Diversity in Early Black Communities

Diversity in Early Black Communities

Early Pioneers from Far and Wide

Portrait of a man in a suit jacket, with a beard and moustache, looking into the camera. The image is framed within an oval shape.
Portrait of a woman standing, wearing a dress and a hat, and holding an umbrella.
A portrait of woman in a long dress standing next to a man in a suit seated on a chair. The woman's left hand is on the man's shoulder.
Portrait of a man with a moustache sitting in a chair, wearing a suit, holding a cane and hat. Books on a table are in the background.
A woman sitting on a chair outside. She is wearing a hat and a long dress. There is a container of apples beside her on the ground.
Two men sitting outside on a hilltop. There is another hill in the distance. The man on the left has a white beard and moustache, long pants, white shirt and dark vest. The man on the right is wearing overalls.
A man with a moustache wearing a suit jacket staring off to the left of the frame.
Illustration of a ship on the water at sail, three sails on the front mast, steam or smoke coming from a stack, and a water wheel at the side of the boat.
Portrait of a man staring off to the left of the frame. He is wearing a suit and has a medal around his neck and another on his lapel. He is clean shaven with greying hair.

Moses Rowe Smith Family and M.R. Smith Biscuit & Co. Biscuit Manufacturers, Victoria, BC

Moses Rowe Smith moved to BC from Ontario and created a legacy for his family that included prominence, wealth, and status in the community as a leader and employer of one of Victoria’s biggest factories. This gallery includes photos of the family home and business. Learn more about the family and business at the BC Black History Awareness Society.

Black and white photograph of a house with many windows, a picket fence and trees outside of it.
Inside an ornate living room with many chairs and a piano.
Sketch of large factory in the late 1800s. The image includes people with horse and carriage out front and a two-masted ship docked at a wharf in the background.
Twenty-four people, workers at a factory, are seated and looking at the camera. Most are in work clothes. The owner is seated, second from the left in the front row, leaning on a cane.
Three men in suits stand on a wooden sidewalk outside of a business. The man in the middle has a dog on a leash. A storefront window is behind them.
An eight level, ornate display of goods from a biscuit company.
A storefront showing goods for sale.

Garrett Smith Photographs

Garrett Smith photographed everyday life in Victoria, capturing historical imagery of locations, customs and communities.  He was born in 1869 and was the son of prominent business owner Moses Rowe Smith. See 80 of his photographs at the BC Archives.

A man with a hat on leans over a wash tub bathing a small dog.
A large ship in drydock with ornate fixtures on the bow. A small building with people standing in front of it to the left of the ship.
A room full of large taxidermied mammals including bears, bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
A castle with a turret with small trees planted around it.
Black and white photograph of a three story hotel with many window, a turret at top in the centre and people at street level in front of the building.
A streetcar with three men in suits and top hats standing to the left, and another on the right. A conductor stands on the back of the train and another employee stands behind the man with the top hat on the right.

Grafton Tyler Brown Paintings

Grafton Tyler Brown was the first professional landscape artist in BC. Learn more about Brown and his art in “Go West Young Man” in the Watch and Read sections of this pathway and from Dr. John Lutz at the University of Victoria .

Man standing by easel with paintbrushes.
Painting of a waterway and landscape with tall trees on either side. Small mountains are in the distance.
Painting of a small lighthouse on a small island in a harbour. Mountains in the distance.
Painting of a mountain, with buildings at the base.
A painting of a lake surrounded by mountains.
Painting of mountain in the background, lake in the foreground.

 

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