The Nicholas Morant fonds consists of Morant's freelance work from his early days with the Winnipeg Free Press to his retirement from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1981. It is national in scope and also includes some international material. The fonds is comprised of three series: I. Photograp…
Nicholas Everard Morant, 1910-1999, was a professional photographer based at Banff, Alberta, Canada. He was a Canadian commercial photographer of international repute and Canada's premier railway photographer of the 20th century.
Morant was born at Kamloops, British Columbia, the son of Francis and Mollie Morant. After attending the University School at Victoria, Morant served as Special Photographer to the CPR from 1929 to 1935 and again from 1944 to 1981. From 1935 to 1939, he was a cameraman for the Winnipeg Free Press, and from 1940 to 1944 worked with the Wartime Information Branch of the federal government (later to be known as the National Film Board Stills Division).
Morant had a prolific career as a freelance commercial, portrait, magazine, landscape and documentary photographer. His work appeared in numerous books and magazines, including Time, Life, Liberty, Saturday Evening Post, (Toronto) Star Weekly, Northern Sportsman, Reader's Digest, Country Guide, The Standard, National Home Monthly, Canadian Photography, Outdoor Canada, National Geographic, the Globe & Mail, Winnipeg Tribune, New York Daily News, and the two Canadian Pacific Railway magazines, The Spanner and Rail News.
Two wartime images were featured on postage stamps, while three landscape views appeared on Canadian $10, $50 and $100 bills. His images were also used for corporate annual reports, postcards, brochures, calendars and advertisements. From the 1950s to 1980s Morant gave public slide shows of his work, two of the most popular being "A Talk Without Words" and "The World At Your Feet".
Morant married Ivy May "Willie" Young in 1936 when he was a photographer with the Winnipeg Free Press. Beginning in 1929, and until the end of her life, Morant's travelling and working companion was his wife, "Willie," 1910-1986.
Scope & Content
The Nicholas Morant fonds consists of Morant's freelance work from his early days with the Winnipeg Free Press to his retirement from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1981. It is national in scope and also includes some international material. The fonds is comprised of three series: I. Photography; II. Professional records; III. Personal and family records.
I. Photography series consists of: A. Negatives and transparencies, B. Transparencies, C. Prints, D. Other photographs. II. Professional records series consists of: A. Working records, B. Career records, C. Topical files. III. Personal and family records series consists of: A. Nick and Willie Morant, B. Nick Morant funeral and memorial, C. Francis and Mollie Morant, D. Collected material
Notes
Full summary of sub-sub-series levels:
I / A : 1) Darkroom Files [ a) Negative Albums b) Black/White Series I and II c) Colour Series I and II
d) Leica Negs ]
2) GD Files
I / B : 1) Presentations [ a) Topical Files b) Thematic Files ]
2) General Files
3) Other
I / C : 1) Print Files
I / D : 1) Exhibition and Display Prints
2) Photographs used by John Garden
3) Other Photographs
II / A : 1) Log Books
2) Notebooks
II / B : 1) Career Binders [ a) Postcards b) Brochures and Advertising c) clippings and articles
d) Calendar Photographs ]
2) Scrapbooks [ a) Content 1933 - 1946 b) Content 1940 - 1980 ]
II / C : 1) Numbered / Titled Files [ a) Group A b) Group B c) Group C d) Group D e) Group H
f) Group P g) Group R ]
2) Other Topical Files [ a) Railway; i) Timetables ii) Publications iii) Other
b) Photography; i) Textual Records ii) Print Material
c) Travel d) Exhibitions and Galleries e)Personal f) Other ]
3) Postcards, Greeting Cards and Ephemera Collection
4) Published Images and Text
5) Professional Photography
6) Promotional Items, Awards and Correspondence
7) Presentation and Interview Materials
III / A : 1) Correspondence
2) Personal Papers [ a) Personal Records b) Notes and Notebooks c) Lists and Card Files
d) Awards and Retirement ]
3) Personal Photographs
4) House Records [ a) Construction b) Household Records ]
5) Business, Financial and Legal Papers
6) Interviews, Reminiscences Personal Recordings
7) Other Records (Signs, Cartoons, Drawings, etc.)
8) Personal Correspondence and Notes
9) Travel Documents and Maps
III / B : 1) Nick Morant Funeral, Memorial and Estate
III / C : 1) Mollie Morant Papers
2) Other Family Papers
III / D : 1) Sound Recordings
2) Biographical Material
3) Other Papers and Photographs [ a) Burton Wheatley Family b) Other ]
4) Personal and Family Photography
5) Personal Interest and Gifts
File consists of 66 b&w negative photographs (55 mm). Content pertains to the felling and transportation of a 2500 year old fir tree near Sooke, B.C. which was used for an exhibition in London. Images depict felled fir tree, logging machinery and employees, etc.
File consists of 66 b&w negative photographs (55 mm). Content pertains to the felling and transportation of a 2500 year old fir tree near Sooke, B.C. which was used for an exhibition in London. Images depict felled fir tree, logging machinery and employees, etc.
Notes
Contains numerous duplicates of several original images.
File consists of 168 negative photographs (colour, b&w) and 54 colour transparencies. Content pertains to cruise ships, glaciers and scenery, travellers, activities in British Columbia and Alaska. Includes ships: Princess Kathleen (betw.1948 and 1952), Princess Marguerite II and Princess Patricia.
222 Photographs: negatives and transparencies; b&w, colour
Scope & Content
File consists of 168 negative photographs (colour, b&w) and 54 colour transparencies. Content pertains to cruise ships, glaciers and scenery, travellers, activities in British Columbia and Alaska. Includes ships: Princess Kathleen (betw.1948 and 1952), Princess Marguerite II and Princess Patricia.
Notes
Contains duplicates. Negatives and transparencies are stored in separate file boxes.
Consists of 9 transparency photographs (colour) and 44 negative photographs (colour, b&w). Content pertains to locomotives and box cars with new CP Rail logo. Locations include Gleichen AB, Spiral Tunnels BC and Vancouver(?) BC, Middleton Bridge and Horseshoe Lake. Photograph groups are labelled ac…
53 Photographs: negatives and transparencies, colour and b&w
History / Biographical
The CP Rail company logo was changed in 1968 to remove the image of a beaver which was previously included. The logo was changed again slightly in 1987; however, as Nicholas Morant retired from Canadian Pacific in 1981, these photos very likely depict the "new" CP Rail logo of 1968, providing an approximate date when these photos were taken.
Scope & Content
Consists of 9 transparency photographs (colour) and 44 negative photographs (colour, b&w). Content pertains to locomotives and box cars with new CP Rail logo. Locations include Gleichen AB, Spiral Tunnels BC and Vancouver(?) BC, Middleton Bridge and Horseshoe Lake. Photograph groups are labelled according to specific content/locations.
Notes
Transparencies and negatives stored in separate file boxes. Contains multiple duplicates of some of the photographs in different formats (colour transparencies, colour and b&w negatives).
File consists of 61 negative photographs (b&w and colour) and 30 colour transparencies, various sizes. Content pertains to Canadian Pacific Oil and Gas Company (CPOG), specifically geologists, coal exploration, and trains. Alberta locations include Rosalind, Forestburg and Coleman. British Columbia…
91 Photographs: negatives and transparencies; b&w, colour
Scope & Content
File consists of 61 negative photographs (b&w and colour) and 30 colour transparencies, various sizes. Content pertains to Canadian Pacific Oil and Gas Company (CPOG), specifically geologists, coal exploration, and trains. Alberta locations include Rosalind, Forestburg and Coleman. British Columbia locations include Michel, Elk River Valley, Fort Steele area and Port Moody. Some images dated 1967.
Notes
Contains duplicates. Negatives and transparencies are stored in separate file boxes.
Canadian Pacific Merchandise Services and CP Transport trucks at Banff and Medicine Hat, Alberta; Field Hill, Ashcroft and other locations in British Columbia. Portion also pertains to CP Telecommunications facilities, Vancouver, for 1971 annual report
43 Photographs: negatives and transparencies, b&w and colour
Scope & Content
Canadian Pacific Merchandise Services and CP Transport trucks at Banff and Medicine Hat, Alberta; Field Hill, Ashcroft and other locations in British Columbia. Portion also pertains to CP Telecommunications facilities, Vancouver, for 1971 annual report
Notes
Negatives and transparencies are stored in separate file boxes. Contain duplicates.
File consists of 5 glass negative slides pertaining to Ivy 'Willie' Morant and a young David Morant (Nicholas Morant's younger brother). 1 image depicts David as a child on mother Mollie Morant's lap getting his hair combed, 3 images depict Ivy 'Willie' Morant in a dress standing by a lake, and 1 i…
File consists of 5 glass negative slides pertaining to Ivy 'Willie' Morant and a young David Morant (Nicholas Morant's younger brother). 1 image depicts David as a child on mother Mollie Morant's lap getting his hair combed, 3 images depict Ivy 'Willie' Morant in a dress standing by a lake, and 1 image depicts David as a toddler in bed sleeping. 2 images of Francis Morant (Nicholas Morant's father), feeding animals and smoking pipe.
Storage Range
In box V500 / III / D / 4 / NG - 1 to V500 / III / D / 4 / NG- 7
Prints in this file are not to be accessed or distributed without the explicit permission of their identified copyright owners.
Reproduction Restrictions
Prints in this file are not to be reproduced without the explicit permission of their identified copyright owners.
Language
English
Conservation
Items are to be protected on both sides with acid-free paper and padded to protect from the interior of the box, and must only be stored with other glass negatives.