Harold Johnston and Al Wrigley
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1970
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two men standing in front of two trucks. The man on the left is Al Wrigley and Harold Johnston is right. The signs on the trucks advertise their company known as A&H Plastering and Stucco. The location of the photograph is unknown.
4447 Venables Street
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1975
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Johnston family home at 4447 Venables Street. A woman (Frances Johnston) can be seen carrying parcels and walking towards the front steps of the home. A car is parked in front of the house.
Backyard of 4447 Venables Street
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph looking east from the backyard of the Johnston family home at 4447 Venables Street. A clothesline draped with clothes can be seen in the background.
Fashion show
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1971
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a young girl walking down a runway in front of an audience. The photograph was taken in the Brentwood Mall during a fashion show and a number of stores can be seen in the background.
Frances and Wendy Changing Tire
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows Frances Johnston (left, in dark clothing) and her daughter Wendy (right, in light clothing), changing a car tire. The photograph was taken outside the garage at the Johnston family home on Venables Street. The house number "4447" is visible above the garage door on the right.
Frances at Simon Fraser University
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Frances Johnston standing on an upper concourse at Simon Fraser University. The photograph was taken looking north-east and the academic quandrangle is visible in the background.
Frances at Simon Fraser University
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Frances Johnston (far right) looking at a bulletin board outside the library at Simon Fraser University. The photograph was taken looking west along Convocation Mall.
Garage construction
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1971
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two men working on a garage identified as belonging to Sean Pepere. Construction material and debris are visible around the worksite The photograph was most likely taken in the Venables Street area of Burnaby.
Garage construction
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1971
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a partially completed garage identified as belonging to Sean Pepere. Construction material and debris are visible around the worksite. The photograph was most likely taken in the Venables Street area of Burnaby.
Graduation at Alpha Secondary School
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a large crowd seated in the auditorium of Alpha Secondary School. A procession of teachers can be seen walking down the centre aisle towards the stage and a banner hung behind the stage reads: "Congratulations Grads."
Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1958-1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 106 photographs (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 106 photographs depicting locations in Burnaby and its environs.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1958-1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Physical Description
- 106 photographs (jpeg) : b&w
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- Open access
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2008-08
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 106 photographs depicting locations in Burnaby and its environs.
- History
- Harold Henry (Hal) Johnston (September 15, 1930 - January 15, 1985) was born in Ardreagh, Northern Ireland, trained as a plasterer, and immigrated to Canada in 1951. Settling in Edmonton in 1952, he married Frances Henriette Coulombe (born July 29, 1932) in June 1955. He worked as a plasterer in Edmonton until late 1957, when they moved to Burnaby, British Columbia. They purchased, renovated and occupied 4447 Venables Street.
They had two children, Sean Francois Johnston (born October 30, 1956) and Wendy Marie Johnston (born October 9, 1959). In Burnaby, they attended Holy Cross Primary School (1450 Delta Avenue), Alpha Secondary School (4600 Parker Street) and Simon Fraser University, later completing PhDs at the University of Leeds and Universite de Montreal, respectively.
Harold Johnston continued to work as a plasterer, serving in 1969 as business agent for the Plasterers' and Stonemasons' Union, and then self-employed as A&H Plastering and Stucco from 1970 until his death in 1985. Frances Johnston worked part-time as secretary for Holy Cross parish rectory.
Harold Johnston was a serious photographer and camera collector, recording some 1500 rolls of black and white slide film in 35mm and other formats on a variety of cameras from the early 1950s until 1984, mainly of locations in the Lower Mainland and Pacific Northwest. From 1960, he processed and printed the negatives himself in a home darkroom.
From 1970, Johnston recorded a number of artists, illustrators and sculptors working in Vancouver's downtown eastside, notably Wil Hudson (fine printer and typographer), Keith Shields (sculptor), Frits Jacobsen (illustrator), Charles Butler (wood sculptor) and Bill Shoebotham (primitive artist).
**This biographical sketch was based on information prepared by Dr. Sean Johnston and provided to the City of Burnaby Archives in April 2008.**
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Creator
- Johnston, Harold H.
Less detail
Hastings Street at Willingdon Avenue
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1975
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph taken slightly west of the intersection, at Willingdon, looking east along Hastings Street. The Esso gas station is at the right and the Gulf station is at the left. Numerous stores and businesses are visible.
House painting
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Ernie Fraser standing at the top of a ladder painting a house in the 4400 block of Venables Street.
Lane behind Venables Street
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1970
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph looking west along the lane behind Venables Street. This photograph was most likely taken outside the home of Harold Johnston at 4447 Venables.
Lane behind Venables Street
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1970
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph looking west along the lane behind Venables Street. This photograph was most likely taken outside the home of Harold Johnston at 4447 Venables.
Pacific National Exhibition Sideshow
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1970
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a crowd of people gathered outside of a sideshow tent on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in Vancouver, BC. There are several banners advertising the sideshow attractions including: "Fish Monster," "Freak Animals," "Sea Monsters" and "Mystery Dogs."
Swap meet
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w, panorama
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of people and automobiles gathered at the site of a drive-in theatre for a swap meet. Numerous vendors can be seen with their merchandise displayed on tables. The location of this photograph may be the Lougheed Drive-in Theatre as swap meets were held there often throughout the 1970s a…
Swap meet
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w, panorama
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of people and automobiles gathered at the site of a drive-in theatre for a swap meet. Numerous vendors can be seen with their merchandise displayed on tables and outside their vehicles. The location of this photograph may be the Lougheed Drive-in Theatre as swap meets were held there t…
Swap meet
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w, panorama
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of people and automobiles gathered at the site of a drive-in theatre for a swap meet. The location of this photograph may be the Lougheed Drive-in Theatre as swap meets were held there throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Swap meet
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1974
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w, panorama
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of people and automobiles gathered at the site of a drive-in theatre for a swap meet. Numerous vendors can be seen with their merchadise displayed on tables and outside their vehicles. The location of this photograph may be the Lougheed Drive-in Theatre as swap meets were held there thr…