The Archives General File is an artificial collection of accessions which do not constitute separate fonds or collections or cannot be placed within existing fonds or collections. Included in the collection are textual records of many types, such as manuscripts, reports, letters, diaries, speeches…
57 cm textual records. -- 50 cm of photographs : prints. -- 189 photographs (15 framed prints, 51 transparencies, 79 negatives; 44 copy negatives). -- 3 photograph albums (139 prints). -- 6 motion pictures. -- 9 sound recordings
Scope & Content
The Archives General File is an artificial collection of accessions which do not constitute separate fonds or collections or cannot be placed within existing fonds or collections. Included in the collection are textual records of many types, such as manuscripts, reports, letters, diaries, speeches, poetry, plans and others; photographs in the form of prints, negatives, transparencies, albums, postcards, etc.; sound recorded interviews and programmes; and motion pictures. Material pertains broadly to the Banff area and many other areas within the Archives collecting mandate.
Notable items include: Walter Wilcox letter; George Kinney report; interviews with Bill Round and Edward Feuz; original copy of Treaty Number Seven; Mary Schaffer material, including letters, notes, photograph and report; reports on the Nakimu Caves; film pertaining to Banff Winter Carnival; Georgia Engelhard letters and photos; plans for buildings and structures; George Noble photograph; W. S. Park photograph.
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse …
25 m of textual records. -- ca.46,000 photographs : prints, albums, postcards, cased photographs, transparencies, negatives. -- 178 sound recordings : audio tape reels, audio tape cassettes. -- 6 motion pictures (and film strips)
History / Biographical
Peter and Catharine Whyte were artists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, philanthropists and cultural workers at Banff, Alberta, Canada. Peter Whyte, 1905-1966, was born at Banff in 1905 to pioneer merchant Dave White and Annie (Curren) White. He was an accomplished skier and ski jumper and one of the region's first native-born painters with an intimate knowledge of the mountains and was an active photographer from ca.1920 until the 1950s. Peter Whyte studied art at the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, 1923-1924, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925, where he met Catharine Robb. Catharine Robb Whyte, 1906-1979, was born in 1906 at Concord, Massachusetts and grew up amongst the wealth and creativity of the Robb and Morse families. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, 1925-1929.
Following their marriage in 1930, the Whytes pursued a life of painting, photography, hiking, skiing and travelling. Their log home and studio in Banff became a focal point for their artist friends, Stoney Indians and local pioneers. Catharine shared Pete's involvement in skiing and hiking organizations and together they managed Skoki Lodge from 1932-1934. In following years, the Whytes travelled extensively. During the Second World War, Peter served in the reserve army, with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a photographer and, briefly, as an official war artist. Catharine continued to paint and maintain their home and, when possible, accompanied Pete to his military postings. In civilian life, Pete resumed his art career, explored new photographic techniques and sculpted.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Whytes formulated plans for a foundation to preserve the art and history of the Canadian Rockies. Plans for a building to house an archives, public library and gallery were in preparation when Pete died in 1966. The Peter Whyte Foundation was named in his honour. Catharine immersed herself in the development of what is now the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, in the cultural community, painting, outdoor activity, travel and work with the Stoney First Nations. She became a more active photographer, recording her travels and outdoor pursuits. She served in an official capacity with numerous cultural and charitable organizations, was a patron to individuals studying art and music, and supported numerous causes relating to the Stoney First Nations. Catharine also supported causes related to multiculturalism, regional culture and recreation, and cancer research. Despite her modesty and often anonymous patronage of causes, Catharine was recognized with numerous awards and honours, including the Order of Canada in 1978. She died in Banff in 1979.
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of papers, photographs and sound recordings of Peter and Catharine Whyte and the papers and photographs of their respective families. Consists of three sous-fonds: V683, S37 and M36. M36 and S37 consists of three series. Series I: Peter and Catharine Whyte, Series II: Robb and Morse families, Series III: White and Curren families. Within Series I, there are four Sub-series: Series: A. Catharine Robb Whyte papers; B. Peter Whyte papers; C. Peter and Catharine Whyte papers accessioned after 2017; D. Peter and Catharine Whyte sound recordings.
Series consists of 4 lantern slides. Slides are views of the Banff Hot Springs, Banff Avenue with Cascade Mountain, Devil's Lake, and the city of Calgary.
Series consists of 4 lantern slides. Slides are views of the Banff Hot Springs, Banff Avenue with Cascade Mountain, Devil's Lake, and the city of Calgary.
14 photographs : b&w and col. slides ; 10.2 x 8.2 cm
History / Biographical
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was officially formed in Februray, 1881, to construct a railroad that would link the eastern provinces with British Columbia, a key component of the Canadian Confederation of 1867. Headed by William C. Van Horne as General Manager, the railroad arrived in the Canadian Rockies in 1883 and a siding was established just east of present-day Banff. When railroad workers discovered a natural hot spring on the south side of the Bow River, Van Horne ordered the construction of a hotel that would house visitors brought in by train to visit the springs. Construction of the Banff Springs Hotel finished in 1888 and joined a handful of CPR hotels throughout the Rocky and Selkirk Mountain ranges. The popularity of the hot springs and surrounding area led to the formation of a national park and to the town of Banff.
After construction of the railway had completed, the CPR continued to survey and document the Rocky Mountains alongside federal agencies like the Department of the Interior and private outfitters. Utilizing coloured lantern slides the CPR was able to showcase the mountains as both tourist and settlement destinations. Magic lantern shows of these slides could be used for administrative purposes by the company to showcase land holdings and investments or in public shows as advertisements of the new railway.
Scope & Content
Series consists of 14 lantern slides [ca.1900-ca.1925]. Slides are views along the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Series contains 35 children's magic lantern slides done in colour, machine-printed rather than hand-painted. There are 4 distinct grouping of the slides: 2019.88-1-12 depict the story "The Transvaal War" [manufactured in 1895?]. Each slide has 3 seperate images with black borders and are numbered s…
The Ernst Plank Company (EP) was located in Nerumberg, Germany and operated from 1866 until 1930. The company was known for their production of copper and tin toys, specifically stationary and locomotive toy steam engines and carriages, they also produced a variety of magic lanterns and lantern slides. When they first began producing lantern slides, the standard shape of a slide was a square piece of glass about 8cm x 8cm and, depending on the style of magic lantern being used, may have a wooden frame built around the glass. Styles changed as methods for printing slides and lantern designs advanced – by the 1880’s the wooden frame was removed entirely from the slides and replaced with thin strips of coloured binding tape that protected fingers from the glass edges.
Originally, hand painted black silhouette images on glass or wax paper were used to create projected pictures, followed closely by the use of colour paints to create entire scenes. Printed images soon replaced hand-painted slides, allowing for cheaper production and more widespread use.
A popular format for commercially manufactured lantern slides was a long piece of glass (usually no more than 23cm long) on which multiple images could be printed in order to tell a smoother story. This allowed for two different kinds of display. The first display has smaller pictures printed in circular or square frames with a solid black border and shown as independent images of a larger narrative with pauses in between. The second display option for these slides is as a panoramic scene with the entire area coloured in (or just with figures displayed like on a stage) so they could seamlessly slide from one side to the other.
This long thin kind of slide was ideal for home use and could be easily handled by children. Ernst Plank also produced a toy magic lantern out of lightweight tin that could be lit with a small oil lamp specifically for use by children. Slides meant for that kind of lantern were printed on celluloid or on a single plane of glass with a thin layer of transparent lacquer to protect the image. This created a thinner, more lightweight and less delicate slide ideal for small hands. When a toy magic lantern was purchased it came with 1 or 2 sets (each set consisting of 12 slides) in the lantern’s box, additional sets of a particular theme could be purchased independently.
Magic lanterns varied greatly in design and material depending on the use. Professional showmen would have multi-lens lanterns lit by powerful chemicals or high-voltage lightbulbs that would allow them to project clear images onto a large screen for a theater audience. There were also simpler lanterns that could be powered by oil lamps, multi-wick candles, gas lighting, or electricity in the home. One of the most popular themes for slide shows where images from international travel, but domestic scenes, Christmas, and famous historic battles were also very common.
Scope & Content
Series contains 35 children's magic lantern slides done in colour, machine-printed rather than hand-painted. There are 4 distinct grouping of the slides:
2019.88-1-12 depict the story "The Transvaal War" [manufactured in 1895?]. Each slide has 3 seperate images with black borders and are numbered sequentially so that the showman could keep track. There is no maker's mark, but according to a note placed in the accompanying lantern slide box, this set was made by the Ernst Plank Company. The slides depict protraits of men in various uniforms, battle scenes, and soldiers in uniform. Each silde is bordered with green paper in good condition.
2019.88-13-16 are unrelated EP slides bordered in red paper of varying condition. 13 has 4 travel images seperated with a black border; 14 is a long slide showing 4 boys in play dress as a marching band; 15 is a panoramic sea scape with ships and a harbour. A section of the coloured glass along the top slightly to the left of centre has been chipped off; 16 is a panoramic pastoral Dutch scene set in the springtime. The supporting glass piece has been badly damaged and is missing on the left end of the slide.
2019.88-17-28 are all travel scenes with 4 images to a slide seperated with a black border and no maker's mark. The images contain a mixture of people, animals, buildings and temples (mainly made from stone), boats, and landscapes from North America, Africa (with an emphasis on Egypt), and what could be either South America or Eurasia. All slides are bordered in red paper of fair to good condition.
2019.88-29-35 are unrelated EP slides of various styles bordered in red paper in fair to good condition. 29 depicts 4 caricature portraits with a black border; 30, 32, 34 are long slides with 4 individuals on each that are not seperated from eachother with borders, but are not part of a larger scene; 31, 33, 35 are all panoramic pastoral Dutch scenes set in both springtime and winter.
Notes
Accompanying the slides is what appears to be an original lantern slide box, made of wood and covered in faded purple paper with a steam engine train image on the top and a logo containing the intials "E.P." The logo consists of a 4-spoke wheel with wings on either side and 3 stars above. One short end of the box is missing and the sliding lid is either warped or stuck and does not open. A sticky note placed inside the box states that the green-line lantern slides (2019.88/PS-1 to PS-12) accompanied the box.
Series consists of 38 lantern slides. Most are credited to either the Department of the Interior or the Department of Extension, University of Alberta.
38 photographs : b&w and col. slides ; 10.2 x 8.2 cm
History / Biographical
Lantern slides were used by government agencies to illustrate holdings and acquisitions during meetings. This could take the form of text-based or photographic images. This collection contains photographic images of mainly Jasper National Park that were taken by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Extension, University of Alberta.
The Department of the Interior was founded in 1873 and was responsible for settlement and development of western Canada until 1936. This included surveying what is now Alberta and then promoting and settling the area through a massive immigration campaign. Coloured lantern slides would have been utilized in this capacity to realistically showcase the Rocky Mountain region to officials in Ottawa.
The Department of Extension at the University of Alberta was founded in 1912 with the aim of sharing the University's collections and knowledge with rural communities throughout Alberta. Based out of Edmonton, the Department of Extension used travelling libraries, magic lantern shows, and public lectures to accomplish this goal. It is still an active department at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Scope & Content
Series consists of 38 lantern slides. Most are credited to either the Department of the Interior or the Department of Extension, University of Alberta.
Gladys Campbell McKillop (1899-1985) was the daughter of Robert E. Campbell, a prominent guide and outfitter in the Lake Louise area starting in 1897. As a child, Gladys would have spent a lot of time around the Lake Louise Chalet, where her father's outfit was based, and its surrounding area.
She was married to Donald D. McKillop (1899-1975) and the couple share a grave in Banff's old cemetary.
Scope & Content
Series consists of 1 lantern slide by Mary Schaffer of Gladys Campbell McKillop with Walter Wilcox's dog at Lake Louise.