The desire to leave a mark on the world and to chronicle our lives is not a new concept. Over the centuries we have recorded our likeness through drawings, portrait paintings, sculpture, and in the past 180 years, through photography. While cellphone cameras and social media have made portrait-making and sharing second nature, portraiture and selfies share a few common themes—the love of capturing memories and our desire to be remembered.
This exhibition shows how the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake documented themselves, either through painting and drawings, or photography and pixels.
This exhibition explore 9,000 years of history from Indigenous history to the tourism boom of the 1970s. The gallery contains such significant artefacts as a powder horn belonging to Chief Joseph Brant, the Indian Department Coatee worn by Daniel Servos during the American Revolutionary War, uniforms from the War of 1812 and other items from Niagara's long history.
The Museum has several virtual exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture including the following topics: The Attawandaron, Loyalists, Black History, Our Western Home, Temporary Residents, Irish, Mennonite and Recent Settlement, Queenston, St. Davids, Chautauqua, Virgil, Board of Ordnance Stones, Camp Kosciuszko, Painting NOTL, Freemasonry in NOTL, Niagara Historical Society’s 125th Anniversary, and Niagara Historical Society Plaques.