Drawing from the Werner Wolff Archive held at The Image Centre, the exhibition and accompanying publication Working Machines explore the practice of a commercial photographer in postwar America. Wolff’s images of workers, commodities, and urban landscapes document the accelerated rise of capitalism through massive industrialization and consumerism in the 1950s and 1960s. The project illuminates the historical conditions and aesthetic of a practice rarely considered in the history of photography, one of a “generalist” photographer working for a variety of clients, including the illustrated press, the advertising industry, and the corporate sector.

This exhibition was organized by the 2023–2024 second-year students of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management program. All prints and materials included in this exhibition are from the Werner Wolff Archive and the Black Star Collection, The Image Centre.

Public Programs

Opening Reception

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6–8 pm

All events take place at The Image Centre (33 Gould St., Toronto) unless otherwise noted.

Admission is always free

Gallery Hours

Wednesday: 12–8 pm

Thursday–Saturday: 12–6 pm

Sunday–Tuesday: Closed

Exhibition Tours

Tuesday: By appointment

Wednesday–Friday: Drop-in, 1:30 pm

Image Credit: Werner Wolff, [Untitled], date unknown, gelatin silver print. The Black Star Collection, The Image Centre © The Family of Werner Wolff