Situated along one of the wide pathways in Toronto’s Distillery District, this tired old Dodge truck from the 1940s exudes character with its highly stylized chrome grill cover brightly shining against varied shades of surrounding rust.
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Tag Archives: Vintage
Let’s Play!: Gaddabout Vintage Part II
Following up on a recent post about Toronto’s Gaddabout Vintage, here’s another installment of wonderful baubles — this time toys and the like — that can be found in this perfect little shop with something for every taste (and age).
Toy Soldier, Vintage Shop, Toronto
Bridges As Depicted on Vintage Postcards
Steam train crossing as onlookers leisurely enjoy the vista. Postmarked 1921.
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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.
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Love the simplicity of this image and the partial reflection. Postmarked 1906.
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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.
Similar posts:
• Beautiful Old Railway Bridge, Near Clementsport, N.S.
Kensington Market, Toronto: Fresh, Funky and Fun
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There’s a little something for everyone in Toronto’s very colorful, very funky Kensington Market neighborhood! Lot’s to look at, taste and absorb!
Vintage Car, Kensington Neighborhood, Toronto
“I’m Sorry,” Kensington Market, Toronto
An A++ for Toronto’s Gadabout Vintage
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While spending a late morning in Toronto’s very hip Leslieville neighborhood I happened upon Gadabout, a fantastic vintage shop showcasing all manner of things from bygone eras. The store’s very friendly proprietor, Victoria Dinnick, was cheerily helpful and wonderfully gracious in allowing my impromptu photography in her jam-packed two-story shop. Equally as impressive as Gadabout’s extensive offerings of vintage items are the mad and clever organizational skills on display. For instance, numerous rustic cabinets and drawers are carefully labeled to hint at the nifty contents tucked within just waiting for the curious. (In one such drawer I found the heart-shaped box pictured below, with which I later happily surprised my sweetie.)
I plan to share several categories of photographs — including clothing, housewares, figurines and toys — from this neat little shop in future posts and these shots are just a sampling. More on Gadabout can be found at its official site here (or stop in over on Queen Street East!).
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Creativity Afoot!: Toronto’s Varied Manhole Covers
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A while back I posted a collection of Quebec City manhole covers as an offbeat photo subject. From a recent trip to the wonderful urban melting pot that is Toronto, here’s another assortment of these often overlooked cast iron street fixtures. Having encountered at least 25 variations, I’m intrigued by the subtle expressiveness reflected in these compact circular spaces.
Canada-U.S. Friendship Postcard and Stamps
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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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Similar posts on O’Canada:
⇒ Cool Little Squares: Vintage Canadian Postage Stamps
⇒ Ever Bustling Early 20th Century Toronto
⇒ Vintage Quebec: Ox Carts, Dog Carts and Sleighs
Artist Appreciation: Andrew Horne
Andrew Horne, Pegasus Unicorn
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The serendipity afforded by the Web still amazes me at times and I love it when it allows me to stumble upon something of pure goodness, as I recently did when I came across the fantastically hip visual art of Toronto-based artist, Andrew Horne. His “typographic paintings”, in particular, are excellent. Most of these vivid pieces play around with classic signage and exhibit elements of studied photo-realism, pop-art irony and downright aesthetic gorgeousness. Above and below is a sampling of Horne’s clever work, more of which can be found at his artist website here.
(Horne also has an entrepreneurial streak, which he channels by operating the very cool Flying Pony Gallery and Cafe in the Little India area of Toronto.)
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Other similar posts on O’Canada:
• Artist to Appreciate: Michael E. Glover
• Sean Yelland’s “Distant” and “Stop Everything”
Cheeky Humor of Vintage Canadian Tire Catalogues
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Wherever you go in Canada, you’re probably not far from a Canadian Tire location, a retailer that carries auto parts, sporting goods, hardware and some appliances, clothing and all manner of other goods. Canadian Tire is so popular it even has its own pseudo-currency — Canadian Tire Dollars — that are both usable and collectible. Many of the retailer’s older advertisements featured humorous bits — some slightly suggestive — as illustrated by these Spring and Summer catalogs across the years. (I’ll post later some others from Fall and Winter editions of the C.T. catalogs.)
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Ever-Bustling Early 20th Century Toronto
No Postmark– Around 1920s
The cityscape of Toronto, with its many tall buildings adorned with fine architectural detail and its bustling street-level activity, is most akin to what Americans encounter in the busy cities of New York and Chicago. These early 20th century postcards highlight the magnitude of Toronto even then. The people and vintage vehicles in these tinted images add interest and help define scale.
No Postmark — Around 1920s
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Postmarked 1910
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Postmarked 1918
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Postmarked 1939
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Old Maps and Their Hidden Stories
Nova Canadae (1693)
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Good historical maps combine science and art to guide its users through its subject geography, with the best such maps igniting the imagination about the many backstories underpinning its cartographical offerings. Some of the oldest maps of North America include parts of Canada, which then featured place names such Terra Nova (now Newfoundland), Nouvelle France (most of what is now Eastern Canada), and Acadie (now Nova Scotia). The following collection showcases some interesting old maps of Canada I’ve come across.
British America (1841)
Alberta (1944)
Dominion of Canada with Newfoundland (1920)
East Canada (1851)
Manitoba (1891)
Gulf of St. Lawrence (1760)
Upper Canada (1855)
Vancouver (1898)
Isles of Montreal (ca. 1800)
Literary Map of Canada (1936)
Related Posts on O’Canada:
Mother’s Day Homage: The Wilcox Family Gravestones
Base of Gravestone of Susan Wilcox (1834-1918), “Mother”
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The sorrows of motherhood and the difficulty of raising children safely to adulthood more than a century ago were poignantly brought to mind by a grouping of gravestones I happened upon last Fall in the cemetery of the old Pembroke Chapel (originally Methodist and later a United Church) in Pembroke, Nova Scotia.
Situated beside the gravestones for Susan Wilcox (1834-1918) — prominently marked “Mother” — and her husband, Nathan (1827 -1899), are markers for five of their children, each of whom predeceased their parents: Cyrus, who it’s noted “Drowned At Sea”, aged 27 years, 1887; Norman F., aged 2 yrs. 7 mos., 1861; Annie E., aged 13 mos., 1871; Frederick W., aged 1 yr., 1873; and Cora M., aged 1 day, 1877.
My curiosity prompted a search of old genealogical records here, which revealed that Susan and Nathan Wilcox had a total of 11 children (born between 1859 to 1880) — quite a brood! Families were larger then partly because additional helping hands were needed and life was understood to be more precarious. To lose a child is an unbearable thought for any parent and to have five leave this world before either parent sounds utterly tragic. Even though they had six children that survived them and considering that many things about life being very tough may have been taken in stride back then, I imagine that this mother and father must have endured an immense measure of grief.
Thus, this homage to motherhood and Mother’s Day and a reminder to be thankful for family, friends and other loved ones, as well as to treasure each of our precious days (on Mother’s Day and beyond).
Gravestones for Nathan and Susan Wilcox Family, Pembroke, Nova Scotia
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Markers of Norman F., Annie E., Frederick W. and Cora M. Wilcox
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Markers of Cyrus Wilcox and his mother, Susan Wilcox
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Old Pembroke Chapel, Pembroke, Nova Scotia
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Similar posts on O’Canada:
* Saint John’s Transcendent Old Loyalist Burial Grounds
* Halifax’s Beautiful Old Burying Ground
* Canada’s Oldest Regular Cemetery: Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Vintage Quebec: Ox Carts, Dog Carts and Sleighs
A Dog Cart in Quebec (late 1940s/early 1950s)
Much of Quebec has long had a rural character. As shown in these vintage postcards, the province’s resourceful people would routinely enlist their animals — even dogs! — in the daily chores.
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Ox Cart in Rural Quebec (late 1940s/early 1950s)
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Sleigh in Winter in Montreal (postmarked Apr. 3, 1911) — Note on card reads in part: “Dear Father, This is what they are doing way up here in April. It thaws very little even yet. . . . With love, H.K.I.”
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Another Ox Cart in Rural Quebec (late 1940s/early 1950s)
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Similar posts on O’Canada:
* When Motels Were Newer and Grander
* Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada
* Pastoral Splendor on the Ile de Orleans
When Motels Were Newer and Grander
Lovely watercolor effect, simple signage and lines, very retro!
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From the 1920s to the early 1960s, the automobile led the way to leisurely road trips and the chance for a quick getaway down newly paved highways across Canada and the U.S. The cozy roadside motel filled the need for an affordable, convenient place for the weary driver and family to kick back and relax in relative luxury with then modern conveniences (such as showers in each room, radio, TV and Hi-Fi!), as these vintage postcards attest.
Motel Lac St-Jean, Quebec; Card notes Modern Motel, TV, Radio, Lounge
Montreal Tourist Court, LaPrairie, Quebec; Card boasts that the motel is Canada’s most modern and largest tourist center and a shower in each room; love the streamlined map as well
Sea Gull Motel, Perce, Quebec
Alamo Motel, Niagara Falls, Ontario; All rooms with wall-to-wall carpeting, controlled air conditioning and heating, TV, radio and Hi-Fi; the neon sign out front is very cool
Richer Motel, Quebec; Card notes that motel has electric heat, shower, TV
Early 1900s Town Markets
These colored photo postcards from the early 1900s highlight the importance of town markets as hubs of community activity. Lots of horses and wagons, ladies in long dresses and men in dark hats and not an automobile in sight.
Postmarked October 6, 1910, Reads: “Dear Cousin, I have not received any letters from you, nor from Oscar. Hope you will write to the above address and by the time I return here, there will be many letters. Kind Love, Edgar”
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No postmark, but likely around 1910; No note
Postmarked September 8, 1909; No note
Similar posts:
♦ Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada
Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada
While thumbing through a large group of vintage Canadian postcards at a local antique shop a half-dozen or so among the thousand-plus cards stood out because each featured a highly stylized moonlight view of their subjects, giving each card a dark and moody feel. Most were from about 1906 to 1908, with one as late as 1919, and all but one were marked as being printed by Valentine & Sons, a noted Scottish postcard publisher of the time with offices in Toronto and Montreal. A little online research revealed that the cards were collotype photographs taken in daylight with a full moon, clouds and lighting effects layered on top, after which the images were hand-tinted.
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Similar posts on O’Canada:
• Vintage Postcards: Canadian Churches
Vintage Postcards: Canadian Churches
I came across these old postcards in a local antique shop, most of which are watercolors or hand-tinted photos. They range from the early 1900s through about 1950.
The Scenic Northville Farm Heritage Center, Annapolis Valley, N.S.
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
Canada’s Oldest Regular Cemetery: Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Old Tombstones, Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
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Canada’s oldest formal cemetery is Garrison Cemetery, which is situated adjacent to historic Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. While Garrison Cemetery is not as large as the nearly-as-old eighteenth-century burial grounds in Halifax, the setting — amidst the rolling hills of the Fort’s grounds and the sweeping Annapolis River close by — is especially picturesque. Given that Annapolis Royal served as both the capital of Acadia and later as the first capital of Nova Scotia, the well-worn tombstones on the cemetery grounds are quite old indeed, as attested by the protective marker frames in several of the pictures below from a trip last Fall. (Click any image to enlarge)
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Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Fort Anne Grounds, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Fort Anne Grounds, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Sunken Tombstones, Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Grave Markers, Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Similar Posts:
Whimsical Wednesday: For the Birds
A porch-side collection of decorative bird houses spotted on a visit to Shelburne, N.S.
Beautiful Old Railroad Bridge, Near Clementsport, N.S.
Near Sunset and Low Tide, Old Railway Bridge, Clementsport, N.S.
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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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Colorful Coastal Collections
Whimsical Tractor Seat Display (along the road to New Brunswick)
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Brightly colored fishing buoys and other items with vivid hues dot the coastal landscape. These photos highlight a few collections of such items spied not long ago around Canada’s Atlantic coast.
Buoy-Adorned Cottage, Campobello Island, N.B.
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Pink and Orange Floats, Delaps Cove, N.S.
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Cozy Lounging Chairs, St. Andrew’s By the Sea, N.B.
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Buoy Signpost, Neils Harbor, Cape Breton, N.S.
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Buoy Wall Display, Shelburne, N.S.
Mel’s Tea Room and More . . . Sackville, New Brunswick
Mel’s Tea Room, Sackville, New Brunswick
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These classic old signs and doorway tiles stood out on a recent stop in the historic town of Sackville, New Brunswick. The neon and styling of the sign for Mel’s Tea Room — a local diner that is authentically vintage — in particular harkens back to an earlier era.
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Sackville Bowling, Sackville, New Brunswick
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Tiled Store Entryway, Sackville, New Brunswick
Vintage Canadiana: Canadian Home Journal
Espresso Cup Charm at The Flying Fox
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These bright little espresso cups caught my eye at the very cozy The Flying Fox Bake Shop in historic Shelburne, Nova Scotia. The shop’s tasty fresh-baked treats and piping hot coffee brightened the cold November day considerably, as did the ready conversation of the shop’s cheerful owner, Julie Shand. Julie shared with me that in light of her having lived way up near Yellowknife, Yukon Territory, shortly before opening the Flying Fox, Shelburne’s windy temperatures of 33°F / 0°C on that day seemed nearly tropical to her! For my part, I kept my gloves near at hand.
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Backwoods Lumbering During the 1880s
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I recently came across a reprint of Picturesque Canada (ed. by George M. Grant), a two-volume compendium originally published in 1882 of Canada’s history, people and places. These marvelous books feature hundreds of intricate wood engravings that bring to life with vivid imagery the then still new and developing confederation. These illustrations of the lumber trade depict the hardships of that way of life, with most of these also seeming to associate that occupation with the extra harsh conditions of winter, which is fitting for the cold weather that is now creeping in up north. (Click images to enlarge.)
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Friday Find: Vintage Rotary Phone
Vintage Rotary Phone at Bistro 138, Shelburne, Nova Scotia
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Adorning a post near the counter of Bistro 138, a cozy restaurant and coffee shop in historic Shelburne, Nova Scotia, this very funky old rotary phone demands attention among a sea of people surfing their mobile devices. I’ve not seen a phone like this one before — its design and color make for an unusual piece of nostalgia. Located on Water Street in the heart of town, the food and other fare at Bistro 138 is also quite good and its staff is super friendly.
Bistro 138, Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Whimsical Wednesday: Vintage 7 Day Kisses
Humorous 1940s vintage postcard found in antique shop in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Remembrance Day and the Home Front
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Red poppies already adorn many a chest and collar on each side of the border as a lead up to Monday when the U.S. marks Veteran’s Day and Canada observes Remembrance Day. Both occasions mark and honor the difficult sacrifices made by our respective veterans in service to their country. These vintage wartime posters from World War I remind us that the reach and privations of the war that prompted the first Remembrance Day extended, as most wars do, to the home front as well.
(Poppy Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Halloween Haunts: Joe’s Scarecrow Village
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Several years ago, while winding through the gorgeous scenery that graces Cape Breton, Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail we came across a head-turning collection of freaky scarecrows begging to be photographed. This was Joe’s Scarecrow Village, a homegrown roadside attraction in Cap LeMoine with great character that was originally created by local Joe Delaney to ward animals away from his planting field. Halloween seems a fitting time to share these colorful oddities. Sadly, this piece of rustic Canadiana has since been closed.
More info on Joe’s Scarecrow Village can be found here.
Vintage Canadian Apple Crate Labels
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In the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia and many places in between, Fall is harvest time from coast to coast for Canada’s rich variety of apples. That variety is also reflected in the colorful artistry of numerous vintage apple crate labels — such as the incredible OgoPogo one above — which recently caught my eye and which I thought would be worth collecting here to share. (You can click through the slides below.)
Artist to Appreciate: Michael E. Glover
Michael Glover, End of the Line, Hines Creek, Alberta (2010)
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Michael Glover’s realist artwork conveys a deep appreciation for the stark and forlorn rural and industrial landscapes that hint at the hardscrabble existence of the hardy folks who settled such remote areas long ago. His sense of place is strong — even to the point that the titles of his paintings denote the specific towns depicted — and I like that much of his work focuses on the often overlooked Canadian heartland regions of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. However, Glover is the rare Canadian painter whose work embraces images of virtually all the country’s provinces, reflecting his wide travels across Canada’s vast expanse.
Michael Glover, In The Heartland, Aneroid, Saskatchewan (2006)
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Michael Glover, On the Crowsnest Line, Pincher Station, Alberta (2012)
Michael Glover, Forgotten Timber, Wawa, Ontario (2007)
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Michael Glover, Once Proud, Still Strong, Fredericton, N.B. (2004)
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Michael Glover, Standing Proud in the Eleventh Hour, Mossleigh, Alberta (2006)
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Michael Glover, The Final Days of Fleming, Fleming, Saskatchewan (2012)
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Michael Glover, Alexandria Falls, Enterprise, NWT (2012)
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Michael Glover, Nightstop, Grenfell, Saskatchewan (2012)
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Glover has a much-deserved exhibition opening in late November 2013 at the Art Gallery of Northumberland (Ontario), appropriately entitled “The Lost and Forgotten: Canada’s Vanishing Landscape.” More of Glover’s exceptional art may also be viewed at his website here and at the Quinn’s of Tweed (Ontario) gallery.
Image Credits: Michael E. Glover
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