There’s an instructive and funny little sidebar buried in Michael Kluckner’s newest book, Vancouver Remembered. In 1985 he was commissioned to paint an image of Vancouver for a centennial poster series, and tried in vain to find a streetscape that combined old and new Vancouver. Finally, he invented a view, looking west from the corner of Frances Street and Victoria Drive….
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That friendly woman waving to us is seen for a fraction of a moment in a film taken in Vancouver exactly 100 years ago. On May 7, 1907 a Seattle film maker named William Harbeck came up to Vancouver to make a movie. That six-minute, silent, black-and-white movie is the earliest we have of the city. It is a fascinating glimpse into the city’s past….
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It was a humbling experience some years ago to walk into the National Portrait Gallery in London, England and ask an attendant to point out the portrait of Capt. George Vancouver. His response was, “Who?”
And it was puzzling to have the attendant look through the gallery’s catalogue and find no mention whatever of the painting. I distinctly recalled reading that the painting was there
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1909 is the first year with so many events that we gave it its own separate file. Further analysis might show that Metropolitan Vancouver took a giant leap forward this year: many prominent buildings were erected, and there seemed to be a heightened sense of excitement at the promise of the city.
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“Imagine,” says the Vancouver Historical Society, “seeing King George VI and Queen Elizabeth being driven down Georgia Street in 1939 as thousands line the sidewalks and cheer . . . and all in colour!” That’s just one of the rare chunks of film shown February 22 at the Vancouver Museum. Colin Preston (left), the CBC’s Vancouver archivist, has a fine collection of film clips from the past, so this was one of the VHS’s more enjoyable events of the year….
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