The Good Old Days: Rural Life in Vintage Postcards

February 17, 2018 By Brett in Art, History, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Photography, Quebec, Society Tags: Canada, Farms, Labor, Landscape, Postcard, Rural Life, Vintage 37 Comments

Hay Making, Nova Scotia (about 1960)

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Out in the country people work hard, and back in the proverbial good old days they worked even harder. Whether on a farm, a fishing village or in the forest, rural folk have always had to put their bodies and souls into their labors to eke out a living.

As these vintage postcards from the eastern parts of Canada attest they at least did so amidst beautiful settings.

River Saguenay at Chicoutimi, Quebec (about 1940)

Ox Cart, Rural Quebec (about 1940)

Spinning in Rural Quebec (1950)

Back of Spinning in Rural Quebec (1950): “Dear Ma – That’s you and me working. Lots of little farms and little houses here. Horses do most of the work. Farms are very small. In winter the men work in the lumber business, in summer farming. Women do fancy work in winter to sell it in the summer. Love Helen”

: Old Church, Tadousac, Quebec (about 1940)

: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia (about 1940)

: Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia (about 1960)

: Tobacco Field, Leamington, Ontario (1940)

: Wood Carver, Rural Quebec (about 1940)

: Sleigh, Montreal (1911)

: Dog Cart, Quebec (about 1940)

Similar posts in O’Canada:

⊕ Quebec Charm in Vintage Postcards

⊕ “Dear Auntie . . don’t be cross”: Scenic British Columbia in Old Postcards

⊕ Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada

Roadside Pumpkins — $1.50!

October 14, 2017 By Brett in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: Annapolis Valley, Canada, Countryside, Fall, Farms, Inspiration, Pumpkins, Rural, Simplicity 29 Comments

Along Highway 1, Near Middleton, N.S.

For the Love of Old Barns

September 3, 2016 By Brett in Art, History, Photography, Quebec Tags: Antique, Barns, Canada, Coast, Colors, Farms, Inspiration, Landscape, Rural 30 Comments

Rustic Barn with Red Doors, Windows and Roof, Ile d’Orleans, Quebec

“I’m so glad you’re here . . .

It helps me realize how beautiful my world is.”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“Leave a Trail . . .”

May 11, 2016 By Brett in Art, Photography, Quebec Tags: Canada, Farms, Inspiration, Landscape, Quebec, Quotes, Ralph Waldo Emerson 17 Comments

Farm Overlooking the St. Lawrence River and the Laurentians, Ile d’Orleans, Quebec

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“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving Monday

October 11, 2015 By Brett in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: Barns, Canada, Farms, Inspiration, Landscape, Nova Scotia, Thanksgiving 11 Comments

Monday is Canada’s Thanksgiving Day . . .

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “Thank you,” that would suffice.”

~Meister Eckhart

The Scenic Northville Farm Heritage Center, Annapolis Valley, N.S.

March 1, 2014 By Brett in Art, History, Nova Scotia Tags: Annapolis Valley, Antique, Canada, Farm Machinery, Farms, Nova Scotia, Photography, Rural Scenery, Tractors, Vintage 15 Comments

Tiller Wheels, Northville Farm Heritage Center, Northville, N.S.

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With its fertile plain shielded from the Bay of Fundy by a low-lying but extensive mountain range, the Annapolis Valley has long been the farming center of Nova Scotia. Because of this, there are several places devoted to preserving and sharing that heritage. Although the Ross Farm Museum in New Ross, N.S., probably gets more attention (and about which I’ll post at another time), the Northville Farm Heritage Center in Northville, N.S. (close to Centreville, N.S.), which we came across while on a meandering late Fall drive through the Valley, has a wonderful display of old farm tractors, machinery and other implements situated in an especially scenic area of the Valley. It’s worth making the effort to find!

Trusty Rusty Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

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Massey Harris Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

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Old Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Colorful Plow Wheels, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Le Roi Farm Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Massey Harris Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Windmill, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Tillers, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Old Ford Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

Massey Harris Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

At the Wheel, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.

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Some Other Farm-Related Posts on O’Canada:

• Old Farm Tractor Along Charlevoix / St. Lawrence Shore

• Barns and Cottages of the Maritimes – Part 1

• Barns and Cottages of the Maritimes – Part 2

Barns and Cottages of the Maritimes — Part 1

November 29, 2013 By Brett in Art, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia Tags: Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Valley, Barns, Bay of Fundy, Canada, Cape Breton, Capstick, Coastal Scenery, Cottages, Farms, Landscape, Maritimes, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Phinneys Cove, Rural Scenery, Rustic, Seaside, Serene, Sheds, St. Croix Cove, Woodville 28 Comments

Rustic Red Barn, Near St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia

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Scenery does not get more picturesque than a rustic barn or cozy cottage situated against a body of moving water or a lush green field. While hues of red seem to be the color of choice for barns and barn doors along the maritime coast and nearby farm fields, shades of grey, blue, yellow and a few other colors sometimes sneak in. These barns, sheds and cottages from around Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are typical of the serene coastal and rural scenery throughout the region. (Click on image to enlarge.)