Dundas Street and the Queen’s Rangers

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Robert

Queen’s Rangers 1795
drawing by C W Jeffrys
click for poster

Toronto. Joy Cohnstaedt of Lambton House announced the other day that “LCol Phil Halton, CD of the Queens’s York Rangers” will speak at their Thursday, June 14th, meeting on “Dundas Street and the Queen’s Rangers”.

Lambton House is at 4066 Old Dundas St in York (now part of Toronto). You can take the TTC bus #55 From Jane Subway right to the door. Doors open at 7 pm and the talk starts 30 minutes later. There are refreshments and admission is free although a donation is always appreciated.

When I was in school, a history book used a C.W. Jefferys drawing to show Samuel de Champlain looking out over Georgian Bay. By his side was a rifle – actually an arquebus – with a seemingly square and very awkward rifle stock. My grand-parents had their 60th wedding anniversary party in Orillia – near a statue celebrating the famous French explorer.

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dundas Street and the Queen’s Rangers

of cameras and kings

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Robert

Oliva and Elzira Dionne 1935
photo by Fred Davis

Toronto. Over a century ago, in 1872, “Lewis Carroll” (an amateur photographer, too)  wrote a poem called The Walrus and The Carpenter which includes these lines:

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
Of cabbages–and kings–

And in the spring of 1934 Canada had its own royalty – the famous Dionne Quintuplets were born on a farm in Northern Ontario just outside the town of Callander. The five identical baby girls were born to a French-Canadian farming couple and were famous as the very first quints to survive to adulthood. Continue reading →

Posted in people | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on of cameras and kings

film and cinema in East Toronto and the Beach

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Robert

Family theatre in the Beach
Click for poster and details

Toronto. Les Jones reminded me that the well known film historian and newspaper columnist Bernie Fletcher will be speaking tonight at the Beaches Library, 2161 Queen St East, at 7 pm. Anyone who has lived in this city remembers the Beach and its charming stores along Queen. The library is in the Beaches Park on the south side of Queen, just west of Lee and east of Waverley. Talk is free courtesy of tbeths.com (The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society).

Les and the late Robert Gutteridge were members of the PHSC. Robert wrote Magic Moments, about the first two decades of moving pictures in Toronto (1894-1914). Robert was a cinema historian who unfortunately died before he could address the more recent history of movies here. His extensive collection moved to Montreal and PHSC member Francois LeMai, another cinema historian.

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on film and cinema in East Toronto and the Beach

the Noronic disaster of 1949

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Robert

Noronic Fire Toronto 1949

Toronto. In 1913, the CSL commissioned a new passenger ship, the SS Noronic. The ship was built in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) at the lakehead (western shore of Lake Superior in Canada). On a fateful day in September 1949, the ship embarked from Detroit, MI on a seven day pleasure cruise of Lake Ontario. The ship docked at pier 9 in Toronto the evening of the 16th. In the early hours 0f September 17th, 1949, smoke from a fire on board was spotted by a passenger and the alarm raised.

Over 100 passengers died that terrible night. Estimates range from 118 to 139 deaths – the number never determined with any precision. One of the first photographers on the scene was Nelson Quarrington of the Toronto Telegram.  His photograph made the LIFE magazine’s September 26, 1949 issue – on the newsstands about a week later. The Noronic never sailed again – or left city under its own steam.

My thanks to George Dunbar who reminded me of this disaster that shook our city when I was a chid of 12. We always bought the Telegram in those days so the disaster story and pictures arrived at our home promptly that Saturday.

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on the Noronic disaster of 1949

PHSC News 18-1 for May 2018

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Robert

Vlog Tripod –
smartphone, lights, mic

Toronto. As we come to the start of this fiscal year, News editor Sonja Pushchak has released the first of this year’s tasty pdf newsletters.  The front page is titled Fit Necessity – replacing the strenuous jobs of over a century ago with exercises and the evolution of printing and photography to distribute the exercises to the masses.

Page 2 reviews our speaker for this month, Dr Anthony Bannon and his topic “The Taking of Niagara: Photography at the Falls”.

The column Photo Book 101 addresses a few of the various cases and mats in the mid 1800s. Photos with Fix addresses the topic of Softening the Science of Photography, while Equipment Review covers the tale of Eyeballing the Magnetic Kodak Retina.

This issue wraps up with a couple more columns, announcements of PHSC events, and the Classifieds. 11 pages of delightful and thought provoking reading. Click here or the icon of the Gorilla Pod to read or print.

Posted in newsletter | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on PHSC News 18-1 for May 2018

The Taking of Niagara: Photography at the Falls

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Robert

Dr Anthony Bannon

Toronto. PHSC Meeting, Wed, May 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm
In the BURGUNDY ROOM of the Memorial Hall

The Taking of Niagara – Dr Tony Bannon
“Quite possibly the most photographed site in history, The Falls is a wonder of the world, an icon of three nations, and a fine place for personal unions and separations, facts and fictions. Dr Anthony Bannon, photo critic, historian and institutional leader, will share new research in preparation for a new book and exhibition on The Great Cascade and Cataract.” Dr Bannon has had a wealth of experience over the years, including being the seventh director of the George Eastman Museum! Check out the link above for some more fascinating details, then join us on the 16th to hear Dr Bannon in person.

The public is always welcome. Go to our Programs page for directions.

Posted in people, program | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Taking of Niagara: Photography at the Falls

when panoramas were in vogue

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Robert

CWNA at the RCYC July 1935
Panoramic Camera Company

Toronto. On July 26th, 1935, someone organized the Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association down at the RCYC for this spectacular group shot on a sunny summer’s day. It was the Association’s 16th annual convention. Three years later in August 1938 they held their 19th convention in Vancouver – also commemorated by a panorama photo, now held by the Vancouver Public Library (VPL). The organization and the fad of taking panoramic shots of the entire group have long faded into history. The curve is an artifact of the special cirkut camera used to record the group. Savvy photographers would position their subjects in a large semi circle to compensate and keep all subjects size proportional.

The photograph was taken by The Panoramic Camera Co. who were located at 289 Avenue Road here in Toronto.

Thanks to George Dunbar who found this photo online at the Toronto Public library and alerted me  by email.

Posted in people, photos | Tagged , , | Comments Off on when panoramas were in vogue

FSA outtakes in London England exhibition

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Robert

 

FSA outtake shot by Ben Shaun

Toronto. We all (well, most of us older folk) remember the fabulous photos commissioned by the Farm Service Agency, now part of the US Department of Agriculture. The iconic shots recorded the impact of the 1930s depression on American farmers. The photographs were often featured in coffee-table sized books some forty or more years ago. Did you ever wonder about the outtakes (or censored/discarded stills)?

Thanks to George Dunbar and his diligence, George discovered that the outtakes will be in a London England exhibition as announced by this article in the Guardian. Shown above is an “untitled photograph by Ben Shahn, possibly related to Family of rehabilitation client, Boone County, Arkansas. Photograph: Library of Congress.“

Posted in photos | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on FSA outtakes in London England exhibition

Tamio Wakayama 1941 – 2018

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Robert

Tamio Wakayama
by Lloyd Wolf

Toronto. Canadian photographer Tamio Wakayama, famous for his images of the struggle for human rights in the American South, died March 23, 2018 at home in Vancouver. His legacy and photography was shaped by his family’s poor treatment during WW2 in Britsh Columbia.

Read about him and his struggle in the Globe and Mail obituary published a few days ago on May 4th (that very windy day here in Toronto).

Posted in people | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Tamio Wakayama 1941 – 2018

American girl in Italy 1951

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Robert

American Girl in Italy
1951 by Ruth Orkin

Toronto. You may recall this photograph or its maker, Ruth Orkin, but do you recall the name of the girl or the circumstances? No? Well, the girl is artist Ninalee (Allen) Craig who died recently at age 90 in Toronto where she has lived since 1998. Ninalee was born in Indiana and eventually moved here. In 1951, the 23 year old American was visiting Florence Italy on her own. She was staying in an inexpensive Florence hotel. Coincidentally another American girl was also staying there – photographer Ruth Orkin.

On a short walk around the city, the couple paired up as subject and artist to create this iconic photograph. A seconds earlier shot was sold by Orkin to the American newspaper Herald Tribune for $15. Over the years, Allen (now Craig), the subject of the picture, has stated she enjoyed the attention and was not insulted by it. Orkin, who became a long time friend of Ninalee, was six years older than she. Ruth Orkin  died in  1985.  You can google the internet for details about Ninalee Craig or just read the obituary in Monday’s Globe and Mail. Please note that the picture itself is copyrighted by the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive (director Mary Engel).

Posted in people | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on American girl in Italy 1951