On my most recent trip through the Toronto Archives I found some fun vintage advertising images that show the products and the type of ads that were run to promote them. Ads in newspapers, on billboards, and on buildings helped sell sodas, appliances and even Victory Bonds for The Great War.
Here are some of my favourite images from the collections.
1900 – R. Lewis & Sons, inporters of Brirish and American hardware – 41 King Street, corner of Toronto Street, Toronto1910 – 1920 – Billboards on south side of College Street, east of Bathurst Street1910 – 1930? – Toronto Harbour Commission billboard advertising Port Lands sites1910 – Bay Street and Adelaide Street West, northwest corner, looking northeast1915 – South side Bloor St. opposite Russett Ave – advertisement hoardings1915? – Recruiting billboard at South African War Monument, University Avenue1916 – besides serving as letter drops; they also dispensed stamps and had miniature billboards on top. This photo; taken at Yonge and Richmond Sts. in 19161916 – City Dairy milk bottle water tower, Spadina Crescent1918 – City Hall – view from Bay Street just south of Queen Street – showing Victory Bond advertising – Original Negative by D.P.W.1918 – Poster advertising Victory Bonds1918 – Poster advertising victory loan drive1920 – Toronto Star radio-controlled boat1922 – North Toronto Book-Store1923 – Billboard advertising Ideal Bread showing artists conception of the first gas-fired traveling oven in Canada1924 – Copy of Dunlop Tire Ad1926 – Commercial building with Dominion Express Advertisement on wall1926 – E.L. Ruddy outdoor sign advertising Radiant Gas Fire1926 – Ruud Autohot gas water heater and tank displayed on a truck1926 – Truck mounted with commercial gas refrigerator and promotion signs1927 – Home Economist and mobile display of gas appliances1939 – Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox, by sign advertising their movies1945? – Election billboard for Progressive Conservative candidates George Drew and Dana Porter1948 – Election billboard for Liberal candidates Lionel Conacher and John A. MacVicar1950 – Joy Frocks Ltd.1952 – Advertisement for Ruspan Original buffet, Bride’s Book1953 – Poster advertising the Queen being crowned1953 – Subway car and advertising posters1954 – Sign advertising Canada’s first subway1954 – T. Eaton Co. and Robert Simpson Co. Ltd. window displays1954 – T. Eaton Co. and Robert Simpson Co. Ltd. window displays copy1958 – York Calvary dinner at Eagle Hotel, Weston, poster advertisement1959 – Ruspan furniture advertisement, Toronto Telegram1961 – Advertising signs at Bloor1961 – Advertising signs on rear of buses1961 – Advertising signs on rear of buses 21963 – For your convenience – TTC tokens sold here1970 – The E. L. Ruddy company has donated space on 100 billboards in Toronto to publicize the work of the police department. The normal coast for using the signs runs to $13;000 a month.1971 – Rising unemployment figures are posted on a Toronto billboard by workman Chris Hansen while Opposition leader Robert Stanfield – on nationwide tour to publicize unemployment problem1972 – Corner of Bay St. and Dundas St., looking south-west1972 – Corner of Church St. and Granby St., looking north-west1972 – Corner of John St. and Richmond St., looking north-west1972 – Corner of McCaul St. and Orde St., looking south-east1972 – Corner of Sherbourne St. and Dundas St., looking south-west1972 – Corner of Spadina Ave. and Bloor St., looking north-east1972 – Corner of Spadina Ave. and College St., looking north-east1972 – Corner of Spadina Ave. and Phoebe St., looking south-east1972 – billboard opposite Maple Leaf Gardens asks hockey fans to petition Clarence Campbell; president of the National Hockey League; to put superstar Bobby Hull on Team Canada1973 – billboards originally were teasers referring to ACTE; but with the launching of a campaign to organize white-collar workers the name of the union is spelled out. King and Church.1974 – put up by Esther Shiner’s Go Spadina Committee to catch the eyes of the Italian-Canadian construction workers. Mrs. Shiner; a North York alderman; says the area has traffic jams all day1981 – innovation in the advertising field being installed at York St. and Lake Shore Blvd. by Steve Clark and Andy Dolan1982 – View of fog around billboard at Yonge and Lakeshore1982 – View of large Levi’s advertisement
