|
Detailed Description
|
| Related Items: |
 Arrival
of Galician immigrants in Quebec City, ca. 1911 |
 Arrival
of Russian Jewish immigrants in Quebec City, ca. 1911 |
|
|
Arrival of Dutch immigrants
in Quebec City
ca. 1911, by Topley Studio
This family of Dutch immigrants was photographed on
arrival in Quebec City by Topley of Ottawa. According
to departmental criteria of desirability, after British
and American immigrants came the northern and western
Europeans, particularly the Dutch, Scandinavians, and
Germans. These nationalities were considered to have
many qualities of the Anglo-Saxons and hence were easily
assimilable. The French, although racially desirable,
ostensibly posed a problem because they did not easily
assimilate into Anglo-Canadian society.
[more]
Photographs of western-bound immigrants were taken
at Quebec City at the request of the Immigration Branch
by Ottawa-based Topley Studio. The photographs were
used by overseas agents as proof that certain nationalities
were welcome in Canada. Not surprisingly, Topley carefully
recorded the nationality of each family he photographed
on the original glass negatives. This information
stands as a testament to the importance placed on
an immigrant's country of origin by immigration officials.
|
