Upper canada provincial exhibition

DEFINITION

Held at Hamilton, Ontario, it was founded in 1846 and exist to 1868. Mainly an agricultural gathering, it was precursor to the Canadian National Exhibition at Toronto. Soon after its inception, artists began displaying their work at the fair, first under the "craft" category and then as art. It was the only venue for quite some time that provided artists in Ontario, particularly those who were born and trained in England, with a sense of an artistic community.??? Source: Trent University Art Collection, Peterborough, Ontario. Courtesy, M.D. Silverbrooke