VICTORIA – A group of historians at the University of Victoria have confirmed that British Columbia’s second premier, Amor De Cosmos, was the earliest hipster to settle in Canada.
Dr. H. Luke Grimshaw and his research team at UVic have spent two years attempting to determine which Canadian was the first trailblazing member of this trend-setting subculture.
“He was real pioneer in hipsterism,” explained Grimshaw. “He wore vintage beaver hats, took pictures on his daguerreotype camera of his food, and spent a large amount of his time at outdoor concerts listening to folk-ragtime music. He even changed his name from ‘William Alexander Smith’ to ‘Amor De Cosmos’ confirming his status as Canada’s first trendy, self-righteous douche.”
Cosmos was regularly seen sporting his recently purchased ‘gas pipes’ (very tight pants), riding a high-wheel, penny-farthing bicycle on the sidewalks, or enjoying a Pabst on the steps of his apartment in upscale colonial Victoria.
Taking the premiership ironically in 1872, Cosmos promised to transform the BC beekeeping and bookbinding economy while insisting that he supported the idea of Confederation and a Trans-Continental Railway “before it was cool.”
“He promised to make BC ‘authentic’ again,” added Grimshaw showcasing the photos taken by Cosmos including one that captures a two-storey Victoria skyline using an illuminated filter. “But he quit after 13 months feeling that the province had become so ‘mainstream.’”
An exhibit exploring Canada’s first hipster will be on display at a Vancouver vegan cafe you’ve probably never heard of.
