Montreal photographer William Notman (1826–1891) developed and popularized composite photography, and Skating Carnival, Victoria Rink is an ambitious example of this technique. To create an image like this one, Notman began with an overall design for the finished picture, and then individual or small group portraits were made—prints of which would eventually be cut out and pasted onto a composite negative and then printed again. For Skating Carnival, Notman put a paid notice in the Montreal paper the Gazette on February 25, 1870, requesting that those attending the carnival come to his studio before or shortly after the event so that they could be photographed in costume. These images became the basis of his composite.