Saint John at Work and Play: Photographs by Isaac Erb, 1904-1924

Richard Wilbur is the author of The Rise of French New Brunswick and the
co-author of Silver Harvest: The Fundy Weirmen’s Story.

Saint John at Work and Play is a long-overdue collection of
black-and-white photography by Isaac Erb. Grant Kelly, who selected the
photographs, explains in his short but informative introduction that we
are indebted to James Wilson of Wilson’s Studios for making
high-quality internegatives from 3000 original glass plates—all that
remained of Erb’s work as a commercial photographer, a work that began
well before 1900. The surviving photographs are almost all from the
first three decades, more than enough to provide a pictorial and word
study of Canada’s first incorporated city during what was perhaps its
most prosperous period. Susan McCluskey, a journalist who has been
working with the Erb collection since 1994, draws on her extensive
knowledge of her hometown to provide the historical framework and pithy
captions for this wonderful collection.

The book’s title reflects the photographic theme. From images of
staged celebrations such as exhibitions we move on to glimpses of Saint
John retail outlets in an era well before malls and box stores. The shot
of the City Market is a vivid reminder of this building’s proud
history. “Leisure and Recreation” and “Domestic Pleasures” round
out the book, which is a marvelous addition to our social history.