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 a blueprint copy of an address presented to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) during his royal visit to Banff in 1919. The address is written in the Stoney Nakoda language, translated from English by George Kaquitts.
FIle consists of a blueprint copy of an address presented to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) during his royal visit to Banff in 1919. The address is written in the Stoney Nakoda language, translated from English by George Kaquitts.
Notes
Item in file appears to be blueprint copy of original document
.05 cm of textual records (3 pages ; 89 x 61 cm or smaller)
History / Biographical
The Lafarge Canada Exshaw Plant Expansion and demolished of town
The expansion was announced in 1972 when residents were notified by letter that the
cement plant was expanding onto the land then occupied by the town of Exshaw. Plant
Manager Tom Pierce visited every family affected by the expansion and explained that
the plant had to expand or it would be closed.
The demolition began in July of 1973 and was completed in two phases. Forty seven homes
were affected by the expansion, ten of which were privately owned. The houses owned by the
company were offered to their tenants for one dollar, and the owners of privately owned
houses on company land were given a sum equalling half the appraised value of the house.
The home owners then moved the houses onto lease land not needed for the plant expansion
or onto private lots within the community. Other sites demolished as part of the expansion
were the elementary school, the general store, the Protestant church, the Portland Hotel, the
curling and skating rinks, and the entirety of Main Street, which was known as
Portland Avenue, except for the St. Catholic Church. The Portland Hotel was
constructed in 1906 and had been the social hub of the community. It was located at the top of
Portland Avenue and served as a community centre, restaurant and dance hall. At that time,
the existing plant was also demolished and replaced, and a new 600 foot kiln was installed.
Scope & Content
File consists of 1 blue print of Exshaw town-site layout, 1 photocopy of the townsite layout and 1 hand drawn plan of Exshaw townsite.
File consists of 12 copies of a geological map produced by Ben Gadd while completing a Colloquium Study program at the University of Lethbridge between 1970 and 1972. Map depicts a small region of the Canadian Rockies. File includes three clear [plastic?] copies; six paper copies; one negative prin…
File consists of 12 copies of a geological map produced by Ben Gadd while completing a Colloquium Study program at the University of Lethbridge between 1970 and 1972. Map depicts a small region of the Canadian Rockies. File includes three clear [plastic?] copies; six paper copies; one negative print copy; and two blueprint copies.