consider seriously the role of visual culture in constructing our understanding of the past. The author’s inclusion of methodological notes in w

“A thoughtful book. Stanworth writes for an academic readership, but her careful research and insightful analysis held my attention.” Charlotte Gray, Canada’s History