Fonds is primarily a broad-ranging commercial negative collection pertaining to Banff and area, including businesses, buildings, projects, events, people and scenic views; skiing, mountain travel and recreation; Sunshine Village Ski Area; warden activities in the mountain parks; national and provin…
ca.31,580 photographs: negatives, prints, and transparencies. -- 1 photograph album (ca.150 prints). -- 50 motion pictures: 1 original, 8 copies on 3 video cassettes, 41 film reels: 16mm, 35mm. -- 18 sound recordings: audio tape reels, audio tape cassettes. -- 5 electronic records: computer diskettes. -- 3 maps. -- 15 cm textual records.
History / Biographical
Bruno Engler, 1915-2001, was a mountain guide, ski instructor, photographer and film maker at Banff and Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Engler arrived from Switzerland in 1939 and initially worked as a mountain guide and ski instructor for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Sunshine ski area and for Deer Lodge at Lake Louise, Alberta. During the Second World War, he served as a mountain warfare instructor for the Canadian Army. Following the war, Engler worked as a free-lance photographer for the National Film Board and others; as coach of the University of Alberta Ski Team; and as a technical advisor, cameraman and actor for numerous movies made in the Banff area. Throughout his career, Engler worked as a still and motion picture photographer, both for the movie industry and for governments at all levels, as well as operating his own business, Alpine Films of Banff, Alberta.
Scope & Content
Fonds is primarily a broad-ranging commercial negative collection pertaining to Banff and area, including businesses, buildings, projects, events, people and scenic views; skiing, mountain travel and recreation; Sunshine Village Ski Area; warden activities in the mountain parks; national and provincial parks; scenic views of western Canada, particularly mountain landscapes; some portraits and candid shots of local and international personalities. Photographs pertaining to film making include helicopter rescue; highway construction; Norquay, Sunshine, and Lake Louise ski areas' histories; Banff events and buildings; Canmore events and buildings; professional and amateur ski races; scenic mountain and wildlife; mountaineering and highway accidents; mountain guiding trips including Pierre Trudeau, Roland Michener and Peter Lougheed. Fonds consists of four series: Photography, Motion Pictures, Sound Recordings, and Textual records. Photography series consists of four sub-series established by the photographer: I. Old file, 1949-1970; II. Main file, alphabetical A - Z, 1950-1976; III Sunshine file, [1939], 1950-1975; IV. Warden file, 1954-1976.
Motion pictures on video cassettes are footage of skiing at Sunshine, 1930s; Clifford White films, 1930s, from WMCR Archives collection (V682); "Snow Capers" by Thomas Mead, 1946, includes Engler; "Ski Pro's Holiday" by George Encil, 1950?; "Mount Bulyea" by George Encil, 1950?, includes Engler; "Diary of a Mountain Man," a CBC documentary feature on Bruno Engler broadcast on "20/20" in 1965 (ca.27 minutes); "Great Days in the Rockies" by National Film Board of Canada, 1983; "Mountain Man" by Banff Centre, 1985, re Engler. Original film is "Sunshine 1940" and includes Brewster Transport ski buses travelling from train station to Sunshine Lodge, skiers, guide, lessons, games, rope tow, ski action, slalom, Bruno Engler, other. 16mm and 35mm film reels, 1946-1964 are films produced by the National Film Board.
Sound recordings, electronic records and and related textual material pertain to interviews with Bruno Engler, 1987, done by Brian Patton and Jon Whyte for Bruno Engler autobiography project. Interviews covered Engler's life, but are not complete to 1987. Transcripts, prepared from recordings by Brenda Goeres, are not verbatim. Audio tape cassettes consist of portions of content of audio tape reels.
Textual records include corporate records, newspaper clippings and magazine articles pertaining to film making, cast and crew listings and schedules for various movies, ski racing, mountain guiding trips and ski race listings. Also included is documentation pertaining to film making with producer National Film Board including letters, film stock footage, press releases, and film summaries; maps indicate film location shots for Arctic Rampage.
Fonds consists of a broad-ranging commercial negative collection. Includes four series. I. Scenic and documentary views, 2839 items; includes film and glass negatives in sizes up to 8 X 10 inches. Pertains to Banff and area buildings, facilities, activities, events, such as Banff Winter Carnival a…
George Noble, 1879-1965, was a professional photographer at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Noble was born in Woolwich, England where he apprenticed as a photographer. He came to Banff in 1909 to operate a photographic business for his uncles, George and Bill Fear, who owned a curio business. In 1919, Noble bought the photographic business and, in 1932, acquired the remainder of the Fear Brothers business. He built a new studio and shop, which offered portraiture, photo- finishing and framing services and sold photographic supplies, camera equipment and English china. In addition to portraiture, George Noble and employees, such as photographer Bill Jamieson, produced a wide range of documentary, scenic and commercial views. Noble's shop offered black and white and hand-coloured prints of local events and Rocky Mountain views. George Noble was an active member of the community, serving on both the Banff School Board and the Banff Board of Trade for many years. Upon his retirement in 1957, his business was acquired by a group of investors which included Bill Jamieson, lab-technician and photographer for the Noble business from 1936 to 1957
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of a broad-ranging commercial negative collection. Includes four series.
I. Scenic and documentary views, 2839 items; includes film and glass negatives in sizes up to 8 X 10 inches. Pertains to Banff and area buildings, facilities, activities, events, such as Banff Winter Carnival and Banff Indian Days; Indigenous; scenic views of Banff and area and other Rocky Mountains locations.
II. Commercial views, 765 items; includes buildings, businesses, facilities, sports events, organizations, conventions, group portraits, displays and presentations.
III. Mixed views, 242 items; includes scenic, documentary and commercial views similar to material in previous series. Also includes some views know to have been produced by Fred Armbrister, a professional photographer who operated out of Lake Louise, Alberta, ca.1930.
IV. Portraits, ca.4600. This series contains four groups: A. 1920s-1950s, most unidentified; B. 1930s and 1940s, arranged alphabetically, many unidentified; C. 1950s, arranged alphabetically, most identified, many with proofs (prints); D. 1950s, arranged chronologically by job number.
V. Other, ca.50 items. Includes 36 colour stereo transparencies, ca.1955, re Administration Building and gardens, Banff-Jasper Highway scenics, mountain sheep, autumn colour, Banff Avenue, George Noble and staff. Also includes small number of commercial prints produced by Noble, including several large hand-painted views.
Fonds is accompanied by business record books, 1950-1958, 2 v. (M533)
Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply
Language
Language is English
Finding Aid
Finding aids and reference tools: arrangement outline
file description and index
electronic finding aid
selected modern reference prints
Related Material
Related commercial photographs made by Bill Jamieson in the employ of George Noble are located in the Ron Duke fonds (V180 / II.A.i. - V180 / II.A.vi.; V180 / III.A.)
Portrait camera and electric 3D viewer reside in Heritage collections, Whyte Museum
File pertains to 43 b&w prints of various accidents around Banff National Park and the Banff townsite. Includes car collisions, train derailments, a small plane crash, and the Banff Bus Depot fire.
File pertains to 43 b&w prints of various accidents around Banff National Park and the Banff townsite. Includes car collisions, train derailments, a small plane crash, and the Banff Bus Depot fire.
Notes
Caution: some images include disturbing content, viewer discretion is advised.
File pertains to 51 b&w prints of various accidents and rescue missions around Banff National Park and the Banff townsite. Includes a forest fire, the Standish Hardware store fire, skiing rescue missions, and climbing/mountaineering rescue missions.
File pertains to 51 b&w prints of various accidents and rescue missions around Banff National Park and the Banff townsite. Includes a forest fire, the Standish Hardware store fire, skiing rescue missions, and climbing/mountaineering rescue missions.
Notes
Caution: some images include disturbing content, viewer discretion is advised.
File pertains to 34 b&w prints of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides training courses and members. Includes shots of potential members participating in training courses [usually on Tunnel Mountain] as well as posed group shots of ACMG members.
34 photographs : col. & b&w ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm or smaller
History / Biographical
See fonds level description
Scope & Content
File pertains to 34 b&w prints of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides training courses and members. Includes shots of potential members participating in training courses [usually on Tunnel Mountain] as well as posed group shots of ACMG members.
Notes
Identities of people in PA - 27 from left to right [back row]: Rüdi Geitsch, Tim Auger, Peter Schlunegger, Bernie Schiesser, Hans Gmoser, [unidentified], Lloyd "Kiwi" Gallagher ; [front row]: [unidentified], [unidentified], Scott Flavelle, Clair Israelson, Dave Cochrane?, [unidentified], Phil Heim, Dan Griffith.
Identities of people in PA - 29, from left to right [back row]: Frank Stark, Rüdi Geitsch, Lloyd "Kiwi" Gallagher ; [front row]: Leo Gullmair, [unidentified], Hans Gmoser, [unidentified], Pierre Lentire?, Sepp Renner.
Identifications provided by Chic Scott
File pertains to 38 b&w prints of people skiing. Includes action shots of people skiing at Norquay, Lake Louise, and Sunshine, the Norquay parking lot, ski jumping, ski racing, and an unidentified person paragliding on skis at Norquay.
File pertains to 38 b&w prints of people skiing. Includes action shots of people skiing at Norquay, Lake Louise, and Sunshine, the Norquay parking lot, ski jumping, ski racing, and an unidentified person paragliding on skis at Norquay.