Illustrated Vancouver

Celebrating BOMA’s 100th Anniversary in 2011, by Barb...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Celebrating BOMA’s 100th Anniversary in 2011, by Barb Wood. Last month Barb Wood celebrated her 30th year in the illustration business; she blogged about the occasion here, where she posted a few celebratory images from her portfolio.

Goad’s atlas of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Goad’s atlas of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia and surrounding municipalities in four volumes from 1912. Fire insurance maps are great; I’m posting it here primarily for the typography, but the maps are great too! From Collections Canada, which has volume one (Kits) and two (Grandview) posted out of four. Via Michael Kluckner’s recent blog post at grandviewheritage.blogspot.com.

The Romance of Vancouver, a BC Electric trolley advertisement...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

The Romance of Vancouver, a BC Electric trolley advertisement for the Vancouver Sun by cartoonist Fraser Wilson. I digitally enhanced this image, removing the brown ‘cardboard’ patina of the background to replicate what the original drawing might have looked like on paper. Wilson’s signature appears in the bottom right of the ad, and in the bottom left are the words:

José María Narváez
(1791) Discovers Vancouver

Wikipedia entry for José María Narváez

Fraser Wilson, mentioned here recently, was the cartoonist who sold his first cartoon at the age of 12 (circa 1917), and he continued to draw comics for the Vancouver Sun and the Daily Province until 1947. This trolley ad is one of the three referenced in this Vancouver Sun article, where John Mackie writes:

They probably date to the late 1930s and early ’40s, when posters were mounted on the front of streetcars. They survived because somebody packed them into walls as insulation and they were unearthed when houses were renovated or torn down.

The expression “The Romance of Vancouver” was a slogan used by the Vancouver Tourist Association on a number of occasions. Books were published with this title in 1926, 1929, 1936 (the year of the city’s Golden Jubilee), and in 1940. I wonder if this ad was part of a larger Golden Jubilee nostalgic ad campaign featuring all the early explorers; has anyone seen any others?

I’m putting out the call for anyone who has an old BCER trolley poster in their collection to get in touch with me. I’d love to build a larger visual database of these ads, and if possible, I’m attempting to make digital recreations of the posters I’ve seen thus far. Of course, you can read a lot of these ads in period photographs, but I’m super keen on seeing the real thing. You can get in touch with me by Twitter or via this site at illustratedvancouver.ca/submit. You can see my growing digital archive of this posters here.

Via my post at translinked, even though this doesn’t...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:11:17 -0800

Via my post at translinked, even though this doesn’t precisely depict Vancouver, I thought it was worth posting here for a few reasons.

First, I’ve already mentioned the importance of BC Electric’s early advertising and this is a prime example. What’s remarkable here is the fact that this logotype is actually initialed by the artist. At the very bottom, the letters J.D.B. appear, along with the date 1915. I really ought to take a closer look at the BC Electric archives at UBC to see if I can learn more (see box 1: “Advertising Contract - (6 files, 1906-45)” from the PRESIDENT’S OFFICE FILES; OLD CORRESPONDENCE FILES (BOXES) TRANSFERRED TO RECORDS ROOM, CARRELL STREET, VANCOUVER, FEBRUARY 26TH, 1948). I think I got this logo image from one of Henry Ewert’s books, but I don’t recall which one, sorry! With Yuriko’s assistance, I also made a limited run silkscreen t-shirt of this logo at BLIM, but sorry again, I am out of stock!

Second, I would like to point out that BoingBoing science correspondent Maggie Koerth-Baker is going to be speaking tomorrow, Monday, February 20, 2012 at the Railway Club in Vancouver! She will be talking specifically about “the North American electric grid—where it came from, how it works today, and how it affects what we can and can’t do in the future.” This talk is inspired by her upcoming book, Before the Lights Go Out. While this talk will not necessarily be Vancouver-centric, electric power had a significant historical role in Vancouver’s development, and it should be a fun talk! Plus, it’s open to the public!

Here’s a brief quote that discusses the historical significance of Vancouver’s first electric trolley cars, from Don Bellamy’s Rapid Transit Solution (BC Electric Railway Motorman, Retired)

In 1890 four year old Vancouver (Gastown) built its first Streetcar Line. This radical new technology transformed small horse drawn railway coaches into self-propelled people movers for the masses. Streetcars were so new there was no class, economic, gender, or racial distinctions like railways. From Vancouver (Gastown, now mostly gutted by developers leaving only the facades) the Streetcar railways spread out selling land adjacent to their Streetcar lines. Vancouver was / is the first major Canadian city built as a Streetcar City: sustainable, ecologically-dense (1-12 storeys high), 3 block walk or cycle to transit, economically diverse, multi-cultural, and open to new ideas…

Finally, take note of the exhibit at the Surrey Museum mentioned below, on display until March 24th.

Original Tumblr post via translinked:

B.C. Electric: More Than Just a Tram, on now at the Surrey Museum until March 24, 2012.

Explore the new possibilities that electricity and the B.C. Electric Railway brought to Surrey…

Tuesdays-Fridays: 9:30am-5:30pm
Saturdays: 10:00am-5:00pm
Closed Sundays, Mondays and Statutory Holidays

Surrey Museum
17710 56A Ave
Surrey, BC
604-592-6956

BCER 1915 logo by J.D.B., via flickr, as seen in a Henry Ewert book (I think!)

An ink on paper drawing submitted by Louise Phillips dating back...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

An ink on paper drawing submitted by Louise Phillips dating back to November 30th, 2005. Louise writes:

I thought of this drawing today, a few years after it was made, but the map of Vancouver and my impression of Richmond remain true to the time of its making.

The drawing is in ink on the cover of an environmentally friendly notebook found on sale in a Steveston shop. I was newly arrived from Toronto and experiencing a strange kind of culture shock. Drawing and writing were a guarantee of sanity.

Perhaps it is timely in this year, 2012 - the Queen’s Jubilee Year, to look back at the past!

Thanks Louise!

Another Vancouver harbour scene by artist Walter J. Phillips,...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Another Vancouver harbour scene by artist Walter J. Phillips, this time in colour, and from 1933, showing a mountainous background, cargo ship docked at grain elevator, and workers on the dock. The above watercolour sold at auction for $38,000, according to this Winnipeg auction house website (image is slightly cropped, and colours may be a bit off; the tweaked image comes from the aforementioned webpage).

Store flyer for Belleek China, from the D.E. Hutchinson Jewelers...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:10:00 -0800

Store flyer for Belleek China, from the D.E. Hutchinson Jewelers store in Vancouver, previously located at 683 Granville Street (now the site of the Sears building, former Eaton’s Pacific Centre). This is a bit late for Valentine’s, but better late than never? Oh, except D.E. Hutchinson closed decades ago, before Eaton’s Pacific Centre was built. Actually, I don’t see the business listed in the 1940 phone book, so that means they must have been there some time later from the 1940s-1960s. Store flyer for sale on ebay. Happy Valentine’s Day none the less!

A Vancouver harbour scene from 1941 by W. J. Phillips, showing...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

A Vancouver harbour scene from 1941 by W. J. Phillips, showing workers loading / unloading ships on the Vancouver dock. This watercolour is printed on page 187 of the book Canada, The Foundations of its Future by Stephen Leacock. It would be nice to see this in colour, so if anyone knows where this painting is, let me know!

Walter J. Phillips (Walter Joseph, ASA, RCA, CSPWC - 1884-1963) was a celebrated Manitoba artist who on occasion, painted in British Columbia.

pasttensevancouver: Militant Moms of Raymur, Wednesday 6...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

pasttensevancouver:

Militant Moms of Raymur, Wednesday 6 January 1971

Concerned for the safety of their children, mothers from the Raymur Housing project in Strathcona lobbied to have a pedestrian overpass built so their children wouldn’t have to cross busy train tracks to get to Seymour Elementary School. After getting nowhere with the City and rail companies, the moms set up an encampment on the tracks and blocked rail traffic to the waterfront. To resolve the issue, the City was forced to build the Keefer Street overpass. For more on this story, check out Viaduct.

As far as I know, this image originally appeared in Open Road, an anarchist newspaper published in Vancouver from the late 1970s to the mid-80s.

Source: Only (A) Beginning: An Anarchist Anthology, via GraveWisdom

Cover of Edith Adam’s Wartime Cook Book, 1943, from the...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:01:00 -0800

Cover of Edith Adam’s Wartime Cook Book, 1943, from the Vancouver Sun (digitally enhanced). The cover art is by Fraser Wilson, who drew comics for the Vancouver Sun and the Daily Province until 1947. This quote from the publication Youth, Unions, and You:

Wilson was born in 1905, in Vancouver. A gifted cartoonist, he sold his first published illustration to a national magazine at the age of twelve. In his early life he painted ships in Wallace’s Shipyards, ran a candy store, did carpentry, developed photos, worked as a painter and decorator, and laboured in a shipyard. It was due to a work-related injury in the yard that he pursued commercial cartooning as a career. At the peak of his political cartooning reputation, he was a favoured artist in both Vancouver dailies, the Vancouver Sun and the Province.

Back to this wonderfully ambitious and optimistic guide to better wartime cooking, the publication was mentioned here in the October 2009 issue of the North Vancouver Museum and Archives paper, Express. The cover indicates this was the 9th annual issue of the cookbook, but fails to mention that Edith Adams was, in fact, a pseudonym! Actually, most folks may well have known that; the recipes in these books were prize winning entries submitted by Vancouver Sun readers, as mentioned in the book Culinary landmarks: a bibliography of Canadian cookbooks, 1825-1949 by Elizabeth Driver. A quote from the introduction of this book notes:

From 1947, Edith Adams even had her own ‘cottage’ adjacent to the newspaper’s building, where Vancouver residents would flock to see Marianne Linnell as ‘Edith’ demonstrate recipes.

If you want to see more of these books, you can seek out the Edith Adams Omnibus, a reprint from 2005 with more than 1000 recipes, compiling the first thirteen of these famed cook books and updated for today’s standards of cooking.

Happy 100th Birthday, Vancouver Sun!

Addendum by pasttensevancouver:

Fraser Wilson is the artist who painted the proletarian mural inside the Maritime Labour Centre. It was moved there from its original location at Pender Hall.

I should have known that! The Maritime Labour Centre mural has been on my todo list forever!

Greer House, a sketch by a grade 7 student at Lord Selkirk...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Greer House, a sketch by a grade 7 student at Lord Selkirk Elementary School. Thanks again for your submissions, Sid!

Images of Vancouver, an Ian McLeod poster, one of a series of...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Images of Vancouver, an Ian McLeod poster, one of a series of vintage Vancouver posters offered on ebay, three of which I have already featured here at Illustrated Vancouver.

Cindy Buckshon’s Transit Roots Art Exhibition opens this...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Cindy Buckshon’s Transit Roots Art Exhibition opens this Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Deer Lake Gallery in Burnaby. I’m resisting the urge to show a link to her blog to help build suspense! I just know this show will be loaded with Vancouver transit love, and I implore you to go and check it out! Makes a great Valentine’s expedition!

Reception is from 2-4pm, and refreshments will be served, the general public is welcome; transit riders especially welcome! I believe the gallery is only open Tues - Sat Noon - 4pm, so be sure to get there before 4!

6584 Deer Lake Avenue
Burnaby, BC
Map to Deer Lake Gallery

YMCA Building at Burrard and Barclay St by McCarter &...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:06 -0800

YMCA Building at Burrard and Barclay St by McCarter & Nairne, perspective view 1940, pencil and colour wash on illustration board. Reprinted on page 56 of Trace Magazine, July - Sept 1981. The building recently went through a complete redevelopment and is now known as The Robert Lee YMCA Building, joining forces with a 42-storey residential tower known as Patina. For those who want to read the fine print, here’s the City of Vancouver rezoning report and Heritage Revitalization Agreement from 2005. The Vancouver Observer took a tour of the facilities in this 2010 article. The numbers, briefly:

Number of units: 256
Cost of YMCA restoration: $67 million
Total project cost: $250 million
What I’d really like to know: cost of the original building in 1940 ??

Heritage Hall by Andrea Rodgers, another Buzzer cover...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Heritage Hall by Andrea Rodgers, another Buzzer cover illustration, via the Buzzer Blog. From the Buzzer interview:

Tell us about yourself and your art.
I like the aesthetic of rough hand drawn lines. Often working in pen, I like to add in watercolour and india ink. The unexpected nature of the medium appeals to me. Makes it more of an adventure. For this illustration I scanned it in and worked with photoshop and illustrator.

How did you come up with the concept for your illustration?
Heritage hall is an architectural beauty in Vancouver. It was an easy choice to represent the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. On a good day – From this point on the hill you can often see the mountains and a good part of the city too…

A Souvenir Pillowcase of Vancouver, on glorious printed silk....

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:34:00 -0800

City Hall

Lions Gate Bridge

Marine Building

Stanley Park

Georgia Medical Dental Building

A Souvenir Pillowcase of Vancouver, on glorious printed silk. I’ve covered the souvenir plate meme previously, and this vintage pillowcase is definitely inspired by the tourist art aesthetic. We may never learn who the artists involved were, but looking at the closeup images, the artwork really begins to resemble scenes from a comic book, and I can totally imagine Tintin suddenly blazing onto the scene! I’m having a hard time dating this piece, but I have a hunch or two. For more, plus a DIY contest challenge, check out the cross-post on VancouverIsAwesome.com

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:06 -0800

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by Roger Kemble, with P. Stephen Babiak and John R. Chislett as contributing assistants. From the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, pp 58-65. Presented here in post number 3 are 2 of the 4 full layouts from this article, with explanatory text to provide some context for these drawings.

Actually, I just realized this entire series of drawings can already be found online, along with a 1600 word essay to accompany the article, posted on Roger Kemble’s own personal webpage. Roger has also indulged in a few more of his architectural fantasies, including a some conceptual sketches showing what he would have liked to do with the North Shore of False Creek, given half a chance. He also shows one of his more recent award winning projects, the Vivo Gallery Residences in Nanaimo, recipient of the 2008 City of Nanaimo Design Award for a multi-purpose development. For more on Roger’s work, see this 2002 article in this Heritage Vancouver newsletter.

And incidentally, Roger’s own daughter is now an architect. According to the about page at Architrave.ca, she funded her University studies in Art, Art History and Architecture working as a model builder and draftsman for Arthur Erickson Architects and in her father’s firm Roger Kemble Architects in Vancouver.

I was impressed to see Swing City referenced in this U of T history of architecture course back in 2007: ARC 3033: Manifesto and Ethos through Postwar Architecture History in Canada. I wish I could have heard the professor discuss this work in class! I should also mention that this entire magazine article was originally printed on a special blue paper, a fitting tribute to blue sky thinking.

It was purely coincidental that I posted this series of drawings the very same week the City of Vancouver announced it was seeking a new director of planning. Will Swing City make a comeback and gain the approval of the next director of planning? Or will we dare to dream up even more fantastical plans for our fair city in the years to come? Time will tell…

ps: I also just learned that the domain SwingCouver.com is taken - it’s dance conference that just took place here last month! Have no fear, however; looks like they host an event once a year! Check out their videos from last year for some fancy footwork!

Union Steamship Cardena by James Koll, 2011....

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Union Steamship Cardena by James Koll, 2011. 14”x20”, watercolour. Shown here entering First Narrows, the S.S. Cardena began service for the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia in 1923 and soon earned its reputation as finest in the fleet. It reliably served the coastal communities of the Inside Passage until it was retired in 1958. This original painting has sold, but a giclée print limited to a series of 75 is available from the artist.

On a related note, I’m still trying to track down where the watercolours by S P Judge have gone. Sadly, I’ve run into a bit of a dead end. I’ve spoken with Gerald Rushton’s grandson, and he does recall some steamship fine art that his grandfather may have owned, but doesn’t believe it remained with the family.

So a word to all art dealers; be on the lookout for a series of watercolours of the early Union Steamship fleet circa 1905, signed by S P Judge. They hung on the walls of the company’s boardroom, and were later acquired by Gerald Rushton, who wrote the book on Union Steamship twice. If we can’t track them down, let’s keep painting steamships! This fine example by James Koll should serve as an inspiration.

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by Roger Kemble, with P. Stephen Babiak and John R. Chislett as contributing assistants. From the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, pp 58-65. Presented here are a couple closer detailed cross sections of the concept, post number 2.

Think back to 1968 if you will, and imagine a city filled with ambition, idealism, and poised to begin an explosion of vertical construction. It was the year Vancouver’s International Airport terminal opened, the Pacific Coliseum, as well as the Centennial Museum and H. R. MacMillan Planetarium, and Arthur Erickson’s MacMillan Bloedel Building too. SkyTrain was still almost 2 decades away, but the second drawing prominently features a monorail system, an integral transportation choice in a city which seems to have left the traditional street behind. This plan radically challenges all prior conventions, seeking extremely modern and modular solutions. It seems obsessed with scalability, and not so concerned with feasibility or sustainability. Would these ideals allow uninhibited human achievement, or would it transform the city into the Borg? A final post will include some of the explanatory text that accompanied these drawings.

Siwash Rock, a colour aquatint by Nicholas Hornyanksy. As...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Siwash Rock, a colour aquatint by Nicholas Hornyanksy. As indicated by an attached slip of paper, this print appears to have been a gift from Globe Envelopes Limited, for Christmas of 1946. From the web:

Nicholas Hornyansky was born in Budapest and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest. He emigrated to Canada in 1929, settling in Toronto. He became a popular and award-winning Canadian artist and printmaker, exhibiting with the Royal Canadian Academy, the Ontario Society of Artists, the California Printmakers, the Philadelphia Society of Etchers, and numerous other venues. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and taught printmaking at the Ontario College of Art. His work is in major public collections including the National Gallery of Canada and the Royal Ontario Museum.

Thanks, craigslister!