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People and organizations
Photographers

William John James Family, 1870-

  • PA 398
  • Family
  • 1870-

William John (W.J.) James was born on December 23, 1870 to William, Sr. and Maria James of the Fordwich area, Howick Township, Huron County, Ontario. His father was a blacksmith and carriage maker in Ontario, and first travelled west with the Wolseley Red River Expedition in 1870.

W. J. James came to Prince Albert, Northwest Territories ca.1890. His family followed around 1893. Both James and his father were employed by the James Sanderson sawmill as labourers. W.J. James became a barber while also establishing a photography business briefly with W.J. Jackson in 1894. James continued in barbering while also working as an itinerant photographer in the 1890s. He hired Theodore Charmbury as a photographer in his studio between 1901 and 1903, and operated a branch studio at Indian Head in 1904-1906. James operated the City Art Studio (1909-1919) and W.J. James & Co. (est.1927) in Prince Alberta until his retirement in the mid-1930s. James' professional career as an itinerant, commercial and portrait photographer spanned over forty years during which he travelled extensively in the Prince Albert district and northern parkland regions of Saskatchewan documenting settlement, local industry and everyday life.

W.J. James married Maude Rebecca Courtney, daughter of local rancher, Thomas W. and Matilda Courtney, on April 27, 1904 in Prince Albert. Maude Courtney was born in Bobcaygeon, Ontario on December 31, 1882 and came to the Prince Albert area with her family as a child.

W. J. and Maude James had four daughters: Mossie (b. 1904; died at 8 months); 'Eva' Eunice (b. 1906, married (1) Charles Musk; (2) William Bramwell McKenzie); Norma (b. 1908, married Nelson Thurson) and Murl (b. 1914, married W.B. Smith). Both Maude James and daughter Norma worked at the family studio, becoming proprietors of W.J. James & Co. following James' death in 1944. Norma James is listed in commercial directories as a photographer in the mid-1940s. W. J. James & Co. ceased operation in 1957.

William John James died on September 9, 1944 in Prince Albert. Maude James died in December 1956. Both are buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Prince Albert.

Shirley Collins, daughter of Eunice McKenzie and granddaughter of W.J. James currently (2007) resides in Saskatoon.

West, Wilfred Lawson, 1896-1970

  • PA 537
  • Person
  • 1896-1970

Wilfred Lawson West was born in Bourneville, England in 1896 to Samuel and Emma West. He was employed as a young apprentice photographer before immigrating to Canada. He arrived in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1907 and was employed as a cattle herder before apprenticing with the Johnson Brothers photographic studio in 1912. West joined the Canadian Army in 1914 and worked on various war bond campaigns. He was given a medical discharge in 1918.

Upon his return to Regina, West was employed briefly as a boys' work secretary with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) before he purchased the Johnson Art Studio in 1918 and renamed the business in his name. His photographic works included portraits of prominent politicians to local families, as well as scenes capturing commercial, social, and cultural life in Regina. Aside from operating his business, West was involved in the community as a member of the King Hiram Lodge, the Wascana Kiwanis Club, and the Regina Little Theatre Society. He retired in 1955 and sold his business to his brother, Horace. After his retirement, West retired to Clarkson, Ontario. He died there on June 16, 1970.

West, Horace Gordon "Westy", 1911-1995

  • PA 538
  • Person
  • 1911-1995

Horace Gordon "Westy" West was born on October 31, 1911 in Regina, Saskatchewan to Samuel and Emma West. He received his early education at Albert School and Balfour Technical School. He joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1928, and served with the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. Intermittently throughout the 1920s and 1930s, he also worked as a photographer at his brother Wilfred's photographic studio.

After the War, West relocated briefly to Flin Flon, Manitoba where he operated a photographic studio. Upon his return to Regina, he was employed by the Saskatchewan Department of Social Services. Additionally, he worked with Wilfred, and in March 1955, assumed ownership of the photographic studio upon Wilfred's retirement. His photographic works included portraits of prominent politicians to local families, as well as scenes capturing commercial, social, and cultural life in Regina. West operated West's Studio until his retirement in 1981, when his son Mick assumed responsibility.

Aside from his business, West was involved in the community as a member of Emmulation Lodge, the Wascana Kiwanis Club, the Naval Officers of Canada, the Royal United Services Institute, the Navy League of Canada, and the Saskatchewan Professional Photographers Association.

H.G. "Westy" West died in Regina on November 23, 1995.

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