John Alfred Irvine was born at Granville Ferry, 20 September 1868, son of Hugh and Martha (Mills). He was an enthusiastic amateur photographer, active in Nova Scotia in the period 1895 to 1905. Professionally, a bank manager at Annapolis Royal and then moved to Halifax where he was employed by Nova Scotia Building Society, 1887-1906, first as clerk and later as accountant. He married Mina Buckley of Halifax in 1901 and they had three children. In 1906 he moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he established a successful real estate and insurance business. He was an avid amateur photographer, one of the founders of the Canadian Navy League, active in the YMCA and Maritime Boys' Camp, later establishing a camp at Sylvan Lake, Alberta, which was used by several boys' and girls' clubs. He died at Red Deer, Alberta, on 18 July 1928.

Consists of six photographic albums and Maritime Boys' Camp booklets. Three of the albums depict scenes of Halifax and vicinity and other Nova Scotian communities and locations, including Bear River, Clementsport, Granville Ferry, Smiths Cove, Fall River, Purcell Cove, and Waverley. Subjects include boating, regattas, Halifax Natal Day road races, Provincial Exhibition building and exhibits, sports activities on the Polo Grounds at Halifax, Halifax Citadel garrison, buildings, street scenes, scenic views, picnics and other outdoor activities, shipping, railways, farm scenes, and informal portraits including family, friends and members of the Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. A fourth album contains photographs and booklets of the YMCA Maritime Boys' Camps at various locations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from 1898 to 1904. Also includes an album of postcards, some of them with published versions of Irvine's photographs, and an album of unidentified portraits.