Gordon Sullivan Hatfield was born in Tusket Falls in 1871.  He was a professional photographer early in his career and managed to combine photography with farming.   He owned a considerable amount of land in the area and was successful as a commercial grower of strawberries and blueberries.  He owned real estate on Yarmouth's Main Street and maintained other business interests in the town.  His photography business operated from 1900 to about 1915 and, by 1903, he ran a full studio across from his house in the village of Tusket.  An added attraction on this site was an ice cream parlour run by Mrs. Chase Hatfield.

At the time of his marriage, he abandoned his photography, not only as a  business, but even as a hobby.  It's not clear why this happened, because the photographs which still exist are exemplary.  The family portrait by Hatfield,  reproduced below, elegant, dignified,  and yet simple, is the work of a true artist.  The subjects are unidentified and one can only imagine why they came to Hatfield's studio,solemn, distinguished, certainly affluent, to make this family record..  Are they Yarmouthians?  Does anyone recognize them from family photos?  It would be interesting to learn their identity.

Gordon Hatfield died in 1944 at the age of seventy-three.   Cause of his death: a heart attack brought on while cranking his Model-T truck.

More information to be added

The photo and account of Gordon Hatfield's career are taken from the book by Eric Ruff and Laura Bradley, ‘Images of our Past - Historic Yarmouth - Town & County'.   Our thanks to the authors and to the the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives, 22 Collins St., Yarmouth, Nova Scotia B5A 3C8, Canada;   (902)742-5539; ycmuseum@ns.sympatico.ca .  The website address is http://yarmouthcountymuseum.ednet.ns.ca/