Lattimer Gallery was established in 1986 by Leona Lattimer and her husband, David. Having spent much of their adult lives travelling throughout British Columbia, Leona and David made strong personal and professional connections with many Northwest Coast Indigenous artists in Northern BC. Leona and David continued to foster these relationships with the artists once they settled in Vancouver. The Leona Lattimer Gallery was opened in anticipation of Expo 86.

In the 1990s, Northwest Coast art enjoyed an increase in public appreciation. Haida artist Bill Reid was receiving high-profile commissions from across North America, institutions such as the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Art were formally teaching the art, and commercial galleries were opening throughout the province. Leona Lattimer was at the forefront of this surge, promoting the work of artists such as Beau Dick, Corrine Hunt, and Art Thompson on a global level.

In 2001, Leona and David Lattimer retired and their grandson, Peter Lattimer, assumed ownership of the family business. Leona had a great deal of knowledge to pass on and she aided in the transition, ensuring that her high standards and respected practices were maintained. Rebranding as Lattimer Gallery, Peter was determined to preserve the legacy of his grandparents but also to make his own imprint. 

In 2007, the first Charity Bentwood Boxes Auction was organized by Lattimer Gallery. This annual event has become extremely popular and has raised over one million dollars for local Indigenous organizations, including the Urban Native Youth Association. Starting in 2012, Lattimer Gallery launched an annual exhibition dedicated to hand-engraved jewellery, which opens every autumn. 

In 2015, Lattimer Gallery opened a gift shop in the international terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Appropriately located right beside Bill Reid’s iconic Spirit of Haida Gwaii sculpture, Lattimer Gallery YVR specializes in authentic giftware and travel-sized handmade items. While Lattimer Gallery YVR carries more giftware than our flagship location, we created an online store - Northwest Coast Gifts - which offers most of the items from our airport branch.

As we look to the future and build upon our established relationships with Indigenous artists and communities in the Pacific Northwest, we will stand by our core values and customer service standards. Since 1986, we have striven to represent our artists the way they want to be represented, we have focused on encouraging emerging artists, and we have committed to carrying authentic Indigenous artwork.