Accession Number

2012.007.001.011

Description

A black and white photograph of four children and a young woman standing on a tennis lawn, a tennis net, trees and the Gorge Waterway behind them.

Narrative

This circa 1898 photograph is mounted in a brown suede leather album that documents the life and times of the James and Laura Dunsmuir family from about 1895 onward. The album includes scenes at their house Burleith on Victoria's Gorge Waterway, various coastal locales north of Victoria, and parts of the United Kingdom.

This particular photograph depicts some of James and Laura Dunsmuir's children on a tennis court at Burleith. They are, from left to right: Jessie Muriel Dunsmuir (also known as Muriel or Moulie 1890-1959), Kathleen Euphemia Dunsmuir (1891-1941), Sarah Byrd Dunsmuir (also known as Byrdie, 1878-1925), James Dunsmuir (also known as James Jr. or Boy 1894-1915),  Joan Marion Dunsmuir (also known as Marion 1888-1952).

History of Use

This photograph was taken in about 1898 and placed in an album created by the James and Laura Dunsmuir family at Burleith, their home on Victoria's Gorge Waterway. In 1906 it was probably taken by the family to Victoria's Government House where they lived while James served as British Columbia's eighth Lieutenant Governor. From there it was taken to the family's new house, Hatley Park, in 1910.

Sometime after Laura Miller Dunsmuir's death in 1937, the album became the property of Dola Frances Dunsmuir (also known as Mrs. Dola Canvendish) and was kept at her house Dolaura in Colwood, B.C. After hear death, the album was owned by her sister Kathleen's daughter, Judith Humphreys (also known as Mrs. Judith Joy).  Her daugter donated the album to Craigdarroch Castle in 2012.

Date

circa 1898

Dimensions

9.5 x 11.7 cm

Support

Paper, Photographic paper

Country of Origin

Canada