Melvin Ormond Hammond was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 journalist and photographer, known throughout his professional career simply as M. O. Hammond.

Life

He was born in Clarkson, Ontario

Clarkson, Ontario

Clarkson, Canada, can mean the following places:*Clarkson, Mississauga*Clarkson, Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario*Clarkson Township, Ontario a township in Nipissing...

 as the only son of his parents, Alvin and Catharine (née Nauman). They were farmers, and young Melvin had to help out with the daily chores besides his going to school, first in Clarkson, then in Oakville

Oakville, Ontario

Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...

. He first ventured into journalism at the age of 14, when he became a correspondent for the Oakville Star. Three years later, he moved to Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, where he got a position with the Toronto Globe. He started out as the secretary of the managing editor, but soon became a general reporter, and shortly afterwards was posted as a political reporter at Queen's Park, the seat of the government of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

In 1900, he married Clara Williams, a Methodist minister's daughter; together, they would have a son (Harold James, born 1901) and a daughter named Helen Isabel (b. 1909). From 1903 to 1906, Hammond was sent to Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, reporting for the Globe from Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...

. After his return to Toronto, he worked in various editorial positions at the Globe until his death in autumn 1933.

Work

Besides his interests in politics, his different positions at the Globe permitted him to also satisfy his interests in Canadian history and culture. As arts editor of the Globe, he wrote on, promoted, and came to know many Canadian artists and writers of his time.

Although Hammond was a successful journalist, his work as a photographer has proved of more lasting value. He recognized the value of photography early on, and documented his travels extensively. As a member of the Toronto Camera Club

Toronto Camera Club

The Toronto Camera Club is the oldest photography club in Canada, founded in 1888. It aims "to study and promote the art of photography in all its branches". It is situated in Toronto....

, he had been exhibiting his photographic works regularly at various exhibitions, including the Canadian National Exhibition

Canadian National Exhibition

Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...

. Hammond illustrated many of his newspaper articles with his own photographs. Over the years, he acquired a reputation as a skilled portrait photographer, and through his memberships in the Toronto Camera Club and the Arts and Letters Club, also had the opportunity to photograph many famous artists of his time.

Beyond journalism and photography, Hammond also wrote three books:

• Confederation and Its Leaders, Toronto, McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 1917; a book containing political biographies
• Canadian Footprints: A Study in Foregrounds and Backgrounds, Toronto, MacMillan, 1926; a book on the theory of photography
• Painting and Sculpture in Canada, Toronto, The Ryerson Press, 1931

See also

• Newton McTavish, another journalist and photographer from Toronto
• Centennial of the City of Toronto
  Centennial of the City of Toronto
  The Centennial of the City of Toronto was celebrated in 1934. The celebrations included numerous events, exhibitions, and commemorations.Of the most modern relevance is the "Toronto's Hundred Years" Publication Committee, which published Toronto's 100 Years, from which much historical perspective...
  
  , 1934, of which Hammond was on the Pictures Committee.

External links

• On-line exhibition of Hammond's photographs.