Generation Archive

a Black mariner serving aboard a Royal Navy vessel stationed in St. John's, in the fertile farmlands of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, circa 1833, at the moment of abolition of slavery across the British Empire, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, in calm summer evening light, the sea flat and glassy

a Black fisherman alone in a small wooden dory on the Grand Banks, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1753, as British settlers consolidated control in Nova Scotia, caulking the hull of a vessel beached at low tide, in thick freezing rain and leaden grey skies

a Black sailmaker repairing canvas sails in a Newfoundland harbourside workshop, in the Black Loyalist settlement of Loch Lomond outside Saint John, circa 1873, in the early post-Confederation period in Atlantic Canada, scrubbing the wooden deck with a holystone at dawn, on a cold clear night with a brilliant starfield above the Atlantic

a Black first mate commanding the deck of a Newfoundland coastal schooner, at the privateering port of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, circa 1792, when over 1,000 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, reading a letter by the light of a lantern, in the warm golden light of a September afternoon, leaves beginning to turn

a Black harbour pilot guiding a vessel through the Narrows of St. John's, at the historic fishing settlement of Bonavista on Newfoundland's northeast coast, circa 1800, at the turn of the nineteenth century in the British Atlantic colonies, teaching children in a modest one-room schoolhouse in a Black Atlantic community, in a heavy snowfall blanketing the settlement in silence

a Black woodcutter working in the dense forests of New Brunswick, at the busy timber port of Saint John, New Brunswick, circa 1796, when Jamaican Maroons were forcibly transported to Nova Scotia, poling a large timber raft down a broad colonial river, in the warm golden light of a September afternoon, leaves beginning to turn

a Black preacher addressing a congregation in Nova Scotia's African Baptist community, along the rugged, treeless Labrador coast, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, negotiating trade with a colonial merchant agent on the waterfront, under a heavy overcast grey Atlantic sky at early morning

a Black Loyalist settler who became a fisherman in Newfoundland, in a small salt-box fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, circa 1822, as Black communities in Nova Scotia established churches and schools, presenting a land petition to British colonial authorities, at dusk with an orange sky and lanterns beginning to glow along the wharf

a Black woman working as a domestic servant in a Halifax merchant household, along the timber-and-stone merchant district of Halifax's waterfront, circa 1800, at the turn of the nineteenth century in the British Atlantic colonies, gathered with neighbours around a fire in a Black Atlantic settlement, on a rain-soaked wharf at low tide, the smell of salt and timber in the air

a Black freedman presenting a petition for land grant before colonial officials in New Brunswick, in Fredericton, the colonial capital of New Brunswick, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, hauling a heavy line of cod up from the grey sea, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black woman selling garden produce at the Halifax market, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1813, as Black Refugees from the United States arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the War of 1812, rowing a small wooden dory out to the anchored schooner, in calm summer evening light, the sea flat and glassy

a Black man, formerly enslaved, now serving as a merchant seaman out of Newfoundland, at the historic fishing settlement of Bonavista on Newfoundland's northeast coast, circa 1784, at the founding of Birchtown, the largest Black Loyalist settlement in Nova Scotia, pulling in a large seine net from a small open boat, on a cold clear night with a brilliant starfield above the Atlantic

a Black mariner serving aboard a Royal Navy vessel stationed in St. John's, along the merchant district of the St. John's waterfront, circa 1796, when Jamaican Maroons were forcibly transported to Nova Scotia, reading a letter by the light of a lantern, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black seaman aboard a vessel entering Charlottetown harbour, in Halifax harbour, Nova Scotia, with the Georgian-era waterfront behind, circa 1873, in the early post-Confederation period in Atlantic Canada, caulking the hull of a vessel beached at low tide, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black rope-maker working at a St. John's ropewalk, on Signal Hill above St. John's, overlooking the harbour entrance, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, poling a large timber raft down a broad colonial river, under a heavy overcast grey Atlantic sky at early morning

a Black dockworker labouring on the St. John's waterfront, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, working aloft, repairing the ship's rigging in the wind, at first light, with mist rising slowly off the still water

a Black dockworker loading timber onto ships at Saint John harbour, in a small salt-box fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, under a brilliant blue sky with a fresh north wind filling the sails

a Black seaman aboard a Newfoundland fishing or merchant vessel, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1873, in the early post-Confederation period in Atlantic Canada, presenting a land petition to British colonial authorities, at dusk with an orange sky and lanterns beginning to glow along the wharf

a Black rope-maker working at a St. John's ropewalk, in the fertile farmlands of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, splitting and salting cod on a wooden fish flake by the shore, in a heavy snowfall blanketing the settlement in silence

a young Black cabin boy serving aboard a Newfoundland merchant vessel, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1792, when over 1,000 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, caulking the hull of a vessel beached at low tide, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black woman working as a cook or server at a waterfront inn in Saint John, on Signal Hill above St. John's, overlooking the harbour entrance, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, reading a letter by the light of a lantern, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black rope-maker working at a St. John's ropewalk, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1813, as Black Refugees from the United States arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the War of 1812, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, in the quiet stillness of evening after a long day's labour

a Black rope-maker working at a St. John's ropewalk, on Signal Hill above St. John's, overlooking the harbour entrance, circa 1792, when over 1,000 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, clearing forest to establish a Black Loyalist land grant settlement, in the quiet stillness of evening after a long day's labour

a Black fisherman alone in a small wooden dory on the Grand Banks, at the historic fishing settlement of Bonavista on Newfoundland's northeast coast, circa 1845, in the pre-Confederation era of the Atlantic colonies, selling vegetables and goods at a colonial market, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black man, formerly enslaved, now serving as a merchant seaman out of Newfoundland, on the Grand Banks fishing grounds, far out on the open Atlantic, circa 1864, during the Confederation debates at Charlottetown and Quebec, mending torn fishing nets spread across the ship's deck, on a rain-soaked wharf at low tide, the smell of salt and timber in the air

a Black ship's cook working aboard a Grand Banks schooner, along the merchant district of the St. John's waterfront, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, loading squared timber onto a merchant ship at a harbour wharf, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black first mate commanding the deck of a Newfoundland coastal schooner, on the dramatic tidal shores of the Bay of Fundy, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, loading squared timber onto a merchant ship at a harbour wharf, in a heavy snowfall blanketing the settlement in silence

a Black woman working as a domestic servant in a Halifax merchant household, on the wide, windy waters of Fortune Bay on Newfoundland's south coast, circa 1864, during the Confederation debates at Charlottetown and Quebec, preparing salt pork and hard bread in the ship's galley below deck, under a rising full moon casting silver light across the harbour

a Black man, formerly enslaved, now serving as a merchant seaman out of Newfoundland, on wooden fish flakes along the Newfoundland shoreline, circa 1753, as British settlers consolidated control in Nova Scotia, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, with a dark squall approaching fast on the horizon

a Black caulker sealing the hull of a wooden schooner at low tide, aboard a two-masted wooden schooner on the North Atlantic, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, splitting and salting cod on a wooden fish flake by the shore, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black Loyalist settler who became a fisherman in Newfoundland, on a large proprietorial estate in colonial Prince Edward Island, circa 1833, at the moment of abolition of slavery across the British Empire, mending torn fishing nets spread across the ship's deck, in the warm golden light of a September afternoon, leaves beginning to turn

a Black dockworker loading timber onto ships at Saint John harbour, at Birchtown, the Black Loyalist settlement near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, circa 1895, in late Victorian Atlantic Canada, gathered with neighbours around a fire in a Black Atlantic settlement, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black stevedore loading casks of salt fish onto a merchant ship, on the dramatic tidal shores of the Bay of Fundy, circa 1845, in the pre-Confederation era of the Atlantic colonies, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, in thick freezing rain and leaden grey skies

a Black servant working in a prosperous merchant household in Charlottetown, PEI, along the timber-and-stone merchant district of Halifax's waterfront, circa 1813, as Black Refugees from the United States arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the War of 1812, presenting a land petition to British colonial authorities, under a heavy overcast grey Atlantic sky at early morning

a Black man, formerly enslaved, now serving as a merchant seaman out of Newfoundland, along the rugged, treeless Labrador coast, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, tending a kitchen garden in a Black Loyalist community, under a rising full moon casting silver light across the harbour

a Black mariner sailing a schooner across the tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy, in a small salt-box fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, circa 1783, as thousands of Black Loyalists arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick following the American Revolution, negotiating trade with a colonial merchant agent on the waterfront, in a heavy snowfall blanketing the settlement in silence

a young Black cabin boy serving aboard a Newfoundland merchant vessel, in the colonial harbour of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, circa 1895, in late Victorian Atlantic Canada, unloading heavy barrels of salt fish onto the wooden wharf, in dense harbour fog, ghostly figures emerging from the mist

a Black preacher addressing a congregation in Nova Scotia's African Baptist community, along the broad Saint John River valley in New Brunswick, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, gathered with neighbours around a fire in a Black Atlantic settlement, on a rain-soaked wharf at low tide, the smell of salt and timber in the air

a Black seaman aboard a Newfoundland fishing or merchant vessel, in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, with the city's waterfront rising behind, circa 1792, when over 1,000 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, presenting a land petition to British colonial authorities, in thick freezing rain and leaden grey skies

a Jamaican Maroon leader recently transported to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the 1790s, at Birchtown, the Black Loyalist settlement near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, circa 1763, following the fall of New France and British dominance in the Atlantic, attending a service at one of Nova Scotia's early African Baptist churches, at dusk with an orange sky and lanterns beginning to glow along the wharf

a Black labourer working on military fortifications in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in a small salt-box fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, circa 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, poling a large timber raft down a broad colonial river, in calm summer evening light, the sea flat and glassy

a Black harbour pilot guiding a vessel through the Narrows of St. John's, along the rugged, treeless Labrador coast, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, standing watch at the bow, peering into rough grey seas, in calm summer evening light, the sea flat and glassy

a Black caulker working at the Dartmouth shipyard across from Halifax, at the port of Harbour Grace on Conception Bay, Newfoundland, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, rowing a small wooden dory out to the anchored schooner, in a late autumn gale with heavy waves breaking over the bow

a Black sailor aboard a privateer vessel out of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, in Halifax harbour, Nova Scotia, with the Georgian-era waterfront behind, circa 1753, as British settlers consolidated control in Nova Scotia, mending torn fishing nets spread across the ship's deck, in the warm golden light of a September afternoon, leaves beginning to turn

a Black ship's cook working aboard a Grand Banks schooner, on the Grand Banks fishing grounds, far out on the open Atlantic, circa 1855, after the Atlantic colonies gained responsible government, caulking the hull of a vessel beached at low tide, in the quiet stillness of evening after a long day's labour

a Black ship's carpenter repairing the hull of a vessel in a Newfoundland dry dock, along the broad Saint John River valley in New Brunswick, circa 1784, at the founding of Birchtown, the largest Black Loyalist settlement in Nova Scotia, hauling a heavy line of cod up from the grey sea, under a heavy overcast grey Atlantic sky at early morning

a Black first mate commanding the deck of a Newfoundland coastal schooner, at the historic fishing settlement of Bonavista on Newfoundland's northeast coast, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, mending torn fishing nets spread across the ship's deck, at first light, with mist rising slowly off the still water

a Black seaman departing Halifax harbour aboard a merchant vessel, on the wide, windy waters of Fortune Bay on Newfoundland's south coast, circa 1792, when over 1,000 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, hoisting the mainsail as the vessel departs harbour, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black fisherman mending gear at the docks of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in the colonial harbour of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, circa 1720, in the early colonial period of Atlantic Canada, pulling in a large seine net from a small open boat, amid stormy seas with dramatic pale light breaking through dark clouds

a Black mariner serving aboard a Royal Navy vessel stationed in St. John's, on wooden fish flakes along the Newfoundland shoreline, circa 1783, as thousands of Black Loyalists arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick following the American Revolution, hoisting the mainsail as the vessel departs harbour, with thick pack ice still in the harbour in early spring