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Recommendation:
That the following report be received for information.

Report Summary

This report responds to an Administrative Inquiry regarding the Hugo Vieweger photo collection.

Previous Council/Committee Action

At the Community Services Committee meeting of July 10, 2000, Councillor
M. Phair made the following inquiry:

“There was a recent article about the Hugo Viewegar photo collection of early Edmonton in the newspaper. Are the City’s Archives aware of this collection and could they comment on the value of the collection and how it might be retained in Edmonton in the City’s Archives?”

Report

  • The City Archivist met with the Vieweger family regarding the retention of the Hugo Viewegar photo collection. At this meeting, the family showed copies of the nine “autochrome” or colour photographs. The City Archivist has confirmed the historical significance of the photographs.
  • The Vieweger’s shared with the Community Services Department, the evaluations of the photographs; one by Christie’s Auction House and the other by a private evaluator. These evaluations suggest the value of these “autochrome” photographs is approximately $50,000 (Cdn).
  • The Vieweger family is interested in keeping these photographs in an archive in Alberta and has also approached the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
  • The Community Services Department supports the view to keep these historically significant photographs in Alberta.
  • The Community Services Department is pursuing two alternatives. They are: (a) work with the family to seek a benefactor willing to purchase the photographs and donate them to the Community Services Department, (b) approach the family to consider donating these photographs as a gift to the Crown, in return for an income tax receipt. This alternative requires approved evaluators with the National Appraisal Board appraising the photograph value. Expenses associated with this appraisal (~$4,000) would be borne by the City.

Budget / Financial Implications

  • Purchase of these photographs would cost $50,000.
  • Appraisal of these photographs by the National Appraisal Board would cost ~$4,000.
  • Funds are not budgeted or available in the Community Services Department budget to purchase or appraise these archival materials.

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