Josiah Bruce
Josiah Bruce (June 16, 1840 – May 14, 1913) was a Canadian known for creating notable photographs of historic value in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Bruce's maternal grandfather, John Taylor, was a naval hero who served under Horatio Nelson, who had his picture painted for Britain's National Picture Gallery after he dived in and managed to retrieve dispatches a French officer had tried to dispose of by throwing them overboard. Bruce's parents joined Taylor, in Guelph, Ontario, in 1837.
Josiah Bruce
Josiah Bruce · This image is available from the Archives of Ontario under the item reference code F 1125-1-0-0-37 · Public domain
- Name
- Josiah Bruce
- Born
- 16 June 1840
- Birthplace
- Guelph, Upper Canada
- Died
- 14 May 1913
- Place of death
- Toronto
- Known for
- iconic photographs
- Nationality
- Canada
- Occupation
- artist · photographer
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Josiah Bruce (June 16, 1840 – May 14, 1913) was a Canadian known for creating notable photographs of historic value in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Bruce's maternal grandfather, John Taylor, was a naval hero who served under Horatio Nelson, who had his picture painted for Britain's National Picture Gallery after he dived in and managed to retrieve dispatches a French officer had tried to dispose of by throwing them overboard. Bruce's parents joined Taylor, in Guelph, Ontario, in 1837.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Bruce was born there in 1840. Bruce studied architecture at the Paisley Block School. In 1861, Bruce worked briefly as an architect in Quebec City but soon started working under established photographer William Notman in Montreal. Bruce worked for Notman for about fifteen years before setting up his photography studio in Toronto. According to his biographer Joan M. Schwarz, Bruce's 1876 photo of Ned Hanlan was probably the first ever taken of the famous rower. According to Graeme Mercer Adam's 1891 Toronto, Old and New, "There are few houses of refinement in Toronto, or for that matter, in Ontario, that do not contain one or more photographs executed in Mr. Bruce's excellent studio." In 1894, Bruce was awarded a contract from Toronto's City Engineer to photograph the city's work on public projects. Bruce replaced photographer F.W. Bruce documented city work for five years.
Dominion Bank Building, S. W. Corner King and Yonge (Toronto, Canada)
Josiah Bruce · This image is available from the Archives of Ontario under the item reference code F 1125-1-0-0-98
Confederation Life Building at Yonge and Richmond Streets (Toronto, Canada)
Josiah Bruce · This image is available from the Archives of Ontario under the item reference code F 1125-1-0-0-26
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Josiah Bruce • Born — 16 June 1840 • Birthplace — Guelph, Upper Canada • Died — 14 May 1913 • Place of death — Toronto • Known for — iconic photographs
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1840
Josiah Bruce born at Guelph.
1913
Josiah Bruce died at Toronto.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Guelph.
Birth place
Toronto.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Steve MacKinnon, Karen Teeple, Michele Dale. Toronto's Visual Legacy: Official City Photography from 1856 to the Present. James Lorimer & Company. 45. 2010. 9781552774373.
- 2.Kevin Plummer. Photographic Treasures from the Archives. Torontoist. 2009-03-05.
- 3.Joan M. Schwartz. Ned Hanlan: Portrait of a sports hero. History of Photography. 11. 2. 123–132. 1987. 10.1080/03087298.1987.10443780.
- 4.Graeme Mercer Adam. Toronto, Old and New: A Memorial Volume, Historical, Descriptive and Pictorial, Designed to Mark the Hundredth Anniversary of the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791, which Set Apart the Province of Upper Canada and Gave Birth to York (now Toronto) with Some Sketches of the Men who Have . Mail printing Company. 174. 1891.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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