Atrium, Main Level
Black Lives Lived Here: London Family Photos 1910s–1960s invites you into a powerful visual journey through time. This installation showcases over 50 beautiful family photographs, generously shared from the photo albums of African Canadians who lived, loved, and overcame adversity in London, Ontario.
These images honour the descendants of freedom seekers—those who came to Canada resisting enslavement in the Southern United States—and celebrate the vibrant communities they built across Southwestern Ontario. Each photo captures real moments of joy, resilience, and connection from birthday parties to weddings, depicting childhood play and everyday life. Together, these portraits tell proud and joyful stories of Black life in the early to mid-20th century, each radiating swag, gravity, and a deep sense of vitality.
Through the lens of family and memory, Black Lives Lived Here invites us to reflect on the past while expanding the visual canon depicting Black Canadian life. These images don’t just preserve history; they invite us to broaden our perspectives and carry this spirit forward into the future.
Image: Photograph, Jim, Arthur, Melvin, and Ken Moxley, Charlie Smith, Allan Anderson (crouching), and an unknown girl, London (detail), around 1960. Courtesy of Jeff Anderson