CORNELIUS JOHN SOULE
Photographer

photoindex.htm

Index of Photographs attributed to or in the collection of Cornelius John Soule

I have been trying to determine if there is any logical sequence to the numbering on the photographs.   Initially I could not see any pattern at all but now I think that I do.  I think that it is likely that numbers less than 100 were probably taken during the period from Fall 1883 to Spring of 1884 following the CPR tracks.  I haven't seen any photographs, so far, from the Sasakatchewan River Trip that have numbers.  The numbers in the 100 range tend to be in Guelph.  The numbers above 280 seem to be of Banff or points farther west.  The highest number, seen so far, is  356 - "In the Park Vancouver."  They would likely have been taken between 1888 and 1890 probably closer to 1890.  They certainly would not have been before the summer of 1887 because the Banff Springs Hotel shows the rotunda that Van Horne did not have built until then.

Most of the photographs are of scenes on the Canadian Prairies, in the Rockies, and in the Selkirks.  Some were taken in Guelph or on Saltspring Island.

Other photograph's have been found in various archives across the country.  The sources are shown with the photographs.  In some cases the photographs are attributed to other photographers instead of or as well as Soule.  The problem is of course that, since we were not there at the time, how can anybody really know who took the photographs.   I am sure there are many others still to be found.

Often the photographs are printed on 20cm (5 1/4") by 13cm (8.5") brown cards which are labeled in gold print along the bottom left edge with  SOULE and on the bottom right with GUELPH, CANADA   Some are printed on white cards or on black cards with no labels.  Some of them have descriptions of the scenes hand printed on them. Some have typed labels on the back, or both.

The images in the author's collection can be viewed on this page in a medium size format.  You can choose individual images from the list below.  They are, of course, not reproduced with the same resolution or quality as the original prints.

Here also is a page of source information for Cornelius' travels during the Prairie years.

If you have any information or questions about any of these photographs or know of others by Cornelius please email me at:

Ron@souleweb.ca

SOURCES:
RFS = Rupert Frederick Soule Collection (given to Ron Soule)
RFS?=Rupert Frederick Soule Collection (not given to Ron Soule)
  -Sylvia and I made a list of photographs in a box while visiting with Rupert.    These ones were in the box but I did not receive them from Rupert's estate.
GA = Glenbow Archives
MA = Medicine Hat Archives (Archives, archivist Donny White was very kind to us and very helpful too.)
WMCR = White Museum of the Canadian Rockies
  -views were from a collection of  Mr. & Mrs. Newton who made a honeymoon trip over the CPR mainline to Vancouver in the summer of 1887, on the first train to go across the continent.  The photos were donated to the Medicine Hat Museum by their daughter , Mrs. A. R. Ballantyne, in 1948.
APA= Alberta Provincial Archives
CVA=City of Vancouver Archives
GPL=Guelph Public Library and Archives.
McM=McCord Museum, Guleph
SAB=Saskatchewan Archives Boards
USL=University of Saskatchewan library Special Collections
USA=University of Saskatchewan Archives
LAC=Library and Archives Canada
EA=Edmonton Archives
BCA= British Columbia Archives