This large-format photogravure, and the issue of 291 in which it was originally issued, come from the collection of the eminent curator James Borcoman (1926-2019). Borcoman’s role in incorporating photography into Canadian museums was an early and crucial one. He founded the Photographs Collection at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in 1967, the first of its kind in Canada, and nurtured its growth to over 19,000 objects, resulting in a collection that has achieved a reputation both for the quality of its Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century holdings and for the excellence of its exhibitions and publications.

During a career that covered thirty-four years at the National Gallery, Borcoman (1926-2019) held a variety of positions, including Director of Exhibitions and Education, Head of Publications, Senior Curator of Photographs from 1971, and Chairperson of the Prints, Drawings and Photographs Collections. While at the National Gallery he was responsible for 47 exhibitions. Among Borcoman's numerous monographs and articles are Eugene Atget, 1857-1927 (1982); Karsh: The Art of the Portrait (1989); Magicians of Light: Photographs from the Collection of the National Gallery of Canada (1993); and Charles Nègre, 1820-1880 (1976), for which he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Photographic Historical Society of New York and a bronze medal from the Leipzig International Book Fair.

Borcoman was awarded the Order of Canada 2014 and honorary doctorates from Concordia University in Montreal and Carleton in Ottawa for his contributions to the art of photography in Canada including launching the careers of many photographers. Upon his retirement, he was made the only Curator Emeritus at the National Gallery of Canada. He continued researching and writing books and essays on the history of photography into his late 80s.