Vancouver History: Photographer Daniel O’Neill

The weekly collections of archive photography that I usually assemble date back a century if not more. We have early Vancouver (even before it was called Vancouver), its formative years with the original Hotel Vancouver, the race to continually have the “tallest building in the British Empire” over and over again, and the post-war era. But what about a more modern Vancouver? A city emerging with its own hopping downtown core, office towers, nightlife, and celebrations? I found an insightful collection of images in the Vancouver Public Library between 1979 and 1985, captured and catalogued by Daniel O’Neill.

1983 – Daniel O’Neill in Garibaldi Provincial Park. VPL Number: 85459.

O’Neill worked at the Vancouver Public Library’s Historic Photographs Section from 1977-1980 and full-time from 1981-1983. He took many photographs for the collection during his time in Historic Photographs. These photos are now a very useful record of Vancouver during that period.

1979 – Corner of Seymour and Smithe from north. VPL Number: 46900.

1979 – Pizza Patio on Granville. VPL Number: 46888.

1981 – Robson Square/Art Gallery. VPL Number: 84939 & Eatons, Howe at Robson. VPL Number: 84936.

1981 – Penthouse Club. VPL Number: 53715 & 1980 – Georgia and Richards. VPL Number: 52899.

1981 – BC Place Stadium construction. VPL Number: 85002.

1981 – Granville Mall at night looking south. VPL Number: 84949.

1985 – Pride Parade. VPL Number: 85698.

1982 – Downtown from the CPR tracks. VPL Number: 85094.

Related Photographer Posts: Croton Studio, Art Jones, Philip Timms, Leonard Frank, Walter Edwin Frost, Bailey Bros., Don Coltman, Fred Herzog.