What's in our Archives holdings

Types of holdings

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• City government records and publications

  These are records produced by the local civic government that have long-term legal, administrative, and historical value. More than 2,900 linear metres of records date from Vancouver's incorporation in 1886. Council minutes and their indexes Excel file (8.8 MB) are an example of important and frequently accessed records that document the policies and decisions made by councils since its inception.

  City Government publications are reports and notices published by various City departments. The Archives has more than 6,000 items dating from the 1900s to the present day.

• Private-sector records

  The Archives actively acquires records documenting the social, political, economic, cultural, and community life of Vancouver from non-government sources.

  A fascinating history has been carefully preserved by acquiring personal papers from individuals and organizations who have generated or collected materials of significant bearing on the history of Vancouver. The donors include:

  • Pioneer families
  • Politicians
  • Social activists
  • Artists
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Community organizations

• Photographs

  Photographs

  The Archives has more than 7.2 million images from private-sector and public-sector records. These photographs portray a wide range of subjects from Vancouver's history and culture from the 1860s to the present. They bring to life the social, cultural, and economic realities of the city's past, as well as the everyday activities of generations of Vancouver's citizens.

• Sound and moving images

  The Archives sound and moving image holdings include films and audio recordings created by City departments, such as Engineering, Park Board, and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

  The collection also includes home movies of Vancouver events and social life, radio shows, and documentaries.

• Maps and plans

  Vancouver maps

  Our holdings include over 6,000 maps, dating from the late 1700s to the present day. The maps, most of which are of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, come from a variety of sources, both public and private. They are indexed by place, subject and date and are on microfiche for easy access.

  Architectural plans

  We hold thousands of architectural plans from local companies and individuals dating from ca. 1910 to the 1960s.

  Fire insurance plans

  We hold fire insurance plans of Vancouver from 1885 to the 1960s. A few of the plans also depict other areas of the Lower Mainland. These also are on microfiche for easy access.

  Ship's plans

  Our collection of ship's plans consists of over 1000 plans of commercial and private vessels who sailed local waters from the late 1700s to 1980. The plans are indexed by name of vessel, ship's architect, ship builder, company and date. These also on are microfiche for easy access.

• Pamphlets

  Pamphlets are printed materials documenting many of the social and cultural events that have taken place in Vancouver from 1860 to the present, and include:

  • Brochures
  • Programs
  • Advertising broadsheets
  • Political commentaries
  • Calling cards
  • Menus

• News clippings and newspapers

  The Archives has news clippings collections as well as full issues of local papers from certain years. They are an excellent source of information on Vancouver:

  • Politics
  • Events
  • Issues
  • Prominent individuals

  We may not have the particular issue you seek.

  Read our newspapers guide PDF file (184 KB) for more detail.

• Artwork

  The Archives has over 2,000 works of art on a variety of historical local subjects from 1886 to the present, including:

  • Oil paintings
  • Watercolours
  • Engravings
  • Portraits
  • Cartoons

  Although access to some of these works is restricted for conservation reasons, researchers may view colour slides of many of them. The cartoons are available on microfilm.

• Library

  The Archives has a collection of over 2,500 books on British Columbia and Vancouver history, dating from the late 18th century.

  These books are available for use in the Archives Reading Room only.