Torontonians have been enjoying the Victoria Day, May Two-Four weekend for 170 years. As the first long weekend of the summer (well, technically spring,) it's often the first real chance to hit the beach or the park under the splendour of a warm sun.
Victoria Day celebrates the birth of Queen Victoria on May 24, 1819. It was declared a public holiday in 1845 and in 1952 the federal government decided the day should be taken on the first Monday before May 25 (hence why this year's day falls on May 18.)
These candid photos cast our forebears in a different light. Instead of the staged, often rather serious portraits often found in the city archives, these images show the people of the 1910s, 20s, 30s, and 40s at play: goofing for the camera, fishing, enjoying games, and generally relaxing.
In honour of the Victoria Day long weekend, here's a look at how Toronto used to take time off work.
Boy with fishing catch, 1934.
Miss Marjorie Laing at lunch. June 1, 1930.
Miss Marjorie Laing drinking from a water jug.
Chinese family at a picnic, June 17, 1927.
Families relaxing at Crowes Beach on the Humber, circa 1926.
An elderly couple dancing in 1934.
Obligatory picture of the dog ("Tinker") wearing a hat. May 11, 1930.
Tinker the dog jumping for sausages, May 11, 1930.
Boyd family picnic at Islington. 1926.
Unknown group on a fishing boat. Exact date also known.
Girl fishes from a bowl to promote the sale of Ontario fishing permits. 1930s.
Kids paddling at Hanlan's Point in 1907. Hanlan's Hotel and regatta in the background.
Roadside picnic in High Park. July 1, 1942.
Bathers in the lake at Sunnyside near the Humber River in 1912.
The Sunnyside swimming pool, nicknamed The Tank and reportedly the largest in the world when it opened, in the 1940s.
Clowns handing out prizes to all the participants in the Tiny Tots race at the annual TTC staff picnic in 1928.
Nail hammering competition (of all things) at the 1928 TTC picnic.
Clowns Sam Hill and Sam Cohen stage a pillow fight for the children of TTC staff.
Kids line up for a race. Hamburgers and frankfurters for sale in the background.
Italian women during a tug-of-war. August 1, 1932.
On Wasaga Beach. July 4, 1926.
Louie Holdsworth eating watermelon at Lennox picnic
Photographer Nat Turofsky (far right) and his family on a fishing trip to the French River region.
Woman and fish smiling in the 1940s.
Margaret Reycraft of the Globe and Mail at lunch. May 11, 1930.
Women fishing off a jetty, 1908.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: City of Toronto Archives
by Chris Bateman via blogTO
No comments:
Post a Comment