Jean Chartrand Photography

Soaring arches, gargoals, and stained glass. Centre Block's clock and bell tower — The Peace Tower — is a neo Gothic masterpiece.

Parliament’s Centre Block in Black and White

Jean R. Chartrand
March 13, 1959 — April 26, 2021

Jean R. Chartrand | 1959—2021

April 26 marked three years since Jean passed away. Not a day goes by that we don’t think about him.

📷 Jean taking a break in María Luisa Park in Seville, during him honeymoon in Spain in 1985.

Waiting Patiently or Patiently Waiting?

Antique chairs in the Rotunda of Parliament’s Centre Block—often used by staff waiting for their MPs to leave committee or caucus meetings. One of the many interesting captures from inside Centre Block taken by Jean.

I took my father, Jean, on many "behind the scenes tours" of Center Block when I previously worked there as a staffer. He always captured interesting shots, especially of the most mundane things. Photography is largely about finding the beauty in everyday things, like chairs in a hall.

—Philippe

Peekaboo, I see you 🦊

"The cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf."

- Thomas Paine

Happy Dominion Day 🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day!

On July 1st 1867, the British North America Act united the three colonies of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick and New Scotia to create the Dominion of Canada as a new, domestically self-governing federation within the British Empire, consisting of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

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Sometimes, we need the fog to remind ourselves that all of life is not black and white.
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The Minto Bridges are a series of truss bridges that span across the Rideau River, connecting Union Street to Green Island and Maple Island. The bridges were built between 1900 and 1902 and part of a ceremonial route leading from Rideau Hall to Parliament Hill. They were named after the eighth Governor General of Canada, who was subsequently the Earl of Minto.

It was a historic weekend with the coronation of Canada's new monarch and head of state, Charles III, King of Canada.

A photo taken by Jean of His Majesty The King and Queen Consort—then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall—outside of Queen's Park during their Royal Tour celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.

God Save the King.

A favorite from one of the many Indian weddings Jean captured over the years...

Looking Up. A different view of the Bank of Canada Building.

Kwakiutl Moon Mask.

The Haida who have traditionally occupied Haida Gwaii, an archipelago of islands — the Queen Charlotte Islands — just off the coast of British Columbia for at least 12,500 years, have fascinated all who have visited them.

To early visitors the Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) presented a culture, complex in social organization and rich in artistic expression, which displayed a fine and fulfilling balance between man and the natural and supernatural worlds.

Among the Haida, masks were used mostly by members of the secret societies. Secret society dances frequently used both masks and puppets to represent wild spirits of the woods, which the Haida called gagiid. The Haida also employed masks in potlatch performances to illustrate the spirit beings encountered by their ancestors.

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Kwakiutl Moon Mask, 1974
Tony Hunt Sr.
Abalone Shell, Cedar
Canadian Museum of History Collection