Town = Toronto (Ont.)

Private Mailing Card of the University of Toronto (University College). A U.S. card circa 1900 by Arthur Strauss, Inc. of New York. No. 137. Unused undivided back.

Looking south from College and Spadina (compare the other card looking in the opposite direction). This is a Pugh Manufacturing Co. card. Pugh cards are less commonly found today than those of Valentine & Co. Pugh was headquartered in downtown Toronto -- on Toronto Street I believe. They seem to have produced a huge selection of postcards from all parts of Canada, but you don't see them that often.

Osgoode Hall, which is still exactly the same (to the naked eye) and where I spent the whole day last Friday. Nice Warwick Bros. card, no. 514.

Beat up but nice image of the Governor-General's Body Guards marching down a street (Yonge?) in Toronto. Valentine & Sons card no. 105,770. Unused. Lots of great signs in this shot.

Postmarked "Credit Forks, Ont." on May 22, 1907 and sent to Miss Price, East Oxford School, Cowley Road, Oxford, England with the message (in a schoolgirl hand, likely to a former teacher): "Miss Price. We arrived at our journey's end safely. I hope you + your sister are quite well. We are 50 miles from Toronto + we are at Forks of Credit, Ontario, Canada." No maker stated but there is a number -- 1314 -- on the back.

"Dear Gertie, We have got a pretty little room and use of bathroom in a good part of the city for a dollar a week 4/- We all went to see it to-day Sunday and they are all English People too. Arthur."

"Dear Edie, This is where some of the people go to have a bath. And it is getting quite hot enough for it now. This is a new kind of card out + I know you will like it." Addressed to Miss E. Choppin, Man of Kent, High St. Eltham, Kent, England. Postmarked July 8, 1908.

Unused Valentine & Sons oval with the number 107,161, showing St. James Cathedral.

A. H. Cooper card, mailed November 4, 1907 to Miss L. Holbrook, Claremont Villa, Camden Road, Bath, Somerset, England.

Warwick Bros. & Rutter card no. 516, undivided back. Unused.

Valentine & Sons no. 112,236 with a brief message across the back.

August 15, 1910 postmark at Toronto. A rather bitter letter: "228 Simcoe St., Toronto, Not., Aug. 15/10 Dear Mother, Many thanks for welcome letter and papers, got back to the city last night, the firm's advertising end has gone up and am without a job for a while. It is cursed hard luck for me anyhow, four of us got sacked at a moment's notice without any warning that is how they do things here in this country. Love to you all from your aff'te son Joe. Will write later, Joe." This was addressed to Mrs. Train, 76 Cecile Park, Crouch Hill, London N. England. Valentine & Sons card no. 100,500.

On a Canadian Postal Card undivided back, addressed to Miss Daisy Scott, 1 Bredeaux Rd., Clapham Rd., London, Eng. and postmarked November 20, 1904 at Toronto. Bert, the writer, was living at 521 Parliament Street at the time. Even at this early stage, University College is having trouble keeping the grass on the Front Campus growing, as the little sign urges people to "Keep to Roadway" (or something like that). No indication of the manufacturer.

This Warwick Bros. & Rutter card (no. 4143) has a postmark that looks like July 15, 1905 but I am not sure. It is the later fancy Warwick back. It is addressed to Miss H. Scammell, 48 Arnott St., New Kent Rd., London S. E. England.

Valentine & Sons no. 101,003, mailed to Mr. David Crombie (no, not that David Crombie), 47 Keith St., Barrow-in-Furness, England: "Dear Mr. Crombie: This is one of Toronto's largest Hotels. I thought I would send more than one at a time for it has such a distance to go. I have two cards from Hayle Cornwall but I expect a few more now. Kind regards. I. Tout." Nice nighttime shot of an apparently fully occupied King Eddy. No one has gone to bed yet or else they are all sleeping with the light on.

A view of the old Union Station. Unused divided back card by W. J. Gage (no. 2746). Toronto really went for those circular archways in those days.

Unused embossed card showing the provincial Legislative Building in Toronto, known as "Queen's Park". No maker indicated.

Unused card showing the Toronto Normal School. Valentine & Sons but the number of the image is not visible.