Fonds includes Rev. F. G. Christmas scrapbook, 1888-1889, of sketches, poems and writings pertaining to social life among Christmas's circle of Banff friends, including Mollie Smith and Peter Ross. Scrapbook also contains several loose items. Fonds also includes letter, marriage license, wedding …
Scrapbook is also known as the Christmas scrapbook
Date Range
1888-1928
Physical Description
ca.6 cm of textual records
History / Biographical
Mollie E. Smith Ross, ca.1860-1897, and Peter Murray Ross, ca.1863-1928, lived at Banff and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mary Emma Jane (Mollie) Smith was born in Jackson, Michigan, USA and came to Banff for health reasons, ca.1889. Among her friends in Banff were Anglican church minister Rev. F. Granville (Eric) Christmas, 1854-1931, and druggist Peter Ross. Mollie Smith and Peter Ross were married in 1892 by Rev. Charles W. Gordon and moved to Edmonton in 1893, where Ross continued in the pharmaceutical business and the couple raised a family. Rev. F. G. Christmas chronicled his admiration of Mollie Smith in a scrapbook that he later presented to her.
Scope & Content
Fonds includes Rev. F. G. Christmas scrapbook, 1888-1889, of sketches, poems and writings pertaining to social life among Christmas's circle of Banff friends, including Mollie Smith and Peter Ross. Scrapbook also contains several loose items. Fonds also includes letter, marriage license, wedding and death notices re Mollie Smith Ross and Peter Ross, 1891-1928, and photocopies of photographs of Smith and Ross.
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.