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Primary sourcePhotographFebruary 1869

Samuel Leonard Tilley, Member of Parliament

William James Topley · February 1869

A studio portrait of Tilley from February 1869, when he served as federal Minister of Customs and MP for Saint John.

Shows Tilley as federal Minister of Customs and MP for Saint John in the first Dominion Parliament.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of a seated bearded man with glasses and short hair, wearing a dark coat, vest, and light trousers. He rests one hand on a wooden desk with papers, beside an ornate carved chair, with a draped curtain behind him.
William James Topley, L'honorable Samuel Leonard Tilley, député; Saint-Jean (N.-B.); février 1869.

About this source

What it is

This photograph by William James Topley shows Samuel Leonard Tilley seated at a desk, taken in February 1869. By this date Tilley was serving as a Member of Parliament for Saint John, New Brunswick, in the first Canadian Dominion Parliament, and as federal Minister of Customs.

Why it matters

This image documents Tilley's role in the new federal government shortly after Confederation, showing how quickly the politicians who had negotiated union, like Tilley, moved into positions of power in the new Dominion of Canada.

Look closer

  • What details in the setting (the desk, papers, chair) suggest Tilley's role as a working politician?
  • Why do you think formal portraits like this were commissioned of new Members of Parliament?
  • What can't a photograph like this tell us about what Tilley actually did in office?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel Leonard Tilley on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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