Unidentified portrait from Brussels. 20150064026
Those with ancestors who lived in Huron County in the 19th and 20th centuries might be able to help the Huron County Museum solve hundreds of mysteries by identifying some of the ‘forgotten’ faces in its new temporary exhibit Forgotten: People and Portraits of the County.
Opening to the public on Monday, Sept. 27, Forgotten features photographs from the Museum Archives that were taken in Huron County by local photographers, but the identity of the people pictured are unknown. The Museum hopes that through sharing these unidentified photos, the public will have the opportunity to help match some of these anonymous faces with names.
Unidentified portrait from Wingham – A0010012006
In addition to the exhibit at the Huron County Museum in Goderich, the public can further access this collection of forgotten portraits from home, both online through the Museum’s website and through a Forgotten exhibit Facebook group where members are invited to comment or share their own ‘forgotten’ Huron County faces from their own collections. Those who are able to help identify any of the individuals in the images are encouraged to contact the Museum at museum@huroncounty.ca Please be sure to include the object number for the photo.
Forgotten will also go behind the camera and focus on the commercial photographers who captured these striking moments of history. The images featured in the exhibit date from the 1860s to the 1920s and are a testament to the talents of studio photographers from towns and villages across Huron County, including: Wingham, Brussels, Blyth, Goderich, Clinton, Seaforth, Hensall, and Exeter. The Museum has recreated a photo studio from the time period as part of the exhibit, and visitors will be invited to step inside the studio to create their own portrait. To ensure these portraits do not get forgotten, participants are encouraged to share their images online by tagging the Museum @HuronCountyMuseum using the hashtag #ForgottenExhibit. When shared and tagged online, photos will be entered into a contest to win a portrait session with a local photographer.
Forgotten is open to the public during the Museum’s regular hours of operation and is included with regular admission, which is free for Museum members and Huron County Library card holders. For more information about Museum hours, please visit www.HuronCountyMuseum.ca.
Unidentified portrait from Goderich – 20140004010