Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1931 - 1939 (Creation)
- Creator
- Walter H. Boutilier
Physical description area
Physical description
7 film reels (ca. 15 minutes): colour and black & white, silent; 16mm.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Walter Herbert Boutilier, prominent Halifax business man and amateur film maker, was born in Halifax, NS, Canada on January 27, 1889. Following graduation from the Maritime Business College, Boutilier was employed in various capacities by the Halifax Cold Storage Company, which became the National Fish Co., Ltd. following a takeover by North Atlantic Fisheries. Boutilier was appointed director of National Fish in 1920, and operations manager in 1929. In 1937, he became vice president of National Fish, a position he held until his death. In 1913, Walter Boutilier married Lilla Beatrice Roberts, also of Halifax. In 1938 Boutilier had a schooner built in Lunenburg for the "Lilla B. Ltd.", named "Lilla B. Boutilier". The couple had no children. An avid golfer, Boutilier was a member of the Ashburn, Gorsebrook, and Brightwood golf clubs. He was a Mason, a member of the Philae temple, the Lodge of Saint Mark, and St. Andrew's Chapter, as well as a member of the Commercial Club and the Halifax Club. Walter H. Boutilier died in Halifax NS on April 21, 1942 after a brief illness.
Custodial history
Films were acquired by Nova Scotia Archives in 1989 through private donation by Chris Palmer. Palmer had purchased the films at a Halifax flea market the same year.
Scope and content
Consists of 5 black and white, and 2 colour films ranging from 1 to 3 minutes in length, no sound. All of the films reflect the life and interests of Mr. Boutilier. Included is footage of an expedition up the Labrador coast in 1933, and 2 colour films of the launch of the schooner "Lilla B. Boutilier" in Lunenburg and its sailing into Halifax Harbour. There is also video of a 1932 visit to Captain Hanson's farm somewhere in NS, which features rural scenery and hay making. The last 2 films are devoted entirely to golf, one made in 1931 at the Ashburn Golf and Country Club in Halifax NS, the other made in 1939 at the Babcock Golf School. The material in this fonds documents the life and activities of a prominent Nova Scotian, made at a time when amateur film making was a rare and expensive hobby.
Notes area
Physical condition
All 7 films are warped, shrunken, or exhibit mothball syndrome. The second film "Sch. Lilla B. " was damaged by sprockets during viewing in July 1996.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
These films were arranged in chronological order based on the "develop by" dates stamped on the original boxes in which they were donated.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
See Nova Scotia Archives’ Services page for information on copying, reproduction, and use of materials.
Finding aids
For film title details see the Sound and Moving Image Database and search for "Walter H. Boutilier".
Associated materials
Accruals
General note
The identity of the creator of these films is uncertain, but all of the film can be linked directly to Walter H. Boutilier in some way. The films were donated to the archives in the same boxes in which they were sent for developing in the 1930s. Mr. Boutilier is the addressee on four of these boxes, care of the National Company. Of the other three boxes, one has writing indicating that Mr. Boutilier is one of the men depicted in the film, and the other two films are of the schooner "Lilla B. Boutlier". Mr. Boutilier (or someone very similar in appearance) also appears briefly in six of the films.