Though there were many professional photographers within Bruce County, there were also many photography enthusiasts. The most notable one being J.H. Scougall of Kincardine. Within the collection and archives are objects and images created by two other enthusiasts: Charles Alan Hobley of Walkerton and Dr. James Alexander Scarrow of Allenford and Southampton.
Charles Alan Hobley
Charles Alan Hobley, mostly known as Alan Hobley was born in Barrie Ontario April 19, 1900. After a brief stint in the Royal Air Force in 1918, Alan attended the Ontario College of Pharmacy, graduating at the age of 20 in 1920. After graduation he went to Toronto where he managed a drug store, before moving to Walkerton in March of 1928. It is noted in the Walkerton Herald that while in Toronto Hobley worked at a drug store with H.G. Hunter, a former Walkertonian. Hobley purchased the drug store business from Mel Grieg located at 232 Durham St. East, and with his family moved into the apartments above the store. By May of 1928 Hobley was advertising next day film developing and that he was an “expert at enlarging, copying and tinting”.
Hobley ran the camera department of the pharmacy for a long time and it is noted in his obituary that he continued to assist members of the public with camera issues and concerns well after his retirement in 1965. Found within the archives are several postcards with “Hobley’s Drugs” on them. Though not confirmed, the images could be the work of Alan as most of the images are of places and scenes in Walkerton. He certainly had the photography interest and know how to produce such items.
Once retired, Hobley and his wife, Erma, travelled extensively and he took photos of their travels and recorded them on slides. According to his obituary, Hobley had created 30 slide presentations of his travels and they were available for all to see. The camera seen here, manufactured between 1954 and 1957, belonged to Alan Hobley and perhaps went alongside him on his retirement journeys.
Dr. James Alexander Scarrow
James Alexander Scarrow, known as Alex Scarrow, was born in Allenford, February 2, 1903. As a young man he taught school for a time before earning a Doctorate in Science from Western University. During the late 1920s and early 1930s he was a chemist in the United States, and during the Second World War he served in Brazil where he worked on a project involved with the production of penicillin. By the 1950s he and his family resided outside of Paisley and in 1958 moved the Southampton where he operated a photography business called Photocrafts until 1968, when he retired to Guelph.
Found in archival collection are a few historical photograph reprints done by Photocrafts, such as this one of Port Elgin in 1875. Also found in the collection are some of the cameras from Scarrow’s collection including this No.0 Buster Brown Kodak camera that was produced in 1894.
Sources:
“Local Drug Store Sold”, The Walkerton Herald, March 22, 1928, Vol.70 No.11
Hobley’s Advertisement. The Walkerton Herald, May 24, 1928
“Alan Hobley, A Walkerton Druggist Many Years, Dies”, obituary. Bruce County Genealogical Society Surname Collection.
“Hobley, Alan” Biography. Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre Online Collection. https://brucemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Hobley,%20Alan
“Summer Resident Here, Dr. J. Alex Scarrow Passes at Guelph”, obituary. Bruce County Genealogical Society Surname Collection.
“Scarrow, James Alexander” Biography. Bruce county Museum & Cultural Centre Online Collection. https://brucemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Scarrow%2C%20James%20Alexander
Hobley Drugs. “Confederation Bridge over Saugeen River” [Postcard]. 1930s(?), Krug family fonds. A2014.008.1256. Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Scarrow, J.A. “Village of Port Elgin, population 1500, A.D. 1875” [Reproduction Photograph]. Original 1875, [reproduction 196?]. A962.002.002. Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
