Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Jean Donald Gow fonds
General material designation
- graphic material
- textual record
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Fonds
Reference code
Edition area
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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[189-]-1999 (Creation)
- Creator
- Gow, Jean Donald
Physical description area
Physical description
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Jean Middleton Gow, née Donald, artist, author, illustrator, journalist, and nurse was born in 1903 at Hampshire, England. She was educated at London's Royal Drawing Academy, obtaining a teacher-artist certificate. In 1910 she immigrated with her family to Victoria, BC. In her early career she was an artist and exhibited widely in British Columbia. In 1929 she married Lieutenant Commander F.R. (Peter) Gow in England, where they remained until 1935. They were then stationed in Halifax until 1938, and later Esquimalt, Ottawa, and Halifax again during the Second World War. In 1940, Gow wrote the book Quebec Patchwork, a tourist guide and historical narrative, under the name "J. M. Donald ". When her husband died at sea in 1942 she turned to volunteer activities such as organizing the "Naval Reading Service", which sent reading material to naval personnel on ships. After the war she was a librarian with the Department of National Defence, then became a self-supporting illustrator and writer. She began a career as a researcher for the CBC in 1951 (retiring in 1968), researching and writing for radio and television, including children's shows, documentaries, and public affairs. As well in the 1950s she began 40 years of research on her major work, a biography of Edward, Duke of Kent, which was never published. She also authored Design of Days in 1988, and in 1999 she published the book, Alongside the Navy, 1910-1950 which relates her experiences as a navy wife living in Halifax, Esquimalt, and Ottawa.
Custodial history
Donated to the BC Archives in various accessions by Jean Donald Gow.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of the artwork and illustrations of Jean Donald Gow, as well as personal papers and research files.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
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Script of material
Location of originals
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Restrictions on access
There are no access restrictions.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
See series level descriptions.
Associated materials
- See also T4143:0001 - 0006 and T4149:0001 for interviews with Jean Donald Gow (part of GR-3377)
- The Nova Scotia Archives also holds a Jean Donald Gow fonds, found under accession 2002-045/001-016.
Accruals
General note
Accession numbers: 94-4251; 94-4238 [contains: 86-048; VR198604-007]; 86-048; 2022.128
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Gow, Jean Donald (Subject)
- Donald, David, 1866-1936 (Subject)