A young African American girl peers through a lattice window in an unknown photographer's studio in this small black and white tintype. The girl in the photo is unidentified. There are slight scratches on the surface of the tintype, which is cut in a hexagonal shape. This tintype was in the...

An unidentified African American man poses beside a wooden fence in the studio of an unknown photographer in this small black and white tintype photograph. A painted landscape serves as the backdrop. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The Sloman -...

A woman standing with a book beside a table covered with a decorative cloth is featured in this small black and white tintype photograph. The tintype has been mounted in a paper slip frame with gold edging. There is a small area of red, hand-colored highlighting on the tablecloth. The backdrop...

Three unidentified Black women, two seated and one standing, pose against a painted backdrop in the studio of an unknown photographer. This small black and white tintype has been cut on the upper and lower left-hand corners. The back of the tintype is a copper color. This photograph was among...

An unidentified young African American gentleman sits cross-legged on a decorative wooden stool in this small black and white tintype photograph. The date and name of the photographer are unknown. Hand-colored red detailing is visible on the curtain cord and the tablecloth. This tintype was in...

An unidentified young African American woman stands beside a chair in this small black and white tintype, undated. The name of the photographer is unknown. This tintype was in the possession of the Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines. The Sloman - Bell families have relatives who are descended...

This small tintype features a young Black woman standing in front of a painted backdrop with a large stone in the foreground at the studio of an unknown photographer. The unidentified woman is wearing a hat and holding a round fan. This black and white tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman...

An unidentified young Black gentleman poses beside a chair in this small tintype photograph. Both the name of the photographer and the date the photo was taken are unknown. The upper and lower left-hand corners have been cut and the tintype is slightly discolored and bent. This tintype was among...

This undated small black and white tintype, slightly scratched, discolored and bent with age, shows a group of Black men posing for an unknown photographer. There is handwritten signature scratched into the reverse which appears to read "B.J." and "Owen" (see digital image of reverse). The...

A small tintype of a young Black woman dressed in white. The date, location and name of the photographer are unknown. This tintype was among the family memorabilia belonging to Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. Relatives of the Sloman - Bell family are descended from former American...

A small tintype of three unidentified individuals, two women, seated, and a young Black gentleman, standing. The date, location and name of the photographer are unknown. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The Sloman - Bell families have relatives...

An unidentified man poses for his portrait seated on a stool in this undated black and white tintype photograph. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. Relatives of the Bell - Sloman family include former Black slaves from the United States who...

This small black and white tintype photograph shows a young Black gentleman smoking a cigar. No date or location is provided. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. Relatives of the Sloman - Bell families are descended from former slaves from the...

Black and white tintype of an unidentified woman seated with hand-colored red detail on her scarf and the tablecloth. The date, location and photographer are unknown. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. Relatives of the Bell - Sloman families...

An unidentified couple is pictured in this early black and white tintype photograph. The date, location and name of the photographer are unknown. This tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The Bell - Sloman families have relatives who are descended from...

This unhappy looking young girl is featured in an early black and white tintype photograph. The date, location and name of the photographer are unknown. This small tintype was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The Sloman - Bell families have descendants who are...

A young woman seated with arm resting on a side table is pictured in this small black and white tintype photograph. The date, location and name of the photographer are unknown. This tintype was among the family memorabilia in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The...

A cabinet card portrait of an unidentified woman by I. H. Lewis, a photographer

An unidentified young Black woman is featured in this cabinet card portrait by photographer I. H. (Isaac) Lewis, of Toronto. The photographer's name and address is stamped in gold lettering on the lower front of the card. The address is given as 106 1/2 Queen St. W., Toronto. This cabinet card...

A woman identified only by the broach at her neck as "Ruth" is pictured here in a black and white cabinet card photograph by G. A. Hemstreet. The photo is undated, but believed to be from the late 1870s or early 1880s. The photographer's name is stamped in black ink along the bottom of the card:...

This is a small cabinet card of an unidentified man, photographed by J. W. Cole, of Brampton, Ont. He is possibly a relative of the Bell - Sloman family, whose descendants include former Black slaves who settled in Canada. While this photograph is undated, it is believed to be taken between 1865...

An undated cabinet card of two Black men photographed by John Cooper, who operated as a photographer in London, Ont. and St. Thomas, Ont. from 1857 - 1890. The reverse of the photograph features the photographer's stamp in coloured ink. This photograph was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell,...

An unidentified African Canadian man is featured in this cabinet card by W. J. Rea, photographer, of Windsor, Ontario. The man appears to be in official dress, possibly of a religious or legal nature. This cabinet card bears the stamp of the photographer, W. J. Rea, in black ink along the bottom...

An unidentified African American Canadian young woman is the subject of this cabinet card portrait photograph by N. C. Shorey, of Toronto, Ontario. The photo is undated but believed to be taken in the late 1890s. The photographer's stamp, with his name and address, appears in the gold lettering...

A very small cabinet card type photograph of an unidentified man, possibly a relative of the Bell - Sloman family. A handwritten entry on the reverse of the photograph indicates it was taken by John S. Thom, of Lucan. No date is provided, however, John S. Thom is known to have been a...

This unidentified African Canadian man is photographed at the Dominion Photo Studio, located at 388 Queen St. West in Toronto. The photographer's name is not known. No date is provided, however, the Dominion Studio is listed as operating from 1893-1894. The reverse of the card displays the...

Two young African Canadian girls are the subject of this undated cabinet card photograph by John B. Cook, of Toronto. The address listed on the company stamp, which appears in gold lettering at the bottom of the card, is 191 & 193 Yonge [St.] Toronto. The original photo was over-exposed and...

Josephine Sloman is pictured holding a wooden oar at a holiday cabin in Parry Sound, Ontario in this undated black and white photograph. Her husband, Albert, is likely the person standing to her left, visible through the trees. This photograph was in the possession of the Rick Bell family, of St....

Iris Sloman, at left, with her sister, Helen, far right, and an unidentified woman on the beach in this undated photo. The location could possibly be Port Dalhousie or Parry Sound. This photo was among the family memorabilia retrieved by Rick Bell from his mother's attic in St. Catharines in the...

Josephine and Albert Sloman are pictured in this undated black and white photograph. The beach location is unknown. This photo was among the Sloman - Bell family memorabilia in the possession of Rick Bell, grandson of Josephine and Albert. The family is descended from Black slaves who escaped...

Roy and Shirley (Sloman) Johnson pose in this black and white photograph set in an unknown location. The Sloman - Bell ancestry includes former Black slaves from the United States who escaped to Canada.Roy Johnson is believed to be the man who donated the tank to the Lake St. Armoury in St....

1939 Richard and Iris (Sloman) Bell are pictured on the grounds of unknown gardens, possibly in Niagara Falls, on their wedding day in 1939. This photo was among the family memorabilia in the possession of their son, Rick Bell, of St. Catharines.

Charles Henry Bell is pictured in this undated black and white photograph outside a house on Geneva St. in St. Catharines, Ontario. In 1894, Charles Bell married Mary E. Tyrell. and they had eight children. Charles Bell ran an ice and coal business in St. Catharines in the early 1900s. This photo...

A cabinet card portrait of a young Mary Tyrell (later Bell). The photograph is undated, however, it is believed to be from the 1880s or 1890s. Mary Tyrell married Charles Bell in 1894 in St. Catharines, Ontario. They initially settled in Erie, Pennsylvania but relocated to St. Catharines less than...

A young Iris Sloman is pictured in this portrait, date and location unknown. Iris Sloman married Richard Bell in 1939 and the couple resided in St. Catharines, Ontario. Her son, Rick Bell, retrieve this and other family photos from his mother's attic in the 1980s. Branches of the Bell -Sloman...

A coloured photographic portrait of Albert and Josephine Sloman. The location and date of the photograph are unknown. The Sloman - Bell families were from the St. Catharines and London areas of Ontario. Their descendants include former Black American slaves who settled in Canada. This photo was...

1939 This black and white family photo is undated yet believed to be in 1939 on the wedding day of Richard and Iris Bell. Pictured in this photo are, from right, Vera, Richard Bell, Iris Sloman Bell, and Bert Sloman. This photo was in the possession of Rick Bell, of St. Catharines, son of Richard and...

This black and white photograph is believed to be of Albert Sloman (back left), Josephine Sloman (centre) and an unidentified man (right). Iris Sloman, daughter of Albert and Josephine, is thought to be in the front row, centre. The location and date of the photo is unknown, however, it could be...

Lizzie Sloman is pictured with her son, not identified by name, in this undated black and white photograph. The location of the photograph is also unknown. This item was in the possession of Rick Bell, of St. Catharines, whose mother Iris Sloman Bell, was sister to Lizzie.

Mildred Sloman is pictured with three unidentified gentlemen in this undated photograph, believed to be taken in London, Ontario. This black and white snapshot was in the possession of the Rick Bell family, whose ancestors include Black slaves from the United States.