Shaney Komulainen Oka, Quebec, September 1, 1990

A picture is worth a thousand words, goes a saying. But it would be more accurate to say great pictures are worth a thousand words, and the rest need captions. However, a caption won't make a photograph great.

That's the problem with National Treasures: Photographs from the Canadian Press Archive, at the Stephen Bulger Gallery. The300,000 image archive may be a treasure, but not all of these 40 images show it, even with the original captions.

Canadian Press (CP) is 84-year-old co-operative for exchanging news stories and photos, which is owned by most of the nation's daily newspapers. It also has its own staff of photographers, reporters and editors in bureaus across the country.

Some of CP's talented photographers have frozen significant moments in the nation's history: Shaney Komulaimen's stone-faced soldier refusing to be stared down by a masked native during the 1990 Oka crisis, Pierre Trudeau caught by Doug Ball calling attention to himself behind the Queen's back by doing a pirouette. Then there’s Terry Fox, silhouetted by car lights as he limps across the country, Robert Stanfield snapped by Ball fumbling a football with that painful look on his face, and the emotion on Rene Levesque's face the night his Parti Quebecois swept to power.

These are front-page photos that viewers will nod and say, "I remember that." They will spark memories and conversations. But mixed in are near misses. A photo of Charles de Gaulle reaching out to shake hands in Quebec during his controversial 1967 tour doesn't haven anything to do with the instant he uttered those famous drawn out words, "Vive le Quebec libre!"

Trudeau is shown sitting in the reviewing stand at a 1968 St. Jean Baptiste Day parade in Montreal, but not at the dramatic moment he defied bottle-throwers and refused to run.

A shot of former prime ministers John Turner and Brian Mulroney pointing fingers at each other during a 1988 television debate may remind people of what happened, but captures nothing of the heat of their accusations.

And while the exhibition focuses on the last 40 years, there are significant omissions. Nothing from the October Crisis. Or the collapse of the east coast fisheries, or the rise Alberta's power in the federation. Apparently, there was no poverty or discrimination in the last 40 years of the nation.

These lapses may reflect the bias of those who chose the images. Or, CP's shooters are outnumbered by local news photographers. It's also true that CP is a conservative organization under the whims of owner newspapers. They don't want it competing with local coverage. They want CP shooters focus on events rather than issues like racism.

In this show, too many of the photos are of politicians. There's Fidel Castro after taking a toboggan ride in Gander. Unique, perhaps. It was on the front pages around the world 30 years ago. Today, however, it doesn't seem like a treasure. In fact, without the caption I wouldn't have known it was the Cuban leader.

National Treasures: Photographs from the Canadian Press Archive, to July 27 at Stephen Bulger Gallery, 700 Queen St. West, Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

- Photograph courtesy Canadian Press

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