De Pan

Here is a 1926 photo of a French-Canadian guide in a canoe in the Laurentides region in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Great shot dismissing the common warning of never standing up in a canoe!


1926 Canoe Guide, Laurentides, Quebec
Year: 1926
Type: Original Photogravure
Expired Ebay Link
A closeup of the paddle reveals a very slender blade with a distinct spinal ridge. Seems to be somewhat consistent with the ideal paddle of Paul Provencher from the similar North Shore region of Quebec.


Paddle Closeup


October 25, 2015 Update: Found an older source for the above image dated to 1914. Click HERE for that post update.




From the same seller is a 1902 photo of a man poling up a tiny stream


Man Canoeing Canoe Stream
Photograph by William Lyman Underwood.
Year: 1902
Type: Original Halftone Print

From this great Virtual Exhibit by the Nova Scotia Archives come some pictures of Mi'kmaq bark canoes and paddles


Mi'kmaq Guides with Party of Sportsmen Fishing from Four Canoes, Digby County
Date: May 1899
Photographer: J.A. Irvine
FULL Citation



Paddle Grip Closeup




Indian Encampment outside Dartmouth, NS
Date: ca. 1900
Photographer: W.L. Bishop
FULL Citation



Paddle Closeup



Mi'kmaq guides from Bear River at camp near Weymouth, N.S.
Date: ca. 1893
Photographer: J.A. Irvine
FULL CITATION



Paddle Closeup


Images courtesy of Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Halifax, NS as per their non-commercial use policy