Old photographs can enhance the story of a place, a family, an event, or a myriad of other topics. The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is certainly true but may understate its importance.
The term “old” attached to an image can also be deceiving. A photo from New Westminster of the 1860s may be wonderful, but so is a photo illustrating a local high school in the 1930s, the Uptown intersection of Sixth and Sixth in 1950, or maybe the area around the King Neptune Restaurant on the waterfront in the mid-1970s – you get the point.
Recently, in connection with the anniversary of the birth of Sir John A. Macdonald, we were asked about a couple of images of Sir John in the Royal City. Yes, there are a couple of photos – one on Columbia St. with him riding in a wagon, and another at Government House overlooking the lawns crowded with citizens. We have been told of other images but have not yet seen them.
Sometimes the misidentification of a photo can be a major problem in a family history. We know of a set of tree photos that were identified as a home, its back yard and the home’s street scene in New Westminster. The family researchers were baffled and unable to find where the house was. The writing on the photos was as old as the prints but in error. Five years later they were properly identified as being in Eastern Canada, and their family story added a new chapter.
And then there are the photos that were manipulated, altered, or in today's terms, “Photoshopped,” by the photographer many years ago. A fascinating example shows a military group dressed in locally recognizable uniforms standing by a cannon. The background scene in the very old original mounted print is a rugged, rocky hillside that looms up behind the group and dominates the overall view. Looks a bit like the Similkameen Valley, but …
A close inspection of the print, dated to the 1890s, shows that the rocky landscape was not there originally, it had been added. A bit more inspection showed some houses visible in the print, houses on Albert Crescent in New Westminster. The photo actually shows a local militia at “the Battery,” which was at Prospect Park/Albert Crescent. Why was the original view altered? Don't know. It is, however, very interesting to think about.
A community's history in photographs provides so much colour to the town's story. In the Royal City, this is certainly the case. Books on our local history feature hundreds of images. The public library and local museums and archives offer large collections to enjoy and study. The New Westminster Historical Society each month uses photographs to illustrate its programs.
And what about the photos you take today? We all take hundreds of digital images. Do you chronicle changes in your family or neighbourhood? Something to think about as well.
