View of Moody, Dietz, & Nelson’s Saw-mill, at Burrard Inlet, a hand-coloured etching from a photograph by D. Withrow, believed to be published in the West Shore magazine, circa 1884 (I have yet to determine exactly which issue it is from). Oh, correction; this might actually be from Canadian Illustrated News, published in Montreal, Quebec by George Desbarats from 1869 to 1883. The Library and Archives Canada has a picture of this same etching which it dates as 22 June 1872, vol.V, no. 25, 389. The first and last complete issue of Canadian Illustrated News can be viewed online here:
This hand-coloured print is from the Vancouver Archives documentary art collection.
The Burrard Motel, a vintage postcard by the Vancouver postcard artist Edward Goodall. This postcard shows the final design circa 1954; the hotel opened in 1956. I didn’t realize the Burrard Motel, now the Burrard Hotel is actually a trendy hip vintage midcentury modern mix of style and fashion, right in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Any hotel with an inner courtyard deserves some credit in my books!
Pedestrian View, a painting by Melanie Hawes, ECUAD student. In case you don’t recognize, this is Bentall 5, which curiously grew from a 22 storey tower in 2002 to a 34 storey tower in 2007. I guess they planned it that way? You can spot two or three of the other Bentall buildings reflected in the glass. Painting seen at the 38th Annual Student Art Sale, held November 4 - 6, 2011.
The Capilano Weather Beacon, before the Capilano Brewery was purchased and became property of Molson. This handy card seen below explains how to forecast the weather based on a series of colour codes and illuminated trends. The Canada Life building in Toronto has a similar weather beacon which according to Wikipedia, was the first of its kind to appear in Canada (installed on August 9, 1951) and was built at a cost of CAD$25,000. The Capilano Weather Beacon was a large neon sign which was installed in the spring of 1953 when the Sicks’ Capilano Brewery facility in Vancouver was built.
Cross-posted with additional text to VancouverIsAwesome.com
Burrard Bridge, by Robert Jones, who according to this artist bio, “started painting in 1985 after he developed an interest in architectural illustration. He was an illustrator for six years, in which time he had the opportunity to develop skills in watercolour, gouache and airbrush techniques.” Seen on display in the window at the Time Frame Gallery on Robson Street.
The Burrard Bridge by Susan Gransby, a monoprint on paper for sale at Levis Online Auctions tomorrow. From her gallery bio, “She graduated with Honours in Printmaking from the Vancouver School of Art in 1979 and in Philosophy from UBC.” She writes:
“Urban and industrial structures and architecture have always attracted me. Sometimes it’s a single object, such as the Alexandra Bandstand at English Bay or a crane on the Fraser River or Hong Kong construction site. Other times I enjoy picking out favourite fragments of a building or district and floating them in imagined spaces. Curator Roger Boulet once described my work as “a refreshingly uncomplicated vision with a relaxed and easy intimacy.” Exploring the city is an adventure and I hope I can impart my discoveries in a playful way. Printmaking provides the ideal process by which to narrow down the endless subjects around me.”
Johnny on the Spot, a postcard promoting the new location at Burrard and Davie for the city’s most distinctive dry cleaners and launderers (does anyone know; was this the corner that’s now replaced by a community garden?). Unknown artist, unknown vintage, but based on the cars in the photo, I’d say 1960!
Poster for the Design*Sponge Vancouver Book Tour, illustrated by Julia Rothman. The event itself has quickly filled its RSVP quota, but I’m sure you could always wander by on the date of the event and soak up some of the new book ambiance!
The Burrard Bridge, submitted by Tony Chang, who writes, “I could never keep my lines straight like Robin Ward, but I have a few pen and inks that were done over the years.” More work via Google+, with scenes from Vancouver and a couple of images from San Francisco in the mix. Thanks, Tony!
Kicking off I Love Transit week, this week’s posts will be transit related!
A short scene from Not Cops (converted by me to GIF format) from an animated short by Sterling Richter, an illustrator and animator based out of Vancouver.
No disrespect to Translink, either! As Transformers has shown us, giant robots can be that way! ;)
City of Vancouver : British Columbia : Civic Centre - Proposed Development of the Burrard Street Site, created for the City of Vancouver Town Planning Commission in 1928 by John F. D. Tanqueray; Harland Bartholomew and Associates, consultants, St. Louis, Missouri. Further description from flickr: “Shows a concept for a civic centre near Beach Avenue and Burrard Street, and for a bridge across False Creek at Burrard Street.” From the Vancouver City Archives, Item Number: 79-10. Posted in honour of the Bartholomew plan documents, recently posted to archive.org, digitized with funding by Bing Thom Architects as a gift to the City of Vancouver for its 125th birthday.
