26 replies to this topic

[Number Six]

Hey everyone,

I know there are quite a few regulars who enjoy posting old photos and discussing Victoria's history on VV so I thought you'd be interested in hearing about a new website called Historypin (http://www.historypin.com).

Historypin was developed by a UK non-profit in partnership with Google. The idea is to provide a home where people from different generations and backgrounds can share photos and build stories about their communities. It was officially launched last month after a year-long pilot project and when I stumbled upon it a couple of weeks ago I was immediately smitten.
They've also released smart phone apps for Apple and Android phones.

It's still early days and I already have a long list of new features I'd like to see however I think the Streetview integration is very slick. The ability to fade an old photo away to reveal the same scene today is very cool (and everyone I've demo'd it to agrees). One tip - the website works best with Chrome, Firefox, Safari and IE 9 (IE 7 or 8 users will encounter errors).

When I first checked out the map of Victoria there were only a couple of photos but I've added 30 or so in the last week ... all of which are from my own collection and a few I guarantee you've never seen before. You can check out my profile here:

http://www.historypi.../Fort Victoria/

I've been corresponding with the people behind Historypin in an effort to create a Local History Project for Victoria. This could take several forms but I'd be interested to hear your feedback before I move forward with it.

I'd also like to bring the Provincial Archives and City of Victoria on board and plan to speak to them next week. The City of Vancouver is already pinning like crazy so I'm hopeful a precedent has been set. If our institutions don't have the resources I'm going to suggest that I can put together a group of volunteers to help them out. The Historypin people have spent a lot of time creating a model that will work for institutions. It's a non-commercial website and they make no claim to copyright (whether our institutions actually own the copyright is a discussion for another thread!).

I'll be interested to hear what other history buffs on VV think of it ... but be careful ... this is the antiquarian's equivalent of crack cocaine!

Cheers,
Number Six (aka Fort Victoria)

PS. if you check out their July 28th blog entry you'll find a link to a Google Tech Talk presentation that provides some background on the project. FYI, you'll find a link to their blog in the website footer.

[G-Man]

Wow awesome site!!

[Number Six]

Hey all,

I've added a bunch of new photos during the past week, the most recent being a nice shot of the Campbell Building, likely taken shortly before it was demolished to make way for the Royal Bank building. Here's a link to the photo.

[Holden West]

Great! Is it even more zoom-in-able?

[Nparker]

OMG I never realized what a tragic loss to the city this was. Every time I see a picture of one of these old gems I realize what a progressive little city Victoria once was. What happened???

[Number Six]

Unfortunately it's not more zoomable however I can tell you that two of the ground level retail businesses were Specht's Aquarium & Pets and the Central Barbers.

Historypin doesn't use high-res photos and I believe the main reason is to reduce the chance of images being used for commercial purposes without the owner's permission. This could be seen as an advantage to archives who are normally reluctant to upload images due to copyright or owner issues. While high-res images would be great I'm more interested in seeing all this old material digitalized and online.

[Number Six]

Here's a shot of National Motors Limited on Yates Street. It was roughly across the street from the old Atlas Theatre. I think the Atlas became the Coronet at some point, a theatre which I remember frequenting as a kid. Does this sound right?

[Number Six]

The addiction continues ... my Flight Sergeant Richard Lyford photo collection

I plan to add more images to this collection over the coming weeks and months.

[Hotel Mike]

I noticed on one of the shots of the Inner Harbour, that the CPR Steamship Building is super lit up. I wonder if the PCC is planning some sort of exterior lighting as part of the work on the building.

[Number Six]

I've just added three new photos, all from late 1944:

1) The CPR Steamship Terminal and docks. If you view it in Streetview you will see the string of lights along the roofline.

2) A close-up of the CPR Steamship docks.

3) A nice shot from the intersection of Menzies and Belleville. What do you think the device is embedded in the pavement in the intersection?

[Sparky]

^ Number Six, that is probably one of the best web sites that I have ever clicked on. Three thumbs up for that.

[Number Six]

Thanks Sparky. I think it's a great way of sharing photos and stories. I've posted a few photos of locations in other parts of Canada and Europe and so I think it's pretty cool that someday someone from another part of the world may find a photo of Victoria from days gone by and pin it here for all to see.

[Holden West]

Yes, I award that site and your efforts five Fred Herzogs.

[Number Six]

FIVE Fred Herzogs! Thanks very much

I found a link to a Fred Herzog photo that I particularly like. When I first saw it I thought it was the Potala Palace rising out of Lhasa and not a shot of the Marine building from Vancouver's CPR pier. Amazing photo.

[Sparky]

^ There are some great shots of Fred's of early Vancouver on the Equinox page.

[Number Six]

A few more added tonight including this real photo postcard of a Steam Taxi. And I thought the gas heater in my old '69 Beetle was pretty cool?!

[Number Six]

I've pinned a handful or two of old photos over the weekend. This batch includes a few of the Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point, a spanking new car parkade and an electrifying shot of Victoria at night.

[G-Man]

So where are you getting all these great photos from? Do you have a stash that you have been collecting for a while?

[Number Six]

They come from all over the place (Ebay, shops, friends, etc.) and the majority I've had for 5 or 6 years. That said the Harling Point photos turned up yesterday.

My little collection pales in comparison to some of the private collections in this city ... hopefully some day they'll start pinning too.

[Number Six]

A few more old photos of Victoria:

1. The Victoria Rifles encamped near Beacon Hill Park in 1866.

2. A parade along the 700-block of Yates street, circa 1935-1945. As you'll see the 700-block was plagued by vacant lots even then.

3. The James Bay Girl Guide troop in 1921.