Photograph of Norman Ade Clark

Black and white photograph of Norman Ade Clark. Clark is seated indoors on a table drapped with a white cloth. He is looking up to his right and holding a fencing sword across his lap. Clark is not clothed, which suggests that the photograph was taken in order to study the human form. He is illuminated by a raking light, which serves to highlight his muscular form and also casts harsh shadows on the wall. The photograph seems to have been altered after it's making in the interest of modesty.

Clark was an English merchant marine who was interned at Camp Fredericton along with a number of German and Italian merchant marines and German Canadians. Italian Canadian internees were transferred from Petawawa to Fredericton in July 1942. According to an account written by Vincenzo Poggi regarding an incident that occurred in the camp, Poggi began to teach Clark the art of painting in April of 1942. He was soon targeted by a group of Italian Canadian internees who accused him of working with a Mounted Police spy and an English spy. Poggi continued to work with Clark and referred to his relations with Clark as being "purely of a professional nature." However, due to a number of altercations with internee Nello Trasciatti and his group Poggi was compelled to stop giving lessons to Clark in order to "keep the peace" and protect himself.