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In the 1930s, the Dust Bowl and the Depression threatened the West, while newsreels and radio brought close the menace of war. Nick captured people in creative or stoic response, posing as wise guys, seductresses, or rural types proud of their abilities. Popular film offered romantic fantasy that echoed in the poses of the townsfolk, while science fiction offered future possibilities. Individuals found respite in reading, playing music, dancing, and posing for Nick as themselves or in costumed personas. His cousin Beryl poses seductively, knowing she resembles Bette Davis.
(Above, Beryl Rabinovitch, 383 Alfred Avenue, Winnipeg, March 1934).
In Nick’s self-portrait below, taken at the Stobart residence in the small town of Carman, Manitoba, he reads a science fiction thriller by Edgar Wallace, first published in 1919. The Green Rust imagines a scientist’s evil bioterrorism plot to destroy the world's corn crops, predicting many current issues. Nick's choice of book reflects the awareness during the Depression of the prairie grain belt known as the "breadbasket of Canada,” as well as the fascination with scientific discovery.
Evelyn Cram, Isabel Peterson and Snooks (Stoddarts’s dog), Morden, March 23, 1935
Cliff Milne, Edith Dickie in large pair of pants, behind Burgess’ Store, Morden, c. 1935
Cliff Milne, Edith Dickie in large pair of pants, behind Burgess’ Store, Morden, c. 1935
Mr. Stobart and Mrs. Stobart, Stobart Residence, Carman, February 2, 1936
Marion Vrooman, the head of the Nurses’ Residence in Morden and Nick’s friend, blows a noisemaker at a costume party, revealing her playful side. Nick tightly timed his shot to capture the party horn as it unfurled. (Below, Marian Vrooman (sitting costume), Nurses’ Residence, Morden, August 1938)
