Rare historical photographs of the life and times of the early Swedish settlers will be on show at the Pendulum Gallery in the HSBC Building at 885 West Georgia Street February 7 -19. Spanning the years 1888 to approximately 1950 and chronicling early life in British Columbia for the Swedish immigrants, each image has a story to tell. The exhibition gives you a glimpse into the lives of the families who helped lay the groundwork for BC, this year when the City of Vancouver celebrates 125 years.

Visitors to the Pendulum Gallery will see stories of hardship but also of laughter and happy times. Who will forget the bootlegging grandmother Hulda Linquist? The expressions on the faces of the trappers, fishermen, miners and loggers and their primitive camps; the huckleberry picking in Hazelton and the fishing on Haslam Lake and Lund; or the sprawling photos of picnickers at Stanley Park and Matsqui? The elegant first communion, confirmation, and wedding group photos; Ida, the crack shot from Västerbotten; or  ”Ko”, the Keefer Street cow?  Each of the 80 photographs, chosen out of several thousand candidates, has its unique story.

The photo exhibition had a two-day show at the Scandinavian Center in Burnaby, where the King and Queen of Sweden delighted in the pictures. Each day at the Pendulum Gallery there will also be a ’Swedish Hour’ between 11.30 am – 12.30 pm with a variety of programs. On Saturday February 12 when Vancouver celebrates the anniversary of the 2010 Olympics, there will be Scandinavian folk dancers at 11.30 am and a 12.30 pm concert by the ABBA revival band Arrival. Everybody is welcome and there is no charge.

The Swedes in BC exhibition (and book) and ’Swedish Hour’ program is organized by the Swedes in BC committee, Consulate of Sweden, Swedish Cultural Association, SWEA and Lundin Mining.