Archie Renwick’s Iconic Portraits of Nelson’s Community in the 1970s

Archibald Albert “Archie” Renwick spent decades turning his camera on the people of Nelson, British Columbia. Born and raised in the town, he attended Nelson High School before trying his hand at a few different trades. He worked at Renwick’s Transfer and Taxi on Vernon Street and later co-owned a grocery business called Renwick and Romano in the 1930s. Photography eventually pulled him away from Nelson entirely. In 1942, he graduated from a photography school in Chicago and returned home with a sharper focus and a clear purpose.

Renwick opened his portrait studio at 316 Baker Street. In 1958, he relocated to 577 Ward Street, where he continued shooting for decades. His subjects ranged from ordinary Nelson residents to prominent community figures, including the Bishop of Nelson, Martin Michael Johnson, and Mayor Louis Maglio. His wedding photographs were especially well known and frequently appeared in the Nelson Daily News. One of the most striking aspects of his career was the trust he earned from the Kootenay Doukhobor community, who regularly came to him for wedding and family portraits.

The 1970s saw Renwick at the height of his output. Wedding portraits made up a large portion of his work during this period. Couples from across Nelson’s social and cultural communities sat before his lens, dressed in their finest. Doukhobor weddings were particularly well represented. Brides wore traditional white headscarves alongside modern white dresses, while grooms appeared in sharp suits with carefully chosen ties.

Throughout 1970, Renwick photographed a steady stream of couples on some of the most important days of their lives. Each portrait carries specific details — bouquets of yellow flowers, the flanking of a best man and maid of honor, the careful arrangement of a wedding party. These weren’t generic studio shots. Renwick paid close attention to the personal elements each couple brought with them.

Family portraits were another major thread running through the collection. Parents seated at the center, children arranged behind them — Renwick used a consistent, formal style that gave each family a sense of dignity and permanence. Large extended families like the Johanson family filled the frame with multiple generations, while smaller family units like the Jays offered a more intimate arrangement.

Renwick also captured individuals in their finest attire and proudest moments. Kitty Gilbert posed in a floor-length gold velvet evening jacket adorned with a corsage of purple flowers. George Roland Zubick appeared in full Shriner dress, complete with a red tasseled hat reading “GIZEH” and a patch identifying the No. 1 Shrine Club of Nelson, B.C. Linda Barber wore ceremonial Masonic dress — a tiara, white dress, and dark purple cape.

By 1972 and 1973, Renwick’s studio continued to draw a wide cross-section of Nelson residents. Couples like Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ostoforoff and Mr. and Mrs. Kinoshita sat for formal portraits, dressed in the fashions of the era. The studio also attracted individuals celebrating personal achievements — trophies, ceremonial dress, and organizational affiliations all made their way into the frame.

The mid-1970s brought more of the same diversity. A Doukhobor wedding group of seven gathered for a portrait in July 1975. An older man with a large white beard and black-framed glasses sat for a solo portrait in September of that year. Renwick also experimented technically — a November 1974 portrait of a man and woman was created using double exposure, meaning each subject was photographed separately and then combined into a single image.

In the later years of the decade, Renwick’s subjects became even more varied. Bob Allen arrived with his German shepherd. A man posed with a bear hide and hunting gear. A woman in traditional Scottish attire stood with three trophies and a set of bagpipes. A young girl in a Highland dance outfit posed with her own set of trophies. These weren’t formal occasions in the traditional sense — they were records of identity and personal pride.

The collection wraps up in 1979 with a handful of portraits that reflect the same range seen throughout the decade. On May 22, 1992, the entire Renwick’s Portrait Studio Collection was donated to the Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History Archives. The portraits taken during the 1970s now serve as a direct historical record of who lived in Nelson during that era — their faces, their milestones, and the clothes they wore on the days they chose to be remembered.