Written by: Sara Bohuch, BA Archaeology (Simon Fraser University) , MSc Conservation Practice (Cardiff University)
The philosopher Cicero once said that memory is the treasury and guardian of all things. It is also a fleeting feature of the brain, so people have attempted to capture their memory in a physical format for as long as humans have existed.
If these physicalized memories are still considered a treasury, then the place where they are stored becomes less a place to stash random material and more of a bank. If you get enough memory kept in the same place, that bank can start to reflect and inform the identity of a people.
The vault that contains the Glenbow’s Archives and Special Collections can be considered such a place. A portion of Alberta’s provincial memory is kept inside the many kilometers of books, papers, maps and photographs that are kept within it. Each individual record that makes up the whole is, in of itself, a snapshot of a time and a personality that makes up a portion of the collective memory of the province.
Out of the many kilometers of that memory, about 3.55 metres total belongs to the textual, photographic and audiovisual records of one JJ Bowlen, the famous “vice-regal cowboy” of Alberta.
For those not immediately familiar with the Bowlen name (and with Canada’s full and entertaining history of political figures), JJ Bowlen was a former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Before he became a politician, he was a stable hand, a soldier and a rancher. Pictured below (center front) with his brothers, he first moved to Rosebud Creek, Alberta with his wife and three children in 1917. He had previous experience with horses and began to steadily build his fortune in Alberta from land, horses and sheep. He entered the Alberta Legislative Assembly as the elected Liberal Member for Calgary in 1930, where he stayed until he was defeated in 1944. He joined the CBC Board of Governors in 1947 and finally became the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1950.
At any of these points in his life, he could have started collecting photographs. What’s found in his file varies in subject matter, but some 126 of his and his family’s photos survive at the Glenbow. Bowlen seemed to have been drawn to turn-of-the-century Alberta in particular, seeking out and keeping images of the province’s MLAs travelling to Claresholm in 1906. In his collection there are also these personalized photos signed by cowboy Clem Gardiner at the 1919 Calgary Stampede. Bowlen, like many Calgarian politicians, was closely tied to the Stampede. He served briefly as a judge at past events and hosted the board at his Calgary residence a time or two.
Bowlen and his family also kept photos of his time as Lieutenant Governor and of special events that happened while he was on the job. These included numerous royal visits and various social functions and debutante balls throughout the 1950s.
A personal favourite of the photos from this collection is this initially innocuous photograph of Bowlen and the MLAs circa 1936-1937, posed on the steps of the Alberta Legislature. The reason that it’s wonderful is not necessarily the subject matter, but rather this corner here. What at first looks like a ghost on the steps is actually an artful retouching done by the photography studio in the 1930s. Great pains were taken to remove this unwanted and surprise background guest by hand painting over the photo crasher.
One of the great pleasures of working behind the scenes with this collection is the chance to come across a multitude of these sorts of stories. A record or a photograph tends to go beyond the subject alone and can reflect the people and places involved with producing that record in the first place. The vault of memory is never built in isolation, after all.
For the curious and the interested, these photos and records are available for access. What isn’t online can be accessed physically through the Glenbow Western Research Centre. If you’re able to, take the time to explore. These stories are meant for all, and they are free to access.
RETROactive 