Introduction

In a captivating twist of fate, an antique photo album has found its way to Global Edmonton, leaving everyone in the station mystified. Sarah Ryan, a dedicated reporter for Global News Edmonton, embarked on a quest to uncover the mysteries that lie within this peculiar collection of images.

The Arrival of the Album

The photo album unexpectedly arrived at the station in 2023, devoid of any identification, return address, or context. Its pages are filled with sepia-toned photographs, many originating from Scotland, prompting the question: how did it land in Edmonton?

Contents of the Album

The album contains both posed portraits, indicative of a studio session, and more candid snapshots that portray life on the vast Canadian Prairies. Initially, Ryan speculated if the album was stolen and later returned. However, local police had no records of such thefts.

Expert Insights

To shed light on its origins, Ryan took the album to Fay Cunningham, a photography expert at the Antique Photo Parlour in West Edmonton Mall. With nearly five decades of experience in professional photography, Cunningham marveled at the album's condition.

She explained that during the late 1800s, when the earliest photos were likely taken, portrait sessions were significant events often reserved for special occasions like weddings. Given the elegance of the fashion depicted, Cunningham assessed that the family was likely of higher social standing.

“The gowns were quite intricate and sometimes difficult to wear,” Cunningham noted, gesturing at the women’s elaborate dresses in the photos. “Back then, it was all about using natural light for exposures that could last two to three minutes. You had to stay completely still!”

Art Historical Context

Barbara Isherwood, an art history lecturer at the University of Toronto, weighed in, dubbing the album a late Victorian masterpiece and noting its “carte de visite” images—a popular form of portrait commonly shared like modern-day trading cards.

Tracing the Origins

The detective work didn’t end there; Ryan discovered a business card embossed on the photo mats that featured the photographer’s details, potentially linking to a website documenting Victorian photographers from Glasgow. Frustratingly, attempts to contact the website’s creator yielded no responses. Still, these connections suggested that some of the images could date back to the 1880s, making them around 145 years old.

Canadian Connection

However, the album isn't solely defined by its Scottish roots. Ryan and Cunningham unearthed newer photos likely taken in the 1910s or 1920s, depicting the serene Prairie landscape filled with horses and farmland. Could it be that this family had immigrated to Canada, bringing their cherished memories with them?

The Shipp Family

Among the snapshots, two names stood out: Lillian and Hellen Shipp. This pivotal clue led Ryan to Claudine Nelson at the Alberta Genealogical Society. With the volunteers' efforts, the Shipp family's lineage was traced back through time, but they appeared resistant to the album's significance. The woman Ryan contacted had no knowledge of the album, nor interest in its history.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Ryan discovered that while antique albums may not hold substantial financial value, the family memories encapsulated within them are priceless. Cunningham aptly summarized this sentiment, saying the album's arrival at Global News might stem from a sense of neglect within the family: “Perhaps nobody in the family considered those memories important enough to keep.”

Fascinated by the history and the tales captured within the album, the Edmonton Archives have expressed interest in its preservation. Global News is set to donate the album, ensuring that the echoes of the past continue to resonate and that these forgotten family legacies are treasured once more.

Stay tuned as we continue to investigate this poignant piece of history—could there be more secrets waiting to be discovered in the shadows of time?