Historical Photograph Collections

A selection of photographs from the following collections have been digitized and are available online:

• Artray Collection
  In 1994, Art Jones donated a collection of approximately 11,000 photographs of Vancouver in the 1940s and 1950s from his company, Artray Ltd. 2,500 images from this collection of images are now digitized and available online.
• Canadian Pacific Railway Collection
  The Canadian Pacific Railway Collection, consisting of approximately 1,500 images, depicts the history of the CPR in British Columbia.
• Leonard Frank Collection
  Leonard Frank documented life in Vancouver and industrial British Columbia between the two world wars.
• Mattie Gunterman Collection
  Mattie Gunterman was a pioneer settler in the Kootenays who photographed life and daily activities in and around the mining camps of the Kootenays in the first decade of the 1900s.
• Philip Timms Collection
  Philip Timms worked in and around the Lower Mainland in the first half of the last century taking photographs of people, buildings and daily life in town and country. There are now approximately 3,500 Timms’ photographs available online.

Other important collections include:

• Dominion Photo Company
  1914 – 1960. Glass plates and original negatives, panoramas, businesses, streets, people and events in Vancouver, B.C. Many photos taken by Percy Bentley.
• Richard Broadbridge
  1909-1913. Glass plates. Panoramas of Stanley Park, Burnaby, New Westminster and White Rock, B.C. One of the finest of Edwardian-era Vancouver photographers, he moved to Australia in 1913.
• Bailey Brothers
  1890 – 1896. The Bailey brothers, Charles S. and William, captured Vancouver as it became a city. Charles took most of the photos, while William ran the business that operated out of Vancouver and Kamloops. Charles died at the age of 27.
• Ben W. Leeson
  Ben emigrated from England to Vancouver in 1886, then moved to Quatsino in 1894 where he operated a store with his father. He is renowned for his portraits of brooding aboriginal figures and Kwakiutl women.
• Stuart Thomson
  1910 – 1960. Born in England in 1881 and raised in Australia, Stuart immigrated to Vancouver in 1910. He was a commercial, portrait photographer. He also contributed to three daily Vancouver newspapers during the 1920’s, capturing public events, famous visitors, sporting events, notable buildings, and aerial views of the city.
• Daniel O’Neill
  1979 – 1985. O’Neill worked at the Vancouver Public Library’s Historic Photographs Section from 1977 -1983. He took many photographs for the collection during his time in Historic Photographs. His photos are a valuable record of Vancouver during that period.
• Province Newspaper
  1938 – 1970c. 4x5 inch negatives and some 35 mm slides. Portraits of local and visiting dignitaries, celebrities and characters. Rescued in 1965 by the library from Pacific Press who were going to destroy them.

Thank you for your interest in ordering reproductions through VPL. 

Reproduction Price List:

• $15.00 + tax for 8 x 10 inches at 300 dpi - suitable for prints up to 16 x 20 inches
• $25.00 + tax for 8 x 10 inches at 600 dpi - suitable for prints up to 32 x 40 inches
• $60.00 + tax for 8 x 10 inches at 1200 dpi - suitable for prints over 32 x 40 inches

Mural sizes are available on request.

Digital reproductions will be sent via email.

Vancouver Public Library will supply you with the best quality scans possible. The tonal range of the photos has been adjusted after scanning to bring out as much detail as possible. However, please be aware that the originals are old and may have damage or blemishes as a result.

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