Fonds consists of the personal papers of John Vanderpant. They are arranged in the following series: Biographical material and memorabilia; Correspondence; Financial records; Exhibitions; Awards and diplomas; Manuscripts-essays and lectures; Manuscripts-poetry; Manuscripts-short fiction; and Clippings and reproductions, n.d., 1882-[ca. 1941]. Series files are arranged chronologically and undated files are sorted alphabetically. File titles in the manuscript series that appear in quotation marks are Vanderpant's own titles and all others have been assigned based on file contents. Notebooks in the manuscript series may include narrative material, poetry, letter drafts and other information. The fonds contains formal and informal photographs by John Vanderpant and his daughters Anna and Catharina including architectural views; portraits of prominent Canadians, including Group of Seven painter Frederick Horsman Varley; prints and negatives dating from the 1920s and 1930s, including work done along the Canadian Pacific Railway, flower and vegetable studies, pictorial landscapes, and portrait photography; a panorama print of Okotoks, Alta., [ca. 1913-1919]; and a hand-coloured still life depicting a bouquet of wild flowers in a jug, and family photographs, [ca. 1924-1946]. There are also lantern slides made by Vanderpant for use in lectures on art and photography, including slides representing contemporary art movements and artists. The fonds also contains a sketch by an unknown artist of an unidentified orchestra conductor and sketches of Erich Kleiber by unknown artists. The fonds also contains photographic and exhibitor medals and ribbons, 1922-1932.
Vanderpant, John, 1884-1939 : John Vanderpant was born Jan van der Pant at Alkmaar, Holland, 1884. He studied literature at Amsterdam and Leiden Universities, became a photojournalist with the Dutch publication Op de Hoogte in 1910, and also published some short works of fiction and poetry in a number of literary magazines. In 1911, he married Catherina over de Linden at Haarlem, Holland, and emigrated to Canada. The following year he lectured in the Netherlands on behalf of the Canadian government, promoting immigration to Canada. In 1913, Vanderpant settled in Okotoks, Alberta, where he established his first photographic studio. He relocated to British Columbia in 1919, opened a studio in New Westminster in 1924 and eventually established the Vanderpant Galleries with Harold Mortimer-Lamb in Vancouver in 1926, which Vanderpant operated until his death in 1939. In British Columbia, Vanderpant became an active participant in the Canadian and international artistic communities, organizing and participating in photographic exhibitions, lecturing and publishing essays on art, photography and other subjects and writing poetry. Vanderpant had solo exhibitions with the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1925 and 1928, and was elected Fellow of that organisation in 1926. Other exhibitions include solo tours of Europe in 1925, the United States in 1928, the Netherlands in 1931 and solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1932 and 1937. Vanderpant went on a cross-Canada lecture tour for the National Gallery of Canada in 1935 and undertook a lecture tour in Alberta two years later.
