One of the first literary luminaries to appear in British Columbia was the American humourist Mark Twain, alias for Samuel Clemens, who spoke to a delighted throng at the Imperial Theatre on August 15, 1895. He received rave reviews but came down with a bad cold. Mark Twain recuperated at his suite in the Hotel Vancouver where this photo was taken.

[Photo: Twain recuperates from a cold in the Hotel Vancouver, after the show in 1895]

[BCBW 2004] "Famous Visitor"