John Little Archive
By Craig Klinkhoff
Image courtesy of Mark Tomalty
The John Little Archive Project is dedicated to preserving and organizing archival materials related to the artistic legacy of John Little (1928–2024). Following his passing in October 2024, the Little family designated me as steward to oversee the contents of the artist’s studio, which contains an extraordinary collection of sketches, photographs, and records. The vast majority of these materials, including thousands of photographs, will be digitized to ensure that important pieces of Little’s process and inspiration remain accessible to scholars, collectors, and the public.
The John Little Archive Project is a testament to the extraordinary time and care invested by Lillian Dumbrille and Ariela Alperstein, whose efforts—undertaken in close collaboration with Roger Little and Ronaldo Soriano Trono—have made this preservation initiative possible.
John Little was born on February 20, 1928, at the Catherine Booth Hospital in Montreal, the son of architect Harold B. Little and his wife, Eileen. The family first lived in a flat on Décarie Boulevard near Côte-Saint-Antoine in Montreal’s Notre-Dame de Graces (NDG) neighbourhood, before moving in 1931 to a house in the Town of Mount Royal.
He attended Mount Royal Public High School, where he spent much of his time playing football, hockey and baseball. Drawing, however, was always central to his childhood. In class, he secretly sketched cartoon strips.
Biography
Image courtesy of Mark Tomalty
Inside the Archive
A glimpse into the controlled chaos of John Little’s studio — shelves of labeled boxes, pinned calendars and maps, and countless sketches and photos. Each of the makeshift boxes in his studio archive is labeled by neighbourhood, subject, or theme. They contain sketches, reference photographs, personal photographs, newspaper clippings & obituaries.
Little often used as his input the same drawings and photographs he took in the 1950s and 60s.
Archive Preview
Sherbrooke Street, Montréal
Box Name
Sherbrooke St.
Neighbourhood
Ville-Marie (Golden Square Mile), Montréal
John Little Archive Number
M20
Sherbrooke Street West, painted circa 1968
John Little, Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal: Van Horne Mansion before 1968
Contribute to the Archive
Do you own a John Little painting? We invite you to submit details and images of your artwork. Our team will search the archive to pair your painting with original reference photographs, sketches, or documents from Little’s studio. Each submission helps enrich the collective understanding of his work and preserves this legacy for future generations.
Meet The Team
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Ariela Alperstein
Ariela Alperstein is a student at the University of Michigan with a History and History of Art double-major and a minor in Museum Studies. She hopes to work in textile conservation and is very excited about this incredible project.
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Lillian Dumbrille
As an avid artist, Lillian is honoured to be assisting with this significant project. In the fall, Lillian will enter her second year in the Concurrent Education program at Queen’s University, with a specialization in Art History.
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Join our team!
Internship opportunities are available. Contact us today to learn more.
More Coming Soon
As we continue to sort, digitize, and document the contents of the studio, more materials will become available online. Upcoming updates will include highlights from the archive and new tools for exploring John Little’s artistic legacy.
Contact
We welcome academic collaborators, volunteers, and institutions interested in supporting archival access to John Little’s legacy. For all inquiries, submit the contact form below.