Tag Archives: Library

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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what the heck is THAT?

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Today, we take automobiles (a.k.a cars) for granted. But at the beginning of the last century cars were a novelty seldom seen outside cities.  Around 1902, an automobile visited Ancaster Township in Ontario (Hamilton area).  It was the first … Continue reading →

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before the old city hall …

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar sends this remarkable photograph from the archives of the Toronto Public Library. The photo shows the old Globe Foundry on Queen Street West at about the address of the old Toronto City Hall (the only City Hall … Continue reading →

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