Found Film: Trips to the Zoo and to Montreal

This is another post in the series on the photos taken by Raymond Albert in and around Rumford, Maine in the late 1940s and early 1950s (see “Introducing the Alberts”).  In this post, I share two rolls of film, in which they took pictures of 3 different trips, including one to the zoo, and one to nearby Montreal, Canada.

The first two photos are from a trip to a nearby cave, which I haven’t been able to identify.  There are many caves near Rumford, Maine, and in the state in general. This is Louise, and her mom Cecile (Fisher) Albert.

After that, it seems they took a trip to the zoo. Zoos always seem like sad places, and this particular zoo is no different. There are not many zoos in Maine today, but this could be outside the state. And it’s also possible that the zoo could have closed or been redesigned, given the changes in public attitude that have taken place since the 1950s.

Nowadays, the photo below would be a lawsuit waiting to happen!  I’ll share the rest of the zoo photos as well because they are actually pretty good photos, quality-wise – especially given what was probably challenging lighting.

The scond roll I’m sharing today is mainly just photos from a trip to Montreal. The skyline of Montreal has changed quite a bit since the 1950s. But it seems that the Alberts were pretty serious Catholics, and when they went on trips would often visit churches and church-related institutions. So from the photo below we can recognize Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral from its characteristic dome.  In the photo in the Wikipedia entry from the link above, you can see the building in the right of the picture below – but the cathedral seems almost out of place in today’s modern glass-and-steel skyline.

Here, the early 1950s Montreal skyline can be seen more clearly. Below that, an image of today’s skyline, borrowed from Google. Completely unrecognizable.

I believe the large building in the photo above can be seen just left of center in the photo below.

I wonder if it’s still possible to take a ride in one of these old carriages?

There is also a photo of the Oratoire Saint Joseph du Mont Royal, also followed by a modern image:

Finally, a group photo. No idea who, or where!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos. To see other posts about the Alberts, check out this link.  To see more of Raymond Albert’s photos on Flickr, check out this album.

See the next post in this series here.