Accession Number

2012.007.003.028

Description

Black and white photograph of eight women on a terrace. Four are standing in the back row and three are seated in front, with one child standing in the front row on the far left. They are all dressed in fashions of the Edwardian era.

Narrative

Depicted in this photograph are the eight daughters of James and Laura Dunsmuir. Their two sons, Robert ("Robin") and James ("Jim"), are not pictured. From left to right in the back row are Marion, Bessie, Muriel and Kathleen. In the front row, left to right, are Dola, Byrdie, Maye and Elinor.

In a letter to her cousin in North Carolina written in June 1910, Laura Dunsmuir writes that she is looking forward to having all of her daughters with her the following month¹, the first summer after construction of Hatley Park was completed. This photograph was likely taken at that time.

1. A letter dated June 22 [1910] at Royal Roads University Archives, file 025-002, 2.6.1, reads "...When Elinor gets back next month, I will have all my daughters at home. Robin is in Peru and Jim still at school in Scotland."

History of Use

This photograph and the Dunsmuir family album that it comes from was passed down through Laura Dunsmuir's daughter Dola Frances Dunsmuir (Mrs. Henry Cavendish) to the family of her sister Kathleen Euphemia Dunsmuir (Mrs. Seldon Humphreys) from whom it was acquired by The Castle Society in 2012.  

Date

1910

Dimensions

5 x 10.5 cm

Support

Paper, Photographic paper

Country of Origin

Canada