Name/Title
Victoria Inner Harbour Panorama looking Southwest to James Bay from along Douglas StreetEntry/Object ID
2001.01.51Description
Photograph
This black and white panorama of the Victoria, B.C. Inner Harbour shows an elevated southwest view to James Bay (the city's oldest neighbourhood) from along Douglas Street, both named after Sir James Douglas, the second Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island. The B.C. Parliament Buildings are shown to the left in the background, with a section of the Inner Harbour to the right with the Canadian Pacific Railway Terminal and the "Princess Charlotte" steamer in dock.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Black and white photo on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
The captivating experience of the panorama with its horizontally elongated field of view existed in painting, as early as 20 AD in Pompeian murals, centuries before the advent of photography. However, the desire to create a detailed landscape or cityscape or to record an event without a paintbrush continued to grow and in the 19th century, with the invention of photography, the development of panoramic cameras became a reality. Early panoramas were created using the processes in vogue at the time, such as by placing two or more daguerreotype plates side-by-side to create a wide format image.
However, from the early 1840s many photographers were working to develop and patent specific panorama-type camera designs. German-born Friedrich von Martens (1809-1875) is credited with the invention of the first panoramic camera in 1845. Panoramic photos became very popular in the 19th century and were widely used to capture the growth of cities, document rural vistas, record parades and the members of sporting teams and celebrate civic events. By shooting with a very wide angle for a large field of view, these photos were big, different, often fun and very captivating. Later, panorama cameras were specifically designed for the amateur photographer, and today, amateurs and professionals can use software for this purpose.
_________________________
Victoria was built on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen peoples, today known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Victoria is Western Canada's second oldest city, incorporated in 1862. When this photograph was taken circa 1900, the population would have been roughly 20,000. The photo showcases the city as the seat of provincial government and the Inner Harbour as the gateway to the city.
The B.C. Parliament Buildings to the left in the photo were completed in 1897 by noted architect Francis M. Rattenbury (1867-1935). They were built in a Neo-Baroque design on a grand scale with a central dome and two end pavilions, rich white marble, exterior sculptures and rusticated Renaissance-style stonework. Inside is equally impressive, with fine mosaics, carvings, marble, woodwork, and stained glass. The project came in well over budget at the then-shocking cost of almost $1 million.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Terminal building shown to the left of the steamer is the original terminal, built in 1905 by the architect Rattenbury to accommodate CPR's new B.C. Pacific Coast Service for both passenger and cargo traffic. This building was torn down in 1924 to make room for the new and current CPR Steamship Terminal designed and built by architects P. L. James (1878-1970) and Rattenbury.
The steamer shown to the right, the Princess Charlotte, was launched ca. 1908, served 40 years on the Pacific coast and was then sold to a Greek company. The steamer was then renamed the SS Mediterranean, making trips from Venice to Greece to Istanbul until her decommissioning in 1965.
Canadian Pacific’s Princess ships, were small black-and-white steamers, a fleet of 26, that plied the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, from Puget Sound in Washington State to the Alaska Panhandle during the first half of the 20th century. This Canadian Pacific Navigation Co. fleet, established in 1901, was intended to serve as a water-borne extension of the Canadian Pacific’s transcontinental railway, linking Vancouver Island and northern B.C. ports with the rail terminus in Vancouver. These ships came to be called "pocket liners" because they offered amenities like the great ocean liners, but on a smaller scale.Made/Created
Artist Information
Attribution
Albert George Franklin (1872-1935?)Role
PhotographerDate made
circa 1900Time Period
19th Century, 20th CenturyNotes
PHOTOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHY
Further research is needed. However, the artist may be Albert George Franklin who lived in Victoria, as per listings in various BC/Victoria directories from 1889 to 1901, etc. See Research Notes and accession file.Dimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
43.8 cmWidth
189.2 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
1999Notes
Legacy collection
Donated by David F. Robinson, 1999. Former UCBC Member
