The Toronto and Nipissing Railway was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. A Scottish born businessman George Laidlaw promoted its development and was invaluable in its chartering. In 1868, it chartered to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria Counties. At Nipissing, it would meet the transcontinental lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It opened in 1871 and the railway merged with the Midland Railway of Canada in 1882.

James William Topley was a photographer born in Montreal in February 1845. He was the son of Jon Topley and Anna Delia Harrison, and grew up in Aylmer, Quebec. He was most likely introduced to photography by his mother, and began a career as a photographer in 1863. By 1864, he had an apprenticeship at William Notman, where he became the first manager of Notman's Ottawa studio in 1868. In 1875, Topley left Notman and opened his own studio. By the late 1870s, Topley had been made the official photographer to Governor General Lord Lorne, and was doing good business in portraiture and scenic views. In the 1870s, Topley employed his brother Horatio and John. Topley's son, William DeCourcy, was also involved in the business and eventually took over the studio. The business was sold off in 1923 and closed in 1926. Topley died several years later, in 1930. Topley's studio collection was sold to the Public Archives of Canada (Library and Archives Canada) in 1936.

Frederick Thomas Tooke was born in 1874 and went on to study at McGill University, where he graduated in Arts in 1895 and a degree in Medicine (M.D., C.M.) in 1899. He began his career as a house surgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1900 and was in charge of the pathology work. He travelled to Europe to study ophthalmology and served as a clinical assistant to multiple professors. In 1905, he returned to Montreal, opened an ophthalmology practice, and became part of the ophthalmology staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was appointed second Assistant Ophthalmologist in 1910. In 1917, he worked with the victims of the Halifax Explosion, many of whom sustained eye injuries. He invented the corneal splitter.

In addition to his work at the hospital, Tooke concurrently served as Professor and Chairman of the Department at McGill University from 1935 or 1937 to 1939. During this time, he also held the position of Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at the Royal Victoria Hospital from 1934-1939 or 1935-1940. In 1939, he was elected as the President of the American Ophthalmological Society. Tooke retired from his practice in 1950.