Mounted Photograph. Zustand: Fine. An original George Meeres gelatin silver photo, capturing the Nelson Symphony Orchestra seated as a Plein Air Orchestra in 1934. The photo measures 7 x 13.5 inches wide and is mounted onto thick, textured card, which has a few soil spots on the verso. The photographer has inked his credit, along with the place and date, along the bottom edge. The Conductor of the Orchestra was Ross Fleming and the Leader was Mrs. Gladys Webb Foster (captioned thus on verso), both of which can be seen standing at the rear. We also note a large trophy being prominently displayed at front and center. There is some minor age toning to the image, but it still carries rich tones and great contrast.
Verlag: George A. Meeres, Nelson, BC, 1930
Loose Photograph. A panoramic birds-eye view capturing hundreds of young students, all joining hands and shoulders to create the human typographical spelling of the country "CANADA" at the old Civic Centre baseball field, just up from the waterfront of what is now Lakeside Park, in Nelson, BC. The toe of Pulpit Rock can be seen across the west arm of Kootenay Lake, as can "NEL" (for Nelson) on the fence-mounted scoreboard, among other local features. George Meeres operated his photography studio in Nelson, BC, from 1925-1936, thus we date this image circa 1930. The photo measures 6.5 x 16.75 inches wide, and is perhaps a little under exposed w. some overall edge wear, various creases, and a slight curl along right edge, the photographer's credit "Geo. A. Meeres / Nelson, B.C." is written in the negative at the lower right corner. Verso w. ink name and a small stain. We estimate that there were about 50-60 children joining together to create each of the six letters in "CANADA", making a total of well over 300 restless, hungry and playful young humans working to create this patriotic, typographical exercise. Did I hear someone say ". herding cats"? A very spirited photo, likely taken for a civic celebration such as Canada Day and populated with the pride of a Kootenay city, who together, carried with them the hopes of the future.