The Karsh brothers, arriving in Ottawa as young Armenian refugees, would build careers as world-acclaimed photographers — Yousuf with his penetrating portraits of some of the twentieth century's most prominent figures and Malak for his exquisite eye in capturing the sublime beauty of nature and landscape.

Yousuf Karsh’s career was launched in December 1941 on Parliament Hill, when the young photographer leaned forward and pulled the cigar from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s scowling mouth to capture the iconic photograph to become known as “The Roaring Lion”.

While Yousuf became famous for his portraits of world figures, Malak was more drawn to the beauty of nature. Malak Karsh’s efforts are credited with the establishment of the Canadian Tulip Festival held annually in Ottawa.

For many years, Malak’s scene of the log-strewn Ottawa River below Parliament Hill was featured on the back of Canada’s dollar bill, while Yousuf’s portraits of the Queen would grace the front our currency.

In 2024, international award-winning Ottawa photographer Paul Couvrette (a friend and colleague of the Karsh brothers) shared their remarkable story as part of the HSO Speaker Series. Here is Dave Kent’s summary of Paul’s talk, as well as a link to a recording of the presentation: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/past-presentations/paul-couvrette-and-the-karsh-brothers

Herbert “Pops” Brown and his wife Estelle were among Ottawa's first Black business owners when they founded Brown’s Cleaners in 1957. The Browns would serve as an example for others of what could be achieved in Canada -- that success from the ground up for Canadians of African descent was attainable.

New immigrants to Ottawa in the decades to follow were given the advice: “Go and see the Browns.”  People of Caribbean or African origin who came to the capital to build new lives found comfort and guidance from Herbert Brown – more commonly known as “Pops” – and his wife, Estelle. Pops ran the cleaning side of the business and Estelle, a gifted seamstress, took care of the tailoring.

Pops Brown first came to Canada in 1937 and his family joined him in Ottawa in 1953. Brown enlisted in the Canadian army during the Second World War when it was a rare thing to see a Black man in the ranks –- perhaps one face among thousands. (It was Brown's wartime service that enabled him to fast-track to citizenship at a time when people of the Caribbean were not frequently accepted as immigrants.)

That first Brown’s Cleaners in 1957 was on Murray Street (after Brown initially having operated a dry-cleaning business out of the Beacon Arms Hotel).

His nickname “Pops” had come about for good reason. In the late 1950s, the Canadian government launched a domestic scheme to bring in Caribbean women for work as domestic helpers. Brown served as a stand-in father at the weddings of at least seven of them – while Estelle Brown made their wedding dresses.

Pops and Estelle retired in 1971 when Estelle’s health began to fail and the family sold the successful dry-cleaning chain in 1977.

Olivia Bowden shares the story of the Browns for this article in Black Scene Ottawa: blackottawascene.com/herbert-and-estelle-brown-earliest-black-ottawa-migrants/

Larocque’s, catering primarily to Ottawa’s French-speaking community, was a rarity along Rideau Street — a business district renowned for iconic Jewish-owned retail establishments such as Freiman’s and Caplan’s.

When Larocque’s founder had floundered in the 1920s, it was ironically a Jewish family, the Vinebergs, who had ended up taking over and then running the department store for most of the next half century.

The Vinebergs, however, held true to the department store’s French-Canadian heritage — keeping the name, continuing to offer bilingual service to customers and employing a largely Francophone staff.

Robert Vineberg recounts the story of the department store his family operated for more than three decades, as part of the HSO pamphlet series: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/bytown-pamphlets/pamphlets-available-for-download/111-the-store-a-personal-history-of-larocque-s

In 2021, Robert Vineberg also shared the story for our Speaker Series. Here is a recording of that Historical Society of Ottawa Speaker Series presentation: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/resources/videos/a-personal-history-of-laroque-s-department-store

James Powell also details the Larocque’s legacy: todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/2021/08/28/larocques

Visit our website to view the entire collection of 100+ HSO digital pamphlets: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/bytown-pamphlets

In 1897, Ottawa’s City Council voted to impose a new $10 tax, exclusively to apply to Chinese-owned laundries. Anti-Chinese sentiment in Ottawa had been festering. That same year, the Ottawa Trades and Labour Council had called for their men to boycott Chinese laundries and instead patronize “our laundries run by white people”.

The first Chinese people to come to Ottawa had arrived in 1887. As of the 1891 census there were still only five Chinese living in Ottawa, out of a total Ontario population of 97.

Chinese immigrants were barred from many professions in Canada and forbidden from buying property in certain jurisdictions. Ottawa’s first Chinese arrivals opened up laundries.

The first wave of Chinese had come to Canada in the 1850s and then a second wave arrived to do the dangerous work of railway building in the 1880s. Canadian resentment of the Chinese began to grow.

In 1885 the Canadian government instituted an exorbitant poll tax to put a stop to further Chinese immigration. This made it unaffordable for the men working on the railways to bring their wives and families to Canada, leading to many broken families.

By the beginning of the 20th century there were still barely 17,000 Chinese living in all of Canada yet they were still somehow seen as some kind of threat to the Canadian way of life.

The Chinese Exclusion Act, 1923-1947, further prevented Chinese immigration. Canadians of Chinese descent were only granted the right to vote in 1947.

That same year Prime Minister Mackenzie King had reiterated that “the people of Canada do not wish, as a result of mass immigration, to make a fundamental alteration in the character of our population” and Canada’s race-based immigration system remained in force until 1962.

The Historical Society of Ottawa's James Powell recounts a long, dark chapter from Canada’s past, including the adoption of the Chinese laundry tax here in Ottawa: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-services-in-ottawa/ottawa-s-chinese-laundry-tax

Have you had a chance to hop aboard the fascinating “Black History in Ottawa Streets” bi-weekly bus tour offered by Black History Ottawa each summer?

BHO President Jean-Marie Guerrier touches on some of highlights of Ottawa’s Black history in this episode of “Time Travelling with the Historical Society of Ottawa” TV series recorded in 2024 in partnership with Rogers TV:  www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/resources/videos/time-travelling-series/time-travelling-with-jean-marie-guerrier-black-history-in-ottawa-streets

Visit our website to view additional episodes of “Time Travelling with the Historical Society of Ottawa”.

Archibald Jacob Freiman, born in Lithuania in 1880, immigrated to Canada in 1893 with his parents and three sisters. By 1899 he was co-owner of his first retail store, on Rideau Street.  Soon becoming sole proprietor, the store was renamed A.J. Freiman Ltd., and would reign as one of Ottawa’s most highly-regarded shopping destinations for the next three-quarters of a century.

There were periods in Canada’s history, such as during the 1930s, when anti-semitism was rampant. What challenges did this present for businessmen and community leaders such as A.J. Freiman?

The HSO’s James Powell shares the story: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/personalities-from-the-very-famous-to-the-lesser-known/a-j-freiman

"This is Lotta Hitschmanova. Please give generously to the Unitarian Service Committee, 56 Sparks Street, Ottawa 4."

While ensuring that "56 Sparks Street" reigned as one of the best-known addresses in Canada, Dr. Hitschmanova was also feeding and clothing children in desperate need around the world. Does hearing that iconic public service announcement still trigger strong memories?

Born in Prague to a well-to-do family, Lotta received a first-class education and began a career as a journalist, outspoken in her opposition of Nazi Germany. When Hitler's troops invaded Czechoslovakia, Lotta was forced to flee penniless and never again see her parents who would end up perishing in a German concentration camp.

Arriving in Canada as a refugee herself, Lotta founded the USC Canada (Unitarian Service Committe of Canada, now called Seeds of Change) in 1945, while still a landed immigrant. Over the decades the USC would raise over $100 million for those in need in strife-torn countries around the globe. Working tirelessly, Lotta was well known by the home-made military-type uniform she wore, patterned after those worn by army nurses. Her uniform is now preserved at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Dr. Hitschmanova was bestowed countless much-deserved honours over the years including Companion of the Order of Canada. After a lifetime of humanitarian pursuits, Lotta Hitschmanova passed away in Ottawa in 1990.

The Historical Society of Ottawa's James Powell shares the story of Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova:

www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/personalities-from-the-very-famous-to-the-lesser-known/lotta-and-the-usc-canada

Born in Hong Kong on February 10, 1939, Adrienne (Poy) Clarkson came to Ottawa with her family shortly afterward, following the Japanese invasion of the territory.

Arriving when she was 3 years old, Madam Clarkson’s family’s first home in Ottawa was on what was then known as Sussex Street –- little might they have suspected that their young daughter would one day reside further along Sussex Drive, at Rideau Hall.

In January 2024, HSO members James Powell and Ben Weiss had the unique opportunity to enjoy “tea” and a conversation with Madam Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s 26^th Governor General.

James Powell writes about what they learned during that afternoon with Canada’s former Vice-Regal: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/hso-news/tea-with-adrienne-clarkson

As we grow the HSO Ottawa Million Strong story collection, we invite you to share your stories with the HSO Memory Project team.

So many of our family stories are those of immigrants and refugees of some kind, and the Weiss family story is certainly no exception.

Historical Society of Ottawa member Ben Weiss sat down with the HSO Memory Project team and shared the story of how his mother, a WWII Dutch war bride, and his father, a Canadian soldier and son of early 1900s Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe, met during the Liberation of the Netherlands, and were later drawn to settle in Ottawa during the post-war boom years of federal public service expansion:

www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/memory-project/an-ottawa-family-the-story-of-philip-nancy-weiss

Would you like to sit down for an interview with the HSO Memory Project team to share your family’s story?

Visit our HSO Memory Project web page to learn more: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/memory-project

Following WWII, approximately 40,000 Holocaust survivors resettled in Canada. Ottawa became home to many of those Holocaust survivors and hundreds of their descendants.

Phil Emberley shares his father Dieter's experience as one of the 10,000 Jewish children evacuated by the British government before the start of WWII from his home in Germany.

View this recording our Phil Emberley’s November 2025 HSO Speaker Series presentation: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/resources/videos/speaker-series/a-holocaust-testimonial-my-father-s-story