The Charismatic Hannah Maynard
One of the most fascinating women in the history of British Columbia’s capital city was the matriarch of the Maynard family, Hannah Maynard.
The Maynard family purchased a Cadboro Bay beach cabin from the Todd family in the 1880’s, where they were well known. Hannah, the matriarch of the family, an incredible woman of spirit and initiative far ahead of her time, is remembered most for something else—her contributions to the world of photography.
Hannah was born in Cornwall, England, in 1834, and had married Richard Maynard while still in her teens. The couple then emigrated to Ontario where they started a shoe and leather business. Hannah, however, also had other ambitions. When her husband headed west in search of a better life for them, Hannah began to study photography which, at that time, was still in its infancy stage. Hannah was a fast learner, and photography soon became her passion in life.
By the time her husband returned to take her back to Victoria, she was proficient with the camera. Upon arrival back in Victoria, the Maynards opened their first store on Johnson Street with Richard’s shoe store on the ground floor and Hannah’s photography studio upstairs. They were an instant success, especially Hannah’s studio, which was always a hub of activity because everyone at that time wanted their picture taken by her. It became especially prestigious to have your children photographed by Hannah Maynard.
A rebel by nature, Hannah always dressed in brightly-coloured gowns, over-size hats adorned with flowers and feathers, and embroidered gloves. Her hair was cut short and tightly curled at a time in history when most women wore long hair tied back in feminine ringlets. She began also to experiment with many different photographic techniques, all of which were far ahead of the times.
In addition to being a most successful businesswoman, Hannah was the mother of five children (two sons and three daughters) and found time to teach her husband the skills of photography, so that he could travel throughout British Columbia taking historical photographs of what was happening in Western Canada. The Maynards’ photographic collection remains to this day as an important archival record of the times. In 1887, Hannah became the official photographer for the Victoria Police Department and many of her “mug shots” of criminals of the day remain in the police archives.
She died in 1918 in her 85th year. Her son, Albert, was also a photographer of note, and other members of the Maynard family were well-known in the auctioneering business. Today, Maynard Street, near Cadboro Bay village in Victoria, is named for this enterprising family, and particularly Hannah Hatherley Maynard, a most outstanding citizen, who was just a little different from the norm.
As such, she could easily have been termed an “upstart” or even an “outcast” in the accepted society of her times. Nonetheless, her charismatic personality made her one of the most interesting characters in Western Canada, and her photography has stood the test of time.
You can read about another rebellious woman, Constance Skinner Davie, in my latest book From Primitive Shack to Premier’s Wife who became the wife of the 8th Premier of British Columbia. She found her own voice for women in politics at a time when it was unfashionable for women to have their own opinion and were mostly seen and not heard.
Strong women like Hannah Maynard and Constance Davie paved the way for women everywhere.