Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Maynard family collection
General material designation
- graphic material
- textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the collection.
- Variations in title: Maynard family fonds
Level of description
Collection
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
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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[ca. 1862]-1937 (Creation)
- Creator
- Maynard (family)
Physical description area
Physical description
3,729 photographs, 14 albums, and 50 cm of textual materials.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Maynard family consisted of Hannah Hatherly Maynard (1834-1918), Richard Maynard (1832-1907), their children and grandchildren.
Hannah Hatherly was a well-known photographer, photographic artist and business owner originally from Cornwall, England. She ran a successful commercial photography business, Mrs. R. Maynard’s Photographic Gallery (1862? – 1912) in Victoria on Vancouver Island, a business that was in operation for 50 years. Richard Maynard was a well-known British Columbia photographer, prospector, and business owner originally from Cornwall, England also based in Victoria, British Columbia. Hannah and Richard married in 1852 in England and they immigrated to Bowmanville (Ontario). Hannah and Richard had several children in Bowmanville and later in Victoria.
The Maynards lived first in Bowmanville then the family moved to Victoria in 1862. It is believed Hannah Maynard opened Mrs. R. Maynard’s Photographic Gallery that same year. Richard Maynard followed his prospecting enterprises on the mainland before and after the family’s move to Victoria. He later settled and opened up his own business there. Richard and Hannah Maynard remained in Victoria throughout their lives, though they both travelled extensively including British Columba and the United States through their work as photographers. The Maynards created an extensive documentary record capturing some of the earliest views and portraits of British Columbia in the early decades post Confederation.
The Maynards had several children. Those who survived past childhood and early adulthood included George Maynard (1852-1926 or 1927), Albert Hatherly Maynard (1857-1934) and Zela Maynard (1854-1913). Several of their children died young, including Laura Lillian Maynard (1867-1883) who died at age 16 and Emma Maynard (1859 or 1860-1893) who died while in her thirties.
George Maynard married Mary Elizabeth Davies in 1872 and had a number of children. Albert Hatherly Maynard married Adelaide Graham in 1878 and had children including daughters Mabel Price Maynard (b.1880), Lillie Elizabeth (b.1884) and sons John Ridgemen Maynard (b.1879) and Richard James Maynard (b. 1881). Adelaide Maynard (nee Graham) passed away in 1897. Albert remarried to widower Violet Mabel Graham in 1914. Emma Maynard married James F. Macdonald in 1879 and had three children including Harry Hatherly MacDonald, Maynard Macdonald and Albert James Macdonald. Zela Maynard married W.H. Smith in 1879 and had several children.
The Maynard children are closely linked to both the Maynard photographic studio business, Mrs. R. Maynard’s Photographic Gallery, and Richard Maynard’s business.
Richard Maynard, known for his field and landscape photography, made one of his early work-related excursions to Barkerville with his son Albert Maynard in 1868. In the census records of 1881, Emma Maynard is listed as a photographer. Frequently family members have featured in Hannah Maynard’s studio portraits as well as her more experimental and autobiographical works, tableaux vivants, which employ double and multiple exposure techniques along with the techniques of photo-sculpture. Featured family members include daughters Emma Macdonald (nee Maynard) and Laura Lillian Maynard, as well as Emma’s sons Harry Hatherly MacDonald and Maynard Macdonald. Upon Mr. R. Maynard’s retirement in the late 1890s, Albert took on the role of general manager of his father’s business as well as taking over management of the photographic stock. After the death of Hannah Maynard, Albert was the executor of his mother’s will.
Several of the Maynard children and grandchildren ran successful businesses, including commercial photographic related establishments. Albert Maynard continued on as successor to R. Maynard and operated his own photographic business. Maynard Macdonald operated a photographic business, Maynard F. Macdonald & Son Commercial Photographers in Victoria. At one point George Maynard and his sons, Albert J. and George H. Jr. operated the Victoria-based auction and appraisal company Maynard & Sons.
Richard and Hannah Maynard died in 1907 and 1918, respectively. Their second son Albert Hatherly Maynard died in 1934.
Custodial history
The custodial history of the material described within this collection is complex. The bulk of the Maynard material consists of glass plate negatives purchased from Albert H. Maynard in the early 1930s. Additional Maynard records have come to the BC Archives at various times, either by purchase or donation. Not all of this material is included in PR-1259. Negatives attributed to Frederick Dally may have been purchased by the Maynards and added to their holdings in 1872.
Scope and content
Collection consists of records created by members of the Maynard family, primarily Hannah Hatherly Maynard and Richard Maynard. Hannah, Richard, and their son, Albert Hatherly Maynard, were professional photographers based in Victoria. Records include photograph albums, a portion of the photographic portfolio of Hannah and Richard Maynard, a studio register with over 5,000 customer entries for portrait orders fulfilled by Mrs. R. Maynard's Photographic Gallery, and a small number of textual business records. Within this collection, the works of other photographers and photographic studios may be found. Images depict studio portraits, family gatherings, field photographs for Department of Indian Affairs tours of inspection of Indigenous communities, construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.), documentary photographs of the natural history collection of the Provincial Museum (now Royal BC Museum), and Hannah's experimental artistic works such as tableau vivants, photocollages, composites, montages, photo-sculptures, and double- and multiple-exposure studio portraits.
Records within this collection have been arranged into series that roughly correspond to Maynard Collection numbers that were assigned according to themes by either one of the Maynard family members or early BC Archives staff.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Conservation restriction: Photographs in this collection are predominantly glass plate negatives. Researchers should consult online reference images prior to consulting originals.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
See series and item level descriptions for more detail.
A high-level listing of containers, series, and reference codes is available here: http://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Document/Finding_Aids_Atom/PR-1001_to_PR-1500/PR-1259.pdf
Associated materials
For related textual records, including diaries and notebooks pertaining to Hannah and Richard Maynard’s field photography and travels in British Columbia, see MS-1077 - Newcombe family papers. For commercially-produced Maynard prints purchased by the Newcombe family, see MS-2964.2 - Maynard prints.
Accruals
General note
Accession number(s): 95-7328; MS-3325 originally accessioned as PABC #742; MS-3328 originally accessioned as 198908-010; MS-3334 originally accessioned as 198107-058; 199306-023; MS-3339 originally accessioned as 198004-006; MS-3340 originally accessioned as 197910-001
General note
Records held by BC Archives are historical in nature and contain depictions and captions representative of the time. Researchers may find images or captions upsetting or offensive.
Physical description
Includes 1,911 glass plate negatives, 98 flexible negatives, 1,715 prints, and 5 tintypes
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Maynard (family) (Subject)
- Maynard, Hannah (Hatherly) (Subject)
- Maynard, Richard (Subject)
- Mrs. R. Maynard’s Photographic Gallery (Subject)