From 1934 to 1979, street photographer Foncie Pulice set up his camera on Vancouver city sidewalks and snapped candid shots of people strolling by. For almost half a century, he took thousands of photos, unwittingly capturing moments in time, the history of a city, and the lives of British Columbians.
Now documentary filmmaker Melanie Wood and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network are bringing these photographs together – collecting them from albums around the province and giving them a public home. Photo negatives of Foncie’s images do not exist. He destroyed most of them when he retired. Until now there was no central archive or collection.
Someone related to the two gentlemen in this photo writes:
"This is a photo of my mother's first cousin, Arthur Frederick Tongs, prior to his going overseas during WWII. He was only 21 when he was killed in action on Dominion Day, July 1, 1944. He was part of the Italian Campaign and saw action in the Liri Valley and Rome before his death during the fighting of the Trasimene Line. He is buried at the Assisi War Cemetery."
This is a story about Vancouver, about British Columbia, and about it’s people... so they need your help. Visit Knowledge.ca/FonciesCorner to add your photos and stories to the collection.
