Winnipeg Photo Co. Office (Napinka 1904 – 1913)   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 Photo Studio was prominent on Napinka’s Main Street in this clip from a 1910 photo.   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. We've sorted our collection by community....  A Bird’s Eye View of Belmont in1909.  Main Street – Boissevain – From the West. Did the Winnipeg Photo Co. compete with local photographers directly or fill in gaps when a local service wasn’t available?   Railway Ave. from the east in Cartwright.  Public School, Cypress River. Cypress River is some distance from the known Winnipeg Photo Co. offices.         West Side, Main St. Killarney 1908. The production of Post Cards may have been the main purpose for the Photographer to venture out of the home community.   Public School, Lauder (The first Lauder School)       “Off for a sail on the Laurel” - Pelican Lake       This interior of the Presbyterian Church in Pierson is a fine example of an interior image  In this case. the Postcard identified the source.   East Side, Broadway, Pilot Mound - 1908         Reston (View from an elevator) 1908    A good example of a “Street Scene” in Waskada one of hundreds that bring much altered village streetscapes back to life. 
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