James Inglis Cabinet Photo, Montreal (likely a copy of a daguerrotype)

This photo, which is part of my personal family photo collection was passed down from my maternal grandmother's side of the family. One of her grandfather's (either Daniel Wood or James Tait Shiells) had told her older sister, "never forget these people" when he first showed her this photo. Too bad he never actually mentioned who the people were!! I sent a copy of the photo to the McCord Museum in Montreal, and a woman with 40 years of photography experience contacted me and teold me that this photo was likley a copy of a daguerrotype (earliest type of photo used commercially beginning in 1839). That means that is this photo could have been taken in the 1840's and the couple in the photo look to be 55+ in age, they are likely to be the first generation of immigrants on one of the branches of this family to come from Scotland to settle in the Montreal area. Some of these family surnames include: Shiells, Boa, Hislop, McCandlish/Candlish, Tait, Muir, Turnbull.

To see my family tree:



Who are the people in this photo?