Yates Photographic Studio fonds

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Title proper

Yates Photographic Studio fonds

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    Level of description

    Fonds

    Reference code

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    Edition statement

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    Statement of scale (cartographic)

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    Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

    Dates of creation area

    Date(s)

    • 1906-1968 (Creation)
      Creator
      Yates Photographic Studio (Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County, N.S.)

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    72 cm of textual records
    3 boxes of graphic material, 1 meter

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    Archival description area

    Name of creator

    (1906-1968)

    Administrative history

    The Yates Photographic Studio was founded at Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia circa 1906 by Paul Yates. Yates was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1863. He began working in the U.S. as a commercial photographer. During this period he married Dorothy Sailer, a widow, who had one son, William. The couple had one son together, Paul Yates Jr. In 1908 Yates began a studio in Digby, called 'The Little Art Gallery.' He continued to operate both studios until the Annapolis shop was destroyed by fire in March 1921. Then he continued to work in the Digby studio, which provided a variety of services. Yates took portraits on location and at the studio, scenic photos and he offered the use of the studio dark room to amateurs. He also offered free instruction. For a time the studio also served as a shop for sheet music, instruments and music books. Yates was closely involved in the music community of the area. Yates' photographs were sold through local hotels in the form of post cards. The Studio employed several assistants. They included Edna McMorgan, Edith James, Jeannette Yates, Gordon Mounty, Eldred Thibbidao and William Sailer. Yates' wife Dorothy died in the 1920s and in remarried Jeannette W. Van Tasselll, who had been an assistant in the Digby studio. Yates died in 1946 and his wife Jeannette continued to operate the studio until circa 1968 and she closed to Digby studio.

    Custodial history

    During the late 1950s or early 1960s, Jeannette Yates requested her landlord that the great bulk of glass plate negatives, which had been stored in the attic of the studio and were causing the ceiling to bulge, be removed. Yates saved a few boxes of negatives and the remainder of the negatives were removed from the building and dumped on a local beach. Yates died in 1970 and Eldred Thibbidau, her adopted son, inherited the negatives and studio registers. The records were inturn sold to a local man who donated them to the HRSAC. The HRSAC donated the negatives to NSARM and loaned the registers for microfilming in April and May 1988.
    Some of Paul Yates' negatives were acquired by other persons. It is thought that some were salvaged from the beach. These were also donated to NSARM. Amongst the Yates' negatives were some by Sidney Payne. They were accessioned as part of the HRSAC collection, 1988-269.1.

    Scope and content

    Fonds consists of journals kept by Yates regarding his daily work. They chronicle what type work was being done, for whom and they also record payment and maitenance on the studio. Fonds also consists of three archival boxes of prints made from the glass negatives.

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      Script of material

        Location of originals

        88.45 & 93.665 to 679.

        Availability of other formats

        HRSAC holds copies of the 1,089 negatives donated to NSARM. Microfilm copies of the Yates journals are available at NSARM.

        Restrictions on access

        Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

        Finding aids

        Reference finding aid consists of photocopies of photographs with identification of locations, and people as supplied by HRS staff, volunteers and visitors. An inventory of negatives is also available at NSARM.

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        General note

        To order copies of the negatives from NSARM use the NSARM accession number.

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