archives

collecting data:

for the love of words and pictures and true stories

Alongside love letters home and milestone headshots, my family members' memorabilia comprise facts and artifacts found deep in the archival crevices of collecting data.


If a picture is worth a thousand words, so may a thousand photos reveal a true story. Like reading between the lines.


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COLLECTING DATA

The types and sources of data I've recovered are astonishing:

I have collected magazine articles and newspaper clippings, catalogues and inventories, pamphlets and programs, diplomas and transcripts. And data culled from minutes, newsletters, and obituaries; from shipping logs, war records, and census data; from year books, report cards, and social media.

And insights gleaned from personal letters, professional interviews, anecdotal memories, and a thousand and one snapshots.

Plus, the wonders of concealed artworks and hidden handcrafts.

Searching almost from scratch, my resources have included:

  • ancestry.ca

  • newspapers.com

  • The Royal Conservatory of Music

  • The Vancouver Magic Circle Archives

  • The International Brotherhood of Magicians

  • The West Vancouver Archives

  • Art School & University Records

  • High School Newspapers & Records

  • Facebook Groups

MEMORABILIA

"How fiercely they competed against each other and, at the finish line, how joyfully they were the closest of brothers." [Richard Horner, schoolmate]

booklets

I plan to create several biographic booklets over the years ahead. My first offering, The Boys, draws on facts, stories, and memories:

  • The Boys: Peter and Paul Martineau. Self-published. 2021. Recalling and showcasing the antics and achievements of my deceased twin brothers while they were growing up. Link to view: The Boys

Future family topics include:

  • stage magic, sleight-of-hand, comedic pantomime

  • commercial art and special effects

  • pen and ink calligraphy and illustration

  • classical piano medals, competitions, and performances

  • the fibre and fabric collections

  • the found-object assemblages

  • love letters home and life in the WWII Entertainment Corp

  • fabric art, textile design, and ancient alchemy

  • the story of a grand piano and a Parisian mural

Fractal art digitally created, collaged, and coloured; applied to kimono styles for digital dye-printing on silk satins and broadcloths. [Sheila Martineau Designs Ltd.]

galleries

While many images and stories will be captured in booklets, some collections will also be showcased in photo galleries:

  • decorated envelopes with 'Love Letters Home' from WWII

  • a selection of hand-lettered and illustrated pages from the three-volume Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic, published in the USA by Silk King Studios (1948, 1953, 1962)

  • hand-lettered and illustrated booklet covers

  • needlecraft works and quilting designs

  • fabric art and fashion design (example above)

  • my mother's, grandmother's, and great-grandmother's newspaper clippings—from gold-medal awards to classical piano recitals to winning jam recipes

  • paintings, drawings, sketches, caricatures, special effects


Note: Until I begin creating online slideshows and galleries—a long-term project—below are a few art- and magic-based carousels for scrolling.

CAROUSELS