Minna Keene | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Minna Keene

Minna Keene, née Bergman, photographer (b at Arolsen, Germany 5 Apr 1861; d at Oakville, Ont Nov 1943). A self-taught photographer, she was a member of the London Salon, a society devoted to the promotion of pictorial photography.

Minna Keene, née Bergman, photographer (b at Arolsen, Germany 5 Apr 1861; d at Oakville, Ont Nov 1943). A self-taught photographer, she was a member of the London Salon, a society devoted to the promotion of pictorial photography. In 1908 she became the first woman to be admitted as a fellow to the Royal Photographic Society. Immigrating to Canada about 1913, she was commissioned by the CPR to photograph the Rockies (1914-15), opened a studio in Toronto in 1920 and relocated to Oakville in 1922. Keene travelled, exhibited and lectured widely. She received medals for photographic excellence in Japan, South Africa and Australia. Her photographs are in the collections of the National Archives of Canada and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.