Charles Chapman

Biography

Charles Chapman was an early and influential member of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club. He joined in 1908, after his arrival from his native England, and later served as President and Vice-President. A printer by trade, his firm Chapman & Warwick printed the Club’s newsletter, The B.C. Mountaineer, for many years. Chapman was particularly active in the Garibaldi region and helped to open this area to other climbers. After his death in 1960, a canister containing a record of his ascents was placed on the top of Guard Mountain in Garibaldi Park as a tribute to his efforts.

Photographic Style

Chapman brought his printers’ aesthetic to his photography, carefully arranging and framing his subjects. Almost always there are people present in Chapman’s depictions of the mountains. Often they are small, overshadowed by the imposing landscape, perched above a precipice, or before a yawning ice cave. But people are also depicted with tremendous warmth. As a friend remembered of Chapman “He never forgot a fellow climber…to climb with him was a privilege.”