Tag Archives: Library

a disastrous time

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Do you remember 1906 and the massive earthquake that hit San Francisco? As I have often said, photography brings events and history to life down through the ages. There is a fault line that runs all the way to … Continue reading →

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leaf it to beaver

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The landscape photographers recorded the great outdoors over the years allowing us to see the changes – by season and by time. Mountains change, leaves fall, forests are lost. All carefully recorded by landscape photographers over the years. Without … Continue reading →

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horsin’ around

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. No foolin’ – a great way to discover the history of your town or city is through old photographs. And a great way to find old photographs is to visit your local archive – or the Library and Archives … Continue reading →

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when the stars come out

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. My good friend and fellow PHSC member sent along a note with an image of  stars Mary Pickford and husband Douglas Fairbanks at Montreal’s French radio station CKAC in 1922, the year it first went on the air. “Pickford’ … Continue reading →

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hop a bus, Gus

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The photograph here shows a 1922 trolly bus on Merton Street in Toronto. The photograph is part of the vast collection at the City of Toronto Archives. As we have said many times before, archives are a rich source … Continue reading →

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back to the future

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. As we have said many times, archives and libraries are a great source of photographs depicting local history. A few photo enthusiasts take an old street scene and re-photograph it today from about the same location and with a … Continue reading →

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… and the ugly

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar sent me a brief note the other day along with the image shown at left. George noted, “Occasionally, the browsing of a photo-archive will produce an eye-stopper based solely on the very poor condition of the preserved image”. … Continue reading →

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foul-play

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. This c1920 portrait of a child, Henri Groulx, sitting next to a hen and smoking is from the image collection of the ‘Library and Archives Canada‘. Discovered by George Dunbar, it is another reminder of the many historic photos … Continue reading →

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Volleyball, anyone?

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Most of us can remember the photograph in the late 1800s showing dignitaries at “the last spike” in the CPR line connecting BC with the rest of Canada without need to detour down into the States. In this case, … Continue reading →

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the deep end

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. As I noted in the previous post, local libraries and archives are helpful to photo collectors. The sample here of a 1945 typing class held in Hamilton, Ontario is courtesy of George Dunbar and his diligent searches on line … Continue reading →

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