Niagara Parks Unveils First Photo Taken of Niagara Falls
For Immediate Release
October 27, 2010
Niagara Parks Unveils First Photo Taken of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, ON – As The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) commemorates its 125th anniversary, it also celebrates the 170th anniversary of the first photo of Niagara Falls (and of Canada) taken by Englishman Hugh Lee Pattinson in 1840.
Thirteen years ago, Newcastle University in England rediscovered hidden gems in their library archives; the original Daguerreotype photographs of Mr. Pattinson. Newcastle University has generously loaned NPC use of these images for display, and a new interpretive panel will be installed in the original spot from which these rare photos were taken – the street level of the Maid of the Mist Marketplace.
Looking at the images now, many of the features and buildings in his photos of Niagara have been lost to time; but the one constant is the mighty cataracts and the beauty and power they portray.
“Today, millions of visitors carry on the same tradition started by Pattinson in 1840,” stated NPC Chair, Fay Booker. “As part of our 125th anniversary, we are proud to share these images with our visitors for years to come.”
The Niagara Parks Commission is an agency of the Government of Ontario that has preserved and maintained the parklands and attractions surrounding the Falls, while remaining financially self-sufficient since 1885.
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Click HERE for Backgrounder. Digital images available. For more information, please contact:
Tony Baldinelli
Communications Manager, The Niagara Parks Commission
tbaldinelli@niagaraparks.com
(905) 371-0837