The fonds consists of 478 photographs, predominantly of students at the St. Michael’s Residential School in Alert Bay. Beverley Brown and her friends took the photographs between ca. 1937 and ca. 1945 using Brown’s camera. Photographs from this period include shots of the students with their friends and of social events, as well as posed class photographs. These class photographs were taken by school supervisors who subsequently sold the prints to other students. Other photographs were taken in Brown’s hometown, Bella Bella, and in the area of the Namu cannery. These show weddings, fishing boats, landscapes, and buildings. Peter Mason Sr., Brown’s father, had the photographs developed in Vancouver.
The fonds has been arranged into three series:
- St. Michael’s Residential School photographs
- Bella Bella photographs
- Langley High School photographs