“Nursing Child: c1907. Photo by Minna Keene. (Archivist PA-126629)
Toronto. Image collectors should keep a watchful eye out for photographs taken by known photographers such as the Keenes. Mina and Violet Keene were mother and daughter photographers best known in the Oakville area.
Issue 15-4 has two articles on them. The first (on Minna), by Andrew Roger, originally appeared in the Archivist while the second (on daughter Violet) is by Ev Roseborough for Photographic Canadiana.
Discussing Violet, Ev begins, “My first acquaintance with Violet Perinchief was sometime in 1932, when I was introduced to a soft-spoken person in a soft dress and large straw hat trimmed with flowers. It was my job to have advertising copy, written by Eleanor Stephens, approved by the new manager of The Portrait Studio, situated in Eaton’s – College Street, adjacent to the Art Gallery, on the second floor. This building had opened two years earlier, in Toronto.
“Soft drapery and flowers were to become a characteristic of her work and a hat was almost always worn in the studio. She lived in a gentle world of her own making and surrounded her sitters with an ambience enhanced by soft lighting and drapery.
“Violet Perinchief was the daughter of Minna Keene about whom Andrew Rodger has written on previous pages. Minna Keene’s position as a photographer of note in several countries had been firmly established. Her father, Caleb Keene, was an antique and art dealer, painter in oils and furniture designer, also widely known for his exquisitely executed Chinese lacquer cabinetry.”
The stories can be read in full in the pdf version of 15-4 which is on the PHSC DVD sent to all members. The DVD has copies of volumes 1-40 of our journal with each issue in pdf format. You can become a member and receive a DVD at no additional cost by following the information above in the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ menu item if you write a cheque or at right for use of a credit card or a PayPal account.
Visit our fall events to see if there is an item for your collection. The next event is our fall fair on October 20th. Details will be posted here next month.
