• The Records
• The Database
• The Search Screens
• The Search Syntax
• Search Tips
• How to Interpret the Results
• How to Consult a Record or Order a Copy

A general description of the collection provides information on the provenance, history or general subject. These collections, with some exceptions, are also described in more detail by finding aids, usually at the item level.

This database contains item-level descriptions and describes a large part of our documentary art holdings. The rest is described in finding aids or inventories available only at the National Archives in Ottawa. As research in these holdings is subject to various constraints, not the least of which is the requirement to consult original items at the National Archives, we invite researchers interested in these holdings to write to us to obtain more information. However, this database will meet many researchers' requirements.

The National Archives has acquired through bequests, donations, and planned acquisition, over 275,000 works of art that deal mostly with Canada. The works include paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings, caricatures, posters, medals, and sculptures. Some date back to the seventeenth century.

This search tool allows you to consult almost 160,000 entries that correspond to a lesser number of works of art, given that some works have more than one description. About 5,000 digitized images of artworks are in the public domain and may be consulted on-line. This number will gradually increase.

Descriptions are written mainly in the language of the creator-donor, with most descriptions in English. Description standards have changed over the years and the amount of detail about each work of art will vary from one description to another. Also, databases are constantly evolving and corrections, additions and deletions may be made at any time.

Two search screens allow you to browse through the database: the default General Search screen and the Detailed Search screen that appears by clicking on that button. Check boxes and multiple choice lists allow you to refine your search.

General Search Screen

With this screen you can enter any term or set of terms separated by the appropriate logical connectors (consult The Search Syntax link for more information). This is an integrated text search system. When the search is initiated, all fields within the database are searched.

For example:

Type Julien for hits to this name, whether a work of art, an artist's name, place name, etc.

The three check boxes under the heading To Limit the Search will reduce the scope of the search to pre-defined subsets.

Checking off Descriptions with a digitized image will produce only digitized images that are available online.

Checking off Descriptions of caricatures only will provide caricatures only.

Checking off Descriptions of works of art excluding caricatures will produce descriptions of works of art only.

The Number of references by page option allows you to change the number of references appearing on the results page for the duration of the search in progress. By default, the number is set to twenty.

Detailed Search Screen

The detailed search screen has the same attributes as the general search screen but offers specific field search capability as well.

A Fonds/Collection search allows you to find descriptions of works of art in a given collection. Use the specific name of the collection if known. For example, the records of a government department will be identified by that department's name. Please note that a fonds may appear under several distinct accessions but generally an accession deals with one particular fonds.

A search by Creator will help you find an artist's works.

For example:

Type Julien to obtain descriptions of works of an artist whose name starts with or ends with Julien.

A search by Accession number allows you to find descriptions of works of art acquired by the National Archives at a specific time period. The exact accession number must be known but it is possible to obtain this number by conducting a general search.

For example:

Type 1986-14$ for descriptions of works with the accession number 1986-14 (the $ is used as a truncation, and the rest of the number was found while searching on Julien).

A search by Title allows you to find a document using one or more words in the title.

For example:

Type house for works whose title includes this word.

A Reproduction copy number search will locate an item based on the consultation number cited in publications or elsewhere.

For example:

Type in C-000385 (make sure to type in a six digit number, using zeros as fillers), and you should obtain a description for the work of art. Some numbers are no longer in the database because the items are no longer under our care or there are copyright problems. If the consultation copy number does not appear in the database, contact our Reference Services for information.

A search by Key Words allows you to find any term or set of terms separated by the appropriate logical connectors (consult The Search Syntax link for more information). This is an integrated text search system. When the search is initiated, all fields within the database are searched.

The three check boxes under the heading To Limit the Search will reduce the scope of the search to pre-defined subsets.

Checking off Descriptions with a digitized image will produce only digitized images that are available online.

Checking off Descriptions of caricatures only will provide caricatures only.

Checking off Descriptions of works of art excluding caricatures will produce descriptions of works of art only.

By checking off the two appropriate boxes, you can limit your search strictly to digitized caricatures or strictly to digitized works of art.

The Default Operator between fields option allows you to change the connector between the search fields only, and not between terms that you enter within a field.

Enter in the appropriate field whatever terms you feel best describe the document. It can be a work's title, a general description, the artist's name, copyist, a place name, etc.

Unless you are looking for a specific work, conduct your search using limited terms. Truncate if necessary, ? replaces a character, and $ replaces a chain of characters, to allow for possible misspelling. If the search brings up too many references, you can reduce the number of hits by using the appropriate logical connectors.

For example:

If you type Sm?th, you will obtain Smith, Smyth.

If you type patriot$, you will obtain patriote, patriotes, patriotisme, patriotique, patriotic, patriotism, etc.

Logical connectors AND, OR, ADJ allow more precision (follow The Search Syntax link to learn more).

For example:

Typing in Lord Dorchester OR Guy Carleton, will broaden your search to provide you with works illustrating this person, whether identified by his title or his name.

If you type war AND ship, you will get all descriptions combining these two words.

Type in war ADJ ship, and you will obtain all occurrences of these two words together, in the order you typed them.

If possible, search in English and in French. Descriptions are currently produced in the language of the creator-donor, but this has not always been the case. Most descriptions are in English only. Titles remain in their original language, and are only rarely translated.

For example:

First, type ship, and then navire, the results will not cancel each other out.

Certain general terms such as the type of document or its medium could be in English or in French.

For example:

First, type watercolour, and then aquarelle, for similar results.

Be careful with dates. You will only retrieve dates that correspond strictly to what you have specified.

For example:

Type 1790-1810 to obtain only descriptions with this specific phrase, if there are any. You will not get anything for the years 1791, 1792, 1793, etc. Use truncation to improve your results.

Type 179$ for better results.

As the database contains descriptions of old documents, do not use only modern or current words and terms when entering your search. Also use outdated expressions and words whose meanings have changed over time to improve your results:

For example:

Settlers, sauvage, savage, Canada, indien.

Be aware of official place name changes:

Fort Frontenac, Cataraqui or Cataracoui = Kingston.
Ville-Marie = Montreal.
Bytown = Ottawa.

Note that artists often anglicized Quebec place names:

Your search results will be posted as a results summary list from which you will be able to obtain more detailed descriptions.

Results Summary List

The results summary list, sorted by column, contains information that will allow you to rapidly assess how relevant the documents are that you have found. Please note that information within square brackets generally reflects the National Archives' hypotheses from clues found within the work of art. Each page of the list provides 20 references, which is a default value that you can change. You can export the results to a diskette or to your own computer.

The first column is linked to the detailed description (see below). Clicking on the icon will bring you to the detailed description.

The Title column provides the work's title; sometimes it is abbreviated. The complete title appears in the detailed description.

The Date column provides the work's exact or approximate date.

The Restrictions on access column provides information on access of rights to the work, if applicable.

The Copyright column provides general information on holders of copyright. Follow the Restrictions link for more information.

A check-mark under the Available On-line column indicates that a digitized copy of the image is included in the detailed description.

Detailed Description

From the results summary list, you may consult one detailed description at a time. Slightly more than 5,000 images will contain a thumb-size image that can be expanded by clicking on the small icon under the image.

The detailed description includes all or some of the sections described below. If the information seems insufficient or unclear, for example, because of misspelling or errors, you should contact the reference services of the National Archives for more information.

There are almost 5,000 digitized images available on-line, and this number will increase. Some conditions govern the utilization of digital.

Consulting original documents may not be possible for conservation reasons. Where possible, consultation is done at the National Archives in Ottawa, by appointment.

For more information about the reproduction and consultation services offered by the National Archives of Canada, please follow the Obtain copies and Consult records links.

Reproduction of archival material is subject to the Copyright legislation and its regulations. This is a highly complex area for both archives and researchers and has a profound effect on the way that the National Archives delivers its services to researchers for protected material.

Copyright can be owned or held by an individual or a group of individuals, a corporation, the Crown, or the public. The terms of protection can vary subject to the author, the nature and the disposition of the material in question, and other considerations. The National Archives of Canada holds a variety of material for which the ownership of copyright may be uncertain due to the mixture of public and private material, or published and unpublished works. One of the major difficulties for both archives and researchers is in identifying and locating the copyright owners.

It is recommended that researchers consult the Copyright Act and seek legal advice where questions regarding the interpretation of copyright arise. You may consult the Copyright Act on-line at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-42/index.html