Alexander Henderson’s photographs are the Canadian equivalent of John Gast’s American Progress. Born in Scotland in 1831, Henderson spent his life documenting Canada’s landscapes. His images are breathtakingly magisterial and sometimes melancholy. You feel the eerie quiet of open vistas, the chill of settled snow. Though there were and still are many photographers who create in the same genre, Henderson’s works contain a patriotism that is unique. His photos will remind you that the land of “O Canada” is “glorious.” Through next spring, over 2,000 Henderson prints will be on view at Montreal’s Musée McCord. —Thalia Bonas

Alexander Henderson, albumen Print, River Causapscal at the Intercolonial Railway Bridge, QC, about 1875.
Alexander Henderson: Art and Nature
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Musée McCord / Montreal / Art
Musée McCord / Montreal / Art
Photo: Gift of E. Dorothy Benson courtesy of the McCord Museum
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