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Coming soon:
- Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes (12 images)
New publications:
- Images from the Likeness House by Dan Savard (6 images)
Royal BC Museum:
- Natural History Gallery (7 images)
- Modern History Gallery (6 images)
- First Peoples Gallery (6 images)
- Cultural Precinct and Museum Exterior (7 images)
- Zoning (9 images)

ROYAL BC MUSEUM: BEHIND THE SCENES

Download this image	File Name: Entrance Credit: © Royal BC Museum, illustration by Rennie Knowlton Entering Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes, visitors pass though a magnifying glass and into the fascinating (and sometimes strange) world of natural history.
Download this image	File Name: Displays Credit: © Royal BC Museum, illustration by Rennie Knowlton Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes is a highly interactive exhibition that brings the inner workings and collections of the Royal BC Museum out to the visiting public.
Download this image	File Name: Manager Credit: © Royal BC Museum Manager of the natural history department at the Royal BC Museum, Kelly Sendall is particularly fond of polychaetes – marine worms commonly found near the British Columbian coast. (But he likes turtles too.)
Download this image	File Name: Registrar Credit: © Royal BC Museum Lesley Kennes first came to the Royal BC Museum in 1973 as a summer student. As registrar of the natural history collections, Lesley maintains important databases used by researchers and scientists from all over the world.
Download this image	File Name: Piper the Pika Credit: © Royal BC Museum Young explorers can follow Piper the Pika, an illustrated tour guide, on a trail of exploration and discovery throughout the exhibition.
Download this image	File Name: Entomology collection Credit: © Royal BC Museum, Your eyes will bug out when you see these crawly entomology specimens. The entire collection contains about 400,000 specimens of insects, spiders, millipedes and centipedes.
Download this image	File Name: Herpetology collection Credit: © Royal BC Museum Most specimens in the herpetology (amphibians and reptiles) collection are preserved in alcohol and stored in jars.
Download this image	File Name: Mammal collection Credit: © Royal BC Museum The name mammal refers to the mamma, the organ that produces milk in females to feed their young. All mammal species nurse their babies with milk. There are about 21,000 specimens in the mammal collection.
Download this image	File Name: Herbarium Credit: © Royal BC Museum The Royal BC Museum herbarium started in 1886 when the provincial museum was first established. Collections manager John Pinder-Moss (left) and curator Dr. Ken Marr (right) work closely with the plants in this collection.
Download this image	File Name: Fish collection Credit: © Royal BC Museum There are more than 20,000 specimens in the fish collection at the Royal BC Museum. Most have been collected along the coast and from the southern half of British Columbia.
Download this image	File Name: Invertebrate zoology lab Credit: © Royal BC Museum The invertebrate zoology collection focuses on marine invertebrates, such as sea stars, sea snails, squids and crabs; but not insects, spiders or any of their relatives. It also contains freshwater and land-dwelling animals, including slugs and pill bugs.
Download this image	File Name: Fossil collection Credit: © Royal BC Museum The Royal BC Museum fossil collection contains about 60,000 specimens from British Columbia, spanning 500 million years of plant and animal life. This baby mammoth’s jaw contains two teeth used to chew tough grasses.

Download this image	File Name: Cover Credit: Image PN 1134, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum This man has been variously identified as a chief from four different areas of BC’s interior, including possibly Tyee Jim from the central interior (tyee means “chief” in Chinook, a trade language). John Wallace Jones or Thomas McNabb Jones photograph, about 1897.
Download this image	File Name: Likeness House Credit: Image PN 4325, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum In 1889, Tsimshian Chief Arthur Wellington Clah went to the Maynards’ photography studio in Victoria to have his portrait taken. Clah wrote about this visit in his diary: “Rebekah ask if I going likeness house. so I go. to give myself likeness. Rebekah stand longside me. the man making likeness to me.” Richard Maynard or Arthur Rappertie photograph, Dec. 9, 1889 (possibly). Stereograph.
Download this image	File Name: Contact print Credit: Image PN 242, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum The people posing in front of these houses in the Kwakwaka’wakw village of T’sadzis’nukwaame’ (New Vancouver), Harbledown Island, most likely expected to be recognizable in this photograph, but the distance separating subject and camera was too great, even for a large-format glass-plate negative. Charles F. Newcombe photograph, 1900.
Download this image	File Name: Woman weaving Credit: Image PN 3435, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum A woman weaves lynx-skin strips at the Wet’suwet’en village of Tse Kya (Hagwilget). Edward Allen (attributed) photograph, 1897.
Download this image	File Name: Tepee Credit: Image PN 3719, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum Although this photograph of a Ktunaxa family at Creston was taken in about 1910, a traditional tepee dominates the image. One of the small children wears a hat decorated in a geometric design using small beads; the infant is laced onto a cradleboard. The father’s confident and relaxed pose may indicate that he was familiar with photographers and their cameras. Unidentified photographer, about 1910. Black-and-white real-photo picture postcard.
Download this image	File Name: Baskets Credit: Image PN 6575, courtesy of the Royal BC Museum A woman weaves a Stl’atl’imx-type basket. The arrangement of the baskets suggests that they are for sale. The sale of baskets was an important economic activity for First Nations women at this time. Unknown photographer and location, 1906.

Download this image	File Name: Mammoth Credit: Photo © Russ Heinl, Mammoth, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Herds of Woolly Mammoths roamed ice-free areas of northern North America, Europe and Asia about 25,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Download this image	File Name: Mammoth Front Credit: Mammoth, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Mammoths were probably common in parts of BC, but became extinct as the climate warmed and as they fell prey to human hunters.
Download this image	File Name: Bear Credit: Photo © Russ Heinl, Grizzly Bear, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum In the Natural History Gallery, a Grizzly Bear, BC’s largest land predator, hunts for food in a forest stream. Normally a solitary animal, these bears congregate alongside streams and rivers during the salmon spawn.
Download this image	File Name: Bird Credit: Varied Thrush, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum The Varied Thrush, seen here in the Natural History Gallery’s Forest Diorama, loves shady, cool and damp woodland areas. This bird can be found all throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Download this image	File Name: Sea Lions Credit: Photo © Russ Heinl, Northern Sea Lions, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Northern Sea Lions are the largest of the eared seals – a type of seal with visible ears. Males can grow up to four metres (13 feet) long and weigh over 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lbs).
Download this image	File Name: Ocean Station Credit: Ocean Station, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Ocean Station is an interactive showcase of British Columbia’s rich coastal marine life. Visitors can peer through portholes at kelp beds, watch live animals in the central, 360-litre (95-gallon) aquarium and check out underwater vistas via a moveable periscope.
Download this image	File Name: Ocean Station Seawall Credit: Ocean Station, Natural History Gallery, Royal BC Museum See BC’s coastal marine life via Ocean Station – a Victorian-era “submarine” exhibition. The centrepiece of the gallery is a giant hexagonal hatch, offering a window onto an underwater seawall – a diorama populated by sea stars, fishes, anemones, sea cucumbers and other creatures of the deep.

Download this image	File Name: Old Town Credit: Old Town, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Old Town is a recreation of a late 1800s street, lined with shops of the day, a grand hotel with furnished rooms, a functional movie theatre, a train station and an authentic Chinatown.
Download this image	File Name: Grand Hotel Credit: Grand Hotel, Old Town, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum A highlight of Old Town is the Grand Hotel. Furnished in a late 1800s style, you may – just for a moment – think you’re actually there.
Donwload this image	File Name: Chinatown Credit: Chinatown, Old Town, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum The Chinese Herbs and Tailoring Shop in Old Town’s Chinatown boasts an assortment of authentic wares. Chinese medicine emphasized prevention – balancing two vital forces (ying and yang, or positive and negative) and the five interrelated elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water).
Download this image	File Name: Farm Credit: Farm, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum This Tremblay Homestead diorama depicts the harshness of pioneer farming in the Peace River District during the early 1900s.
Download this image	File Name: Water Wheel Credit: Cornish Water Wheel, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum This Cornish Water Wheel, built in Barkerville in 1862, was once used in the gold mines of BC. Water wheels pumped water from deep shafts, provided power for tools and hoisted items, such as buckets and workers, to the mine’s surface.
Download this image	File Name: Discover Ship Credit: Discover Ship, Modern History Gallery, Royal BC Museum Visitors to the Royal BC Museum can explore a replica of the stern section of Captain Vancouver’s ship, HMS Discovery (1792 - 1794). Once carrying 10 men and armed with 10 four-pound cannons, the HMS Discovery measured 30 metres (99 feet) long and 8.5 metres (28 feet) wide.

Download this image	File Name: Totem Gallery Panorama Credit: Photo © Russ Heinl, Totem Gallery, First Peoples Gallery, Royal BC Museum For countless generations, people have prospered in the land we know as British Columbia. The First Peoples Gallery gives visitors dramatic glimpses of First Nations culture before and after the arrival of Europeans.
Download this image	File Name: Masks Credit: Kwakwaka’wakw Masks, First Peoples Gallery, Royal BC Museum These Kwakwaka’wakw masks (Dance of the Animals) were once the hereditary property of Chief Mungo Martin. They are displayed in The Cave of Supernatural Powers where, long ago, animals in human form held Winter Ceremonies.
Download this image	File Name: Totem Gallery Credit: Totem Gallery, First Peoples Gallery, Royal BC Museum The Royal BC Museum has a large collection of monumental carvings, including historical and contemporary totem poles. The ones seen here are from many different coastal areas, illustrating a variety of First Nations carving styles and traditions.
Download this image	File Name: Canoe Credit: Canoe, First Peoples Gallery, Royal BC Museum Canoes are an important element of culture, intertribal relationship, resource gathering and trade. This one was used in the 19th century by a Coast Salish (Songhees) chief to travel in the Victoria area.
Download this image	File Name: First Peoples Gallery Credit: First Peoples Gallery, Royal BC Museum Here, Haida artist Bill Reid describes the effects of the devastating smallpox epidemic of 1862 in a moving tribute that speaks to the strength of First Nations people and their culture.
Download this image	File Name: Museum Lobby Credit: Totem Poles, Museum Lobby, Royal BC Museum These totem poles from the Kwakwaka’wakw village of Dzawadi (left), the Haida village of Tanu (middle) and the Gitxsan village of Gitanyow (right) stand in the main lobby of the Royal BC Museum.

CULTURAL PRECINCT AND MUSEUM EXTERIOR

Download this image	File Name: Helmcken House Credit: Helmcken House, Royal BC Museum Built in 1852 by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company, historic Helmcken House is one of the oldest homes in BC still on its original site.
Download this image	File Name: St. Ann’s Schoolhouse Credit: St. Ann’s Schoolhouse, Royal BC Museum Built in 1844 and possibly the oldest building still standing in Victoria, St. Ann’s Schoolhouse was purchased by Roman Catholic Bishop Demers in 1853 for use as a residence and schoolhouse. In 1858, after four Sisters of St. Ann came to BC from Quebec, it was in this building the Sisters lived and held their first classes.
Download this image	File Name: Carillon Credit: Netherlands Centennial Carillon, Royal BC Museum The Netherlands Centennial Carillon was a gift from British Columbia’s Dutch community to honour Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967. Measuring 27 metres (90 feet) tall, this carillon tower is the largest in Canada.
Download this image	File Name: Mungo Martin House Credit: Mungo Martin House, Royal BC Museum Constructed in 1953, Mungo Martin House is a traditional big house built by Chief Mungo Martin, a Kwakwaka’wakw carver considered to be the finest of his day. The house is still used today for First Nations events, with the permission of Chief Peter Knox, Martin’s grandson.
Download this image	File Name: Thunderbird Park Credit: Photo © Russ Heinl, Thunderbird Park, Royal BC Museum Thunderbird Park was set up in 1941 to display monumental poles, welcome figures and other First Nations carvings. In 1951, Chief Mungo Martin was hired to begin a program of restoration and replication – a program that played a major role in the survival and transmission of Northwest Coast art traditions.
Download this image	File Name: Museum Exterior Credit: Museum Exterior, Royal BC Museum As the provincial museum and archives, the Royal BC Museum preserves and shares the stories of British Columbia – on-site, off-site and online – through its research, collections, exhibitions and educational programs. Its two-hectare cultural precinct also includes a number of historically significant buildings and First Nations sites.
Download this image	File Name: BC Archives Credit: BC Archives, Royal BC Museum The BC Archives was founded in 1894 to house government records (dating back to 1849), manuscripts, maps, photographs, paintings, audio recordings and film.

Download this image	File Name: Aerial View Credit: Royal BC Museum Aerial view of the current Royal BC Museum site, adjacent to the Legislative Buildings and the Fairmont Empress Hotel, at the intersection of Belleville and Government Streets.
Download this image	File Name: Aerial View with IMAX Credit: Royal BC Museum Aerial view of the current Royal BC Museum site at intersection of Belleville and Government Streets.
Download this image	File Name: Cramped Storage Credit: Royal BC Museum Pictured here is the Royal BC Museum ethnology collection. Storage space at the museum is cramped – acquisitions are outpacing available storage space.
Download this image	File Name: Royal BC Museum Precinct Credit: Royal BC Museum The existing site boundary for the Royal BC Museum is zoned R-2, Two Family Dwelling.
Download this image	File Name: Royal BC Museum Precinct R-1 Credit: Royal BC Museum This is the proposed Royal BC Museum zone boundary – the approved zone will be determined through a formal zoning application process.
Download this image	File Name: New Plan R-1 Credit: Royal BC Museum Proposed massing within the proposed zone boundary. The approved zone will be determined through a formal zoning application process.
Download this image	File Name: Architectural Model A Credit: Royal BC Museum Architectural model showing proposed building massing as seen from the corner of Belleville and Government Streets.
Download this image	File Name: Architectural Model B Credit: Royal BC Museum Architectural model showing proposed building massing as seen from the corner of Belleville and Douglas Streets.
Download this image	File Name: Panoramic View Credit: Royal BC Museum The Royal BC Museum is one of the foremost cultural institutions in the world. Since 1886, British Columbia's provincial museum has been collecting artifacts, documents and specimens of the province's natural and human history, safeguarding them for the future and sharing them with the world.