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Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

J T CUNNINGHAM said:
The above pic is the WORLD PREMIER EVENT that I alluded to earlier this week.



A 1904 silver gelatine print; mounted. (from a glass negative)

Commissioned by the E W Gillett Co Ltd. (Royal Yeast Cakes/Magic Baking Powder.)

The Great Toronto Fire, pic of Front Street West plant fire ruins, (1904)

by Galbraith Photostudio, with imprint of same at the lower right hand corner of mount. (Not shown.)

Pencil notation on verso detailing print .

Used in their Canada-wide newspaper/print advertising, noting fire damage.*

This pic*has been unshown in any other form including this pic, before now.

The pic shows their burned-out plant with a large banner crossing the front of same, alerting

wholesale customers that they continue in business and as to their temp location.


I have given The Toronto Public Library (Baldwin Room) a copy for their records

and will be doing same for The Toronto Achives and The Fisher Rare Book Library.


Regards, and many thanks to Mustapha for the assistance.


There will be in the future, the above pic with better resolution along with other views presently

being available at the Toronto Archives site. I wil give Mustapha the disk that was

copied for me by The Baldwin Room, so that the "smoke and mist has been cleared"

thereby giving the best image.


Regards,
J T
Click to expand...

That photo, JT, will certainly become a valued contribution to the history of that devastating fire.
Hope you will reveal more of its discovery and provenance.
 
Mustapha said:
JTCunningham will be along in a moment...

IMG-20110611-00015.jpg
Click to expand...

So JT, where roughly on Front West was this?
 
Thanks JT, for those details.
You have a unique attachment to the image and the story you have told is quite amazing.
Congratulations on your find and thanks for sharing the photo with all.
 
Then and Now for Oct 7.


Then. 'April 24, 1913. 1471-1475 Dufferin Street.' Interesting how road grading has left these houses 'below grade' as it were. Also interesting is the plank sidewalk. The little boy seems to be making a point to someone. :)

2051475dufferin.jpg



Now. May 2011.

206.jpg
 
J T CUNNINGHAM said:
"Interesting how road grading has left these houses 'below grade' as it were." QUOTE Mustapha.


A couple? of blocks south of Eglinton W/S Dufferin, there sat/sits a house (Bikers Clubhouse) that was many feet below grade;

maybe 10' - 15' below grade!


Regards,
J T
Click to expand...

Must be this one.
I remember it, a friend grew up just two blocks to the east of here.
 
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Mustapha said:
JTCunningham will be along in a moment...

IMG-20110611-00015.jpg
Click to expand...

from http://www.toronto.ca/archives/firecompanies.htm

k66542_p133rgillett.jpg


E.W. Gillett Co. Ltd. building
1898
Toronto, Canada: The Book of its Board of Trade, 1897-98, page 133
City of Toronto Archives
Reserch Hall Library, closed reference


"The Gillett Company's ad in The Globe on April 21, 1904, read, "Our entire plant (building and machinery) was totally consumed by the awful conflagration which swept part of Toronto on Tuesday night, April 19th, and we must therefore ask your indulgence for a few weeks. Fortunately we have a duplicate set of machinery stored safely in another building, and this will enable us to turn out goods within a reasonable time. Every Wholesale Grocer in the Dominon has a stock of ROYAL YEAST, GILLETT'S LYE, MAGIC BAKING POWDER, Etc., so we are hoping, by the careful use of goods now in their hands, that no one will be inconvenienced. 'Gillett's Goods Are the Best,' and will be more popular than ever."



Closeup of previous map:

yeastmap.jpg
 
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J T CUNNINGHAM said:
"E.W. Gillett Co. Ltd.
1898
Toronto, Canada: The Book of its Board of Trade, 1897-98, page 133.
QUOTE thecharioteer


The above noted book, of which I have two, (LOL) aside from the print also features a pic of not only

Mr E W Gillett, but his Canadian Managing Director, Wm Dobie. Not only is Wm Dobie with his wife

mentioned in Lady Eaton's book "Memory's Wall" multiple times, but they were actual the best of friends,

touring the world together. A pic in the Toronto Achives of an Eaton Company dinner at the King Edward

Hotel features left to right Lady Eaton, Sir John, Sir John's mother, Wm Dobie, and Mrs Dobie.


Regards,
J T
Click to expand...

This the one, JT?

eatondinner1907.jpg


"Complimentary dinner tendered by Sir John Eaton, King Edward Hotel 1907"
 
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A small memory from childhood, when we lived at Queen and McClean. There was a "junk shop" across the street with a porcelain sign in the window. That sign for some reason is burned in my memory. "Gillett's Lye eats dirt"
images
 
Mustapha said:
Worth mentioning that this is the ball room at the top of the King Edward hotel, a popular Doors Open site in past years...
Click to expand...

Don't think so, Mustapha. The Crystal Ballroom is on top of the 1921 addition. This 1907 pic is probably in the old Victoria Room.
 
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