A promotional Woodwards school textbook cover depicting a panoramic view of a coastal city very reminiscent of Vancouver, BC. (There is a small chance this was generic art that was used in other cities, but I’d like to think it’s our very own.) I can’t quite make out the initials with certainty in the bottom right hand corner, but it looks like either A. J. B. or possibly A. S. B. Theoretically, that might be Arthur J. Bannister (who was in the BC Artists exhibition in 1945), or perhaps Albert J. Blaney (who was in the BC Artists exhibition in 1946); both artists are listed in Gary Sim’s British Columbia Artists index.
I reduced the drawing to black and white and crudely Photoshoped out some of the extraneous info in an attempt to isolate the panoramic scene of the city.
I recently posted the Project 200 brochure on flickr, the often discussed freeway and urban development that almost wiped out Chinatown. Gordon Price has mentioned it on many occasions; here in 2008 he agrees with John Atkin who states it was not only outspoken public opposition that ended the project; they also ran out of financing options, and the feds walked away with the money.
What I find most amusing about this photo is ironic juxtaposition between the iconic landmarks of the Woodward’s building, the Dominion Building, and the Marine Building, and the giant blocks of Lego architecture that look like badly designed hotels of the 70s. Never mind the fact that no one would have dared to imagine Woodward’s would no longer be in business some 30 years later…or that it would one day become the vibrant redevelopment that it is today. I’ll add another footnote to the story tomorrow.
This is what I’m talking about; Danika keeps it local! Toile de Jouy for Vancouver, by Vancouver designer Danika McDowell of Locamode. Just what is Toile you ask? Wikipedia says:
Toile is the name of a fabric that entered the English language around the 16th century[1] from a French word meaning “linen cloth” or “canvas” — particularly cloth or canvas for painting on.
Seen on Poppytalk via Spoonflower. More here. Suddenly, I have an urgent need for some Skytrain technical drawing Toile!
Woodsquat, a comic by Trevor M about the squat at Woodwards which occurred from September 14 to December 14, 2002. You can read the full comic on their blog here. The Woodsquat book, edited by Aaron Vidaver and published as a special issue of West Coast Line in 2004, is out of print, but a complete PDF is available here from the publishers.
Gastown Gorillas, a T-shirt from 1990 posted by VanKeefer seen in their Woodwards Collection on flickr.
(Best guess is that this was a softball team shirt for Woodward’s staff, or possibly some other Gastown area team at the time). Acquired second hand, mid-1990s.
Another great drawing from inside The City and the Store, a brochure from the Woodwards Department Store, circa 1958. I urge you to check this brochure out in person! The text in the brochure was attributed to Douglas E Harker (who incidentally was born 100 years ago), but it failed to credit the artist, who used coloured pencils or crayons to render period photographs in a precise and consistent way throughout the brochure. From the VPL Special Collections NW Hist Call #:658.871 W91ha.
The City and the Store, the cover art from a most excellent brochure from the golden age of the Woodwards Department Store, circa 1958, to commemorate British Columbia’s Centennial Year. The text in the brochure was attributed to Douglas E Harker (who incidentally was born 100 years ago), but it failed to credit the artist, who used coloured pencils or crayons to render period photographs in a precise and consistent way throughout the brochure. From the VPL Special Collections NW Hist Call #:658.871 W91ha.
Woodwards; open all day Wednesday at Park Royal, West Vancouver. Illustration details from a souvenir guide book, circa 1952. Artist unknown. VPL Special Collections, NW Hist 971.133 V22G7863a1.
Another Woodward’s illustration, seen in The Gold Stripe, Volume 1, page 6, circa 1918.
A chronology of Woodward’s lineart. Sourced from an article on Woodward’s in the Romance of Vancouver, published by the Native Sons of British Columbia, Post No. 2, 1936, VPL Special Collections Call#: 971.133 V22n1
