Thelma (A Life in Pictures)

Thelma Stevens Pepper was born in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, in 1920. A century later—from her adoptive home in Saskatoon—she reflects on a hundred years of life, love, and pictures.

It was creativity and passion that rescued Thelma Pepper from the depths of depression. With her kids grown and gone, she was floundering, wondering who she was, and what she was meant to do. In photography, she found what her father and grandfather before her had found and that was a capacity to peer into other lives and to find in them a celebration of the human spirit.

In these stunning black and white photographs, we see Pepper's artistry. We see landscapes and beauty, but especially we see noble, pioneer lives found in quiet hamlets and down dusty back roads. These uncelebrated souls may not have been lost to posterity, but Pepper ensures their dignity and achievement are remembered and preserved.