Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
- Blyth, Alf
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Alfred "Alf" Blyth was born in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1901. Along with his widowed mother and siblings, Alfred relocated to Edmonton, Alberta in 1913. In 1916 Alfred became a darkroom technician for photographers Percy C. Byron and Gustave May at Byron and May Co. In the following year Byron and May Co. was bought by McDermid Studios in Edmonton. Alfred continued to work for the studio until 1928 when he opened his own studio, Alfred Blyth Studios. He worked and operated his studio until his retirement in 1970. Throughout his career Alfred also worked for various newspapers including the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Bulletin shooting commercial and news photography.
Alfred was the official photographer for several Alberta events and occasions including the Edmonton Exhibition, the Calgary Stampede, and Royal Visits in 1939, 1951, and 1959. Alfred shot the first session of the Alberta Legislature for the Aberhart administration and newsreel for Fox Movietone News. He won multiple awards as a photographer both internationally and locally including the Performing and Creative Arts award by the City of Edmonton in 1974 and the Alberta Achievement Award in 1976. His hobbies included tennis, golf, hunting, and bowling. Alfred passed away in 1980 at the age of 79.