Fathers of Confederation Receiving Treatment
November 13 2020
Picture: @torontoartrestoration
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
My attention has been drawn to an interesting restoration project currently being undertaken in Toronto, Canada.
In 2017 a significant copy of one of Canada's most important paintings was damaged by scaffolders. Fathers of Confederation depicts the figures who passed 72 resolutions at the Quebec Conference in 1864. The conference is considered one of the most significant political moments in Canada's history.
The original painting, by Robert Harris, perished in 1916 due to a fire in the Canadian Parliament building. The restoration of this early copy by Frederick S Challener, which hangs in the Archives of Ontario, is being undertaken by Toronto Art Restoration Inc. They have posted several images of their progress on their Instagram Account showing what a truly mammoth task this has been.
Coincidentally, the painting was reinterpreted in 2016 by artist Kent Monkman in his work The Daddies.
