William James was an early and prolific photographer who chronicled

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. His works have been widely collected and republished. James came to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in 1906, when he was forty years old. He made freelance photography his occupation in 1909, and was the founding President of the Canadian Photographers Association.

Mike Filey Mike Filey (October 11, 1941 – July 30, 2022) was a Canadian historian, radio host, journalist and author. He was awarded the Jean Hibbert Memorial Award in 2009 for promoting the city of Toronto and its history. Early life Born in 1941 in ...

, the author of a long-running column in the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'', on the history of Toronto, described James as a technical innovator. The

City of Toronto Archives The City of Toronto Archives is the municipal archives for the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It holds records created by the municipal government and its amalgamated former municipalities from 1792 to the present day, as well as non-governme ...

hosts a collection of over 6,000 of James's photographs.

Gallery

File:Raising the last stone.jpg,

Canada Life Building The Canada Life Building is a historic office building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph and stands at , including its weather beacon. It is located at University and Queen Street ...

Toronto, Ontario, Canada File:Flagpole painter with view looking west on Front Street from Yonge Street.jpg, Flagpole painter with view looking west on Front Street File:BankofCommerce1930.jpg,

Bank of Commerce Bank of Commerce, commonly known as BankCom, is a universal bank in the Philippines and is licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Bank of Commerce is an affiliate of San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Bank of Commerce has a network of 1 ...

, 1930 File:Looking southeast from Richmond and Bay streets.jpg, Looking southeast from Richmond and Bay streets File:Horses and delivery wagon stuck in the mud.jpg, Horses and delivery wagon stuck in the mud File:Sir Henry Pellatt's funeral at Toronto Armouries.jpg,

Sir Henry Pellatt Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, CVO (January 6, 1859 – March 8, 1939) was a Canadian financier and soldier. He is notable for his role in bringing hydro-electricity to Toronto for the first time, and also for his large château in Toronto ...

's funeral at Toronto Armouries File:1924 Toronto QueenW lookingEastfromJamesSt.jpg, Toronto 1924 File:ArmisticeDay1918QueenYonge.jpg, Toronto 1918 File:Looking north on Bay Street 1929.jpg, Toronto 1929 File:Board at the Toronto Stock Exchange.jpg, Board at the

Toronto Stock Exchange The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in t ...

File:Child and adult collecting coal or coke.jpg, Child and adult collecting coal or coke File:Crowds as soldiers leave Union Station 1914.jpg, Crowds as soldiers leave Union Station 1914 File:Family reads newspaper on Armistice Day.jpg, Family reads newspaper on

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...

File:Fruit and vegetable store on Coxwell.jpg, Fruit and vegetable store on Coxwell File:Auditorium Theatre in Toronto.jpg,

Auditorium Theatre The Auditorium Theatre is a music and performance venue located inside the Auditorium Building at 50 Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was d ...

in Toronto File:Aerial view of Eaton's College Street 1930 Toronto.jpg, Aerial view of Eaton's College Street 1930 Toronto

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, William 1866 births 1948 deaths People from Walsall 19th-century Canadian photographers 20th-century Canadian photographers Photographers from Staffordshire British emigrants to Canada