Ryerson History Society

November 18th, 2008 

 “Bond. William Bond.”

Imperial Directives, Colonial Response.

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In 1806, William Bond traveled to England in response to Imperial directives for Upper Canada to grow hemp to supply the Royal Navy. While in London, Bond won a medal from the Royal Society of Arts for a hemp mill he had designed. He also secured the promise of a sizeable land grant and the role of Hemp Inspector for Upper Canada. Then he returned home to face disappointment and failure…

Ryerson’s Dr. Ross Fair will explain the complete failure of British plans to turn Upper Canada into a thriving hemp industry.

When: November 18th, 6pm

Where: English Department Conference Room (10th Floor Jorgenson)

A Lecture by Dr. Carl Benn, Chair of History at Ryerson

In the 1930s, Han Van Meegeran forged a painting in the style of 17th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer and fooled the world’s foremost Vermeer expert into purchasing it for a major art museum. Van Meegeran continued to fake old masters and sold one to Hermann Goring during the Nazi occupation of Holland. After the 1945 liberation, Van Meegeran found himself facing the death penalty for selling national treasures to the enemy; and in defending himself experienced difficulty convincing the authorities that his paintings really were fakes!

Dr Carl Benn, a former museum curator and now Chair of History at Ryerson, explores this fascinating story and considers some of the challenges forgeries pose to our understanding of culture, the nature of the art market, and our confidence in museum collections.

“CURRENT PROBLEMS IN U.S. INTELLIGENCE”

The Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS), the Department of History at Ryerson University, and the Ryerson History Club (RHC) present a special luncheon lecture by Dr. Loch Johnson (University of Georgia).

Monday, September 24th 1:00 to 3:00 POD 250 (Jorgenson Hall)

Space is limited, so please RSVP to: therhc@gmail.com or akislenk@ryerson.ca

www.casis.ca

The Ryerson History Club is officially back up and running! Check back here for updates on upcoming events and meetings. To contact us with questions, comments or suggestions, or if your interested in getting involved, please send us an e-mail at therhc@gmail.com.