Alester Harlow, Photographer.

 

 

          This picture was taken of the family group in 1935.

From the left: Daughter, Vera (Mrs. Roy Gordon); Alester, b.1851; Ella, his wife, b. (Patten); son Edward (Ted), b.1900; and daughter Isabel (Mrs. Jack Freeman). It was taken in the yard of the Roy Gordon house in Milton, NS.

          Alester was an artist, professionally trained. He was also a professional photographer, and often intertwined the two professions. It is interesting that most of his brothers and sisters as well as many of the Harlow family were watercolor artists and pen and ink sketchers. Many antique seekers consider themselves lucky when they find any of the Harlow pictures.

          Alester had a studio in Liverpool, upstairs, across from Veniot’s Shoe Store. Family portraits in those days (late 1800’s, early 1900’s) were popular. He also did many landscape scenes of the Queens county area, many of them ending up as postcard scenes. He also had a studio in the upstairs of the Harlow family building near where the present Milton Falls restaurant is located.

          Another Harlow specialty was the family portraits of our grandparents. Many of these would be proudly mounted in the family parlor. Starting with an image of the subject he would enlarge it and paint the background with India ink or watercolors.

          The studio walls, where sittings would take place would be painted with various backgrounds, many of the portraits of family members would have recognizable studio scenery.

 

                   THE Family:

          This particular picture was taken at the occasion of son Ted, whose business was in San Francisco, was visiting in Milton, NS. The year was 1935, he had acquired this nice 1932 Buick Victoria Coupe, which he had driven across Canada and the USA.

          Vera Gordon, his sister, is standing at his far right. She was well known for her singing and church work at the Milton Christian Church. She, among other leadership participation, was the choir leader, and was proud of her choir. Her husband Roy Gordon had been Manager of the Milton Pulp Mills, until recently when the mills were closed and Mersey Paper Company took over that property. Mr. Gordon became involved with the woodlands operation of the new company.  Roy and Vera had one son, not shown, Fred, known later as the Reverent Fred Gordon.

          Alester is next to Vera. He had retired from photography by this time and had a brilliant career. He had married early in life to Ella Patten, daughter of carpenter Joseph Patten.  Both of them were seniors when they had recently taken a trip to California. Their home was in Milton; it is the home now occupied by Kathy and John Chute. (2002)

          Edward Harlow had had a remarkable escape from death at the Halifax Explosion during WW 1. He as a young sailor in Canada’s navy was assigned to the destroyer Niobe, which was moored in the Halifax harbor, Canada’s East Coast Port. An accidental collision between two ships, one containing munitions, caused a fire to break out in the munitions ship.  The sailors on deck of the Niobe had a ringside seat to the occasion and were watching the scene. Ted had reason to go down tween-decks, and during that moment the munitions ship exploded, wiping out most of the nearby city of Halifax. All the Niobe crewmen on deck were killed, but Ted miraculously escaped by being below and protected by the ships shell. He was a survivor, and this year (2002) is celebrating his 102^nd birthday. His memory is excellent, and of course tells some harrowing experiences about this event.

          The girl he has his arm around is his sister Isabel, who also is visiting in Milton from Ontario, where her husband, Jack Freeman, was chief Engineer of one of the Paper Mills owned by the Abitibi Paper Company.

         

Notes by HHW,

March 2002.