One of the subjects of this vintage vancouver photo writes:
"We grew up in North Vancouver as kids. I remember having to bring in so many buckets of sawdust every day to put in the stove. We didn't come downtown that often. Usually to see the displays at Christmas."
And a relative of the man in this one wrote:
"This is my Grandfather Jens and my "courtesy" Uncle Henry. Henry became a very good friend of the family. He had also immigrated from Denmark in 1928.
Henry worked in the logging camp at Kelsey Bay on Van. Island. He was a baker. Every Christmas when he came back into Vancouver, he would bring my Mum a beautifully decorated Christmas cake and a 2lb box of chocolates! Yummy!"
One of the kids pictured below writes:
"Here I am again shopping with Mum and my cousin Susan. Susan is holding a Black doll. Our Grandfather gave all of his four granddaughters a "Betsy Wetsy" doll for Christmas. He bought the Black version. Grandpa was always interested in the Black culture. He was a progressive man for his time."
And lastly, one of the kids in this one writes:
"The Glendenning family in town in December, 1946. My six-year-old eyes were probably looking at some Christmas lights. My sister and I had the advantage of growing up on the south side of Little Mountain before it became Queen Elizabeth Park. We had woods to chase around in, and rock quarries to climb on. The quarries in the Park are now are beautifully manicured gardens."
The story behind the man who captured these photos? Well, from 1934 to 1979, street photographer Foncie Pulice set up his camera on Vancouver city sidewalks and snapped candid shots of people strolling by. For almost half a century, he took thousands of photos, unwittingly capturing moments in time, the history of a city, and the lives of British Columbians. Photo negatives of Foncie’s images do not exist. He destroyed most of them when he retired. Until recently there was no central archive or collection.
Documentary filmmaker Melanie Wood and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network changed that by bringing these photographs together – collecting them from albums around the province and giving them a public home online and in the film Foncie's Corner. The photos continue to stream in and Melanie shares them with us regularly so we can share them here on our blog.
This is a story about Vancouver, about British Columbia, and about it’s people... so they need your help. Visit Knowledge.ca/FonciesCorner to add your photos and stories to the collection.
