THE MEMORABLE FASHION OF THE ROARING 1920’s

Sew What | Natalie Heaton

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Photo courtesy of Natalie Heaton

Last month marked a century since the beginning of the roaring 1920s. This decade was marked by the end of the First World War, flappers, women’s liberation, and a booming economy. The fashion of this era is often portrayed through novels and movies, like The Great Gatsby, focusing on the edgy style of the flapper fashion. The museum sector is one of the best places the fashion of the 1920s is remembered, represented, and recognised.


Since the 1920s was a very prosperous time for the economy and many individuals, it is not uncommon for museums to represent this lavish era. The Spadina House Museum is an example of such a museum. In the house, there is an Art Deco feel, and women's dresses from the different time periods are placed strategically. The dresses that are displayed represent different trends of the decade, with dropped waists, raised hemlines, and overall, showing more skin. These dominated 1920s fashion, as they represented the new women.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Heaton

Photo courtesy of Natalie Heaton

Today, the fashion of the 1920s makes for a great Halloween costume or party theme, these trends were deeply tied to what was happening in Western society. During the First World War, women entered the public sphere. After the First World War, the number of women in post-secondary institutions was on the rise,  and they had opportunities that had not been available to them prior to the war. Women needed clothing that would be practical for work and allowed freedom of movement. This newfound liberation is reflected in the clothing, head to foot. This decade saw the exile of corsets, hair being cut into short bobs, and women drinking, smoking and dancing. If only their grandmothers saw them, oh the scandal!


With women’s style being so distinct during this decade, it is a favourite topic mentioned or on display in exhibitions on the 1920s. The City of Toronto Archives currently has an exhibition focusing on the 1920s. This exhibition looks at everything from advertising, old photos of Toronto, people living their day-to-day lives, and fashion trends. While looking at all the photos of old Toronto and the people that use to call this city home, it is hard to not notice the distinct fashion trends.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Heaton

THE ROARING 20'S IN TORONTO

Ghosts of Toronto's Past | Carys Owen 
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We did it, we made it to 2020, and this entrance into a new decade has got me thinking about the last time Toronto entered the 20’s. This month I’ll be taking a look back at some of the most interesting Toronto events between 1920-1930.

The Opening of Maple Leaf Stadium

If I’m honest, I could not give two figs about sports, at most I’d give one and a half. That being said, sports occupy a large part of Toronto’s history so I guess we have to talk about them. Just in case any readers are also clueless about sports, it is worth noting that Maple Leaf Stadium was originally the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a minor league baseball team.

Construction for Maple Leaf Stadium (not to be confused with Maple Leaf Gardens) started in Fall of 1925. Using the estimated 300,00$ budget, that later turned into a 750,000$ budget, the stadium planned to open on April 28, 1925. About 4,000 fans showed up for opening day, but due to poor weather conditions and a very damp field, the first game was cancelled. The opening was rescheduled for the next day.

That first game was a real nail-biter. In a turn of events, the bottom of the ninth inning saw a series of hits that tied the game 5 to 5. This sent the game into extra innings that resulted in a 6 to 5 victory for the Maple Leafs. This was a good omen for the rest of the season as the Maple Leafs won the title of that Fall’s Little World Series and finished with 109 wins and 57 losses. Today this stadium is no more as the site was demolished in 1968, the same year the the Maple Leafs moved to Kentucky and became the Louisville Colonels.

Maple Leaf Stadium. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 465

Maple Leaf Stadium. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 7650

The Stanley Cup

The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the six original NHL teams in 1917, and since then, they have won the Stanley Cup 13 times. The team was originally named the Toronto Arenas before renaming themselves as the St. Patricks in 1919. The Toronto Arenas won the NHL’s first Stanley Cup in 1917 against the Vancouver Millionaires and again in 1922 as the St. Patricks. Both of the Leaf’s first two Stanley Cup wins were within the first five years of the NHL.

In the 2017-2018 season, the Leafs were doing better than ever with 49 wins, 29 home wins and 105 points scored. Alas, the Leafs lost to the Boston Bruins in the first round of that year’s play offs. Despite their performances, the Maple Leafs remain an important Toronto icon and are arguably one of the most popular teams in the NHL.

St. Pats Hockey Team. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 9947

Toronto's First LCBO 

The Temperance Movement was an international campaign that encouraged moderation or total abstinence from alcohol in the 19th and 20th centuries. The federal government could ban the manufacture, sale, wholesale and interprovincial trade. However, the government was not eager to ban alcohol because of the tax revenue that it brought in. As a compromise, the provincial and federal government gave local governments the right to hold votes in order to ban the sale of alcohol, this was called the Temperance Act of 1878. During the First World War, temperance was at an all time high and in 1915 and 1916, all provinces except Quebec banned the sale of alcohol.

Fast forwarding to 1927, when the Liquor Control Board of Ontario was established and charged with making sure the province’s liquor laws were followed. The LCBO opened 12 stores, with 6 of them in Toronto. Despite the unreasonable and rigid liquor laws, the LCBO was a success with hundreds of people lining up on the opening day. 

Discovery of Insulin

It was Dr. Frederick Banting (a young surgeon from London, Ontario) who developed research ideas that would help test the theory that pancreatic secretions could prevent and treat diabetes. Banting took his ideas to the extensive research resources at the University of Toronto. Under the direction of a skeptical John James Rickard Macleod, Banting was able to utilize lab space and resources to test his theories in May of 1921.

Banting and his research assistant Charles Best tested diabetic dogs until the Autumn of 1921. While they did experience several breakthroughs, they still needed their pancreatic extracts to consistently and effectively to treat symptoms of diabetes. James Bertram Collip joined the team and assisted in improving the research until they were able to test their findings on human subjects in January 1922. In March of that year, Macleod and his team were able to produce a paper explaining their research and present it as a meeting of the Association of American Physicians. This is when the term “insulin” was first used.

Insulin production was supervised by the University of Toronto and by the end of 1923, insulin was made available to diabetics around the world. The 1923 prize for Medicine was awarded to Banting and Macleod who decided to split their winnings with Best and Collip. The discovery of insulin undoubtedly helped diabetics around the world and a small bottle of insulin is currently featured on the Canadian hundred dollar bill.

Sir Frederick Banting (left) and Lord Moynihan, University of Toronto. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1029.

Union Station 

On August 6th, 1927, Edward, the Prince of Wales got off his royal throne to come and open Union Station by cutting a ribbon with his gold scissors. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie Kind also attended the ceremony. Following the opening ceremony, His Royal Highness entered the station to receive the first ticket sold at Union Station. The ticket was to Alberta and cost 71.20$ which today would be around 1,184.49$. Five days later on August 11th, the station was opened to the public.

The term “Union Station” actually refers to a station where a number of railroads share space, so several Union Stations can be found across North America. The current Toronto Union Station that we all know was actually the city’s third station. Since the station’s opening it has undergone several renovations, but much care has been taken in order to preserve the historical and architectural significance. Toronto Union Station is still a bustling centre of transportation and an architectural icon.

Union Station. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 5045.

Edward, Prince of Wales (left). City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 11128.

RIDE THE ROCKET

Ghosts of Toronto's Past | Carys Owen
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It’s that time of year again. The malls are packed with eager people looking to engage in gratuitous gift-buying and stare at a giant reindeer. However, this is also a time where people look towards the new year. This year in particular we will see a new decade, the roaring 20’s. If I’m honest, the upcoming decade will probably contain further grim news reports and general signs of future dystopia, but let’s try to ignore that for the time being. Planning for the new year and refreshing oneself is a part of the holidays I actually look forward to. Out with the old and in with the new.

City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 6086.

This is also the mentality of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as this year we said goodbye to most of our old streetcars. With more and more streetcars leaving us each year, according to the TTC’s decommission schedule, 2019 has seen a total of 113 Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) and 15 Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) streetcars disappear. This will essentially leave Toronto with only the newer Flexity Outlook streetcar models. The crusty, change-resistant, old man in me shakes his cane at all this new stuff because the classic cherry red streetcar has become a symbol of Toronto over the years. But, since we have no choice in the matter, we might as well take a look on the history of the streetcar in Toronto.

City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 11134

The history of Toronto’s streetcar actually begins with a horse. In order to combat the overcrowded Williams Omnibus Buses, in 1861 Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) issued a horse-drawn street railway that originally traveled from Yorkville Town Hall to St. Lawrence Market. In 1982, the streetcar began to modernize as the first electric streetcar was used to transport around 167,000 Torontonians. The following years contained a growing Toronto population that was accommodated with a larger and larger streetcar network.

City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 43.

It wasn’t until 1921 that the TTC was born. Originally the commission combined the cars from the TCR along with two models of Peter Witt streetcars. Following the Second World War, the TTC debut the PCC red rocket cars in 1938. These cars were different from the Witt versions as they paid attention to passenger experience and comfort. They came equipped with heightened cushions, spacious seats and rubber springs to minimize noises and vibrations. 

City of Toronto Archives, Series 1465, File 598, Item 24

The old cherry red Toronto streetcars that we know today weren’t introduced until the 70’s. The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle with a round front arrived from Switzerland on December 29, 1977. However, we were nearly denied the pleasure of riding the CLRV streetcar. By the mid 60’s, the TTC planned to eliminate streetcars by 1980 (turns out the TTC has a long history of failed planning). To their credit, the city did get rid of many streetcars following the opening of the subway in 1954, but Toronto transit advocates recognized the benefits of the streetcar and urged the city to reconsider. Spoiler alter, they did reconsider and the city still relies on streetcars today.

City of Toronto Archives, Series 1465, File 597, Item 49

Since 2013, the TTC has introduced 204 Bombardier Transportation Flexibility Outlook model streetcars that include several new features such as bicycle storage areas and curb level access. As we say goodbye to 2019, we also apparently say goodbye to more than one transit tradition. Starting in November 2019 we also said goodbye to the sale of TTC tickets, tokens and passes in favour of PRESTO cards. But, chin up soldier, it’s not all bad. While the old streetcars are red bundles of nostalgia, they are also inaccessible, non- air conditioned and rather unreliable. Nothing lasts forever, and not all change is bad.

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