Accession Number

2018.001

Alternate Name

album, photographic;fragment

Description

One cardboard page from a photograph album. Adhered to one side is a photograph of a Victoria, circa 1900, taken from the west window or balcony of Craigdarroch's dance hall. In the foreground is a wooded area with Craigdarroch's drive running through it. In the mid-ground the central school property is visible. In the background is downtown Victoria and the the Sooke Hills in the distance. Adhered to the verso is a photograph of Northwest Coast Aboriginal buildings and carvings, circa 1900.

Narrative

These photographs were probably taken by the donor’s great grandmother Jessie Sophia Dunsmuir or her great grandfather, Sir Richard John Musgrave, 5^th Bt. The couple married in Victoria 1891 and then lived together at Tourin, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland. They visited Craigdarroch periodically after their marriage, and these photographs were taken during such a visit. The image taken from the dance hall is The Castle Society’s first acquisition of a Dunsmuir-era photograph taken from the Castle, and it shows the matured estate landscape in the summer season with the cityscape in the background, a scene rich with information for study, and of value for exhibition and publication. The photograph of the Aboriginal buildings and carvings illustrates the travels taken from Victoria by Sir Richard and Lady Musgrave during their visits to British Columbia from Ireland. Sir Richard Musgrave was a noted fisherman, and this photograph was probably taken on one of the fishing trips documented in the album this page was taken from.

History of Use

The album from which this page was taken was viewed and photographed at Tourin by Craigdarroch’s Curator in 2003. It is believed that the album and these photographs were housed at Tourin from the time of their creation until 2018 when this page was removed from the album by the donor who sent it by courier to the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society.

Date

circa 1900

Dimensions

20.6 x 32.5 cm

Subject/Image

Victoria circa 1900 Northwest Coast Indigenous community

Medium

Photographic

Support

Cardboard; Paper, Photographic paper