Juliana (Esfakis) Horne found this picture of Garth Johnson while clearing out their Market Street property. It just shows one person’s junk is another person’s history.
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Ron Lightbourn, author of
Reminiscing II
writes:
This handsome
young lad, Garth Johnson,
was photographed about 1924 by Doc Sands for his parents, Allan
L. Johnson and Miriam Sands Johnson. Miriam was "Doc" Sands' sister.
This story has a
tragic ending. During World War II (1939-1945), Garth felt called to duty and
was one of those Bahamians who volunteered to join in the struggle against
Germany. Like my cousin, Warren Lightbourn, he became a Royal Air Force fighter
pilot who was killed in action when his plane was shot down.”
“James Osborne
Sands,
born in 1885 at Rock Sound, Eleuthera, may have been small of
stature, but his work as a professional photographer towers over all others in
the 1900s. When he was still a boy he and his family moved to Nassau where, at school
leaving age, he became an apprentice to photographer J.F Coonley, whose work
the reader has already seen in chapter three. Sands was fascinated by
photography, and thrived under Coonley's mature influence. In 1904, when Sands
was only eighteen, Coonley retired from his solidly established Nassau business
and passed it on to his young apprentice.
Sands was
affectionately known as "Doc" all his life, undoubtedly earning the
nickname because of his attitude toward photography, and his tireless pursuit
of perfection. He clearly had a "Doctorate in Photography." His
nephew, who used to take him to nearby Salt Cay for scenic picture taking, told
how "Doc" thought nothing of waiting hours for a cloud to move into
perfect position. As for my own opinion, I am quite in awe of Doc's
photographs, especially his busy street scenes, where he exhibits a remarkable
ability to choose the perfect moment for all his unposed characters to be in
just the right place to be most natural and effective. To do this with a
single-shot view camera, on a tripod, long before the days of high speed Leicas
and Nikons, I find to be a stunning accomplishment. On the following pages you
will see numerous examples of this, starting with the photograph on the facing
page.
Doc Sands continued
Coonley's tradition of scenic prints and fine studio portraits, but he also
self-published more than 200 postcard scenes of Nassau, many of them beautifully
hand-coloured. The pictures for these cards were taken during a thirty year
period, and to this day are coveted by collectors in England, the US, and the
Bahamas.
Bahamas Historical Society Banquet:
A Gala Golden Jubilee Banquet under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency, The Hon. Arthur D. Hanna, Governor General of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is planned for Saturday,
7th November, 2009, at Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort Ballroom, Cable Beach, and New Providence, Bahamas. Cocktails at 7 pm. Dinner at 8 pm. Dancing and serenading music by Doc's Melody Makers along with other entertainment. Donation $100.00 per person. A souvenir programme is being produced and ad spaces are still open. Tickets are available at BHS and through Committee members. To reserve banquet tickets, and for further information, telephone (242)322-4231 (daytime).
Eight (8) deserving BHS faithful members, supporters and volunteers will be honoured during the Banquet. These prominent Bahamian citizens, some of whom were past presidents of the Society, are: Geoffrey A. D. Johnstone, KCMG, Dr. Vernell L. Allen, MBE, Dr. D. Gail Saunders, OBE, Mr. David Cates, Miss June Maura, OBE, MVO, Mr. Donald Venn-Brown, Miss M. Barbara Brown, MBE, and Mrs. Dorothea "Dollie" Foster.
Please join us at the following:
Thursday,
26th November, 2009 Presentation by: Darius Williams, on
Liberated African Settlements in the Northern Islands of The Bahamas.
Thursday,
3rd December Presentation by: Jane Baxter along with co-author Michael Marshall:
Historical Cemeteries and Burial Practices on San Salvador. An "Archaeological" Study.
The Bahamas Historical Society (BHS)
is a non-profit organization dedicated to stimulating interest in Bahamian History and to the collection and preservation of material relating thereto. Its Headquarters, the former IODE Hall, was a gift from the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE). BHS is on Shirley Street and Elizabeth Avenue in Nassau.
www.bahamashistoricalsociety.
com
