The collection consists of postcards, postcard packages, souvenir booklets, photographs, greeting cards, and books. The materials span three eras of Byron Harmon and his successors’ photography and publishing business. The first part of the collection is of Byron Harmon’s work (ca. 1905 to ca. 1942) that was published under his name. The second part includes the publications created when Byron Harmon’s son Don Harmon took over the company and changed the name to Byron Harmon Photos (ca. 1946 to 1979). The final iteration of the company was Altitude Publishing (ca. 1979 to 2008), which was run by Don Harmon’s daughter Carole Harmon and Stephen Hutchings. In 1991 Carole Harmon left the company and Hutchings moved the business from Banff to Canmore, Alberta, where he continued operations until the company closed in 2008.
The early Byron Harmon series features photography mostly by Byron Harmon. As the company developed and became Byron Harmon Photos other family members and photographers are credited. The Harmon family members who are credited throughout the Byron Harmon Photos and Altitude Publishing eras are Aileen Harmon, Don Harmon, Carole Harmon, and Stephen Hutchings. The photographs are mostly of the Rocky Mountain and Columbia Mountain regions in Alberta and British Columbia and include sights in Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, and the Yoho Valley. While Harmon and his successors specialized in nature photography, the collection has some groups of non-nature photographic postcards taken by Byron Harmon. These postcards feature urban views of Vancouver and Calgary, agricultural scenes, and scenes and portraits of Indigenous Peoples. There are also photographs of interior and exterior views of tourist destinations such as the Chateau Lake Louise and the Banff Springs Hotel.
The last series of the collection includes published books that span from 1978 to 1992. Two are from the Byron Harmon Photos era (published by Oxford University Press) and two are published by Altitude Publishing.
Harmon, Byron