Primary tabs

Archives & Special Collections

Archives & Special Collections is a department of the Libraries and is located in Room 330 on the third floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library. Since its establishment in 1978, the Archives' mission has been to acquire, catalogue and preserve university records and special research collections which further the educational aims of the University of Manitoba, and to promote and provide wide access to them. The Archives' wide-ranging collection mandate includes the acquisition of the records of the University of Manitoba, Canadian Prairie Literary Manuscripts, the Archives of the Agricultural Experience and rare books in the areas of western Canadiana, early Arctic exploration, early Native language syllabics, spiritualism, church history and philosophy, and agriculture among others.

Grid
List

: Bertram Brooker fonds; Bertram Brooker was born in Surrey, England in 1888. He immigrated to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba with his parents in 1905. At age seventeen he worked in the kitchens and in the timekeeper's office of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Later he managed a movie theatre in Neepawa and did newspaper work in Portage and Winnipeg. In 1921 he moved to Toronto to assume a career in advertising and freelance journalism. Brooker began writing his first novel at the age of nine, and as early as 1910 he was writing and directing several of his own plays. His literary achievements include Think of the Earth (1936), Tangled Miracle (1936) and The Robber (1949). He won the first Governor General's Award for fiction in 1936. Although he was the author of nine books as well as texts on advertising and writing, Brooker is perhaps best known as an artist. He began painting in the 1920s and formed close ties with LeMoine Fitzgerald and most of the members of the Group of Seven. Apparently influenced by Fitzgerald and Lawren Harris, he became a pioneer in abstract painting.

: Brian Macpherson fonds; The Brian Macpherson fonds consists of one wood scrapbook started by the University of Manitoba chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon when the fraternity was founded in 1958 to chronicle fraternity events. The unique wooden design was created by a member who was good at woodworking and was intended to be both visually distinct and allow additional pages to be added easily. The use of the scrapbook to keep track of TKE events gradually diminished in the early 1960s.

: Brigden Family fonds; Brigden's Limited, one of Toronto's oldest graphic arts firms, was founded by the English immigrant Frederick Brigden in the early 1880s after he purchased the Toronto Engraving Company from his business partners. Soon after, Frederick's seventeen-year-old son George came into the business. Brigden's began producing illustrations for the Eaton's catalogue in 1893, an association which continued for many years. In 1903, Arnold O. Brigden, Frederick's nephew, came out from England to apprentice in the engraving trade and he remained as an apprentice with the Toronto company until 1908. In 1905, William H. Brigden, a younger brother of Frederick's and a master printer came out to Canada. At that time, Brigden's purchased a platen press and installed it in their Toronto premises. In 1914 Frederick's son, Frederick H., was sent out to Winnipeg to locate suitable premises for a branch operation. Their major Winnipeg client was to be the Western Canadian version of the Eaton's catalogue. After a period working in New York, Arnold was induced to take over management of Brigden's Winnipeg. Frederick Brigden passed away in 1917 and his sons George and Frederick H. took over the Toronto business. The third generation of Brigden's, George's son Geldard, came into the business in 1920. George passed away in 1941 and Frederick H. retired from active management of the company. Arnold O. Brigden retired from active management of Brigden's Winnipeg in 1956.

: C. Winston McQuillin fonds; C. Winston McQuillin was a prominent figure in Winnipeg’s amateur theatre scene in the 1920s. The Little Theatre located on Main Street was host to the majority of his theatre career. On this stage he acted in plays such as The Farmer’s Wife and Mr. Pim Passes By. He received critical acclaim for his role as “Oswald” in Ibsen’s Ghosts alongside the Winnipeg Community Players. Amongst his directing credits is the University of Manitoba Menorah Theatre Society’s production of Disraeli. McQuillin’s contributions to Winnipeg theatre aided in the establishment of the Manitoba Theatre Centre. The fonds consists of newsclippings detailing C. Winston McQuillin's theatre career.

: Community Players of Winnipeg fonds; Two lawyers, H.A.V. Green and C. Alan Crowley, established The Community of Players of Winnipeg as an amateur theatre group in 1921. Their mandate included providing facilities for the production of plays written by Canadian authors as well as providing Canadian playwrights and Canadian players the opportunity to practice their art and obtain national recognition. Support for the theatre group came in the form of memberships and subscriptions. The Community Players offered four major productions every season and often mounted additional productions. The change of name from the Community Players to Winnipeg Little Theatre must have occurred after 1932 although the date is not clearly defined. The fonds consists of programmes from 1923-1930, newspaper clippings, Treasurer's Reports of the 1927 and 1928 season, The Bill from 1928 to 1937, Little Theatre Gossip, correspondence, typescripts of speeches and historical summaries.

: Connie Macmillan Collection; The Connie Macmillan Collection depicts several portraits of Aboriginal Peoples taken in 1880s Winnipeg taken by James D. Hall and Skene Lowe. Hall and Lowe formed a partnership in 1882, creating a photography studio titled "Hall & Lowe, Artists and Photographers". They advertised as selling "Indian photos (taken from life), Xmas cards, views of Winnipeg." The subjects of the photographs were paid for their images and their photographs were advertised for sale in the store's display windows. Hall & Lowe moved to British Columbia in the mid-1880s.

: Ed Kleiman fonds; Ed Kleiman was a lecturer with the English Department of the University of Manitoba. He was an Associate Professor at the time of his retirement in 1996. Beyond his academic career, Kleiman found time to write three books of short stories and numerous articles. His first book The Immortals, published by Newest Press in 1980, delves into the lives of families living in Winnipeg's ethnic and culturally diverse North End. Eight years later A New-Found Ecstasy was published by Newest Press and in 1998 The World Beaters was published by Thistledown Press. The digitized material from the Ed Kleiman fonds includes several manuscripts of short stories written by Kleiman that detail the immigrant experiences of varying nationalities and ethnicities, primarily set in Winnipeg's north end.

: Elizabeth Maude Macvicar fonds; A successful painter of portrait miniatures in water colour on ivory, Winnipeg-born Elizabeth Maude Macvicar's (1881-1965) output included private commissions, solo and group juried exhibitions, as well as private exhibitions of her work throughout Canada, and at least once in the United States, during a career that flourished during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Macvicar attended the Winnipeg School of Art and studied miniature painting on ivory in London, England, visiting the famous Wallace Collection of miniatures in that city, and also touring Italy. A member of the Manitoba Society of Artists, she exhibited her work in the group and juried annual exhibitions of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1927; in the first "open exhibit" of the Manitoba Society of Artists in 1926; at a Hart House exhibition at the University of Toronto in 1930; and in numerous private exhibitions in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Ontario, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. She completed private commissions in all of these cities, as well as in Victoria, Seattle and New York. Macvicar was commissioned to paint a miniature of His Excellency, Lord Willingdon, Governor General of Canada, 1926-1931. She also enjoyed working with children and completed scores of miniature portraits on ivory of the sons and daughters of the wealthy and well-connected. She also painted miniatures of service men and women during the Second World War, as well as large water colour portraits of Canadian women in the services.

: Hamilton Family fonds; The Hamilton Family fonds details Dr. T.G. (Thomas Glendenning) and Lillian Hamilton's investigations of psychic phenomena in their home in Winnipeg, Manitoba between 1918 and 1945. The images detail numerous aspects of spiritualism including telekinesis, teleplasm, trance states and various other psychic phenomena. This site is comprised of over 700 images from the Hamilton Family photograph collection and over 1300 notes and accompanying documentation pertaining to seances held in the Hamilton's home. The entirety of the photograph collection has been digitized with the exception of duplicate photographs of the same image. It includes digital reproductions of photographs, stereo photographs, slides, negatives and glass slide negatives, as well as some accompanying textual records.

: Kip Park fonds; Christopher "Kip" Park worked in the journalism and communications fields from the late-1960s until shortly before his death in 1999. The bulk of his life and career was based in Winnipeg, where he worked as a freelance journalist. Park worked for the Winnipeg Tribune, the Manitoban, and published regular articles in The Manitoba Co-operator and The Winnipeg Real Estate News. Park was also an avid photographer. The digitized material from the Kip Park fonds consists of nearly 1500 newspaper clippings, research notes, and photographs pertaining to articles Park wrote on the topic of Winnipeg's architectural history.

: Leo Mol fonds; Leo Mol is well known for modeling over one hundred portraits among them are such famous personalities as D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Pope John II, Allan Eastman, Y. Hnizdovsky, the Group of Seven painters and many more. He received several commissions from the Canadian Government, the Provincial Government of Manitoba and Alberta, the University of Manitoba and Ukrainian University in Rome. Leo Mol also participated in many national and international competitions such as monuments to John Diefenbaker, Max Bell and Shevchenko monuments in Buenos Aires (1971) and St. Petersburg (2001). Mol executed over 90 stained glass windows for churches in Manitoba. The most famous one is the Saints Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Winnipeg. In the 1970’s Mol produced large life-sized figures of women. These nudes are his masterpieces “Hope”, “Dream”, “Europa”, “Balance”, “Negro Girl” and many more. During his artistic life he also created drawings of nudes. Mol was predominantly a sculptor but he was also a painter who created many beautiful paintings and drawings. His paintings depict Canadian and European landscapes. In 1989 Mol decided to donate his personal art collection to the city of Winnipeg. The Leo Mol Garden was officially opened in 1992.

: Lewis St. George Stubbs fonds; Lewis St. George Stubbs was born on June 14, 1878 in the Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies. He left Cambridge University, where he was studying to become a medical missionary, to fight in the Boer War 1900-1901. He immigrated to Winnipeg in 1902 and was called to the Manitoba Bar Association in 1906. In 1908 he and his wife moved to Birtle, Manitoba where he practiced law for fourteen years. In 1921 he ran unsuccessfully for the Liberal Party against T.A. Crerar the leader of the Progressive Party in the federal riding of Marquette. In April 1922 he became the first judicial appointment of the newly appointed Mackenzie King and moved back to Winnipeg. Stubbs was removed from the bench by order-in-council June 1, 1933 following an inquiry into his judicial conduct. A month later he won the nomination to become the C.C.F. party’s first candidate in a bye-election in the riding of Mackenzie in Saskatchewan. He lost the election and returned to the practice of law in Winnipeg. In 1936 Stubbs ran as an independent candidate in the provincial election and swept the polls with the greatest electoral majority ever recorded in the Manitoba Legislature. He won re-election in 1941 and 1945. Stubbs was active in many left leaning/united front political organizations. The digitized material from the Lewis St. George Stubbs fonds consists of correspondence between Stubbs and his family in the Turks and Caicos Islands, detailing his immigration to England and to Canada.

: Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald fonds; Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald was born in Winnipeg and received his early art instruction at the Keszthelyi School of Fine Art. Later he was employed as a commercial artist with Stovel Company and Eaton's display department. In 1921, he studied at the Art Students' League in New York and that same year held his first exhibition in the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He joined the staff of the Winnipeg School of Art in 1924 and in 1929 became its Principal. In 1932, he was invited to become a member of the Group of Seven following the death of J.E.H. MacDonald. When the Group disbanded, FitzGerald became a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters. FitzGerald was a highly respected teacher as well as a versatile artist skilled in such various media as oils, watercolors, charcoal, pen, and crayon. He also embossed in copper and sculpted. His early works were of the prairies and his immediate surroundings. Later he turned to still life and still later to abstracts. FitzGerald retired in 1949 and received an honorary degree from the University of Manitoba in 1952. He died in 1956 and a memorial exhibition, mounted by the National Gallery, opened in Winnipeg in 1958 and subsequently toured the major galleries in the country.

: Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald fonds (WAG); Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald was born in Winnipeg and received his early art instruction at the Keszthelyi School of Fine Art. Later he was employed as a commercial artist with Stovel Company and Eaton's display department. In 1921, he studied at the Art Students' League in New York and that same year held his first exhibition in the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He joined the staff of the Winnipeg School of Art in 1924 and in 1929 became its Principal. In 1932, he was invited to become a member of the Group of Seven following the death of J.E.H. MacDonald. When the Group disbanded, FitzGerald became a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters. FitzGerald was a highly respected teacher as well as a versatile artist skilled in such various media as oils, watercolors, charcoal, pen, and crayon. He also embossed in copper and sculpted. His early works were of the prairies and his immediate surroundings. Later he turned to still life and still later to abstracts. FitzGerald retired in 1949 and received an honorary degree from the University of Manitoba in 1952. He died in 1956 and a memorial exhibition, mounted by the National Gallery, opened in Winnipeg in 1958 and subsequently toured the major galleries in the country. This digital collection also includes material from the Winnipeg Art Gallery Archives as part of the Prairie Prestige project.

: Manitoba Gay and Lesbian Archives; The Manitoba Gay and Lesbian Archives digital exhibit seeks to provide electronic access to a select portion of records which illustrate the historical significance of this collection. Featured within this collection is a rare glimpse into the Winnipeg LGBTTQ community from the 1960s to the late 1990s. This collection of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transsexual, Two-Spirited and Queer material was compiled by the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Resource Centre, drawn largely from materials donated by various Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian organizations. An historically significant glimpse of Winnipeg LGBTTQ life, activities, politics, art, health and culture are imbued not only in the records but also in the provenance and original accumulation of these storied materials. Included in this exhibit are photographic and textual examples drawn from various subjects, campaigns and organizations that involve Winnipeg LGBTTQ culture.

: Mary A. Wawrykow fonds; Mary A. Wawrykow, a prominent judge and community leader of Winnipeg, was the first woman of Ukrainian origin to practice law in Canada, and only the third Manitoba woman. She was born in Wakaw, Saskatchewan in 1911. Her parents Mykyta and Anna Zakus had emigrated from Ukraine and settled on the Canadian prairies. Mary graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law in 1934. She started practicing law in Gimli, Manitoba in 1940. Prior to that, from 1936-1940, she was employed in the Attorney General's Dept. In 1942 she and her husband moved to Winnipeg where she became a prominent figure in the law community. In 1955 she became president of the Women Lawyers Association of Manitoba and was named “Women of the Year” by the Winnipeg Tribune. In 1959 she ran for the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba in the provincial constituency of Inkster. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1965. The Roblin government appointed her a part-time judge of the Winnipeg juvenile and family court in 1968 and in 1975 Mary was appointed a judge responsible for the Provincial Judges’ Court of Winnipeg (North). She was very active in many Ukrainian Canadian organizations. The digitized material from the Mary Wawrykow fonds consists of photographs of Mary Wawrykow's family, of several Ukrainian women organizations, and of St. Joseph's Parish.

: Per Holting fonds; Per (pronounced "Pier") Holting was born in Denmark, 1930. While traveling on a temporary U.S. visitor's visa he arrived in Canada in 1950 where he settled for the rest of his life. He worked as a researcher for a power company in Ontario before pursuing formal training in journalism. In 1956 he graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. He also became a Canadian citizen that year. Holting worked for 30 years as a freelance journalist and broadcaster doing most of his work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Many of his writing assignments were published in Macleans Reports. Holting also enjoyed doing radio and television programs for children such as Vacation Time and Stop, Look and Listen. The digitized material from the Per Holting fonds consists of drafts of Holting's autobiography, including his immigration experience, and his Canadian citizenship papers.

: Prairie Theatre Exchange fonds; The Prairie Theatre Exchange occupies an important place in the cultural and educational life of Winnipeg. In 1958, two of the city's oldest theatrical organizations, Theatre 77 and the Winnipeg Little Theatre, merged to form the Manitoba Theatre Centre (M.T.C.). The M.T.C. set out to provide a better public service through improved professional productions, more new plays, and the development of future artists, which John Hirsch and Tom Hendry were instrumental in developing. In 1960, the M.T.C. formed the Manitoba Theatre School to emphasize its educational mission, but after twelve successful years the School was closed due to lack of funding. In 1973, however, through an effort spearheaded by Colin Jackson and Charles Huband, the Manitoba Theatre Workshop (M.T.W.) was opened as a replacement to the Manitoba Theatre School. The M.T.W. supported creative expression in the community through its school, its outreach program, and its theatre by encouraging local playwrights and performers. In 1981, the organization changed its name to the Prairie Theatre Exchange while reaffirming its original objectives. In December 1988, the Prairie Theatre Exchange realized a major objective when it was approved as a Teaching Centre by the University of Manitoba. In 1989, after realizing long and steady growth, the P.T.E. moved from its original home on 160 Princess Street (the old Grain Exchange Building) into its new $3.5 million facility comprising 42,500 square feet in the Portage Place Mall in downtown Winnipeg. This collection features photographs of past Prairie Theatre Exchange productions and their performers.

: Professional Hockey in Winnipeg; The Professional Hockey in Winnipeg exhibit is a celebration of the history of professional hockey in Winnipeg. Featured are images of players, fans, coaches, management, and community figures that supported or were connected to Winnipeg's professional hockey heritage. Most notable among these are images taken during the era of the Winnipeg Jets, the city's professional hockey team from 1972 to 1996. Photographs from early days of the former Winnipeg Arena inspire nostalgia for a not-so-distant past, and hockey greats such as Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe can be spotted along with various Jets players from the 1970s. This exhibit is composed of content selected from the much larger Winnipeg Tribune Fonds and Henry Kalen Fonds held at the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections.

: Stobie Family fonds - Theatre, Ballet and Concert Programs; William and Margaret Stobie were English professors at the University of Manitoba with strong connections to the local and national theatre communities. William served a term as President of the Winnipeg Little Theatre Group. Margaret spent several years acting, producing and directing local theatre as well as working for the CBC in various dramatic roles. This digital collection consists of theatre, ballet and concert programs dating from 1936 to 1979 collected by the Stobie's. Included are programs from the Winnipeg Little Theatre Group, Shoestring Theatre, University of Manitoba Stage and Glee Clubs, Children's Theatre, Manitoba Drama Festival, Winnipeg Summer Theatre Association, Manitoba Drama League, Theatre 77, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and many more.