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 4 school books which formerly belonged to Peter Whyte. Consists of 1 algebra book (1918), 1 high school physics book (1921), 1 English book (1919), and 1 'New Canadian Readers' book (1918). Physics book contains a postcard from Seattle signed by Peter Whyte, dated August 25, 1921. …
File consists of 4 school books which formerly belonged to Peter Whyte. Consists of 1 algebra book (1918), 1 high school physics book (1921), 1 English book (1919), and 1 'New Canadian Readers' book (1918). Physics book contains a postcard from Seattle signed by Peter Whyte, dated August 25, 1921. All books, excluding the 'New Canadian Readers' volume, contain original hand-drawn sketches by Peter Whyte; books also contain study notes and annotations by Peter Whyte.
Storage Range
In file box M300 / III / D / 5 / 12 to M300 / III / D / 5 / 15
File consists of one illustration with attached b&w print cutout, and one wooden board with poster glued on either side. Content pertains to a hand-drawn illustration by cartoonist Sidney Smith of his famous character, Andy Gump (signed by artist and addressed to Nicholas Morant); and two portions …
1 Illustration (with print), 1 Poster; b&w and colour
History / Biographical
Sidney Smith was the illustrator of 'The Gumps' comic strip, which ran from 1917 to 1959 in the Chicago Tribune. Smith was killed in a car accident in October 1935, shortly after signing a 3-year contract worth $1 million to continue production of the comic strip. "The Gumps" illustrations were then produced by Gus Edson, who kept up the comic strip for another 24 years.
Scope & Content
File consists of one illustration with attached b&w print cutout, and one wooden board with poster glued on either side. Content pertains to a hand-drawn illustration by cartoonist Sidney Smith of his famous character, Andy Gump (signed by artist and addressed to Nicholas Morant); and two portions of an advertising poster for cruises in Asia (possibly Canadian Pacific Steamlines but unknown, n.d.)
Notes
Item V500 / III / D / 5 / PA - 94 O.S. has rough wooden edges (poster glued onto either side of wood base) and poses risk for other items in storage; has been scanned on both sides, and can be viewed under file in :
common > A&L internal > case_files > m300_v500_s20_morant
Poster board was originally stored inside large, dark brown picture frame which held V500 / III / D / 5 / PA - 93 O.S.
Items in this file are not to be accessed or distributed without the explicit permission of their identified copyright owners.
Reproduction Restrictions
Items in this file are not to be reproduced without the explicit permission of their identified copyright owners.
Language
English
Conservation
Item PA - 94 O.S. has been scanned and saved on computer drive as it poses a risk to other items if physically stored together.
Illustration must be stored with acid-free barrier to prevent further damage, and possibly mylar to protect attached b&w photographic print.