Weegee is one of my all-time favourite photographers - I'm so pleased that you chose to display his greatest photo.
But did you know that is was a set-up?
Apparently, he gave the "bag lady" a bottle of wine to stand in place as the opera patrons were arriving.
Of course that may be just another of the mythical stories surrounding that very inventive and self-promoting photographer.
Perhaps the other difference between the Telegram photos and Weegee's are that his are usually self-explanatory and don't need captioning to produce their visceral effect on the viewer. The Tely ones, on the other hand, are usually about narrative and only come alive with captioning.
Toronto papers have always had an aversion to displaying dead bodies (Canadian sensibilities or federal laws?)..One unusual one in the archives is of the aftermath of a scaffold accident on Melinda Street (is that blood or paint? It's blood.):
Title: Melinda Street : man falls from scaffold
Description: Image of blood splattered body on back beneath scaffolding surrounded by men looking on.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/5731
Citation: 1974-002 / 255
Date: 1950-10-02
More in the "narrative" vein:
Manning Avenue; where a boy was killed by a car, 1953:
Title: Manning Avenue : where Brunka boy was killed by car
Description: Image of tree lined residential street with pedestrians standing on sidewalk.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/5714
Citation: 1974-002 / 255
Date: 1953-07-08
Ford Hotel, 1969, man prevented from committing suicide:
Title: Ford Hotel : Man Threatens Suicide [not used]
Author: Reed
Description: Image of several police officers putting a man into a police car. Murray's Restaurant can be seen in the background.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/9164
Citation: 1974-002 / 083
Date: 1969-01-01
Yorkville 1965:
Title: Yorkville Village : City Fathers tour Yorkville [Not Used]
Author: [Julian] Hayashi
Description: Image of the "city fathers" leaving the Devil's Den in Yorkville, 29 May 1965.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/7837
Citation: 1974-002 / 295
Date: 1965-01-01
Yorkville 1967:
Title: Mynah Bird : Topless Folk Singer, Wyche
Author: Richard Cole
Description: Image of Wyche, touted as "the world's first topless folk singer," performing at the Mynah Bird as photographers document the event.
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10315/7836
Citation: 1974-002 / 132
Date: 1967-12-19
And while we're in "old" Yorkville, who can correctly identify all three of the people at this table?