Sons Mackenzie River (1 results)

50 real photo postcards (Complete set) complete with the rare original box. The flaps are missing but the box is whole and was mailed to someone in Manitoba. The cards have a slight curve to them but are overall in fine condition. They are postally unused with the publishers imprint on the back. They are numbered 1-50 and captioned below the image. Valentine & Sons of Dundee were Scotland's most successful commercial photographers. The company set up offices in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg in 1903 and soon went on to be a very successful post card publishing house. Although many of the cards were produced by lithography they also produced wonderful real photo cards as well. This very rare complete set of real photo cards probably dates from 1921 just after oil was discovered on the Athabaska River in the Fort McMurray/Fort Norman area of Alberta. The wonderful images mainly show life along the Mackenzie river in most of the northern settlements. The fantastic photographer covers many of the elements of the towns and people who lived and worked on the river. Most of the images show street scenes in the towns and show many of the commercial businesses. The commercial enterprises shown include the Hudson's Bay Company, Northern Trading Company, the religious missions, native peoples, boats and planes, mounted police etc. Several of the images directly relate John Franklin and include an image of the Franklin Hotel in Fort McMurray, the sun dial erected at Fort Simpson by Franklin, and the 2 storey building Franklin built in the north. One of the historic images shows Albert LeBeaux, Slave Indian brought to Fort Smith by the Mounted Police. He was the first man executed in the NWT. A wonderful set with dozens of iconic images of the north.