Search Results - Research Collections - Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Byron Harmon fonds

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions208

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: Fonds consists of the photographic records and sample materials of Byron Harmon Photos, the photographic business of Byron Harmon and his successors; as well as the personal photographs of Byron Harmon. I. Scenic / commercial, 1907-1975, ca.7600 items. Primary component of series is film and glass…

Date Range: [ca.1890-ca.1975]

Reference Code: V263

Description Level: 1 / Fonds

GMD: Motion picture; Film; Photograph; Negative; Photograph print; Postcard; Transparency; Textual record; Published record

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 1 / Fonds

Fonds Number: V 263

Sous-Fonds: V 263

Accession Number: 235, 980, 1549, 1622, 2588, 2656, 2770, 2792, 2895, 3005, 3394, 3423, 3657, 3807, 3824, 3859, 3988, 4028, 4076, 5052, 5181, 5205, 5254, 5381, 6070, 6127, 6587, 6602

Reference Code: V263

GMD: Motion picture; Film; Photograph; Negative; Photograph print; Postcard; Transparency; Textual record; Published record

Other Title Info: Also known as the Byron Harmon Photos fonds.

Date Range: [ca.1890-ca.1975]

Physical Description: ca.10,500 photographs (and ca.35 cm) : prints, postcards, negatives, transparencies, motion pictures, sample products

History / Biographical: Byron Hill Harmon, 1876-1942, was a professional photographer and businessman at Banff, Alberta, Canada. He was born near Tacoma, Washington, USA and operated a portrait studio there for a time. In 1903, while travelling around the United States and Canada as an itinerant photographer, he decided to settle in Banff and by 1907 had produced enough mountain views to begin selling a line of postcards. Between 1906 and 1913, Harmon was official photographer for the Alpine Club of Canada and made trips in numerous mountain areas, such as the Bugaboos (1910) and Mount Robson (1911, 1913). Harmon personally financed trips into other areas, such as Tonquin Valley (1918) and Lake of the Hanging Glaciers (1920, 1922), producing both still photographs and motion pictures for commercial sale. After his last major expedition in 1924 across Saskatchewan Glacier, through to Maligne Lake and back to Banff by packtrain, Harmon devoted most of his time to photographing scenes along the railway, skiing in the Assiniboine and Skoki regions, and the annual rides and hikes of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and the Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies. At the same time he managed several businesses, including a drug store, fountain lunch, theatre and book store. In his later years, Harmon spent much time travelling and photographing in other parts of the world. The business, Byron Harmon Photos, was managed successively by his son, Don Harmon, then his grand-daughter, Carole Harmon.

Scope & Content: Fonds consists of the photographic records and sample materials of Byron Harmon Photos, the photographic business of Byron Harmon and his successors; as well as the personal photographs of Byron Harmon.; I. Scenic / commercial, 1907-1975, ca.7600 items. Primary component of series is film and glass negatives, 1907-1942, ca.6500 items. Also includes: postcard negatives and positives and production negatives to ca.1955; original prints; a wide range of sample products, such as postcards, enlargements and framing prints, calendars and viewbooks, mainly by Harmon business, some by other photographers; and lantern slides, ca.1913-192-, pertaining to Columbia Icefield Expedition, mountaineering, mountain landscapes, Indians, wildlife, Canadian Pacific Railway and Asian travel. Scenic / commercial series pertains to annual camps and expeditions of the Alpine Club of Canada in the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks, 1907-1913; private movie-making expeditions in the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks; mountain scenic views, primarily for postcard purposes; Banff events and development; skiing; birds and animals. Includes some material by Don Harmon and Lloyd Harmon, sons of Byron Harmon.; II. Personal, 189- to 194-, ca.370 items. Includes: family photographs and views received from others; motion picture out-takes pertaining to world travels, 1930s; and 35 mm. transparencies, ca.1940, pertaining mainly to world travels, also mountain and prairie scenics.

Notes: For more information on the Byron Harmon photographs, see "Great Days in the Rockies: The Photographs of Byron Harmon, 1906-1934" (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1978) or "Byron Harmon, Mountain Photographer" by Carole Harmon and Bart Robinson (Banff: Altitude Publishing, 1992)

Name Access: Harmon, Byron

Subject Access: Arts; Environment; Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; Sports, recreation and leisure

Access Restrictions: Some restrictions on access to originals; Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply

Language: Language is English

Finding Aid: Finding aids and reference tools: series description; selected modern reference prints; digital images in Images database and in Alberta InSight database

Related Material: Byron Harmon postcards can also be found in the Postcard general file (V466)

Creator: Harmon, Byron

Category: Arts; Environment; Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; Sports, recreation and leisure

Title Source: Title based on accession records and contents of fonds

Processing Status: Processed

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

Tom Wilson family fonds

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions38

Part Of: Tom Wilson family fonds

Scope & Content: Fonds includes textual records and photographs generated and collected by the Wilson family and pertaining to Tom Wilson, son Ed Wilson, daughter Ada Wilson and other family members. Textual records include: Ed Wilson's scrapbook, 1881-1968, which includes mainly items pertaining to Tom Wilson, Ed …

Date Range: 1861-1982

Reference Code: M10 / V701

Description Level: 1 / Fonds

GMD: Photograph; Negative; Photograph print; Textual record; Diary; Private record; Published record; Scrapbook

Part Of: Tom Wilson family fonds

Description Level: 1 / Fonds

Fonds Number: M 10; V 701

Sous-Fonds: M 10; V 701

Accession Number: 551, 981, 1234, 1578, 1634, 2097, 3039, 7750 (unproc)

Reference Code: M10 / V701

GMD: Photograph; Negative; Photograph print; Textual record; Diary; Private record; Published record; Scrapbook

Date Range: 1861-1982

Physical Description: 2 v. and 2 cm of textual records. -- ca.400 photographs : prints, copy negatives. -- 1 cm of print material

History / Biographical: The Wilson family were guides, outfitters and ranchers at Morley, Kootenay Plains, Banff and Nordegg, Alberta, Canada. Thomas Edmonds (Tom) Wilson, 1859- 1933, and Minnie McDougall Wilson, 1865-1936, had six children, including sons John Clark Wilson, 1888-1932, and Thomas Edmonds (Ed) Wilson, 1892-1973. Daughters were Ada, 1886-1967?, Rene, Bessie and Dora. Tom Wilson is credited with the discovery of Lake Louise in July of 1882, while working as a packer on the Canadian Pacific Railway survey through the mountains. In 1883, Wilson established his own business at Banff, Lake Louise and Field, British Columbia. After selling the business in 1904, Tom Wilson operated a horse ranch at Kootenay Plains. He later retired to Banff. Ed Wilson was born at Morley and raised in Banff. Around 1910 he began working for Brewster Trading Company at Banff and, later, Lake Louise. Just before the First World War, he moved to Nordegg, where he worked for the Bighorn Trading Company for many years.

Scope & Content: Fonds includes textual records and photographs generated and collected by the Wilson family and pertaining to Tom Wilson, son Ed Wilson, daughter Ada Wilson and other family members.; Textual records include: Ed Wilson's scrapbook, 1881-1968, which includes mainly items pertaining to Tom Wilson, Ed Wilson, the Wilson family, and early guiding and exploration in the Canadian Rockies (photocopy in two volumes); miscellaneous papers, 1905-1929, including a holograph speech by D. D. Galletly on the cave at Banff; letter and note re sale of horses to Frank Wellman, 1920; letters to Catharine Whyte from Ada Wilson re personal matters and Wilson family history, 1964-1965; transcripts of manuscripts by Tom Wilson and B. M. (Bess) Wilson re the CPR and tourism and 1916 pack trip Lake Louise to Kootenay Plains; letters of Col. Robert O'Hara to Tom Wilson, 1895- 1914, re Mount Assiniboine and Lake O'Hara; letter by Catharine Robb Whyte to Tom Link, 1965, re Lake O'Hara history based partly upon above material; diary, Trip to ranch by B. M. Wilson; essay, The last of the pathfinders by Dorie (Wilson) Legit; programmes, articles, clippings re Tom Wilson, 1924-1982; Eliza Edmonds certificate, 1845, and later clipping.; Photographs pertain to outfitting and guiding activities of Tom, John and Ed Wilson, including clients, associates and trips throughout the Rocky Mountains; Wilson family, friends and associates; Stoney Indians; Kootenay Plains; Banff people and events; Banff townsite and surrounding area; Canadian Pacific Railway; Nordegg area; 1861-1930. Includes photograph of Tom Wilson at Lake Louise inscribed to A. O. Wheeler, 1932. Many of the early photographs were taken by clients of Tom Wilson. Later, after settling at Kootenay Plains, Wilson was apparently given a camera by Mary Vaux and likely took many of the Stoney Indians views. Ed Wilson was an amateur photographer and likely took most of the views of staff at Lake Louise and of Nordegg.

Name Access: Wilson, Ada; Wilson, Ed; Wilson, Tom

Subject Access: Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; First nations; Sports, recreation and leisure

Access Restrictions: No restrictions on access; Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply

Language: Language is English

Finding Aid: Finding aids and reference tools: basic description; modern reference prints

Creator: Wilson, Ed; Wilson, Tom

Category: Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; First nations; Sports, recreation and leisure

Title Source: Title based on contents of fonds

Processing Status: Processed / Unprocessed

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

1. Mountain

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions29147

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2822

Description Level: 6 / Item

GMD: Photograph; Negative

1 image

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 6 / Item

Fonds Number: V263

Series: I. Scenic / commercial series

Sub-Series: A.1.a. Negatives, Main series : 13 x 18 cm and smaller

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2822

GMD: Photograph; Negative

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Physical Description: 1 photograph : negative, 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Subject Access: Environment and Nature

Geographic Access: Canada

Creator: Byron Harmon (Banff, Alberta)

Images

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

2 buffalo

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions29266

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2975

Description Level: 6 / Item

GMD: Photograph; Negative

1 image

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 6 / Item

Fonds Number: V263

Series: I. Scenic / commercial series

Sub-Series: A.1.a. Negatives, Main series : 13 x 18 cm and smaller

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2975

GMD: Photograph; Negative

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Physical Description: 1 photograph : negative, 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Subject Access: Environment and Nature

Geographic Access: Canada

Creator: Byron Harmon (Banff, Alberta)

Images

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

2. Mountain

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions29146

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2821

Description Level: 6 / Item

GMD: Photograph; Negative

1 image

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 6 / Item

Fonds Number: V263

Series: I. Scenic / commercial series

Sub-Series: A.1.a. Negatives, Main series : 13 x 18 cm and smaller

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2821

GMD: Photograph; Negative

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Physical Description: 1 photograph : negative, 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Subject Access: Environment and Nature

Geographic Access: Canada

Creator: Byron Harmon (Banff, Alberta)

Images

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

3 bears, from book

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Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2850

Description Level: 6 / Item

GMD: Photograph; Negative

1 image

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 6 / Item

Fonds Number: V263

Series: I. Scenic / commercial series

Sub-Series: A.1.a. Negatives, Main series : 13 x 18 cm and smaller

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 2850

GMD: Photograph; Negative

Date Range: [between 1903 and 1942]

Physical Description: 1 photograph : negative, copy, 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Scope & Content: Alberta or British Columbia

Subject Access: Environment and Nature

Geographic Access: Canada

Creator: Byron Harmon (Banff, Alberta)

Images

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.

3 unidentified children on horse

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Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Scope & Content: [Stoney First Nation]

Date Range: [ca.1915-1925]

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 3297

Description Level: 6 / Item

GMD: Photograph; Negative

1 image

Part Of: Byron Harmon fonds

Description Level: 6 / Item

Fonds Number: V263

Series: I. Scenic / commercial series

Sous-Fonds: V263

Sub-Series: A.1.a. Negatives, Main series : 13 x 18 cm and smaller

Accession Number: n/a

Reference Code: V263 / NA - 3297

GMD: Photograph; Negative

Parallel Title: Indian children, three on horse

Other Title Info: Parallel title is original title

Date Range: [ca.1915-1925]

Physical Description: 1 photograph : negative, 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Scope & Content: [Stoney First Nation]

Name Access: Harmon, Byron

Subject Access: Banff Indian Days; First Nations; Indigenous Peoples; Stoney Nakoda; Recognizing Relations Collection; Stoney

Geographic Access: Alberta

Language: English

Creator: Harmon, Byron (Banff, Alberta)

Title Source: This image was part of the Recognizing Relations project, an archives initiative undertaken from 2014-2023 to name Indigenous people in photographs held by the Whyte Museum Archives. Identifications were not possible.