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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

DSC said:
I changed my Avatar so you can see what they look like! (There are quite a few of these downtown and one wonders whether some former Gravy Train resulted in a huge supply being ordered in 1889 or did they simply recast them using the 1889 mold for years?)
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Very very neat! Thanks DSC.

Thirty years ago I remember seeing "Berlin 1914" on sidewalks in Kitchener. I wonder if all those old sidewalks have been replaced by now.
 
Mustapha said:
February 27 addition.




Then. "Sep. 20, 1922." NE corner of Yonge and Queen." The 1895 building across the street was built by a Seymour Knox as a "five and dime" store. In 1912 it was taken over by Woolworth and operated up until 1979. The store sign can just be made out: "[5, 10 and 1]5 ¢. store". This is a great old picture - an example of early "street photography" - that captures an ordinary moment long ago. It is infused with historical atmosphere. The man with the cane seems young; perhaps a Great War veteran? He's wearing a badge on his lapel; some sort of service badge?
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That would be the Seymour Knox whose descendants founded the Buffalo Sabres. The family also owned the Marine Midland Bank, now part of HSBC, who gave their name to the arena that replaced the Aud.
 
"It would have actually made an interesting ornament imbedded into a patio or front walk. " QUOTE Moose aka Mustapha.



The additional weight would only quicken the demise of my library from the second floor, through the first floor,

&

into the basement!


Reguards,
J T

Take note of the word "through".
 
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Browning Avenue said:
That would be the Seymour Knox whose descendants founded the Buffalo Sabres. The family also owned the Marine Midland Bank, now part of HSBC, who gave their name to the arena that replaced the Aud.
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Quite the family dynasty. I wonder if Buffalo business people still look up the road at Toronto as a market?
 
February 28 addition.



Then. "Hawker Siddeley train interior view with passengers and exterior view in open cut 1965."



HawkerSiddeleytraininteriorviewwithpassengersandexteriorviewinopencut1965.jpg





Now. February 2011. That dog's stare. He's boring a hole through me. :)



CSC_0265.jpg
 
Remember, too; it's B&W, and everybody's sitting. (Though that blonde lady w/dark glasses could be transposed into a contemporary view w/o much effort.)
 
"Then again, the photographer back then might have made an effort to find a scene on a subway car of "proper Torontonians" to immortalize on film. "

Based on photos I've seen from that era, it wouldn't have been hard to find "proper" Torontonians, as that's how most people dressed back then, in all contexts. This doesn't look like a staged shot by any means. Remember that c. 1965-1966 most men still wore ties and hats (as seen in the pic) when they left the house, even to events such as Maple Leafs games. And you can bet that train didn't have newspapers, coffee cups, and other garbage under the seats at the end of its run.
 
Even into the late 70's, TTC management frowned upon food & drink within their premises.

We tried a concept called "The Underdog". (self explanatory)

NO! NO! NO!

Regards,
J T
 
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fiendishlibrarian said:
"Then again, the photographer back then might have made an effort to find a scene on a subway car of "proper Torontonians" to immortalize on film. "

Based on photos I've seen from that era, it wouldn't have been hard to find "proper" Torontonians, as that's how most people dressed back then, in all contexts. This doesn't look like a staged shot by any means. Remember that c. 1965-1966 most men still wore ties and hats (as seen in the pic) when they left the house, even to events such as Maple Leafs games. And you can bet that train didn't have newspapers, coffee cups, and other garbage under the seats at the end of its run.
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There's a lot of demographic diversity absent such as young people, immigrants, hippies, and others. Also, if there's one thing that it would be harder to find evidence for, it would be the cleanliness of the cars, since even today, many people make an effort to avoid photographing a dirty space on the TTC if they're taking photos.
 
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