Courtney & Hanlan, Champion Scullers of America, View of Toronto Bay

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Two oarsmen, Edward Courtney and Edward Hanlan, are the figures this view pairs with the bay at Toronto, a combination that tells you the picture was built around a rowing rivalry rather than the city itself. Hanlan, a Toronto-born sculler, won the single sculls world championship in 1880 and became one of the most celebrated athletes of the late nineteenth century, drawing large crowds and newspaper coverage on both sides of the Atlantic. Courtney, a Pennsylvania sculler, was among the strongest American oarsmen of the era, and their contests were promoted as a national and regional rivalry. Notice how the lakefront setting puts the racing in the context of the city's growing enthusiasm for the sport.

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