About Canafornian club
Rob Mcinnes
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I am basically active here on Ipernity because of my interest in postcard collecting and the history that they depict & which I learn from. My postcard-collecting colleague and friend, known here as Wintorbos, was displaying some of his collection on here & I joined as a way for him to see some of my collection as well. I am happy to see some other Ipernity folks viewing (and apparently enjoying) some of my images as well.
In displaying the images here, I definitely enhance many of them. While I don't particularly like messing with the real thing, I think that particular sentiment is outweighed here by the educational/historical value of folks being able to see the scenes & images as clearly as possible.
I have been collecting postcards for almost 20 years. That hobby began when I was residing in California. I came across an old postcard of the Fort Garry Gate in Winnipeg, my home town. That started it all, as postcard collecting (initially Winnipeg) became a great way for me to retain a sense of connection to my home town, province, and country.
It would be safe to say that 95% of my interest is in cards dating prior to 1920. The focus of my attention was briefly focused on the Fort Garry Gate only. Rather quickly, that grew to Winnipeg more broadly. After maybe a year, that expanded to other Manitoba towns and locales that I had some connection to. That focus easily shifted to encompass postcards from anywhere in Manitoba. Somewhere along that path, I also developed a strong interest in the Kenora/Keewatin area of northwestern Ontario - an area that I have had a connection with since childhood.
After a few years, I started collecting cards from across Canada. While I would pick up anything of interest, I was particularly fond of winter scenes, city/town markets, First Nations peoples, sports, prairie farming & ranching, and the NWMP/RCMP.
In the last ten years or so, I have narrowed my collecting focus to predominantly real photo cards and early (1900-1908) lithographed cards. I have also narrowed my geographical focus to almost exclusively Manitoba and Kenora/Keewatin.
I am rather enthusiastic about historical postcards and quite relish opportunities to share their value with others. I published Historic Winnipeg wall calendars in 2005 & 2006. A number of my postcard images enhance a variety of websites that have a historic bent. They have been used to enhance newspaper articles and books. They regularly appear in the Manitoba Historical Society's magazine. I am pleased to be working with the Winnipeg Public Library on a project to digitise my entire collection and make those images freely-available online. At last count, about 15% of the collection is already uploaded. (You can see that collection by going to the website under my ID picture.)
Place of residence: Canada
I am currently here:
