Fred Schiffer: Lives in Photos

Fred Schiffer was a photographer like none other. From his arrival in Vancouver in 1958 until the time of his death in 1999, Fred Schiffer captured Vancouver’s dramatic years of transition from small town to surging metropolis. He gained renown for his portraiture and was commissioned to photograph Vancouverites of all walks of life, including judges and mayors, artists and architects, business leaders and private citizens, as well as many visiting dignitaries and celebrities including Louis Armstrong and Queen Elizabeth II. Malcolm Perry of the Vancouver Sun liked to call Schiffer “The Karsh of Vancouver,” though he was too humble to accept such a label.

For twenty-five years, Schiffer’s work has been boxed away, out of public view. Thanks to the support of all levels of government and many local foundations, the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC has spent the past year preparing the exhibit Fred Schiffer: Lives in Photos, an exciting opportunity to showcase Schiffer’s life and work as part of the Capture Photography Festival.

Presented by the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC and hosted at Make Gallery.