The following biographical information was adapted from “Manitoba Photographers, 1858 to Present” prepared by Dr. Gordon Goldsborough and available on the website of the Manitoba Historical Society. It is supplemented by information from local histories, local museums, and online photo archives. 

Photos included are just samples from a large inventory of available images.


Anderson, Mr.  (Killarney)  Anderson and Scott had a studio in in 1905

Ashley, J.T.   (Cartwright)


Bates, William John  (Baldur, Fairfax, Alexander, Elkhorn)

 

Born in Ontario, Edward came to Manitoba in 1894 and worked as a teacher at Dominion City School, where he met the prominent photographer George A. Barrowclough. He supported his family as a teacher and itinerant photographer, specializing in real photo postcards of small towns in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan. The family lived at Newdale while he was the Principal of Wellington School (1906-1907) and Newdale School (1907-1908), and at Winnipeg (1908-1911) while he was a student at the Manitoba Medical College. After graduation, he practiced medicine in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
 


Examples of his work in Southwestern Manitoba include street scenes of Baldur, Fairfax, Alexander, and Elkhorn.

Other work in Manitoba includes photos from Franklin, Birtle, Strathclair, Plumas, Arden, Bagot, Hargrave, Sidney, Elm Creek, Starbuck, St, Norbert, Oakville, and Makinak

**See Profiles Section

 
Brown Albert E. “Bert” (?-1916)   (Reston)

Albert worked with the Winnipeg Photo Company at Reston for a period before moving west, farming near Lethbridge, Alberta for a time. He died of tuberculosis at Calgary on 2 March 1916.

Burgess Frederick C.   (Hartney)

Campbell, A.M.  (Melita)

Melita Gallery (open Monday and Friday) was owned by A. M. Campbell, (1887 – 1892) sold to George Davidson (see Deloraine) in 1892 and was open one to six days a month.

A. M. Campbell was elected MPP in 1888  - 1899 

Chapple, Gladys   (Elkhorn)

Gladys Chapple was born in 1891 and grew up in the district. Under the guidance of Mr. J. Mooney she was an ardent photographer, developing her own pictures, some of which are still quite clear.  P218

Clark, Fred   1914 -  1917  (Deloraine)

Colpitts, Mr.  (Ninette)

Old timers speak of his driving around the Wawanesa Plains with his horse and buggy as he went from place to place taking pictures. After operating the first Ninette post office from Jan. to Nov. of 184 he sold his farm in favor of a photographer's office in Brandon.
 

E. O. Cooper  (Wawanesa – 1906 – 07)








Several photos in the Wawanesa local history (Sipeweske) are attributed to E. O. Cooper.


Danellion, George  (Deloraine) 1894 - 96

Davidson, Alvin 1905  (Deloraine & Cartwright)

Davidson Brothers – 1898 - Frank Davidson & George Davidson (Deloraine. Melita and Souris)

The Davidson Brothers were advertising in In Deloraine 1898

In 1900, Davidson Brothers visited for two week periods from Brandon, and by 1903, visits were from Souris. In 1908, Davidson Co. Studio was above T. B. Brooks' store and was open two to three days of every month until 1925 when the business was sold to W. Brown.

Davidson, George  (Deloraine1890’s)

Mr. Davidson’s Melita Gallery (1892) moved to Deloraine in 1893.

“Geo. Davidson, Photographer, has over-hauled and refilled his showcase with farm and threshing scenes, which gives it a very attractive appearance.”  1893

'Only four weeks to think about having your photo taken. Davidson, the Photographer, closes his gallery April 15th. Cabinet photos $3. per dozen $2.50 per half-clozen. Davidson, Photographer, Deloraine.  1894

Davidson, John  (Souris – 1883)

Davidson, Mary  ( Souris 1906 – 1908)

Davidson, W. A.   (Melita  1914 – 1925)


Durrant George E.  (Hartney - Elgin) 

Little is known about the personal life of George Durrant, a prolific photographer who had offices in Hartney and Elgin in the early 1900’s.


 
Numerous Hartney and Elgin scenes were recorded by Durrant.

**See Profiles Section


Edwards, Percy Charles   (Killarney 1904 – 1952) (Also served Boissevain, Manitou and Pilot Mound) 
 


P.C. Edwards was born into a large family in Kentish Town, London, Eng. He started in photography at an early age in a large studio in London. There he became an accomplished photographer and technician and remembered working on many portraits of Queen Victoria, other Royalty and heroes of the Boer War.
In 1903 he came to Canada, intending to settle on a homestead in Saskatchewan, but decided to get off the train in Boissevain. He worked on a farm and in a tinsmith shop that winter and came to Killarney in 1904 to open a studio with a Mr. Scott. Scott left for the US in 1910 and PC operated the studio until his death.

The studio was first located upstairs on the east side of Broadway about where No. 523 is now. In 1917 a fire destroyed several businesses in that part of the block and he lost everything as well as all of the negatives of the early days of Killarney. Many prints of these negatives are around today, especially in the JAV David Museum. The building was rebuilt by P.J. Sherlock and the studio reopened on the ground floor



The Edwards Photo Studio in the (first) Sherlock Block

In 1921 he married Florrie McCormick (Hellis) and lived at 538 Clark Ave. Edith, Florrie's daughter from a previous marriage, lived with them and their son, John, born 1923.

P.C. saw many changes in photography, from the days of glass plates to roll film. In early days he would load up a buggy and drive around the country taking pictures of the threshing outfits so workers from the east could send home pictures of the wild west. He operated studios in Cartwright, Crystal City, Pilot Mound and Manitou for many years.
 


At Killarney Lake

Edwards was fond of outdoor photography, which offered special challenges.

An Anecdote from “Trails & Crossroads”

The first mixed train reached Killarney on January 3, 1886, according to the records of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This was a great day for the people of Killarney. New arrivals came in reasonable comfort by train, and the day of the long trek to Brandon was ended. The first regular passenger train arrived on March 28, 1886. It came three times a week, and going down to see the train come in became a favorite pastime. Often, however, the train was late. When W. J. Wood brought his family from England, they had been delayed by icebergs, and his daughter and her husband failed to meet them. They were standing wondering what to do when P. C. Edwards, the photographer, spoke to them and called Mr. Wood by name. He recognized him because he had enlarged a photograph of him and was able to direct him to the home of his daughter, Mrs. Thomas Howell.



A photographer did not make much money during the thirties and many a chicken or quarter of beef was traded for Christmas portraits. With the war years, business picked up and most of Killarney's servicemen and women had their portraits taken by P.C. before they went over-seas.

**See Profiles Section


Everett, Frank  (Baldur)

Frank Everett and Ellen (Nellie) Everett were married in Berkshire, England, in 1901. Frank worked at his trade of photographer until, in 1905, they decided to immigrate to Canada with their son Jack, born in 1903. 

Goodwin, R.  (Deloraine 1900)

Gorrill. Fred   (Fairfax  1905)

Graham, T.S.   (Melita)

Jacobs, Mr. E. F.  - Lauder

From the Lauder History….

A file of several hundred photographs has been gathered. They were copied from those lent by many people whose help has been very much appreciated. Of particular interest is a large box full of negatives on 4" x 5" glass loaned by Frank Jacobs. They were the work of his father, Mr. E. F. Jacobs, who has probably done more to pre- serve the history of Lauder and its people than any other person.
His photographs are spread across Canada and are valued possessions of many of the old timers and their descendants. Many of the photos loaned were originally produced from the Jacobs negatives.

Jenkins, John S.  (Deloraine 1906…)

John Sampson Jenkins was born at Camborne in the County of Cornwall, England, on October 15. 1861. In 1881 he married Nancy Grundy of Preston. Lancanshire, England. The family came to Canada in 1887, first to Aylmer. Ontario and later to Belleville. In 1906 they moved to Deloraine where they lived until death.

Mr. Jenkins introduced moving pictures to this part of the Province, with movies shown for years in the Opera House, as well as travelling to Waskacla and Napinka for showing there. His Photo Studio was well-known in the area, having taken over the Davidson Studio soon after coming to Deloraine. It was operated by Mr. Jenkin and then the business was taken over by his daughter, Carrie, who had worked with her father.

Jenkins, Carrie

From the Deloraine History…

Another woman next door, Carrie Jenkins, has an equally fascinating occupation. She is a photographer, in fact, “the" photographer for Deloraine. Inside her small shop next to the Jubilee Theatre (her father operated the first movie in town) the smell of chemicals used in photo processing is pervasive. Carrie has time to spend with boys and shows them a picture taken when the two of them were just five . - she had captured them on film right out in front of her shop in the company of three others, all with suckers in their mouths.

Kohler, Stanley - Glenboro

Stanley was a farmer and a photographer. Many of the early photos of events, families and other activities in the Millford and later the Treesbank and Stockton areas were taken by him.

Lane E.L. (Glenboro)

Markle.  W. E.  (Boissevain 1892)

W. E. Markle had very aggressive advertisements in the Globe in Boissevain, but seems to have been around for only a couple of months.

 

The first flour mills, a picture taken 1889 - Photo courtesy W. Moncur    p31  BH1


Marshman, Thomas  (Hartney 1891 – 1893)

Martel, William Angus (Brandon & Area)

There were several photographers in Brandon that travelled to rural sites.

 

Born in New York City on 1 December 1851, Martel and his wife Theresa had three children, all of whom worked with him in the photography business: Isabel Martel (b 1872), William Angus Martel (1875-1958), and Frank A. Martel (b 1881). Around 1898, they came to Manitoba and established a photography business at Brandon, with a satellite studio at Morden, relocating in 1903 to Winnipeg. The Martels eventually moved to Los Angeles, California where W. A. Martel opened a studio.

In 1899, William Martel & Son had a tent studio in Melita that they worked from.
 

George A. Martin (Killarney)


 
As far as is known the first photographer in Killarney was a Mr. Martin. He is listed as one of the “Professional and Business Men in Killarney before 1900.

Born in Ontario on 23 October 1861, he married Mary A. King (1860-?) at Hastings, Ontario on 3 January 1883. They had two daughters: Annie M. Martin (b 1884, wife of Charles Burton McConnell) and Lena M. Martin (b 1892). He died at Killarney on 20 March 1924 and was buried in Killarney Cemetery.

He probably did not have a studio and did only a small amount of work.

 

This threshing scene is by George A. Martin

McKim, Walter J. – 1899 (Boissevain & Killarney)


McArter, John - Hartney



John McArter - seated to the right

John McArter was born in Huron County, Ontario. He received his public and high school education there. He took up Professional Photography and had a studio in Brussels, Ontario. He came to Manitoba first in 1901, but returned to the East to dispose of his business. He came back to Hartney in 1904 and bought the Hartney Photo Studio where he was in business until his death April 30, 1915. He took many pictures of pioneer farming in the Hartney area. He was an active member of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. He was an avid curler, taking part in all the surrounding bonspiels and coming home with many trophies.



**See Profiles Section


McDonald, Norman - Hartney

 

Note that the Photo Studio Sign is visible in the photo. Norman McDonald worked in Hartney from 1903 – 07.

 

McDonald also took photos in nearby Elgin.
 
McKay John – Farmer and amateur photographer. (Neelin)

McTavish, A.  (Pipestone 1900)


Miers, James E.    (Boissevain 1894 – 1900)

In 1893 James E. Miers established the Boissevain Photographic Studio which he operated until he sold to W. J. McKim in 1899. In the meantime F. W. Plows was also doing photography, in 1894.


 

Photographer Meirs visits Henderson Bros. threshing outfit in the Caranton district northwest of Boissevain 1887 - Courtesy W. D. Henderson, Brandon
 
Charles Ignatious Meyers

 

Born at Toronto, Ontario on 27 August 1892, son of Charles L. Meyers and Elizabeth Doran, he came to Winnipeg with his family in the early 20th century where he began working as a photographer. In 1918, in the late days of the First World War, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Following his military discharge in 1919, operating out of a Winnipeg studio on Notre Dame Avenue, he ventured around southern Manitoba into the 1920s, taking photographs that were made into postcards, many of which survive today. He later returned to Toronto where he continued working as a photographer.

 

Oak Lake was a long way from home; often photographers would travel in a circuit. 


 
Meyers has left us several photos of the village of Minto.
 

Morrish Albert E.  (Crystal City 1902 - 1916)

Born at Goderich, Ontario on 25 December 1881, son of Thomas Morrish (?-1937) and Louise Jewell (?-?), he moved with his familiy to North Dakota around 1890, living there until 1902 when they relocated to Crystal City. Starting around 1904, he began working as a photographer, operating a studio at Crystal City until 1916 (in partnership with William J. Stanlake around 1907), and taking postcard views at various towns around southern Manitoba. In January 1916, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Returning from military service, on 15 September 1920 he married Margaret Grace McNeill (1876-1967) at Winnipeg. In the early 1920s, he operated the Davidson Studio at Brandon in partnership with Frank W. Weekes. He later had the Morrish Studio at Neepawa until at least 1947. He died at Neepawa in October 1968 and was buried in the Neepawa Cemetery.

 

This photo of Rock Lake is by A. Morrish.  He worked in Brandon, Crystal City, Pilot Mound, and Virden from 1904 – 1923

Murney, Walter  (Baldur 1904)

Walter Murney was a photographer and worked with S. Frederickson in 1904, as travelling photographers, selling pictures from 25 cents a dozen up. In 1905, Murney set up a study in T.W. Sexsmith's hotel.

Nelson, Frank  (Baldur, Glenora)

Frank was born and raised in the Glenora area.

He was an avid photographer and took post card size pictures, doing all the developing himself. He was always on hand at the house parties taking pictures of those present; people were always very co-operative at arranging themselves for a picture. Many of the pictures are around today and in very good condition.

Nicholson, John

Based at Boissevain between 1888 and 1893, Nicholson sold his photographic equipment in the latter year.
Nicholson, John - 1892

Boissevain's first photographer appears to have been John Nicholson, in 1892.

Ongley, E. E. (Glenboro)


Osborne P.J.   (Boissevain)

By 1904 Osborne's Studio was located over what is now Pringle's store. He was Boissevain's photographer for many years.


 

One of Osborne’s early photos of Boissevain.

Earlier Mr. Osborne's name appears on photographs in Killarney 

 

This photo of the construction of the Great Northern line near Bunclody bears Osborne’s inscription.


Overend, George  (Ninette)

George Overend took that first picture of the new-born village photographed from the west hill, for he was Ninette's first amateur photographer.

Plows. F.W.  (Boissevain ca. 1894)

Paynter, Joseph – 1899 – 1918 (Carberry)

Pope, Charles  (1900) Melita - Pope had a studio next door to the Metropolitan Hotel.

A.P.  (Wawanesa)

An unknown photographer known only by the initials A.P. also provided some photos of Wawanesa in its early days.

 




Walter Royle   -  Reston

 

Walter Royle took this shot of this church that still stands in the village of Pipestone. He worked there in the 1920’s

Born at West Didsbury, England around 1887, he graduated from the Glasgow Bible Training College and emigrated to Canada in 1910, where he was a student missionary in Alberta. He graduated from Manitoba College in 1914 and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. His first pastoral posting was at Moore Park, and he subsequently served at Presbyterian (later United) churches at Tilston, Griswold, Pipestone (1920-1922), Graysville, Silverton, Elm Creek, Ninga (1936), Rossburn, Dugald (1937), High Bluff (1943-1944), Isabella (1948), and Basswood (1953-1954). He retired to Foxwarren in July 1954.

On 9 April 1914, he married Mary Daymond Gardner (1876-1971) in the RM of Woodworth. In the 1920s, he took photographs around Pipestone that were made into commercial postcards.

Saunders, Brabazon Joseph  (Napinka, Reston, Waskada 1904 – 1915)

Born at Islington, Middlesex, England in January 1870, he married Agnes Jane Muirhead Turner (1866-1946) at Islington on 2 April 1898. He emigrated to Canada in 1899 and worked as a photographer at Galt, Ontario until at least 1902. He was living at Napinka as of late 1905, working as a photographer, either alone or in partnership with Leslie Witmer Eaton. It is believed that Saunders was the proprietor of the Winnipeg Photo Company, which produced good quality postcards showing scenes throughout southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. These areas are consistent geographically with the satellite studios that Saunders operated in this region. By 1916, Saunders had moved to Winnipeg where he worked as a baker. By 1921, he was operating the photography studio Goodfellow & Saunders at Mount Dennis.



Saunders was on the Napinka Voters List from 1902 – 1912  and listed as  a resident,  B. Saunders, photographer  1905 – 1913. In 1911 he was established at Block 4 Lot 13

This photo of Rock Lake is a fine example of the work of the Winnipeg Photo Company.

He was also listed as:  Saunders Art Studio (191) :  Saunders & Eaton  (Reston & Waskada) 1906 , and may have been involved in the Western Photograph Company – 1914 – 1915

**See Profiles Section

Scott, Mr. In 1904 Mr. Scott and P.C. Edwards bought a studio in Killarney from a Mr. McKim.

Silverdale & Nelson  (Melita & Area  - Outdoor photographers, were in the area in 1914)

Smith, Ernest R. T.  (Carberry)

Smith, Edgar  (Glenboro)

Edgar Smith, son of John B. and Sarah Smith, was born in Nottingham, England, April 21, 1873. Following his school education he learned the photographic trade from his father, who was in the photography business under the name of J. B. Smith and Son (oldest brother, Fred) and they had won prizes for their photographs from 1865 to the 1880's.

In 1903 Mr. E. Smith came out to Canada and went to Grenfell, Saskatchewan where he worked at bricklaying until April 1904, when he went back to England and married Ada L. Hall, daughter of George and Louisa Hall. Following their marriage they came to Canada and settled in Glenboro, Manitoba.

He purchased the Photographic Studio from E. L. Lane and was in this business until 1922

Stephens, C.B.  (Deloraine)  Photo Art Studio - C. B. Stephens. Artist.

Stevens, Fred  (Baldur 1890’s)

In the summer of 1882, Fred Stevens came to Manitoba from England, to seek his fortune in farming. After looking around, he decided on W 28-4-14. If he had known how many stones would have to be removed, he would have located elsewhere. He and his neighbours erected a log house in 1882. The house was lived in until 1937.

He continued to farm until the boys were old enough to carry on. Fred and Elizabeth moved to Baldur in 1920, when Fred purchased the "Baldur Gazette". He operated it until his death in 1940.

Several examples of Fred’s photography appeared in a Special Historical Edition of the Baldur in Sept. 1899.

 

Winnipeg Elevator, Dominion Elevator, Roller Mill, Rink, Northern Elevator

Alexander Barton Thom [A. B.] (1849-1926)

Thom’s photographic achievements throughout western Canada in the 1880s and 1890s have been described as “among the most artistic and professional in the West for that period,”

Thom was born at Stratford, Ontario in February 1849, His younger brother, John S. Thom Jr., established a general store at Lucan, Ontario where he also dabbled in photography. Perhaps this is where Alexander got his start in the craft. Thom arrived in Manitoba sometime in 1880 and in October purchased a lot at Nelsonville, where he intended to open a photography studio in the spring of the following year.

By May 1883, Thom had formed a photographic partnership at Winnipeg with Fred V. Bingham, which lasted until 1886. During this period, Thom was primarily an itinerant who spent much of his time travelling in western Canada, taking numerous photographs in the spectacular mountain ranges west of Calgary. During 1886, for example, he took over 2,000 views along the Canadian Pacific Railway route through the Rockies.

Thom visited England briefly in early 1887 to obtain a special lens designed for taking mountain views, which he used from 1887 to at least 1889. During the winters of 1885 through 1889, and possibly later, he spent his winters travelling through the USA and England, giving presentations illustrated with his images. Thom believed the presentations benefitted the Canadian Pacific Railway and immigration to western Canada, and he used this argument to support his request that the railway provide a railway car as a portable photographic studio.

Thom maintained his base of operations in Manitoba. In 1890, he resided at Stonewall, then at Winnipeg from 1891 to 1894. In 1892, he opened a studio at Carman with a Mr. Pontreath in charge. He had a studio at Regina from 1894 to 1897, and one at Brandon from 1896 to 1900 with a satellite studio on Fourth Street in Wawanesa from 1897.

After closing his Wawanesa photography studio in 1904, Thom settled down to the life of a bachelor farmer on a homestead southwest of St. Claude.
 

Watson J.A.   (Melita  1896 – 1899)

Watson, W.J.  (Souris 1892 – 1894)

Watt, F.E.  (Melita)  In 1905-1907 F. E. Watt worked from a small building near the Methodist Church, and with a tent visited small towns around, their visits lasting two to three weeks at a time

Winnipeg Photo Co. Office (Napinka 1904 – 1913) (Waskada & Reston)

Take a look at the inscription on this photo taken in Waskada. It reads, “Winnipeg Photo Co. Napinka.  One finds that notation on many old photos from the region. A visitor to Napinka today might find it odd, but in the early 1900’s, Napinka had a Photo Studio.  That tells us two things. First, Napinka was a much bigger town in 1904. But, even so, there was work for photographers everywhere. It was a service that was seeing a surge in demand, as pioneer farmers and businessmen were becoming established and had finally had a bit of disposable income.



Brabazon Joseph Saunders was the proprietor of the Winnipeg Photo Company, based in Napinka with satellite studios elsewhere in the region. Saunders was on the Napinka Voters List from 1902 – 1912 and listed as a resident,  B. Saunders, photographer  1905 – 1913. 

The Winnipeg Photo Company has left us the most extensive existing photographic record of a region stretching from Cartwright to Pierson and Reston. The photos are among the highest quality to have been passed down from the first decade of the 20th century.

**See Profiles Section