Fonds PR-2325 - Mathew Sherwood Hedley fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Mathew Sherwood Hedley fonds

General material designation

  • graphic material
  • textual record
  • electronic
  • multiple media

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  • Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the fonds.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

PR-2325

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • [ca. 1938] -1984; 2012 (Creation)
    Creator
    Hedley, Mathew Sherwood

Physical description area

Physical description

2140 photographs, 2 cm of textual records and 4 CD-ROM's

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1905-1990)

Biographical history

Mathew Sherwood Hedley was born in Nelson, British Columbia on May 2, 1905, the son of Robert Rist Hedley, Superintendent of the Hall Mine smelter, and Eveline Anne Sherwood. Much of Mathew Hedley's life was devoted to mining and geology. He took his first mine job work in the fall of 1920 when at the age of 15 he became a mucker in the glory hole of the Bluebell Mine. The following January Hedley enrolled in the Vancouver Technical School where he matriculated in 1923. He moved on to the University of British Columbia to study applied science and graduated in 1930 with a BASc of Geological Engineering, having worked summers as a labourer or survey assistant.

Following graduation Hedley worked for a year as engineer at the Bell Mine at Beaverdell. In the fall of 1931 he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, graduating from this school in 1934 with an MS and PhD in geology.

In 1936 Hedley joined the Department of Mines as a Resident Mining Engineer, stationed in Penticton. In 1938, Hedley married Mary Russell-Cowan in Vancouver and by 1941 he had been transferred to Victoria to serve as a geologist. He remained there until he retired as Chief Geologist in 1970. Upon retirement Hedley worked for three years as a consultant to André Haillot of Pechiney Development of France. Mathew Sherwood Hedley died in Victoria in September 1990.

Custodial history

The records were donated to the Human History Division of the Royal British Columbia Museum in 2012 by Ian Hedley, son of Mathew Hedley, along with other material, The photographs were transferred to the BC Archives in 2013.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of over 2000 b&w and colour photographs created by Mathew Hedley between 1938 and 1984. The photographs are predominantly images of family and friends, landscapes and trees but there are also photographs of mining activities within British Columbia.

There are four negative albums: A, B, C and D (1013 negatives) and two albums of contact prints made from the negatives and glued onto lined paper and identified as being from negatives albums A, B, C or D (945 prints). The missing prints tend to be duplicate images or poor quality negatives. These photographs were taken between 1938 and ca. 1963 and document both the public and private activities of Mathew Hedley. Included with the prints is some index information supplied by Ian Hedley in 2012.

There are also three files of colour slides taken between 1961 and 1984. The files are entitled "Victoria & Vancouver" (59 slides), "B.C. Interior" (28 slides) and "Best pics" (95 slides). The images depict family, landscapes and trees. Most of the slides are numbered and many have place and date information. There are two lists created around 1984 by Mathew Hedley which provide some details about the slides, the lists are arranged by subject and roughly by slide number.

The records also includes four compact discs created by Ian Hedley in 2012. The discs contain selected images from the albums and slides. Not all the material represented in these discs has been donated to the BC Archives, so these are provided for reference purposes only.

Notes area

Physical condition

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Location of originals

Some original material, particularly slides, may still be with the Hedley family.

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

There are no access restrictions.
Conservation restriction: Original negatives and slides have been placed in cold storage, see prints and compact discs for access.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Rights to the records were transferred to the Royal BC Museum by Ian Hedley upon donation in 2013.

Finding aids

Associated materials

For related records see:
GR-3353 Bureau of Mines, Mineral Survey and Mineralogical Branch photographs
For other material donated to the RBCM with the photographs, see Human History accession 2012.179.

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Accruals

General note

Accession number(s): 2013.187

Conservation

In 2018 the negatives were removed from their negative albums and placed in archival quality negatives sleeves.
The print albums were removed from their binders and placed in acid free envelopes.

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Physical storage

  • Box: 002340-0607
  • Box: 002340-0608