ETERNITY IN AN HOUR

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour.

Since I have begun collecting vintage photography materials and old prints, I have become further convinced that they form a small window into another time - a time capsule, in effect. Personal photographs can trigger memories and sensations which the viewer experiences directly, which results in a emotional response, dependent on the nature of the memory. Consequently and as I have very often felt this effect myself, I find that I am drawn to old prints and slides. As I have alluded to before on this blog, the idea of someones acutely personal memories and mementoes being discarded after their passing is very sad to me, and I often find myself acquiring items in order to ensure they 'live on' a little longer. Previously I discovered a set of glass slides at a car boot, whilst studying for a Creative Writing degree and was so moved by the images contained, that I was able to write an entire collection of poetry around them. Some years later, I came upon a small album from Japan, with lots of small family photos inside and although I did not find this as moving, it is definitely fascinating to look at.

Another of my passions is First Nations art and its representation through the totem pole, especially in model and souvenir form and I have a collection of tourist and travel models, as well as some hand carved originals. Searching ebay recently for new acquisitions, the search engine flagged up a small album of photographs, decorated with a totem pole on the cover.

It was full of small monochrome prints, along with some postcards and a few hand drawn maps of a young girls trip from Scotland across to British Columbia by boat. I bought the album and when it arrived, I was delighted to find that it was complete and full of documented accounts of the journey and the persons activities in Vancouver and the surrounding area.

Dated 1951-52, the young lady, who is never actually named (shown at centre on the above photograph), appears to have been a nurse or intern from the University of Bristol and was stationed in a local hospital on the island. Hand drawn maps included in the album are written on the back of university medical forms and notes.

The lady appears to have been a very compentant and keen photographer, although all the photographs are quite small and would probably have been taken with a standard entry level camera such as a Kodak Brownie or similar.

Faded with time to a pleasant chocolate like sepia tint, they cover mostly landscapes, but also friendship groups and events, with the young girls associates.

Having removed one or two from the album, the back of the print includes a small notation - usually mirrored in the album page, of location and any persons present on the photograph. Only one shot seems to show the photographer, as the camera was perched on a rock and set on timer.

The album covers what seems to be a two year period and the maps give an indication of the places visited in each section. One photograph shows four ladies with a U-Drive Hire car, so it seems they were quite outgoing and confident in their activities, which is unusual for the times.

The landscape shots are especially beautiful with heavily forested areas and large lakes and rivers. Most of the photographs are monochrome, with one or two coloured or hand tinted postcards, but tucked away in amongst the prints are one or two smaller prints, in deep colour with a kind of thick laminate feel to them and a small printed makers name on the back. Its unclear if these are souvenir prints or a special printing process.

Canada and British Columbia were sold as a majestic and wild frontier country, especially favourable to people looking for adventure and exploration. The Totem Pole featured heavily on tourism literature and became as synonymous with the area as the pyramids with Egypt and Big Ben with London.

Totem Poles were relocated from various sites across the region into dedicated national parks, such as Stanley Park and Thunderbird Park, where people could go to see the huge wooden sculptures in safety and comfort. Near the end of the album, I was pleased to discover that the mysterious photographer had visited Thunderbird Park in Victoria, B.C and taken some excellent shots of the art.

It is a lovely item and even without knowing who the original owner was, the individual photographs, maps and drawings provide a fascinating insight into what must have been a very exciting time.

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Returning again to the earlier, Japanese album I had found, I noticed recently a small inscription in the back of the book,