collection 2023.010 - Lauren Miller fonds

• Document iconographique

17 photographs : b&w ; 43 x 42.5 cm or smaller; 9 photographs on card 46 x 46 cm or smaller

The records were gifted to the Maritime Museum of BC by Lauren Miller in 2023.
The fonds was acquired by Lauren Miller at an auction in 2022.
The following information is provided by the donor, Lauren Miller. The photos used to belong to William Gordon Manson, the son of William Manson who took the photos. William ‘Bill’ Manson was born 15 November 1894 in Stirlingshire, Scotland and passed away 7 January 1985. He was married Susan (nee Dunsmore) and they had a son William Gordon Mason. Bill worked for the Consolidated Whaling Corporation Ltd.

The Consolidated Whaling Corporation Ltd. had its main wharf based out of Point Ellice. The company was incorporated in 1918, registered in 1922 as an extra-provincial company, and continued operations until 1942, and the company was finally dissolved in 1953. The vessels and office equipment was auctioned of in 1947 when the company filed for bankruptcy, with the vessels being purchased by a number of companies, mainly MH Kramer, Northern Junk Co., that were later dismantled for scrap. It was preceded by the Victoria Whaling Co, the Pacific Whaling Co, Queen Charlotte Whaling Co, and the Canadian Northern Pacific Fisheries. The company had a total of 5 whaling vessels: the Black, the Blue, the White, the Brown, and the Green. The Gray was the company tender and travelled between Victoria and whaling stations with supplies and returned with whale oil, whale bone and other items which it would take to San Francisco to sell. All whaling stations were closed by 1967.
The fonds consists 17 items: 17 enlarged copies of photos related to whaling, 9 of which are on mat board