The artworks in this collection are in various formats: a portfolio of watercolours and drawings; 2 hand-painted photographs; 3 sketchbooks the first two a mixture of early Canadian scenes and Boundary Commission works, the next a collection of later sketches; an 1890 hand-made calendar; an autographed album from 1916-1918 from Nancie Cameron's nursing days; loose artworks with drawings, watercolours, wash drawings, 2 rudimentary map drawings and a print covering the span of the family's activities, and some 239 family postcards, ca. 1906-1916, from the family's travels.
The artworks are largely by the hand of Scottish born Donald Roderick Cameron (1824-1921), who married into the Charles Tupper family, with some others executed by various other family members. They are documented as both artists and sometimes sitters as well.
During his early military career Donald Roderick Cameron took part in the Bhootan Expedition in India,1863-1865, when he was awarded the India General Service Medal and Bhootan clasp, and promoted to Captain in 1866. Soon after he crossed paths with the Charles Tupper family, marrying Emma, one of Tupper's daughters, in 1869. That year he accompanied William McDougall to the Red River as a Member of the Executive Council and later superintended the International Boundary Commission from 1872 to 1876 (for which he was named a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (G.M.C.). Some of the most interesting historical sketches taken in Canada document the travels of the Commission whose task was to mark the boundary line between Canada and the United States, from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. Other works in the collection have captured on paper flora, fauna, early cities, towns, and settlements. People he encountered included settlers and aboriginals such as the Sioux Indian Chief, Padinapap or Frape-le-ree commemorated by a loose portrait drawing. There are also serendipidous glimpses of an over-turned mail wagon, and beautiful landscape scenes and observations of unique meterological phenomena. Cameron later continued to serve Canada, as the Offical Secretary to the Canadian Commissioner at Washington [Sir Charles Tupper], and Commandant at the Royal Military College at Kingston, Ontario, 1888-1896, adding to his varied contributions to Canada's history. He later returned to Scotland where he died in 1921.
There are also works by well-known artists represented in this collection. A portrait of Lady Frances Tupper, ca. 1872 is a carte-de-visite from a William Notman photograph, painted by A. Walker. Emma Tupper Cameron is captured on a 1872 cabinet photograph hand painted by G. S. Hayward, [Gerald Sinclair Hayward] an eminent Canadian miniaturist, The chalk portrait drawings Sophie Tupper Cameron Gray and husband, and album caricature of a nurse (possibly Nancie Cameron) bring the family history into the 20th century. Nancie's album of memorabilia offers contains a caricatured amateur portrait of the crying Marshal Henri-Phililippe Pétain, the Victor of Verdun, offering testaments of patients of the First World War. Some of the sketches are more relaxed scenes of places visited in Canada from Halifax, Ottawa and Kingston, to Manitoba. Sketches were also taken by Donald Roderick Cameron in England, Scotland, India during his career and when he returned home.
