The intricate work of the botanical lantern slides of William Copeland McCalla are now on loan to the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives in time to remind the public of the flowers soon to appear in Jasper.

Nearly 20 prints made originally from black and white photographs taken on 3 ¼ inch by 4 inch glass plates and colour painted by McCalla on the small glass to create vibrant, realistic flower photographs are what make the Immortal Nature’s Ageless Harmony: The Botanical Lantern Slides of William Copeland McCalla exhibit, on display until April 25.

Lantern slides were made famous in the area thanks to Mary Schaffer’s popular lantern slide shows of images taken around Jasper, including Maligne Lake.

While Schaffer’s photos have a unique look to them and often resemble paintings rather than photographs, McCalla’s work on display is so precise and sharp, with colours so vibrant that only looking close can one see the paintbrush work on the prints.

“The clarity is just amazing,” says Karen Byers, manager of the museum. “(Val Delill, the exhibit coordinator) looks for exhibits that fit in with our mandate, and it’s nice to bring in something from out of town a couple times a year,” she says of the slides.

The exhibit also came with an educational package for schools which several classes from Jasper Elementary School and École Desrochers will be taking advantage of.

“That stuff is just wonderful, they can come in and not just look at it, but do a little project if they want,” adds Byers. If they want to prepare questions and work before they come, the package contains information for that.

Some classes will be coming to view the exhibit on Thursday for Earth Day.

Prints on display are created from digital scans, however the point of making glass slides was to be able to add colour to a black and white photograph and then display the photo through a slide show on a big screen without losing detail and allowing more people to view the photo at one time.

In the era of McCalla and Schaffer – the later 1800’s and earlier decades of the 1900’s, pack-horses were often used to transport the equipment, which involved a large camera, as well as the glass slides. If one had a good pack horse, the slides would not break during the trip – something totally different than being able to take a helicopter out to a remote location and take pictures with a digital camera.

The Immortal Nature’s Ageless Harmony: The Botanical Lantern Slides of William Copeland McCalla, is on display at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum & Archives until April 25.