Man identified after Royal BC Museum receives mysterious delivery of old photographs
The Royal BC Museum says one person has been identified after the museum received a box of old photographs simply labelled "Brentwood Bay" by an anonymous donor.
On July 23, the museum turned to the community to try to identify the people in the seven photos, noting that the "Brentwood Bay" label could mean anything from the location of where the photos were taken, where the donor was from or where the subjects were from.
On Friday, the museum said a prominent entrepreneur, Thomas Blake Glover, had been identified in one of the photos.
According to the museum, Glover was a Scottish merchant who moved to Nagaski, Japan in 1859. He moved to the city to manage the office branch of a British trading house, says the Royal BC Museum (RBCM).
During his time there, he worked with the founders of Japanese company Mitsubishi, including brothers Yataro Iwasaki and Yanosuke Iwasaki.
The museum says the other four men in the photo have not yet been identified, though they could be colleagues of the Iwasakis.
"We want to thank everyone for their patience. While we’ve suspected for some time that Thomas Blake Glover was one of the figures in the photographs, we needed to independently corroborate this idea to be certain," said the museum in a social media post Friday.
The museum believes that the photo was likely taken at Glover's home in Nagasaki, which has gone on to become a park and tourist attraction.
The RBCM adds that the lion statue shown in the left of the photograph, called a "komainu" in Japanese, may be a precursor design for the logo of Kirin Beer, which Glover "played a role in founding with the Iwasaki family."
"Thanks to additional community sleuthing, we now have strong leads to guide our next steps, which includes researching how these photos came to be on South Vancouver Island and, ultimately, at the museum."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.