On January 1st, the copyright expired for some of our holdings: they are now in the public domain in Canada. Digital materials are no longer restricted to being viewed only at the Archives, but are available online to all. Here’s a quick look at some of the digital objects that have become easier to view and re-use.
Tattooed man pulling on rope, by Clixby Watson, 1950s. Reference code AM1562-: 72-633
Charles “Clixby” Watson was a British painter and illustrator. We don’t know if this was a work of imagination or modelled from life or why this was created.
Melanope, by Alexander Paterson, 19-. Reference code AM1562-: 72-476
The Melanope was launched in 1876 and sailed as a windjammer until 1906, when it was damaged on its way to Washington State. It was converted to a barge and sold to Canadian Pacific Railway, where it was used as a coal ship into the 1940s.
The return of the prophet of the Squamish, Maisie Armytage-Moore, 1942
Maisie Armytage-Moore, also known as Maisie Hurley and Maisie Murphy, was a local activist for First Nations’ rights from the 1940s until her death in 1964. Born in Wales, she was not aboriginal herself. She founded and published The Native Voice newspaper. See this Vancouver Sun post for more on her colourful life.
This is just a small selection of the items which have recently come into the public domain.
