The donation includes two photographs that were taken at Gittelmacher's Studio in 1922. The first is a portrait of Leona, Ida and Albert Lenchner from Pittsburgh. The second is a portrait of Albert and Leona Lenchner with their cousin Bernard Segal, who was also from Pittsburgh.
This accession consists of a sheet of 15 postage stamps of former Prime Minister of Israel Levi Eshkol, printed in 1970 and featuring a portrait taken by Gilbert in 1968; a sheet of 6 postage stamps of former Israeli president Chaim Herzog printed in 1998 and featuring a portrait taken by Gilbert in 1989, as well as a CD featuring several Israeli stamps from the donor's personal collection. There is also a photograph of Conrad Black and American president Richard Nixon.
68 photographs : b&w and col. (34 jpgs and tifs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300 dpi
Scope and Content
The accession consists of 34 portrait prints produced by photographer Al Gilbert. It also includes the corresponding digital images. The individuals documented are prominant Toronto Jews and include: Ronald Appleby, Michael Benjamin, Avi Bennett, Edward Bronfman, Judy Feld Carr, Lou Copeland, Dan Leslie, John Daniels, A. E. Diamond, Dr. Martin Dobkin, Anne Golden, Ed Goodman, Al Green, Alex Grossman, Carl Keifitz, Marvelle Koffler, Joseph and Wolf Lebovic, Murray Menkes, Miles Nadal, Sam Pencer, Nathan Phillips, Lou Posluns, Wilfred Posluns, Alex Schanider, Seymour Schulich, Izzy Sharpe, Sam Shopsowitz, Edward Sokolowski, Ed Sonshine, Fran Sonshine, Joseph Tanenbaum, Larry Tanenbaum, Max Tanenbaum, and Ray Wolfe.
Administrative History
Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.
Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
42 photographs : b&w and col. (21 jpgs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300dpi
Date
1965-2009
Scope and Content
The accession consists of 21 portrait prints and corresponding digital images. These items document national and international figures and include: Bill Barber, Tony and Elizabeth Comper, Barney Danson, Tony Esposito, Victor Feldbrill, Monty Hall, Beverley Harvard, Pope John Paul II, Robert Kaplan, Sophie Milman, Henry Moore, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brad Park, Shimon Peres, Gilbert Perreault, Marjorie Pigott, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Vladislav Alexander Tretiak, Pamela Wallen, Sara and Al Waxman, and Micahel Wilson.
Administrative History
Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.
Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
44 photographs : b&w and col. (22 jpgs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300 dpi
Date
1970-2010
Scope and Content
The records in this accession include 22 portrait prints and the corresponding digital images taken by photographer, Al Gilbert. These photographs document prominent Toronto figures including: Jalyn Bennett, Rudy Bratty, Michael Lee Chin, Archbishop Thomas Collins, Dr. James E. Cruise, Dominic D'Allesandro, Eric Exton, Julian Fantino, Saul Feldberg, Lloyd Fogler, Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Harry Gorman, Ben and Hilda Katz, Medhat Mahdy, Rabbi David Monson, Dr. Nancy Olivieri, Rabbi Gunther Plaut, Rabbi Erwin Schild, Judy Sgro, John Tory, Bill Wen, and Joyce Weiland.
Administrative History
Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.
Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
56 negatives : b&w, 1 col. ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Al Gilbert was born on November 18, 1922 in Toronto. His father Nathan Gittelmacher [Gilbert] owned a photography studio, called Elite Studios, where Al began to learn the photography trade. Al went to Central Technical High School for commercial art and started working at his father's store after he graduated at the age of 19. Al returned to school as an adult and earned his Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsmen degree from the Professional Photographers of America.
Al took over Gilbert Studios and moved to a larger location on Eglinton Street and then later to Davenport Road. Al married, and he and his wife Gail had two children named Nina and Michael.
Al began his career following in the tradition of his father photographing weddings and other significant events in the community. However, he also expanded his repertoire to include series of portraits documenting different cultural and religious groups. While still making a name for himself, Al arranged a deal with a local radio station -- CKEY -- that had a promotional programme called Club 580. The programme was designed to draw music celebrities down to an auditorium where school kids would get the chance to see them. He approached the station, asking if he could photograph these musicians, and in exchange, provide the station with picture postcards depicting the musicians. Some of the entertainers he photographed during this period included: Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie. One of his most personally significant series documents all of Israel's Prime Ministers starting in 1959 with David Ben Gurion up until the late 1990s. Most recently, Al finished a series of portraits depicting prominent Italian Canadian men and women.
One of Al Gilbert's photographic influences was George Hurrell, whose portraits of Hollywood movie starts were backlit with spotlights creating a glamorous effect. In 1943, Gilbert started to introduce some of Hurrell's lighting techniques into his portraits. He was constantly changing the window displays at his store to draw attention to his latest techniques and attract a new clientele. Twenty years later, still fascinated with lighting, Al started using more window lighting and doing outdoor photography; he also perfected the technique of simulating natural light using artificial sources of light.
Al Gilbert built his reputation as a portrait photographer. Due to his innovative style and the prominence of his subjects, Al's work has received much recognition -- he has been given the Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1968, 1969, and 1973 from the Professional Photographers of Canada. He was awarded the Order of Canada and held the Confederate Medal of Canada. In addition, he was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Photographic Industry of America and the International Award from the American Society of Photographers.
Scope and Content
Series consists of portraits taken by Al Gilbert. The portraits depict prominent individuals from the Toronto Jewish community, Jewish clubs, politicians, and several well-known personalities including the comedians Wayne and Shuster.
Notes
All portraits were selected with the exception of duplicates and portraits where the issue of ownership remains unresolved because the photographer is unknown.
3153 photographs : b&w and col. (3133 negatives) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller
13 sheets of postage stamps
1 folder of textual records
2 presentation pieces : 23 x 34 x 2 cm
Date
[1945?]-2006
Scope and Content
Accession consists of Negev Dinner negatives for the years of 1969, 1975-1977, and 1979-2006. Also included are several presentation pieces comprised of portraits that Gilbert took for presidents and prime ministers of Israel and Israeli Prime Ministerial postage stamps produced from those portraits. Some of the presentation pieces are accompanied by thank-you letters address to Gilbert and signatures of Gilbert and presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured. Accession also includes six portraits featuring Robert Sterling, Elliotte Friedman’s grandmother, [Sydney Sugarman?], and one unidentified person; two unidentified group photographs; one unidentified wedding photograph; and one photograph depicting Al Gilbert at an event. Also included is an oversized group photograph of Greenfild’s Jewish Radio Hour of CKOC featuring Max Mandel and his colleagues.
Negev Dinner honourees include Mark Levy and Harry Gorman (1969); Rabbi Gunther Plaut (1975); James Kay (1976); Premier Bill Davis (1977); Murray Koffler (1979); Rose Wolfe (1980); Theodore Richmond (1981); Arnold Epstein and Madeline Epstein (1982); Kurt Rothschild and Edith Rothschild (1983); Abe Posluns (1984); Donald Carr and Judy Feld Carr (1985); Dr. Gerald Halbert (1986); Edwin Goodman (1987); Douglas Bassett (1988); Max Sharp and Isadore Sharp (1989); Bernard Weinstein (1990); Harry Gorman (1991); Albert Mandel, Nathan Hurwich, and Lewis Moses (1992); George Cohen (1993); Joey Tanenbaum (1994); Leslie Dan (1995); Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman (1996); Edward Bronfman (1997); Allan Silber (1998); Dr. Anne Golden (1999); Avie Bennett (2000); Alex Grossman (2001); Toby Feldberg and Saul Feldberg (2002); Eli Rubinstein and Renée Rubinstein (2003); Ronald Appleby (2004); Joseph Lebovic and Wolf Lebovic (2005); Ed and Fran Sonshine (2006).
Presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured include Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, and Chaim Herzog.
Custodial History
Accession donated by Nina Gilbert, Al Gilbert's daughter, on behalf of the Estate of Al Gilbert.
Administrative History
Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 to Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business. It thrived under his management. To accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events, and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. He was also paid to produce portraits for local entrepreneurs. Moreover, his multi-year contract with the city gave him sole responsibility of producing portraits for the mayors and council members. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community and began to produce images for businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national, and international celebrities, artists, and leaders, such as Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers, Prince Charles, and the last Pope. He also produced portraits for all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into postage stamps by the Israeli government. Gilbert’s work, therefore, captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary brides to extraordinary world leaders.
Throughout his career, Al has won many professional awards and accolades from his peers. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Photographer of the Year award of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain, and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour that PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
7 photographs : b&w, silver gelatine print ; 36 x 28 cm
2 p. of textual records
1 photograph : col. ; 36 x 28 cm
Scope and Content
Accession consists of two custom boxes, the first containing 8 photographic prints depicting Oscar Peterson in various years ranging from 1950 to 1997, photographed by Al Gilbert. Each print is signed and numbered. The second box contains an overview of the folio, with an introduction by Kelly Peterson and a listing of the photographic prints.
Administrative History
Oscar Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
The Oscar Peterson Folio was a limited edition, numbered as 7 of 33 folios from the original negatives and files.
Descriptive Notes
The photographs are contained in archival sleeves in a custom archival portfolio.
Oscar Peterson's signature appears on the outside of one of the boxes.
Nathan Gittelmacher was an immigrant from Kiev, Russia who moved to Toronto and first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios. In 1922, he opened up his own business called Elite Studios, located at 615 Queen Street West. He specialized in portraits and catered to a largely Jewish clientele. Many of Nathan's portraits were produced with a large format view camera and printed from glass negatives.
Nathan Gittelmacher changed his family's name to Gilbert in the early 1940s and subsequently altered the family business name to Gilbert Studios. Nathan was married to Nina and they had four children named: Lou, Jack, Albert and Ruth.
Scope and Content
Series consists of photographs taken by Nathan Gilbert. The photographs in this series are mostly of the Gilbert family. One of the Gilbert family portraits depicts the Gilbert automobile with the Elite Studio's insignia written across the side of the car. Also here, are a few examples of studio portraits that reflect Nathan Gilbert's photographic style.
Accession consists of material that belonged to the late Gilbert Seltzer. Included are handwritten copies of a Camp Yungvelt paper, the Whoosis, and a photograph of a Yiddish youth group, the Yiddisher Kunst-Tsenter (Yiddish/Jewish Art Centre). The Whoosis issues are undated, while the photograph is from 1929/30.
Custodial History
Richard Seltzer discovered the material after his father's death and donated it to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Gilbert Seltzer was born on 11 October 1914 in Toronto, Ontario, to Julius Seltzer and Marion Seltzer (née Liss). Gilbert's parents were both Russian immigrants. Julius owned a knitting mill, and Marion was a homemaker. Julius was also an anarchist, and he and Marion had a cottage in the Workmen's Circle Colony in Pickering, Ontario. As a child, Gilbert attended Camp Yungvelt, a Yiddish summer camp for Jewish children. His son, Richard, would later recall that Gilbert "sang songs from there and vaguely spoke of the Whosis," the camp's publication.
Gilbert studied architecture at the University of Toronto, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1937. After graduating, he worked for an architectural firm in Manhattan. During the Second World War, he served with the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a secret army unit that would become known as the Ghost Army. According to Gilbert's obituary in the New York Times, "The unit fooled German forces with inflatable tanks, dummy airplanes, fake radio transmissions and sound effects." In later years, Gilbert would serve as an ambassador for the unit's veterans.
After the war, Gilbert resumed work as an architect. His projects included the Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, New York; buildings at West Point and the US Merchant Marine Academy; and the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park, Lower Manhattan. He worked as an architect until January 2020.
Gilbert met his future spouse, Molly Gold (m. Seltzer), in New Jersey. The couple had two children together: Joan Seltzer and Richard Seltzer. Molly died in 1994, and Gilbert died on 14 August 2021. He was 106.
Use Conditions
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Nathan Gittelmacher was an immigrant from the Ukraine who moved to Toronto and first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios. In 1922, he opened up his own business called Elite Studios, located at 615 Queen Street West. He specialized in portraits and catered to a largely Jewish clientele.
Nathan Gittelmacher changed his family's name to Gilbert in the early 1940s and subsequently altered the family business name to Gilbert Studios. Nathan was married to Nina and they had four children named: Lou, Jack, Albert and Ruth.
Scope and Content
Image is of Nathan and Nina Gilbert with their eldest child, Lou.
Notes
The archivist has made an informed guess about the identity of the child based on the date of the photograph.
Subjects
Families
Portraits, Group
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
1 photograph : sepia ; 10 x 7 cm (sight) in matte 19 x 13 cm
Admin History/Bio
Al Bochner became a psychiatrist in the United States. Mosie Bochner married the daughter of Yolles, who owned a furniture store on Yonge Street, south of Bloor Street in Toronto.
Scope and Content
This item is an original studio portrait of Al and Mosie Bochner of Guelph, Ontario.
Notes
Title taken from identification list provided by the donor.
Photographer was C. Burgess of Guelph, Ont.
Subjects
Children
Portraits
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
File consists of correspondence between the Koffler Gallery and Boyer regarding his solo exhibit, a bio of the artist, a Koffler Gallery exhibition contract, a proposal for Public Art Work commissioned for the BJCC's 40th anniversary, a list of funding sources available for community art projects, a price list for Works in the Teffilin exhibit, a media release for the Teffilin exhibit, 20 slides of works in the Teffilin exhibit, an exhbit catalogue entitled Teffilin, and reviews of the exhibit.
The file consists of correspondence concerning Canadian Young Judaea, a letter to the editor of the Star Phoenix newspaper, trips to Israel, and celebrations of Israel's independence.
Albert Samuel Waxman was born on March 2, 1935. He had two children named Adam and Tobaron. A well-known Toronto actor, Al's most famous part was on the television series called the King of Kensington. He also appeared in numerous television films, feature films and as a guest on many television sitcoms. Al Waxman was also an adjunct professor of Theatre and Film at York University. He was actively involved with several different charities and community organizations including B'nai B'rith, Big Brothers, Variety Club, the Stratford Festival, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and many other professional associations.
Al Waxman received a Gemini, an ACTRA award, a Clio and an Emmy. Moreover, he was a recipient of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal and was invited into the Order of Canada in 1997. He died in 2001 and a life sized cast bronze statue of Al Waxman was erected in Bellevue Square Park in Kensington Market.
Scope and Content
Photograph is of actor Al Waxman. The portrait is a black and white studio photograph.
Name Access
Waxman, Al
Subjects
Actors
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
This item is an original print of Julia Koschitzky, taken by Al Gilbert for a feature article in Lifestyles magazine. Accompanying the photograph is the resulting cover of the magazine.
Accession consists of thirty-one scanned family photographs of the Gilbert family of Toronto from the 1920s and 1930s. Four of the images scanned were modern reprints; two are composites, one of Albert and one of Jack. Some of the originals were produced as postcards to be sent to family members.
Administrative History
Nachman "Nathan" Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then immigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan retired, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Use Conditions
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Accession consists of 3 acetate copy negatives produced by Gilbert Studios. Two negatives document the Rolex Club and one negative documents the Yolles-Herzls' softball team.
Administrative History
Nathan Gittelmacher (Gilbert) came to Canada from Kiev, Russia. He established Gilbert Studios in Toronto in 1922 the year his son Albert was born. His son Albert Gilbert took over the business in 1945.
Albert Gilbert married Gail and they parented two children named Nina and Michael. Al became a well known portrait photographer and has had the opportunity to photograph many well known personalities, including a series documenting all of Israel's Prime Ministers.
In 1997, the City of Toronto honoured him on the 75th Anniversary of Gilbert Studio with a gala reception and exhibition held at Metro Hall
222 photographs (negatives, prints, jpg) : col. and b&w ; 18 x 13 cm and smaller
Date
[191-]-[ca. 1970]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs which document the Gilbert family and Gilbert Studios. Photographs of the Gilbert family are predominately portraits of Nina and the children during the 1920s and 1930s. The Gilbert Studios material largely consist of portraits of members of the Jewish community and fashion and wedding photographs. Also included in the accession are both negatives and a print of the Elite Studios storefront taken in 1923. Other notable photograph subjects in the accession include the B. Sherman Hardware storefront, Lou and Nat Turofsky, Harry Sonshine, Leon Weinstein, J. Irving Oelbaum, and Alex Levinsky. All images in the accession are black and white except for a print of Nathan Phillips.
Custodial History
The photographs were donated in 2008 and notes indicate that the archivist was awaiting documentation from Jack Gilbert. Since that time, some materials have been returned to the donor upon request. Previous archivists placed the negatives in acid-free envelopes and scanned a portion of the material. The original conservation report for the glass negatives completed in 2008 evaluated 42 glass negatives, but only 26 remain in this accession.
Administrative History
Nachman "Nathan" Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.
Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis ("Lou"), Albert ("Al"), Jack, and Ruth.
During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events, and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has produced many artistic portraits of local, national, and international celebrities as well as artists and leaders such as Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers, Prince Charles, Israel's prime ministers (these portraits were made into stamps by Israel's government), and, finally, the last pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.
Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Related material note: see fonds 37 and accessions 2007-12-17, 2007-12-18, 2008-4-7, 2008-6-12, 2009-5-2, 2009-7-8
This accession consists of records of the Northwood Country Club, copies of newsletters edited by Al Cooper, and copies of comic book pages drawn by Cooper.
Administrative History
Al Cooper was a well-known Canadian comic book artist in the 1940s. He died on 7 Jan. 1986 at the age of 60. Mr. Cooper worked for Active Comics and was responsible for three of the original Canadian comic books: Commandos, Captain Red Thornton, and Scotty McDonald. He later became a partner and director of Maple Leaf Press, and in 1963 started his own printing company, Cooper Graphics and Associates. He served as president of the Downsview Lodge of B'nai Brith. He was also involved with the Northwood Country Club in Toronto.
Accession consists of three photographs of Canadian army personnel at a Passover seder in Prince George, British Columbia on April 3, 1944. Identified are Al Spiegel, Herb Hurwitz, and Hy Melnick.
Nathan Gittelmacher was an immigrant from the Ukraine who moved to Toronto and first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios. In 1922, he opened up his own business called Elite Studios, located at 615 Queen Street West. He specialized in portraits and catered to a largely Jewish clientele.
Nathan Gittelmacher changed his family's name to Gilbert in the early 1940s and subsequently altered the family business name to Gilbert Studios. Nathan was married to Nina and they had four children named: Lou, Jack, Albert and Ruth.
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Gilbert family in swimming suits posing in front of their automobile with the Elite Studio insignia at Sunnyside Beach in Toronto.
Boris Waxer is lying on top of the car and Nina Gilbert is behind the wheel. In front of the car from left to right are: Nathan Gilbert, Albert Gilbert, Jack Gilbert, Lou Gilbert, Evelyn Stacker and reclining in front is Joe Gilbert. Standing at the far right is the driver.
Name Access
Stacker, Evelyn
Waxer, Boris
Subjects
Automobiles
Outdoor recreation
Portraits, Group
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
690 photographs : b&w and col. negatives ; 26 x 21 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Gilbert Studios was originally called Elite Studios and was located at 513 Queen Street West, Toronto. The owner, Nathan Gittelmacher, immigrated to Toronto from Kiev, Ukraine after the First World War. He first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios, and then in 1922, opened up his own studio, Elite Studios, at 513 Queen Street West, which serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events. The studio moved to 615 Queen St. West in July 1923
.During the 1940s, the family changed its name to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. His son, Al Gilbert, was born in 1922, and started working in the family business in 1941, when he was 19 years of age. He eventually assumed control of it after his father retired. He moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and then later to Davenport Road, its current location.
Early on in his career, Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer. At that time, he mostly catered to the Jewish community, photographing brides, rabbis, businessmen and communal events and celebrations. Over the years, he branched out and photographed prominent individuals from the Italian community of Toronto, as well as well as many of the mayors and councilmen and women from Toronto, due to his multi-year contract with the city. In addition, he photographed some of the most important people of our time – from Canada and abroad – including artists, politicians, scientists, philanthropists, athletes, and religious figures.
Over the years, Al won many competitions, awards and accolades. He is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) photographer of the year award. He has also been named a Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. Al was also the first recipient of the Yousuf Karsh award. In 1990, he was recognized for his contribution to the nation as an artist with the Order of Canada award. Finally, in 2007, he was awarded the Professional Photographers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He died in 2019 at the age of 96.
Gilbert Studios is still in business today.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of images taken by Nathan and Al Gilbert. In addition, there are some images the Gilbert family acquired, from the early 1900s, that have historical significance to the Toronto Jewish community.
Although the Gilberts photographed a variety of people and organizations, the individuals and groups included in this fonds are either Jewish in origin or connected to the Jewish community.
The fonds has been arranged into nine series: Negev dinners; B'nai B'rith Sportsmen Lodge dinners; Zionist Centre cornerstone ceremony; Al Gilbert portraits; Nathan Gilbert portraits; weddings; Jewish Community events; Jewish clubs businsesses and organizations; and Miscellaneous collection.
Notes
Positive digital scanned images are available for all of the described negatives.
Name Access
Elite Studios (Toronto, Ont.)
Gilbert, Al, 1923-2019
Gilbert, Nathan
Gilbert Studio
Physical Condition
Some negatives are suffering from vinegar syndrome.
Related Material
See also the Albert Gilbert fonds (Reference # R9086-0-X-E) at Library and Archives Canada
105 photographs : b&w and col. (27 negatives and 39 tifs) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller and 300 dpi
Date
1972-2006
Scope and Content
This accession includes thirty-nine black-and-white and colour portrait prints along with accompanying digital images (tifs) and negatives. The images were created by photographer Al Gilbert of national- and internationally-renowned entertainers, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, and artists. Individuals include: Lincoln Alexander, Harold Ballard, Pierre Berton, Boris Brott, Cardinal Emmett Carter, Raymond Chretien, Robertson Davies, Bill Davis, Brian Dixon, Art Eggleton, Paul Godfrey, Edward Greenspan, Rev. Andrew Hutchinson, Hal Jackman, Bora Laskin, Mel Lastman, Guy LaFleur, Howie Mandel, Paul Martin Sr., Hazel McCallion, Roy McMurtry, David Peterson, Paul Reichmann, Phillip Reichmann, Frank Stronach, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum, Kenneth Thompson, John Turner, Galen Weston, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Administrative History
Nathan Gittelmacher immigrated to Toronto from Kiev, Ukraine after the First World War. He first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios, and then in 1922, opened up his own studio, Elite Studios, at 615 Queen Street West. Many of Nathan’s portraits were produced with a large format view camera and from glass negatives.
During the 1940s, the family changed its name to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. Nathan’s son, Albert, who was born 18 November 1922, started working in the family business in 1941, when he was nineteen years old. He eventually assumed control of it after his father retired. He moved the studio to Eglington Avenue and then later to Davenport Road, its current location, in order to accommodate its growing clientele.
Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.
In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, Pope John Paul II. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.
Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada and recently nominated for the Order of Ontario. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
An item list is located here: S:\Appraisal\00 Monetary appraisals\CPERB\2007-12-18, Gilbert\2007-12-18 CPERB list.xls
USE CONDITION NOTE: Permission for use must be granted by Mr. Al Gilbert or his children. Attribution beneath Mr. Gilbert’s work to read: Al Gilbert C.M. or Portrait by Al Gilbert C.M. Reproduction Prints can only be made by Gilbert Studios under Mr. Gilbert’s direction. Mr. Gilbert’s work cannot be reproduced by any third party off these web sites or exhibits with permission. No cropping or alterations to the original image is allowed.
Accession consists of a two negatives: one of a composite photo of the graduating class from the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and one of a composite of the Toronto General Hospital house staff.
Photograph is of the Gilbert Studios baseball team. Al Gilbert sponsored and coached the boys, who were between the ages of nine and eleven. He also arranged to get the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club and players to help coach the team.
The boy in the centre is Paul Godfrey.
Name Access
Gilbert Studios baseball team
Godfrey, Paul
International League's Toronto Maple Leafs
Subjects
Sports teams
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Nathan Gittelmacher was an immigrant from the Ukraine who moved to Toronto and first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios. In 1922, he opened up his own business called Elite Studios, located at 615 Queen Street West. He specialized in portraits and catered to a largely Jewish clientele.
Nathan Gittelmacher changed his family's name to Gilbert in the early 1940s and subsequently altered the family business name to Gilbert Studios. Nathan was married to Nina and they had four children named: Lou, Jack, Albert and Ruth.
Scope and Content
Image of Nina Gilbert with her three sons: Lou, Jack, and Albert. The photograph was taken by Nathan Gilbert.
Name Access
Gilbert, Nina
Subjects
Mothers and sons
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Al Hershkovitz was a fur union representative who helped organize the project that brought furriers from the displaced persons camps of Europe to Canada in the late 1940s. As a union representative, Al was granted temporary military rank in order to enter the displaced persons camps in Europe. He became part of the selection committee responsible for determining which displaced persons could come to Canada.
Albert Gilbert was born in Toronto. His father was Nathan Gittelmacher (Gilbert) who came to Canada from Kiev, Russia. He established Gilbert Studios in Toronto in 1922, the year Albert was born. Albert began working with his father, who was also a photographer. Albert took over the business in 1945. He married Gail, and they have two children, Nina and Michael. Albert became a well-known portrait photographer and has had the opportunity to photograph many well known personalities, including a series documenting all of Israel's prime ministers. In 1997, the City of Toronto honoured him on the seventy-fifth anniversary of Gilbert Studio with a gala reception and exhibition held at Metro Hall.
Albert was awarded the Photographer of the Year Award from the Professional Photographers of Canada in 1968, 1969, and 1973. He is a fellow of the Professional Photographers of Canada, a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, and a fellow of the American Society of Photographers. In 1989, he was made a member of the Order of Canada in recognition for being "a master portrait photographer." His son, Michael, is also a photographer.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Claire and Al Roebuck were involved in the Tailor Project to bring skilled trade workers from the displaced persons camps of Europe to Canada after the Second World War. Claire worked for the Canadian Overseas Garment Worker's Commission with Thomas Aplin.
This item is a photograph of Leonard Wise of Brantford, Ontario, with Marci Gilbert of the Canadian Jewish Congress, at a picnic organized by the CJC for members of the small Jewish communities of Ontario. There is also an unidentified man in the photo.