Wallace Robinson MacAskill (1887-1956) was one of Nova Scotia’s most famous marine photographers. (We have seen conflicting birth dates ranging from 1887-1890.) Best known for his sailing ship scenes and the Nova Scotia seascape, his works are becoming increasingly collectible in both Canada and the United States.

Born in St. Peters, Cape Breton County in Nova Scotia, MacAskill graduated from the Wade School of Photography in New York in 1907. He opened his first photographic studio in St. Peters, then Glace Bay, before moving to Halifax in 1915. In Halifax MacAskill worked for the military photographer WG MacLaughlan, and between 1916-19 he worked as a printer at Elite Studios in Halifax. Between 1920 and 29, MacAskill worked as a photographic printer for the Commercial Photo Service.

In 1926 MacAskill married Elva Abriel, another professional photographer, and opened another studio in Halifax around this time. His images were used extensively by the Nova Scotia government, and many images of MacAskill also appeared in two books he published, including Out of Halifax (1937) and Lure of the Sea (1951). Probably the most famous image of MacAskill was the famous schooner “Blue nose“which appeared as a postage stamp in 1929, and which appeared in several books and which turned out to be one of his best-selling art photographs.

Wallace R. MacAskill died in Halifax on January 25, 1956. In 1964, Ms. MacAskill sold the content of the MacAskill studio, including its negatives, to Maurice Crosby, another Halifax photographer. In 1970, Crosby sold them to Maritime Supplies & Exchange Ltd. And in 1984, National Art Ltd. obtained exclusive rights to produce new hand-colored images using the original MacAskill negatives. These images were still hand painted in oil, but are not as prized by collectors as the original early MacAskill works. This agreement expired in 1986 and in 1987 the MacAskill negatives were donated to the Nova Scotia Public Archives, where they remain today.

Some of the Wallace MacAskill titles we’ve seen include:

• Blue nose

• Cape Le Rounde, BC

• Candle drying

• My boat of dreams

• Peggy Cove Lighthouse

• Rockbound Coast, Nova Scotia

• Saga of the sea

• Schooners in the morning mist

• Sunset, Nova Scotia coast