Winter Light

As winter deepens the sun stays low in the sky even in mid-afternoon and casts long dark shadows. Here the ornate roof of the Chinese Public School adds an exotic touch to this rooftop view over downtown Victoria.
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I just came across an interesting photography link. But look out, you can get lost for hours.... (We are talking millions of photographs here!)

All of photographs in the Life Magazine archives have been made available through Google. For those of you who may not be familiar with Life Magazine, it was one of the greatest American magazines during the last century and was especially noted for the quality of its photographs. The archive contains photos dating back to the 1870's and many famous photographers are represented.

Here is a clickable link to it: http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Chinese Public School

Another visit to Victoria's Chinatown, starting with two paintings by Victoria artist Jeff Maltby. The painting above depicts a Chinese Immigrant family in 1905. The painting below of the children arriving at the Chinese Public School is like a fast-forward through the decades for this family. The little boy on the left looks like he's dressed 1920's style. The little girl in her saddle shoes and pony tail is from the 1950's and the boy on the right, with his skateboard and crash helmet is definitely 1980's.The Chinese Public School, below, has been a part of these changes since it was built in 1909. The two paintings grace the outside walls of the Victoria Police Station, directly across Fisgard Street from the Chinese School.