Media and Advertising Through the Art of Margaret Watkins

Margaret Watkins (1884–1969) was one of the most successful advertising photographers in the history of Canadian photography. An early pioneer of the genre, Watkins’s journey to the profession took her from her hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, to New York City, where she perfected the art of the ad in highly creative images that captured the look and feel of the modern world. Taking some of Watkins’s best-known still-life, portrait, and product photographs as a starting point, the learning activities in this resource guide students through a creative understanding of how aesthetics and subject matter can be used to communicate, influence, and resonate in visual advertisements.