Bridges As Depicted on Vintage Postcards

August 9, 2014 By Brett in Alberta, Art, British Columbia, History, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec Tags: Art, Bridges, Canada, History, Landscape, Postcards, Vintage 21 Comments

Steam train crossing as onlookers leisurely enjoy the vista. Postmarked 1921.

Even with sophisticated modern equipment, bridges are marvels of engineering skill. Bridges from earlier periods, such as the array of Canadian ones featured on these vintage postcards, built without the benefit of such conveniences and often at the cost of many lives and injuries, are that much more impressive!

Heading into Canada from Detroit. About 1940s, when cars featured many curves.

Love the simplicity of this image and the partial reflection. Postmarked 1906.

A singular Canadian achievement when built around 1913.

Another bascule bridge with a small boat passing under.

Early 1900s. This bridge is close to the one photographed in an earlier post on my blog near Clementsport, N.S.

About 1951. This is an amazing suspension bridge!

Lots of boaters around this one. Postmarked 1921.

About 1920s. Nice old water tower at other end.

Early 1900s

The Princess Elaine was built in 1928 for the Vancouver Ferry System and was a jewel of the ferries at the time. Postcard is about 1930s.

About 1940. Non-traditional focus for a bridge image. Neat old auto coming toward the viewer.

About 1920. Less well-known and more secluded than the Capilano Suspension Bridge several miles away in Vancouver.

Lovely simple scene in New Brunswick.

Early 1900s. Horse-drawn carriages can be seen crossing.

Postmarked 1941, addressed to Shirley Meador in Milrose, Massachusetts. Back of card reads, “My dear sister, How can you ever get along without me there? Ken”

Another view of the Pont Gouin in St. Johns, Quebec. Postmarked 1939.

Reverse of the Victoria Gorge card in this group. Postmarked 1921. Like the line: ” . . . if I only send cards please don’t be cross. It’s hard to write letters.” Only a name and a town were needed for an address.

Canada-U.S. Friendship Postcard and Stamps

July 4, 2014 By Brett in Art, Ontario, Society Tags: Bridges, Canada, Ontario, Postcard, St. Lawrence Seaway, Stamps, U.S. Canada Relations, Vintage 13 Comments

While bridges literally connect places, they also serve as a wonderful metaphor for connectedness between people and cultures. I have a collection of old postcards depicting various Canadian bridges that I plan to post shortly. Of these — especially during this week that includes the Canada Day and Independence Day holidays — the one that I feel best displays the connectedness idea is this postcard from around 1959 of the Thousand Islands International Bridge between southern Ontario and upstate New York.

The original holder of this card added a nice touch by including three very appropriate postage stamps to the front: the 4¢ Canadian and 5¢ American joint-issue stamps from 1959 marking that year’s opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and an older 1948 U.S. 3¢ Century of Friendship stamp, which fittingly shows a bridge between the two countries over the Niagara River (first spanned in 1848; additional background can be found here).

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Beautiful Old Railroad Bridge, Near Clementsport, N.S.

January 25, 2014 By Brett in Art, Nova Scotia Tags: Bridges, Canada, Landscape, Nova Scotia, Old Railway Bridge, Photography, Railway, Sunset, Vintage 63 Comments

Near Sunset and Low Tide, Old Railway Bridge, Clementsport, N.S.

This rusted old iron railway bridge near Clementsport / Upper Clements in the Annapolis Valley area of Nova Scotia held my fascination one late Fall afternoon as the sunset slowly crept in. The point at which the forlorn bridge and its ancient wood trestle crosses the tidal river bend is both scenic and serene. On this occasion, the deep chipping orange-brown rust and the weathered blue-greens of the bridge’s structure harmonized perfectly with the complementary tones in the cloudy sky, the cool water and the distant hills.

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