Everett Baker Picturing A Utopian Reality : A Photographic Insight Into the Co-operative Movement in Saskatchewan 1941 - 1964

This work explores the photographic legacy of Everett Baker, a field representative for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool whose camera became a powerful tool for documenting the rise of the co-operative movement in mid-20th-century Saskatchewan. Through vivid colour slides and candid portraits taken between 1941 and 1964, Baker captured everyday rural life, the optimism of post-Depression prairie communities, and the human stories behind Saskatchewan’s strong co-operative ethos. The book examines how Baker’s images depict a “utopian reality” shaped by shared labour, democratic ideals, and community resilience, offering both historical insight and a visual record of a transformative period in Saskatchewan’s social and economic development.