Western Fair Prize Medal
Date1879
DimensionsOverall: 50 mm
Credit LineGift of Mrs. W. H. Pike, Ilderton, Ontario, 1962
Object number1962.063.010
Label TextArtist and photographer John H. Griffiths (1826-1898) received this medal from the Western Fair in 1879. It honoured his skill in applying photographs to porcelain. Griffiths had opened a photography and fine art business at the corner of Dundas Street and Market Lane, selling art supplies and providing portrait photography. By contemporary accounts, he was highly regarded for his innovation. Broadening the range of his professional activities, he began to experiment with techniques that were new to Canada at the time. The application of photographs to procelain and ceramics is an example of this. Although the process of transfer printing onto ceramics had been used commercially for nearly 100 years, Griffiths was among the first artisans to master the technique in Canada, making one-of-a-kind pieces available to local consumers. His photo-transfers onto porcelain often involved the personalization of mass produced items with the embellishment of portraits of family, friends, or customers.
NameMedal, Prize
