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Photo finish

- December 12, 2007

"Green Carpet (Angela Carlsen Photo)

Faded pink paper peels from the walls of a once-busy hospital room — a touching reminder of an aged building's decline. The photo, simply titled "Green Carpet" is part of a fascinating new exhibit on the Old Halifax Infirmary, currently on display at the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library in the Tupper Medical Building.

Rare photographs of the building's interior just before demolition provide a glimpse into the birth and eventual death of the Infirmary. One, entitled "Yellow Hallway" is just that: a deserted stretch of hallway, with crumbling, yellow walls.

See additional photos: Photography by Angela Carlsen.

Just prior to demolition in 2005, photographer Angela Carlsen was allowed access to the building for just two hours. Donning a hard hat, she was able to capture remnants of the once-thriving hospital in a series of colour photos that illustrate its last dying days. She loaned the framed photos to the Kellogg Library for the exhibition.

"Oh, those delicious cigarettes"

What was life like in 1930s Halifax? The advertisements of the day also provide an interesting and humorous glimpse of everyday life over 70 years ago. When you opened your morning paper in Halifax in 1931, here are some of the ad slogans you might have seen:

  • "Mild and fragrant Turret cigarettes. Good, honest tobacco grown and ripened right out in the field under nature's own sunlight - nothing artificial
    about that!"
  • "I always drink Chase and Sandborn's Coffee," writes vivacious Canadian
    screen star Pauline Garon
  • "Men's All Wool Bathing Suits — $1.29"
  • "Barrington chocolates. They have both eye and appetite appeal — yes, and sex appeal as well!"
  • "Smart footwear for $2.49"
  • "Sub-standard hose — the kind you like!"
It's hard to imagine a time when the old infirmary was a state-of-the-art hospital. A time capsule from 1933 is also on display, containing newspapers and other artifacts from the building's inception.

The front page of the Halifax Herald from January 1, 1931 announces the plans for Halifax's new "million-dollar" hospital, to be erected by the Sisters of Charity. The paper notes the building's construction is to include "features never before attempted in hospital construction on this continent."

Patrick Ellis, Head of the Kellogg Library, organized the exhibition as a way to recognize the strong connections between Dalhousie, the old infirmary and today's healthcare centres.

"Many of our students and alumni worked at the old infirmary as part of their student and professional careers," he said. "The Kellogg Library is heavily used by students in Medicine, Dentistry and Health Professions. I think the photographs have resonance even for students too young to have worked at the Infirmary," he says, noting that the Kellogg Library works closely with today's Capital Health and IWK libraries.

He also recognized the historical significance of the documents and photos. "I thought they were fascinating," he says. "It's our local history and we have to find a way to hold on to it."

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