Children collecting rubber, World War II photo

Conrad Poirier was a Canadian photographer born on May 10, 1912, in Montreal, Quebec, and passed away on June 22, 1968. He was known for his documentary photography and his images of everyday life in Quebec during the mid-20th century. Poirier began his career in photography in the 1930s, working for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as a photographer and cinematographer. He was particularly interested in social issues and the lives of working-class people, and his work often focused on documenting the struggles of ordinary people. Poirier's most famous work is his documentation of the construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. He was commissioned by the NFB to document the construction process, and he spent several years taking photographs of the workers, the machinery, and the landscape. His images of the project are considered some of the most important Canadian photographs of the 20th century. In addition to his work for the NFB, Poirier also worked as a freelance photographer, taking pictures for magazines and newspapers. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and his work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada and other major galleries. Today, Poirier's photographs are held in the collections of many major museums and galleries, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. His legacy as a photographer has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Order of Canada, which he was awarded posthumously in 1979.