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…
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)
Fonds consists of plans of elevations and details of residence for Byron Harmon, by Benjamin S. Parker, architect, San Marino, California. The residence was built on St. Julien Road at Banff.
Byron Harmon, 1876-1942, was a professional photographer at Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of plans of elevations and details of residence for Byron Harmon, by Benjamin S. Parker, architect, San Marino, California. The residence was built on St. Julien Road at Banff.
Fonds consists of personal, professional and legal documents and photographs pertaining to Maud and Forest Kidney, Jack MacAulay, Kidney and Woodworth family members, friends and the Banff community. Items are organized by subject and date ranges.
Fonds consists of six series:
Series I - Maud (Wo…
66 cm of textual records -- ca. 963 photographs : 870 prints, 62 postcards, 30 negatives, 1 tintype (31.5 x 37 cm or smaller) -- 7 photograph albums (26 x 33.5 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
Ella Maud [Woodworth] Kidney (1894-1977) was born in Banff as the fourth of 11 siblings. Her parents were Benjamin Woodworth and Elizabeth [McIntire] Woodworth. Growing up, Maud worked briefly for the Alberta Hotel and the Bottling Works company in Banff. Maud was married to John A. MacAulay in 1917, and widowed later that year. Her twin sons, John A. [Jack] and Thomas A. [Ted] MacAulay, were born in 1918. Maud married Forest H. "Pop" Kidney (1889-1979) on February 14, 1923, and the new family settled into the Kidney home on Wolf and Muskrat Street. The Kidney residence was originally located in Bankhead, but was moved to Banff and sold following the town's closure in 1922.
Maud and Forest operated several local businesses including Banff Grocery, Quaker Coffee Shop, Pop's Bakery and Kidney Kabins. The Kidneys were also active in community affairs throughout their lives. Maud Kidney was a long-time member of the Girls' Sunshine Flower Club in Banff [and the club's president for over a decade spanning across the 1940's], as well as the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire [I.O.D.E.] and Rebekah Lodge, and she was matron of the Order of the Eastern Star in Banff in 1950. Forest Kidney was involved in the Banff Shriners Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Independent Order of Oddfellows and the Canadian Restaurants Association [CRA], among other groups; in the early 1960's, Forest also served as the President of the Calgary branch of the CRA.
Jack and Ted MacAulay grew up together in Banff, where they were involved in Banff's Boy Scouts program and local hockey teams. Jack in particular was an avid hockey player, until an accident in 1940 caused damage to his right eye which kept him from competing. From 1943 to 1945, Jack worked for Boeing Aircraft of Canada Ltd., and in 1946 he was appointed as the Chief Inspector of War Assets for Alberta and the Yukon Territories. Jack married Karin Wallensteen in 1946, and the couple had 6 children together: sons Herb and John, and daughters Karen, Shelley, Jodi and Julie-Ann. Jack served as a coach for the Banff Minor Hockey League for 46 years. Jack also took on several other positions within the Bow Valley community, including working as a volunteer with the Banff Figure Skating Club, a co-founder of the Banff Recreation Board, and a member of the Banff Advisory Council, the Banff Hospital Board and the Banff School Board.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of personal, professional and legal documents and photographs pertaining to Maud and Forest Kidney, Jack MacAulay, Kidney and Woodworth family members, friends and the Banff community. Items are organized by subject and date ranges.
Fonds consists of six series:
Series I - Maud (Woodworth) Kidney records: contains 3 sub-series [ A) 1894 - 1920, B) 1921 - 1950, C) 1951 - 1977 ]
Series II - Forest Kidney records: contains 3 sub-series [ A) 1889 - 1920, B) 1921 - 1950, C) 1951 - 2008 ]
Series III - Jack MacAulay records: contains 3 sub-series [A) 1920 - 1945, B) 1946 - 1980, C) 1981 - 2000 ]
Series IV - Family, friends and community records: contains 5 sub-series [ A) 1886 - 1920, B) 1921 - 1945, C) 1946 - 1970, D) 1970 - 2013, E) Maude Kidney Collection ]
Series V - Legal and business records : contains 3 sub-series [ A) 1894 - 1920, B) 1921 - 1950, C) 1951 - 1980 ]
Series VI - Collected materials
Series I content pertains to Maud Woodworth Kidney. Includes scrapbooks, photographs of Maud and her siblings and parents, trips to Calgary and local activities with family and friends, Maud working for the Alberta Hotel and the Banff Bottling Factory [ca. 1905 - 1915], and local clubs and societies which Maud was involved in between 1930 - 1977 including the Girls' Sunshine Flower Club, the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, the Senior Friends Club of Banff, Rebekah Lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star.
Series II content pertains to Forest Kidney during his World War I military service in Petawawa, Ontario; swimming with friends at the Cave and Basin and other social activities; travelling with family; local newspaper clippings noting Forest's achievements and community involvement; and Forest participating in events as a member of the Banff Shriners Club and the Canadian Restaurant Association.
Series III content pertains to Jack MacAulay at the Kidney family home with his twin brother, Ted; coaching for the Banff Minor Hockey League; participating in other community meetings and programs; personal, professional and medical correspondence [1940 - 1992]; Jack's wife, Karin MacAulay, and their children; and Jack's awards and achievements.
Series IV content pertains to extended family and friends of the Kidneys and the wider Banff community.
Includes sports and outdoor activities [including swimming, hiking, trail riding, camping, snowshoeing, skiing, and track and field]; early Banff [including businesses, Banff Elementary School and Banff High School, the Woodworth family residence, and construction of the Icefields Parkway]; family friends of the Woodworths and Kidneys [including the Brett family, the Stafford family and the Simpson family]; personal correspondence pertaining to Fred "Ty" Cobb (1931 - 1933); clubs and societies [including the Independent Order of Oddfellows, the Senior Friends Club, and the Order of the Eastern Star]; community events [including dances, meetings, dinners and award ceremonies]; weddings and anniversaries; a visit to Num-Ti-Jah Lodge in 1964; and biographical and genealogical information about Maud Kidney, Forest Kidney and the Woodworth family.
Series V content pertains to businesses owned and operated by the Kidney family [ca. 1930 - 1970], including Kidney Kabins, Quaker Coffee Shop and Pop's Bakery; mortgage agreements and property contracts; and government documents. Includes receipts, log books and financial records, photographs of Kidney Kabins and Quaker Coffee Shop, and receipts for land purchased by Forest Kidney, George Noble and others.
Series VI contains commercial postcards collected by the Kidney family. Postcards mostly produced by Byron Harmon, and some by G & W Fear and other photographers, and mostly pertain to Banff and the surrounding area [winter sports, wildlife, Banff Zoo, Banff Avenue, scenic views and mountain landscapes, etc].
Notes
Contains duplicate photographs
Duplicate commercial postcards have been kept in separate folder within file box containing other commercial postcards [V324 / IV / E / PG - 1 to 20 and V324 / VI / PG - 1 to 42]
Sub-series IV / E : Maude Kidney Collection was donated with existing numbering system [Items 1 to 47] prior to processing; original order and corresponding annotations have been transferred to database entries from original handwritten notes
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.
Stoney Nakoda Elders provided naming and other culturally relevant information during interviews held for Recognizing Relations, an archives initiative active from 2014-2023.
The goal of this initiative was to name local Indigenous peoples in photographs held in the WMCR archives as well as encouraging access for Indigenous communities to these images.
This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and
potentially offensive content.
Read more.
Alma Wildman (sister of Burt Wildman) , Elizabeth or Lily (sister of Jimmy Wildman) (future wife of Lazarus Wesley), Paul Poucette (Pona Thon) (Steam Rises), Stoney Nakoda
Stoney Nakoda Elders provided naming and other culturally relevant information during interviews held for Recognizing Relations, an archives initiative active from 2014-2023.
The goal of this initiative was to name local Indigenous peoples in photographs held in the WMCR archives as well as encouraging access for Indigenous communities to these images.
Identification information also provided by 2 correction cards one filed with Jon Whyte in the Archives by visiting Stoney Elder Doris Labelle (ca.1985) and the other filed with Mary Andrews in 1992
Content Details
[Alma Wildman (sister of Burt Wildman) , Elizabeth or Lily (sister of Jimmy Wildman) (future wife of Lazarus Wesley), Paul Poucette (Pa-to-gen) (Pa is head, To is blue, Gen is an endearment) Stoney Nakoda]*
Identification information also provided by 2 correction cards one filed with Jon Whyte in the Archives by visiting Stoney Elder Doris Labelle (ca.1985) and the other filed with Mary Andrews in 1992
This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and
potentially offensive content.
Read more.
Alma Wildman (sister of Burt Wildman) , Elizabeth or Lily (sister of Jimmy Wildman) (future wife of Lazarus Wesley), Paul Poucette Sr. (Pona Thon) (Steam Rises)
Stoney Nakoda Elders provided naming and other culturally relevant information during interviews held for Recognizing Relations, an archives initiative active from 2014-2023. The goal of this initiative was to name local Indigenous peoples in photographs held in the WMCR archives as well as encouraging access for Indigenous communities to these images.
Identification information also provided by 2 correction cards one filed with Jon Whyte in the Archives by visiting Stoney Elder Doris Labelle (ca.1985) and the other filed with Mary Andrews in 1992
Content Details
Alma Wildman (sister of Burt Wildman) , Elizabeth or Lily (sister of Jimmy Wildman)(future wife of Lazarus Wesley), Paul Poucette (Pa-to-gen)(Pa is head, To is blue, Gen is an endearment)
File pertains to 100 35mm colour transparency slides mounted in cardboard sleeves. Includes photographs taken during the summer and autumn of 1947 in and around the Banff townsite, Lake O'Hara, and the Yoho Valley. Subjects include mountains, landscapes, the Bow River, lakes, people, horses, variou…
File pertains to 100 35mm colour transparency slides mounted in cardboard sleeves. Includes photographs taken during the summer and autumn of 1947 in and around the Banff townsite, Lake O'Hara, and the Yoho Valley. Subjects include mountains, landscapes, the Bow River, lakes, people, horses, various camps [mostly Alpine Club of Canada camps], hiking, wildlife, the opening dedication of the A.O. Wheeler Hut, and the drive back home. Some slides missing; most explained in notebook.
Titles:
Reel 117 Sept 1947
2. [Wheeler Hugh Dedication]
3. group at [Dedication]
4. H.E. Sampson speaking
5. Sir Oliver Wheeler
6. Bonldew Prastice
7. [Bonldew Prastice]
8. Belaying from above
9. Roping down
11. Sid and Eric
12. Phebe and Polly on road
13. My tentmates
14. Banff Musance[?] Park sign
16. Elk on mud flats
17. [Elk on mud flats]
18. [Elk] morning
19. Elk and Roy T.
20. [Elk] overexp.
21. Elk
26. Lamb descending rocks
27. Ewe and lamb
29. Rams at Bankhead - nearer
30. [Rams at Bankhead] further
31. [Rams at Bankhead] moving off
Reel 118 Sept 1947
8 pictures
6. Delphiniums good
10. Sheep in swamp fair
12. [Sheep in swamp] overexp.
20. Mt. Eisenhower good 8/2
Reel 119- Sept 1947
13. View down river
15. Dam at Seebe 8/10
18. Aileen and Mrs B. at Seebe
19. [Aileen and Mrs B.] and house at Seebe
Reel 120 Sept 1947
1. Down Couloir fr. Sawback Pinnacle
7. Bear on road overexp.
8. [Bear on road overexp.]
17. House and garden near Grassi's
21. Buffalo
Reel 121 Sept 1947
6. Bears at dump
13. The Bear Show
15. Goose flats - Bow R.
17. BHG. at window A-ha-hi-na
19. Mt Rundle and reflections
Reel 122 Sept 22. 47
1. The Sea Cadet Races
2. [The Sea Cadet Races] Boathouses in b.g.
3. [The Sea Cadet Races] Mt. Cascade
4. Sunset on Fairholme Range
5. Goat at paddock
6. [Goat at paddock]
12. Rundle fr. Vermilion Lakes
13. Mt. Rundle and Reflections
15. Fr Bridge - moon over Bourgeau
16. At Mrs. Lyalls - C.H. and Mrs L.
18. The Wee Hoose
19. Mrs. Lyalls garden
20. Kilmorey Lodge - Dodge and C.H.
21. Waterton from P of W. Hotel
Reel 123 Oct 1947
1. The road home
2. Sheep on road
3. Sheep moving off road
5. View out back of car - sheep
6. Giant Springs of great Falls, Mont.
7. Feeding dogs at Rodman Ranch
9. Mrs. Rodman and dog
10. Hayel and 2 pups - standing
11. Hayel sitting down and pups
12. Yellowstone
13. Caroline near pool - Yellowstone
14. L.G. by pool
15. Yellowstone -
16. Old Faithful and circle of people
19. [Old Faithful] no people
21. [Old Faithful] and trees and road
Reel 124 Oct. 10 - 47
1. Durls Tower from foot on trail
2. [Durls Tower from foot on trail]
4. Blank
5. Durls Tower whole with trees
6. [Durls Tower] solid mass
7. [Durls Tower] fr. auto road
11. Grain fields and trees
13. [Rushmore memorial]
14. [Rushmore memorial] thru window
15. The road home - drive [illegible]
16. Wheat fields
18. BHG. on enclosed porch
19. Enclosed porch BHG.
20. 650 Hayle[illegible] ave - good of house
21. Peace Rose
The last 10 slides [named 124a] depict sites around Yellowstone National Park and were most likely purchased by Lillian Gest while visiting the park. The slides' matting paper states they were manufactured by the park and all are wrapped in a thin plastic sleeve.
Notes
Slide numbering kept as originally organized, see SL I for more information (M67 / II / C / i / a / 51 - 1).
Please note: titles listed below are only those located in this box. Some others have been romved from their original order for use in slide shows made by Lillian Gest prior to accession. Please see related material notebook SL I for full title lists.
R112 - not numbered slides ; 12 omitted
R113 - not numbered slides
R114 - not numbered slides
Stoney Nakoda Elders provided naming and other culturally relevant information during interviews held for Recognizing Relations, an archives initiative active from 2014-2023.
The goal of this initiative was to name local Indigenous peoples in photographs held in the WMCR archives as well as encouraging access for Indigenous communities to these images.