“When the remedy you have offered only increases the disease, then leave him who will not be cured, and tell your story to someone who seeks the truth.” – translation of Rumi, 13th-century poet This quote made me think of medical cure-alls — dubious remedies that claim to fix almost any ailment. You can find […]
In the song "Best Regards", Quebec heavy metal band Voïvod's sings about unrequited love. They lament that not even "a creased receipt" was issued from an indifferent world. Unlike in that song, you can find lots of receipts on Digital Archive Ontario, our Ontario-facing database of digitized items held by Toronto Public Library. (Non-metaphorical receipts, […]
Right now, researchers in Canada and around the world are working to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and we are all eagerly awaiting news and updates. At the same time, there have been many articles comparing the COVID-19 virus and pandemic to other viruses and pandemics throughout history. In many cases, scientists discovering treatments […]
To kickstart the decade's first leap year, I turned to Toronto Public Library's Digital Archive Ontario for historical photos and unexpected items tied to leap years. What you'll find below is a small selection of what I discovered. It includes photos from our Toronto Star Photograph Archive of individuals born on "leap day", February 29. […]
Below are posters — also known as "broadsides" — from Canada during the Second World War. They're all from Toronto Public Library's vaults (well, shelves, not actual vaults) and available on Digital Archive Ontario. Made by different government agencies, this batch of World War II posters generally promote one of five key messages. Before we take a closer […]
June often marks the start of summer weather in Ontario, whether it's 2019 or 1919. Below is a sample of old — and not so old — summertime photos from Digital Archive Ontario (including digitized images from the library's Toronto Star Photograph Archive). They span several Ontario communities, all evoking warm weather. One page of […]
Archives of Ontario's wonderful exhibit ANIMALIA: Animals in the Archives inspired us. So we pawed through our Digital Archive Ontario to dig up items with a particular pet in mind — dogs. (Sorry, cat lovers!) A lot of items highlighted below are either from our large number of digitized early children's books or Toronto Star photos. May your […]
Saplings, 1994. Toronto Star Photograph Archive. (Subtitle is from the poem, "The Miller's Daughter" by Lord Tennyson.) Is it still chilly outside? Can we safely assume that temperatures will continue to rise? Is it reasonable to store away our scarves, hats and winter coats? These questions go through the minds of many Canadians who are […]
Chaudière Falls and locks in 1925, Toronto Star Photograph Archive. As temperatures slowly rise through the month of March, the land wakes from its deep winter slumber. Ice cracks, slides, tumbles and splashes into flowing waters. In the photograph above — from Digital Archive Ontario, our website with thousands of digitized historical images — two […]
February floods with love through the exchange of gifts — including Valentine's Day cards. The "Valentine cards" below proclaim a different kind of love. They celebrate the beauty of towns and cities. Known as the Valentine Series, these postcards were meant to be shared throughout the entire year. John Valentine founded Valentine & Sons Publishing […]