Fonds consists of two or more series. Series I. Photography, 1893-1913, is processed. Series II. Textual records are processed and consist of six series. Photography series consists of twenty-four sub-series: A. to O. Travel 1893 to Travel 1907; P. to S. Travel 1909 to Travel 1913; T. Travel ge…
2924 photographs: 2632 negatives, 167 transparencies, 125 prints. -- 1 photograph album (50 prints). -- ca.2.7 m textual records
History / Biographical
The Vaux family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were photographers, mountaineers and scientists. Mary M. Vaux, 1860-1940, George Vaux Jr., 1863-1927, and William S. Vaux Jr., 1872-1908, were the children of George Vaux (VIII) of Philadelphia. They were all involved in photography in the early 1880s and were members of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia. All three were taking photographs when the family made its first trip west in 1885. The first Vaux family photographs of the Canadian mountain west were made in 1887 during a summer trip along the Canadian Pacific Railway to Glacier House in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia in 1887.
The family made frequent visits to the Selkirk and Rocky Mountains over the next two decades to study the Illecillewaet and other glaciers, photograph, paint and climb. George's and Mary's photographic work centred on the mountain landscape, while William's concentrated upon the movement and physical features of glaciers. Due to the size of their large format cameras, the two brothers took most of the photographs during these trips and Mary was responsible for all of the printing. William Vaux died in 1908 and George did not return to the Canadian mountains after 1911; however, Mary Vaux Walcott returned to the region virtually every summer for over forty years. A detailed discussion of their activities is contained in "Legacy In Ice: The Vaux Family and the Canadian Alps," Whyte Foundation, Banff, 1983
Scope & Content
Fonds consists of two or more series. Series I. Photography, 1893-1913, is processed. Series II. Textual records are processed and consist of six series.
Photography series consists of twenty-four sub-series: A. to O. Travel 1893 to Travel 1907; P. to S. Travel 1909 to Travel 1913; T. Travel general, 1894?-1912?; U. Prints, 1899-1907; V. Lantern slides, 1900-1909; W. Photograph album, before 1907; X. Textual records, 1893-1910; Y. Damaged Negatives; Z. Mary Schaffer Negatives. Photographic negatives, arranged chronologically, are prominent in the series. Images pertain to landscape studies and scenic views of the Selkirk and Rocky Mountains, especially the Glacier, Yoho and Lake Louise areas; glaciers in the Selkirk and Rocky Mountains, especially Illecillewaet, Asulkan, Yoho and Bow Glaciers; mountain scenes and panorama views in the Selkirks and Rockies; Canadian Pacific Railway in the Selkirks and CPR hotels; Glacier and Field, B.C. and Banff, Alberta and areas; climbing and other mountain activities; United States and Canadian views on trips to the mountains. Negatives include both glass (962 items) and film negatives (1740 items). Textual records are exposure records, original negative envelopes and publications.
Textual series consists of six series: I. Trip Series, II. Correspondence Series, III. Publications Series, IV. George Vaux: Legal and Finance Management Series, V. Photographic Related Material, VI. Other Series (O.S.). Textual records pertain to glacier study, including research papers, maps and publications; William S. Vaux Jr. papers re travels, engineering and architecture, other; George Vaux Jr. writing and other papers; Mary Vaux correspondence and papers re writing and presentations; and other records, 1877, 1912-1913. Textual records also include family travel papers, 1881-1911; George Vaux, Jr. "Glacier" files; correspondence between George Vaux and the Schäffers, 1899-1926; papers of Dr. Charles Schäffer, Mary Schäffer and Schäffer estate, 1855-1927.
Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply
Language
Language is English
Finding Aid
Finding aids and reference tools: arrangement outline
series description
file description for Series I
electronic finding aid for Series I
selected modern reference prints
digital images in Images database and in Alberta InSight database
Related Material
Related by provenance to the Vaux family collection of photographs held by the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Vaux collection of correspondence, documents and graphics held by Special Collections of Haverford College Library, Haverford, Pennsylvania
433 Mt. Cheops from trail to Mt. Avalanche, Glacier trip 1898 (No.8) -- 8/18/98
434 Asulkan Pass, Dome, Glacier Crest etc. from Avalanche trail (Panorama with #10). Glacier trip 1898 (No.9) -- 8/15/98
435 Mount Abbott from trail to Mount Avalanche (Panorama with #9), Glacier trip 1898 (No.10) -- 8/15/98
436 Glaciers and Rampart Range from trail to Mt. Avalanche, Glacier trip 1899 (No.11) -- 8/15/98
437 Eagle Peak from Mount Avalanche trail, Glacier trip 1898 (No.12) -- 1896
438 Sir Donald etc. with #14 (from notch between Sir Donald and Eagle Peak to Great Glacier) taken from ridge of Mt. Avalanche. Glacier trip (No.13) -- 8/15/98
439 Eagle Peak etc. Panorama with #13 (Panorama from notch between Sir Donald and Eagle Peak to Mt. Avalanche, Glacier trip 1898 (No.14) -- 8/15/98
440 Illecillewaet Glacier, Glacier Crest etc. from trail to Mt. Avalanche, Glacier trip (No.15) -- 6/15/98
441 Dome. Castor & Pollux. Asulkan Glacier, Glacier Crest and Illecillewaet Glacier from trail to Mount Avalanche - Glacier trip, 1898 (No.16) -- 1898
442 Mount Avalanche from high point on Spur above Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898. (No.17) -- 8/15/98
443 Hermit Range etc. from R.R. below Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898 (No.18) -- 8/18/98
444 Mt. Cheops from curve in R.R. below Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898 (No.19) -- 8/18/98
445 Mt. Avalanche and point of Mt. MacDonald from snowshed below Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898 (No.20) -- 8/18/98
446 Mount Ross from Shed No. 21 below Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898 (No.21) -- 8/18/98 -
447 Sir Donald and Eagle Peak from R.R. below Glacier House, Glacier trip, 1898 (No.23) -- 8/18/98
448 Great Glacier from second bench an trail from Glacier House, Glacier trip 1898 (No.24) -- 8/18/98
449 Illecillewaet Glacier from Second Bench, Glacier trip 1898 (No.25) -- 8/18/98
450 Illecillewaet Glacier from lower great rock on trail. Glacier trip 1898 (No.26) -- 8/18/98
451 Test view of Illecillewaet Glacier taken from large rock on right of trail, Glacier trip 1898 (No.27) -- 8/18/"98
452 Test view of Illecillewaet Glacier from great rock on right of trail. Glacier trip 1898 (No.28) -- 1898
250 photographs : negatives; film, 4x5" and 6.5x8.5"
Access Restrictions
Access by appointment only
Title Source
Title based on contents of file
Content Details
ITEM LIST OF NEGATIVES (V653/NA - 128 to 377):
[Note: Repeat descriptions have been combined by the archivist]
128-134 North Bend & Victoria -- [1900?] -- [Includes B.C. legislature buildings; Chinese man carrying baskets; Indigenous drying rack?; Indigenous burial platform?; elderly Indigenous man; Indigenous people on railroad track?; man crossing unidentified stream]
135-142 Glacier & west -- [1900?] -- [Unidentified mountains]
143-144 Glacier & west -- [1900?] -- [Illecillewaet Glacier]
145-150 East of Glacier / Dr. Sharples -- [1900?] -- [Unidentified scenes]
151-155 East of Glacier -- [1900?] -- [Kicking Horse River, Mount Burgess, Lake Louise, Mount Lefroy]
156-158 East of Glacier / Dr. Sharples -- [1900?] -- [The Mitre and Abbot Pass, Abbot Pass]
159 East of Glacier -- [1900?] -- [Group of six alpinists on Victoria Glacier?]
160-161 East of Glacier / Dr. Sharples -- [1900?] -- [Includes train on unidentified bridge, ladies eating]
162-166 East of Glacier -- [1900?] -- [Includes teepees and fence, ladies and children, people on station platform]
167-172 Lake Marion -- 7/1900 -- [Includes unidentified mountains, Mount Sir Donald?]
173-180 On the Great Glacier -- 1900 -- [Includes George Vaux Jr. & Edward Feuz Sr., Mary M. Vaux, unidentified Swiss Guide/s, unidentified men, edge of crevasse]
181 [Mary M. Vaux with Swiss guide crossing snowbridge over crevasse] -- [1900?]
182 [Mary M. Vaux and Swiss guide roped together on unidentified mountain] -- [1900?]
183-191 On the Great Glacier -- 1900 -- [Includes views of people, crevasses and seracs, surroundings]
292-304 On CPR 1900 From Field east -- 1900 -- [Includes railway conductors and passengers, Kicking Horse River, burnt timber beside railroad, unidentified mountains, Mt. Temple from railroad, Castle Mtn. and remains of Silver City]
305-307 Mt. Temple -- 1900 -- [From Bow River]
308 [Mt. Temple from Bow River] -- [1900?]
309-310 Victoria Glacier -- 1900
311 [Group of alpinists above Lake Louise near Victoria Glacier] -- [1900?]
312-326 Victoria Glacier -- 1900 -- [Includes views of Victoria Glacier, Lake Louise from Victoria Glacier, alpinists on and near glacier, "Glacier table"]
327 [Man on "glacier table" near Victoria Glacier] -- [1900?]
328 Victoria Glacier [Group of six people Victoria Glacier including Swiss guide and cameraman] -- 1900 -- [Photograph by Mary Vaux, July 24, 1900]
329 [Group of six people on Victoria Glacier including Swiss guide and cameraman] -- [July 24, 1900]
330 Victoria Glacier -- 1900 -- [Caleb Cresson with fossilized rock, July 24, 1900]
331 Victoria Glacier -- 1900 -- [Alpinists eating near marker boulder "XV '99", July 24, 1900]
332 [Man beside marker boulder "XV '99" near Victoria Glacier] -- [July 24, 1900]
333-337 Victoria Glacier -- 1900 -- [Mount Lefroy?, Abbot Pass, The Mitre and Abbot Pass]
338 [Abbot Pass] -- [1900?]
339 Victoria Glacier -- 1900 -- [Alpinists on Victoria Glacier]
340 [Unidentified river] -- [1900?]
341 [Unidentified lake with island] -- [1900?]
342 [Unidentified mountains and waterfall] / Mary Vaux
343 [Alpinists looking at view from unidentified mountain]
344 [Unidentified moraine and lake]
345 [Unidentified mountains and river]
346 [Unidentified glacier]
347 [Conductor and dog on station platform] -- [1900?]
348-349 [Man and dog on station platform] -- 1900
350-367 Banff -- 1900 -- [Views pertain to man with dog on station platform, Mount Rundle, Bow River, Cascade Mountain, Bow River and boathouse, Mount Edith, Basin pool, Cave and Basin caretaker's house, NWMP barracks, Banff Springs Hotel, Banff Avenue, Sulphur Mountain, road west of Banff]
368-372 On CPR 1900 Ottawa N shore of Lake Superior -- 1900
373-374 [Market] Montreal & Quebec -- 9/ /00 -- [Market]
105 photographs : negatives; film, 4x5" and 6.5x8.5"
Access Restrictions
Access by appointment only
Title Source
Title based on contents of file
Content Details
ITEM LIST OF 4x5" NEGATIVES (V653/NA - 586 to 623) :
[Note: Repeat descriptions have been combined by the archivist]
586-623 Canadian Pacific trip -- 8/1909 -- [Views pertain to Montreal? (586); Winnipeg? (587); Mount Tuzo and Mount Deltaform (588); pack trip; avalanche (592,593); Alpine Club camp at Lake O'Hara (595-598); glacier; Mount Balfour and Lake Margaret (601-603); Yoho Valley from below Lake Margaret (604); Mount Daly, Mount Niles and Daly Glacier (605); Daly Glacier and Takakkaw Falls? (606); Takakkaw Falls (607); Twin Falls (608,609); Yoho Glacier (610,611,615-617); ice cave at Yoho Glacier (612-614)]; Mt. Sir Donald? (619); unidentified scenes (594,618,620-623)]
ITEM LIST OF 6.5 x 8.5" NEGATIVES (V653/NA - 1567 to 1633) :
1567 Glacier -- 1909
1568-1571 Ice on Illecillewaet Glacier (poor) -- 1909
1572-1575 Glacier -- 1909
1576-1579 Asulkan Glacier Pan -- 1909
1580 Illecillewaet Glacier Pan -- 1909
1581-1585 Panorama from Illecillewaet Glacier -- 1909
774-782, 783-846 Rockies -- 1904, [1912?] -- [Views thought to be 1912 pertain to Mount Rundle (774, 775); Bow River (774-777); Bow River boat house (776, 777); Mount Temple (778-782); Valley of the Ten Peaks (782); Lake Louise (784, 785); Mount Victoria? (784); Victoria Glacier (785); Takakkaw Falls (786-789); Twin Falls (790-793); Yoho Glacier (794); pack train, trip and camps (between 795 and 844); rockslide/s (800, 804, 807, 821, 822, 837); all other views are unidentified and pertain to people, dogs, railway line, mountains, glaciers, rivers, valleys, waterfalls, other]
783 Rockies -- [Aug.24, 1904] -- [Mary M. Vaux and George Vaux Jr. with camera on Mount Fairview]
557 Cedar Creek Bridge, Rogers Pass (No.43) -- 8/8/99
558 Hydraulic grading Mountain Creek (No.44) -- 8/8/99
559 Grading by hydraulic at Mountain Creek (No.45) -- 8/8/99
560 Filling by hydraulic at Mountain Creek (No.46) -- 8/8/99
561-562 Mountain Creek fill from the West, Rogers' Pass (No.47,48) -- 8/8/99
563 Hermit Range from Moraine of Illecillewaet Glacier (No.49) -- 8/11/99
564 Looking directly across Illecillewaet Glacier from upper end of base line on left moraine, showing tree opposite side of valley marking line (No.50) -- 8/11/99
565 The Hermit Range & Upper Illecillewaet Valley from upper end of base line on left moraine, Illecillewaet Glacier (No.51) -- 8/11/99
566 Mt. Cheops, Roy, Grizzly &c from edge of Moraine of Illecillewaet Glacier (No.52) -- 8/11/99
567,570 Left hand half of Panorama of Moraine of Illecillewaet Glacier from Rock E (No.53,56) -- 8/11/99
568-569 Right hand half of panorama of moraine of Illecillewaet Glacier from Rock "E" (No.54,55) -- 8/11/99
571 Falls in Asulkan Valley (No.57) -- 8/12/99
572-573 Test picture of Asulkan Glacier taken from Great Rock (No.58,59) / 8/12/99
574 Hermit Range from moraine above Asulkan Glacier (No.60) -- 8/12/99
575 Hermit Range from above Asulkan Glacier (No.61) -- 8/12/99
576 Mt. Abbott from right moraine above Asulkan Glacier (No.62) -- 8/12/99
577 Hermit Range and Asulkan Glacier from Green Moraine to right (No.63) -- 8/12/99
578 Castor, Pollux and Asulkan Glacier from Photographic Point (No.64) -- 8/12/99
579 Looking across Asulkan Glacier from Photographic Point on Green slope above Shack (No.65) -- 8/12/99
580 Hermit Range from Green Slope above Asulkan Glacier (No.66) -- 8/12/99
581 Amphitheatre to N of green slope to right of Asulkan Glacier (No.67) -- 8/12/99