Biography: 19th Century photographer Geraldine Moodie

Biography: 19th Century photographer Geraldine Moodie

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Geraldine Moodie (1854 – 1945) was a pioneering Canadian photographer.

She married John Douglas Moodie in England in 1878 and they had six children. They returned to Canada and briefly farmed in Manitoba, then moved to Ottawa, and in 1885 her husband received a commission with the North-West Mounted Police. She is best known for her work with Aboriginal peoples in the North-West Territories.

Living in rural Canada at the turn of the twentieth century, she found herself living in a world of male dominance and a lack of women with notable social status. Despite this adversity, she was far more successful and influential than her metropolitan counterparts.

She frequently accompanied her husband, John Douglas Moodie, on his travels, photographing the Innu people in the area of Hudson Bay (1904–1909). She also took photographs around Regina (1910–1911). Many of her photographs were in connection with her husband’s work on the Canadian Pacific Railway, accompanying his reports to Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier and CPR officials.

DGS Arctic frozen in the ice, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, April 1905

DGS Arctic frozen in the ice, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, April 1905. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit women and children at summer camp, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, August 1906

Inuit women and children at summer camp, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, August 1906. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit woman, Kootucktuck, in her beaded attigi. Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, February 1905

Inuit woman, Kootucktuck, in her beaded attigi. Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, February 1905. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Hudson Bay Company store covered with furs, Churchill, Manitoba, c.1906-09

Hudson Bay Company store covered with furs, Churchill, Manitoba, c.1906-09. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit man, Toopealock, of the Kinepetoo, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1904-05

Inuit man, Toopealock, of the Kinepetoo, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1904-05. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit woman, Mirkiook, and her child, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1905

Inuit woman, Mirkiook, and her child, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1905. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit woman ice fishing, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, 1905

Inuit woman ice fishing, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, 1905. Photo by Geraldine Moodie

Inuit woman, Ooktook, with child, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1904-05

Inuit woman, Ooktook, with child, Fullerton Harbour, Nunavut, c.1904-05. Photo by Geraldine Moodie


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