Reginald (Rex) Lingford Fonds - 1881-1968.

761 cm prints, photographic
429 + glass plate negatives

Reginald (Rex) Percival Breillet Lingford was born in Birkenhead, England. He trained as a photographer at Villiers and Quick in Bristol, England. Lingford arrived in Salmon Arm in 1909, joining brothers Cecil and Kenneth and uncle, Charlie Ehlers. Shortly before emigrating, he purchased a full plate camera with a Ross-Zeiss lens at a second hand store in London.

Lingford opened a photography studio in Salmon Arm in the second McGuire Store, where the road to the wharf crossed the railway tracks. His competition was C.E. Woodbridge, who advertised "Toronto prices". Rivalry was well documented in the local newspaper, the Salmon Arm Observer. The competition was intense but brief, ending in October 1909 when Lingford purchased the Woodbridge business. By August 5, 1910, Lingford had taken on a partner, W.J. Honey, and called the business "The Studio".

When Lingford returned to Salmon Arm, he felt no urge to resume work as a photographer. According to his memoirs, the financial reward was too small. On August 18, 1919, Lingford was appointed City Clerk and Collector, an administrative position with the City of Salmon Arm. The position paid $100 a month. He spent the next thirty-one years working as the city clerk, retiring August 31, 1950. He married Laura Wilcox in 1921 and raised two children, Noel and Cynthia.

The glass plate negatives housed in this collection came from several sources. Bob Cran, a relative, found one set buried in the insulation in the attic of the Lingford house. Another set was discovered by Rollie Jamieson, a heating contractor and amateur historian. A third set was unearthed at the local dump.

The Rex Lingford fonds consists of glass plate negatives, contact prints made from those negatives, and ephemera.