TORONTO STORIES FROM THE SCARBOROUGH MUSEUM

TORONTO STORIES

STORIES BY: VICTORIA BYERS, TARYN FOSS, TAMMY LAW, DANA MURRAY, AND OLIVIA SMITH

COMPILED BY: BRENNA PLADSEN

The series of digital stories about Toronto history and culture which make up this project are the work of fifty-three Master of Museum Studies (MMSt) graduate students. The project was inspired by the 2015 Myseum Intersections – Telling Toronto’s Stories and invited each storyteller to select an object from local collections which has significance to Toronto’s past and present. The objects inspired the authors to connect historical events with contemporary context so that they tell stories about the multiple intersections that happen in the city.

Musings will be posting collected stories once a cycle. We hope that, after reading the stories, you will know Toronto a little bit better. And perhaps you will find similar stories in your own objects!

Our partners for this project, to which we are extremely thankful, are:

• Archeological and Cultural Heritage Services 
• Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives 
• John M. Kelly Library, St. Mike’s College, University of Toronto 
• Lambton House 
• Myseum of Toronto 
• Ontario Jewish Archives 
• Private Collection of Russian Artefacts 
• Scarborough Historical Society 
• Scarborough Museum 
• The Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario 
• The Real Canadian Portuguese Museum 
• Toronto Botanical Garden 
• Toronto District School Board Archives

Now, without further ado, object stories from Scarborough Museum.

THE GRAND TOUR FROM YOU CHAISE: STEREOSCOPES IN THE 19th CENTURY CANADIAN HOME

BY: VICTORIA BYERS

How can you travel the world without having to leave your own home? By using a stereoscope, of course! This was a popular entertainment and educational tool commonly found in homes in rural Canada. Within the fine parlour of Scarborough Museum’s Cornell House, set to the year 1914, is a Victorian Stereoscope. What exactly is this strange looking object, and why does it belong in a rural Toronto home?

Scarborough Museum Stereoscope rear view.
Image courtesy of Scarborough Museum.

Rural Ontario offered little entertainment for the pioneering lads and ladies of the 19th century. Their wealthy British counterparts could take a jaunt to France, Italy, and Germany, absorbing the arts and culture of the time. This was referred to as “The Grand Tour” and was a popular rite of passage for young aristocratic men, as part of their classical education. They would witness awe-inspiring symbols of Western culture and explore the vestiges remaining from enlightened ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and Romans. Travel in general was a thrilling pastime of both wealthy men and women.

But what about everyone else who wanted to travel? What options did rural Torontonians have to explore the world? Pailagi Pandya, Museum Program Officer of the Scarborough Museum explains that “stereoscopes were particularly useful in the sense that they allowed people to ‘tour’ foreign lands without the expense and hassle of actually going there. They enabled people to travel the world from the comfort of their parlour. It provided the sense of "You are here" with depth of the images, like the 3D viewfinder”.

Scarborough Museum Stereoscope front view.
Image courtesy of Scarborough Museum.

The stereoscope is a faceplate with a long handle and wire brackets to hold images of faraway places. This stereoscope is made of wood and metal and finds its home in the parlour of the Scarborough Museum, very close to Toronto. Stereograph cards showed the same image twice and the glass lenses in the faceplate and the repeated image tricks a user’s mind into seeing one 3D image. The stereoscope originated in Britain in early 1838 and was shown at London’s Great Exhibition in 1851. Queen Victoria even showed interest in the device during the Great Exhibition as it pleasantly entertained her. Stereoscopes traveled to North America and could be found in homes, schools, and libraries as entertainment and education for all ages! Rural Torontonians were limited no more! People, places and things from every continent could be viewed and enjoyed despite age, gender, or social class. If you were able to access a stereoscope and its images, you could travel. Better still, stereoscope-toting Torontonians could write their own adventures based on the images they were seeing. 

Temple of Heaven, Seoul, South Korea. Stereograph Card. Underwood and Underwood, 1902.
Image courtesy of Boston Public Library flickr page.

This stereograph shows a beautiful temple found in Seoul, South Korea. This particular image was printed in Toronto and is accompanied by the caption “The beautiful Temple of Heaven, where the Emperor worships at the solstices.” Onlookers could travel to Korea and experience its “exoticism” without having to move from their parlour chaise! A travel experience rural Victorian Torontonians may not have had without a stereoscope!

Works Cited
City of Toronto. (2015). Cornell House. Retrieved from Toronto: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=3c8aeb6c9b7a0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=a27d2271635af310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

City of Toronto. (2015). Scarborough Museum. Retrieved from Toronto: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=a27d2271635af310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Darley, G. (2008). Wonderful Things: The Experience of the Grand Tour. Perspecta, 41, 17-29.

Government of Canada. (2013, 06 15). Artefacts Canada - Humanities. Retrieved from Canadian Heritage Information Network: http://www.rcip-chin.gc.ca/bd-dl/artefacts-eng.jsp?emu=en.artefacts:/ws/human/user/www/Record&w=NATIVE%28%27+WAT+ph+any+%27%27stereoscope%27%27+and++WHAIR+ph+any+%27%27scarborough%27%27%27%29&upp=0&rpp=10&m=1

Howard, I. P. (2012). Perceiving in Depth, Volume 1: Basic Mechanisms. New York: Oxford University Press.

A BEDTIME STORY FROM 19th CENTURY SCARBOROUGH

BY: TARYN FOSS

Our story begins with a road and a bedframe…
If you’ve ever ventured into Scarborough, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of McCowan Road. McCowan Road runs through Scarborough from the shore of Lake Ontario in the south to Lake Simcoe in the north.

William P. McCowan’s bed frame from the Scarborough Museum.
Photography by author.

Pictured above is a four-poster bedframe made from wood with a stained varnish, on display at the Scarborough Museum. A latticed rope surface would’ve been used to hold up the straw-stuffed mattress. It is not known exactly when this bedframe was built, but it is safe to assume that it dates back to the 1830s.

Photograph of another bedframe displayed at the Scarborough Museum,
demonstrating the structure of the latticed rope surface that would hold up the mattress.
Photography by author.

But what does a road in Scarborough have to do with a bedframe?
The answer is William Porteous McCowan, or Willie, as he was known, namesake of the road and original owner of the bedframe.

Born in Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1820, Willie and his family emigrated to Upper Canada in 1833, settling in the burgeoning township of Scarborough. His story is one that many present-day immigrants to Toronto can probably relate to. As immigrants to a new land, the McCowan family was in search of a better life. So, in 1848, Willie purchased a modest log home in the area of McCowan and Kingston Road looking to build a new life for himself and his family.

Now a landowner in his own right, Willie supported his mother and sister by raising sheep and cattle, and growing hay and an orchard on his 100-acre property. It was on this very bed where Willie would lay his head after a long, hard day’s work.

William Porteous McCowan house, Malvern. (Built c. 1833) Ref#13-IV-2.2.
Image courtesy of the Scarborough Historical Society.

This small log cabin was just enough to accommodate two small bedrooms – as master of the house, Willie had one for himself, and the other was shared by his mother and sister. As beds were often one of the most expensive items families would own, [1] having your own bed would’ve been quite a luxury for regular settlers in 19th century Canada, not to mention your very own bedroom! [2]

This bed frame stands today as a symbol of Willie’s lifetime of hard work to carve out a better life for himself in Canada. Though he may not have started out with much, by saving up to purchase small luxuries like this bedframe he was able to make his life a little more comfortable. This elegantly carved bedframe is a testament to Willie’s appreciation for, and pursuit of, beauty despite the relatively harsh conditions of settler life. It is perhaps due to this admirable trait that Willie became a prolific member of the early Scarborough community, prompting McCowan Road to be named in his honour.

After his death in 1902, Willie’s bedframe became a McCowan family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. When it was acquired by the Scarborough Museum in 1992, amazingly, it was reunited after almost a century with the McCowan log house it had called home throughout Willie’s life.

To find out more, visit the Scarborough Museum!

Footnotes

1. Bill Bryson, A short history of private life (London: Doubleday, 2010), 346.
2. Peter Ward, A history of domestic space: Privacy and the Canadian home (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1999), 81.

References
Bryson, Bill. A short history of private life. London: Doubleday, 2010.

Ward, Peter. A history of domestic space: Privacy and the Canadian home. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1999.

SOME BRIEF (MUSICAL) NOTES ON THE GRAMOPHONE: HOW TORONTO LISTENED TO MUSIC IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY

BY: TAMMY LAW

Music is played and listened to on various modern devices, from computers to iPods and record players. But how was music played and enjoyed in the early 20th century? Music was played on a gramophone! It may be difficult to purchase one now, but if you ever want to see one in person head down to the Scarborough Museum’s McCowan Log House, one of the historic houses which make up the museum. There, will will find a tall mahogany gramophone.

“Sonora Gramophone”,
picture by Tammy Law.

“Close Up of Sonora Gramophone”,
picture by Tammy Law.

The gramophone, explained Pailagi Pandya, the Museum Program Officer, was originally invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, but it was patented in 1887 in America by Emile Berliner who initiated the transition from phonograph cylinders to gramophone records. The gramophone was produced by Sonora Phonograph Company, a company known for producing chime clocks until its reincorporation in 1913. The gramophone in the McCowan Log House was most likely purchased from A. & S. Nordheimer, a piano company founded in 1844 in Toronto. This is how a gramophone works.

There are several historical advertisements for gramophones found in online newspaper archives such as those of the Globe and Mail. One 1989 advertisement described the gramophone as the “ideal machine for home entertainments” and “the realm of modern invention” of its time, and most importantly it was “inexpensive”. The gramophone allowed for the public to enjoy music that was “reproduced” rather than “imitated” thus creating an authentic experience.

“GRAM-O-PHONE” from The Globe (1844-1936); Jan 15, 1898;
ProQuest Historical News Papers: The Globe and Mail.

When I first saw the gramophone, I assumed that last time it was used was perhaps by the original owners. But when I asked Elaine Kemp, the Acting Curator of the Scarborough Museum, however, I got a very surprising answer. She said that the museum had used the gramophone to play music in the past to entertain the visitors. Unfortunately, Kemp also mentioned that the gramophone can no longer be used since the needle is broken.

Despite the current condition of the gramophone, it is comforting to know that it was used at one point to perhaps entertain or enlighten visitors in the 21st century. The experience may have given visitors a glimpse into the lives of those who used the gramophone almost a century ago. They can reflect on the similarities or differences of family and community engagement in regards to how music is played and enjoyed today.No vinyl records were visible at the McCowan Log House unless the records were placed in the cabinet beneath the gramophone. The thing I was most curious to know was what specific genre of music was listened the most by people in Toronto in the early 20th century while enjoying a cup of tea or during a holiday party. Perhaps this is what they listened to.

References
Display ad 2 -- no title. (1898, Jan 15). The Globe (1844-1936) Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1649801183?accountid=14771

MyOldPhonograph. (2011). Sonora Phonograph Co., Inc.; New York, N.Y.. Retrieved from http://www.razzarsharp.com/Phonographs/bSonora.html

ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS: DINNER TIME WITH SCARBOROUGH'S VICTORIAN DRAUGHT SCREEN

BY: DANA MURRAY

Just a short drive from the downtown core of Toronto, the Scarborough Museum offers visitors a rare glimpse into Toronto’s regional history. A living history museum, the Scarborough Museum focuses on the lives of the everyday person within the Scarborough area. Although this is generally a familiar past, one rich in local history and perhaps even ancestral ties, the museum’s collection of objects is extremely vast and still holds many secrets waiting to be uncovered.

The Scarborough Museum’s Victorian Draught Screen.
Photography by author.

This Victorian draught screen is one such mystery. Currently on display in the dining room of the Cornell House, one of the four structures that shape the museum, the draught screen would have been used to prevent drafts from tampering with family meals. In fact, this is precisely how the screen is stationed in the museum, carefully placed between the table and the window of the dining room, readily available for the family’s next meal.

Both functional and decorative, this screen is composed of varnished hardwood with dried flowers, leaves, and ferns pressed between two sheets of glass. Despite the fact that this draught screen would not have offered a great deal of privacy (it is largely composed of glass after all!), other variations would have served as partitions or dressing screens.

But where did it come from?

Anonymously donated to the museum in the 1960s by a Scarborough-based family, we unfortunately know very little about the original owners or the artisan that crafted the screen. We do know that it was made in the nineteenth century, [1] a time when both decorative art and homemade goods, such as this screen, were becoming steadily more popular. It was also during this time that the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic Movements flourished, strongly influenced by Japanese art and artifacts. In truth, it was from Japan that the concept of the draught screen originated, its popularity slowly spreading to Britain through trade, eventually reaching across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada and thereby, Scarborough.

Indeed, Scarborough homes were not excluded from the changes that occurred during the nineteenth century, such as the emergence of electricity and the influence of globalization and “exotic” styles. During this time, a growing concern for “the tasteful manner of serving” [2] began to replace earlier, more modest, living. As the “heart of the house,” the dining room was perceived as the space in which comfort and style should be achieved at all costs, [3] and in the case of this screen, the cost was measured in flowers.

Unfortunately, we may never know which Scarborough citizen originally created or owned this screen, but thanks to the mysterious Scarborough donor in the 1960s the museum is now able to share a sneak peak into the private lives – and the dining experience – of Victorian Scarborough.

For more information about life in eighteenth-nineteenth century Scarborough click here.

Footnotes

1. P. Pandya, Oct 16, 2015.
2. David Boyle, The Township of Scarboro 1796-1896, (Toronto: William Briggs,1869), 109.
3. Harriet Prescott Spofford, Art Decoration Applied to Furniture (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1878), 191.

Works CitedBoyle, D. (1869). The township of Scarboro 1796 – 1896. Toronto, ON: Williams Briggs. Retrieved November 7, 2015 from https://archive.org/stream/townshipofscarbo00boyluoft#page/110/mode/2up

Prescott Spofford, H. (1878). Art decoration applied to furniture. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers. Retrieved November 7, 2015 from https://archive.org/stream/artdecorationapp00spof#page/n0/mode/2up

Screens and their uses. (1882). The Furniture Gazette, Xvii, pp.119-120.

A STITCH IN TIME: THE EUROPEAN SAMPLER TRADITION AND GIRLS' EDUCATION IN 19th CENTURY TORONTO

BY: OLIVIA SMITH

Minnie Pickford’s sampler on display in the Cornell House at the Scarborough Museum.
Notice the skill with which the numbers, letters, and decorative motifs were stitched in vibrant linen thread.
Photo credit: Olivia Elliott Smith.

Displayed on the upstairs landing of Scarborough Museum’s Cornell House is a piece of Toronto’s embroidered history. Proudly bearing the creator’s name, Minnie Pickford, is a wonderful example of a 19th century needlework sampler. In keeping with the tradition of the time, Minnie has industriously stitched the alphabet, numbers, and her name in a sturdy, legible font. The composition is further embellished with brightly coloured decorative motifs of potted plants, flowers, exotic birds and a stag. Each element would have been specifically selected so that she may practice and remember her stitches. The completed sampler would also be used as a reference guide when creating other works, rather like a 19th century “recipe card”.

Around the time this piece was produced, samplers had become an important part of the “genteel female education” [1] which prepared middle and upper-class girls for their future household duties. One such duty was marking clothing with unique, identifying stitches. Carolyn Beacroft, International Liaison for the Embroiderer’s Association of Canada, explains that this skill “was essential in a society that sent out the laundry to be done by local women living nearby.” [2] Minnie’s sampler would have allowed her to display her feminine accomplishments, as well as the value her family placed on her education.

Though we don’t know anything about Minnie Pickford other than her name, we can imagine what she may have been like in light of her sampler’s home at the Scarborough Museum. The Cornell House was built in 1858, and represents the typical rural, upper-middle class home of the time. Charles and Matilda Cornell, the house’s original owners, had eight children, and creating samplers like Minnie’s was likely an important part in their daughters’ upbringing. Like the Cornell’s children, Minnie was likely the daughter of a middle or upper-middle class family living in Scarborough in the 19th century. She would have made this sampler around age 10 or 12 as a way of showcasing her education and sewing abilities.

The Scarborough Museum also tells us about immigrant experiences, since the original owners of its historic houses were immigrants to the Scarborough area. While we can’t know for sure if Minnie was an immigrant to Scarborough, her sampler’s place in the collection is an example of the travelling of traditions. Samplers have been produced in Europe since at least the 15th century [3] and the presence of this practice in Scarborough illustrated through Minnie’s work connects a very old European tradition with a newer Canadian context. Sampler making would have travelled with immigrants from Europe to North America, where it remained an important part of a Canadian girl’s preparation for her future role in Toronto’s society. Samplers were also an opportunity for young ladies to be creative. The brightly coloured flowers, birds, and stag Minnie chose for her piece make us wonder what they may have meant to her. Are these some of her favourite animals? Are there deeper meanings to these symbols that contemporary viewers would have understood, but are lost on us? What do you think?

Footnotes

1. The Milwaukee Public Museum uses this term to refer to the education that middle and upper class girls would have received at the time. For more information on the museum’s extensive collection of samplers, please visit http://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/history/online-collections-research/schoolgirl-samplers
2. Carolyn Beacroft, First Marking Samplers. Embroiderer’s Association of Canada http://www.eac.ca/docs/FirstMarkingSampler.pdf
3. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England has an extensive collection of samplers ranging from the 15th to the 20th century, and has produced a lot of research on their history. To find out more, visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/a-history-of-samplers/

TORONTO STORIES FROM THE SCARBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

TORONTO STORIES

STORIES BY: SARAH HARRISON, MAUREEN MARSHALL, KATIE WILSON, JESS ZHANG

COMPILED BY: BRENNA PLADSEN

The series of digital stories about Toronto history and culture which make up this project are the work of fifty-three Master of Museum Studies (MMSt) graduate students. The project was inspired by the 2015 Myseum Intersections – Telling Toronto’s Stories and invited each storyteller to select an object from local collections which has significance to Toronto’s past and present. The objects inspired the authors to connect historical events with contemporary context so that they tell stories about the multiple intersections that happen in the city.

Musings will be posting collected stories once a cycle. We hope that, after reading the stories, you will know Toronto a little bit better. And perhaps you will find similar stories in your own objects!

Our partners for this project, to which we are extremely thankful, are:

• Archeological and Cultural Heritage Services 
• Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives 
• John M. Kelly Library, St. Mike’s College, University of Toronto 
• Lambton House 
• Myseum of Toronto 
• Ontario Jewish Archives 
• Private Collection of Russian Artefacts 
• Scarborough Historical Society 
• Scarborough Museum 
• The Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario 
• The Real Canadian Portuguese Museum 
• Toronto Botanical Garden 
• Toronto District School Board Archives

Now, without further ado, object stories from Scarborough Historical Society.

A SLICE OF OLD TORONTO: THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA AT THE GUILD INN, SCARBOROUGH 

BY: SARAH HARRISON

The Guild Inn, Scarborough, currently under renovation for new management at time of writing.
Photo credit, Sarah Harrison.

Hidden away in a quiet corner of Scarborough’s Guildwood Village stands an old run-down hotel. The hotel consists of about 90 acres of green space, where fragments from a variety of old buildings from the city of Toronto are displayed in the gardens. How did pieces from over 60 buildings arrive there? The answer starts with Herbert Spencer Clark (1903 – 1986) and Rosa Hewetson Clark (1888 – 1981). They purchased property in Scarborough and founded the Guild of All Arts in 1932, a craft co-operative ensuring that craftsmen-and-women would be able to produce handmade arts and crafts in an economically sustainable way. [1] However, in order to stay solvent, the Clarks decided to construct the Guild Inn to supplement the Guild of All Arts, so that the craftspeople would have a place to stay, in addition to generating income from tourists.

In the early twentieth century, Scarborough was a very fashionable place to take a holiday, as it was far away from downtown Toronto. In the later years of the Guild, Herbert Clark decided that he would turn the grounds of the Inn into an open-air museum. During the 1960’s – 70’s buildings were being destroyed across Toronto to make way for more modern architectural projects. This is when Mr. Clark, backed up by a group of wealthy friends, decided to salvage fragments from many buildings. Rick Schofield from the Scarborough Archive notes that, “[Mr. Clark] was saving artefacts from Toronto when the City of Toronto no longer cared about them”. [2] By preserving them on his property, Mr. Clark managed to collect sculptures, columns, walls, and in one case an entire pavilion. [3]

One example of the many buildings preserved here are two pieces from the same building: the entrance gate and sculptures from the Bank of Nova Scotia. This bank was founded in 1832 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. By the turn of the century, its head office was moved to 39 King Street West in Toronto. The same architects who designed many other buildings around Toronto, including the main building of the Royal Ontario Museum, built the head office of the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1903. The Bank’s facade is built from sculpted stone, and the entrance to the building is made of Ohio sandstone The Bank of Nova Scotia owned the building until 1951, when the head office moved across the street. [4] The building then became a public library, and was later purchased by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and then demolished in 1969. [5]

Sculptures and fragments from the Bank of Nova Scotia at the Guild Inn (built 1903, established 1832).
Photo credit, Sarah Harrison.

In the present day, people are more mobile than ever before, and so cities are in a state of constant change. Thus, Mr. Clark’s passion for collecting architecture is something to consider in relation to larger questions. As a city, what parts of our architecture should we value and save? As citizens, how do we preserve architectural heritage in a way that is accessible, so that we, as well as future generations, are able to enjoy them? 

Ohio sandstone entrance to the Bank of Nova Scotia, 1903.
Photo credit, Sarah Harrison.

Check out the Scarborough Historical Society for more info: http://www.scarboroughhistorical.com/.

Footnotes 

1. Lidgold, C.M. (2000). The History of the Guild Inn. Brookridge Publishing: Scarbourough, ON. Page 51.
2. Personal communication, October 16th, 2015.
3. Myzelev,A. (2012). “Regional Respite: Guild of All Arts and Craft Revival in Ontario”. The Historian, 74 (2). pgs 307- 329. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6563.2012.00321.x Page 328.
4. Walker, Hugh (1980). The Spencer Clark Collection of Historic Architecture at the Guild Inn. [Pamphlet]. Scarborough, Guild of All Arts. 11.
5. Arthur, Eric. (1986). Toronto: No Mean City. 3rd Edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Page 218.

MYSTERY ABOUNDS! 19th CENTURY SCARBOROUGH SCHOOL HOUSE DATE STONE DISCOVERED TO BE PART OF A CEMETERY

BY: MAUREEN MARSHALL

On a recent visit to the Scarborough Archives, archivist Rick Schofield showed me a marble date stone for Woburn School or S.S. No. 6 and told me that there was a mystery attached to it. Now I was intrigued!

Photo of Date Stone on Woburn School circa 1900,
Photo by Maureen Marshall

Schofield explained the mystery to me. When Woburn school was demolished in 1956, the Scarborough Archives asked to have the date stone donated to them. The stone arrived and it was much larger than typical date stones for other schools in the area. Also, it had the word ‘Scarboro’ carved into it, whereas most schools simply had the school section number and the date engraved onto its bricks. He wondered what was so special about this school built in 1863 at the intersection of Markham Road and Ellesmere that warranted a date stone that was out of the ordinary. Also, according to his records, the local farmers paid only $5 for this stone whereas farmers down the road paid $8 for a smaller stone for their school built in the same year at the corner of Eglinton and Birchmount. This stone was definitely different!

Date Stone for Woburn School, S.S. No. 6,
Photo by Maureen Marshall

When the stone arrived at the Scarborough Archives, the staff had the extra cement that had been used to glue the stone to the wall of the school cleaned off and discovered that the back of the date stone was a recycled tombstone!

Tombstone showing damage,
Photo by Maureen Marshall

Schofield explained that the tombstone was carved for United Empire Loyalist, Thomas Hubbard (1759-1854), who incidentally was an early Pickering-Whitby councilor who then became Pickering Township’s first clerk in 1811 and later Justice of the Peace. Upon closer inspection, the stone appeared to be damaged in the bottom left hand corner. Apparently, when the stone carver was making the tombstone, a part of the facing fell off and he had to discard the marble. Along came local farmers looking for a date stone for their new school and the rest is history! The stone carver sold them the stone for a discount and offered to carve ‘Scarboro’ at the bottom as it was larger than the standard size and could accommodate the inscription. Mystery solved and everyone is happy!
And what of Mr. Thomas Hubbard and his tombstone? A new tombstone was carved for him and it rests in Brougham Cemetery. Since it has been exposed to the elements, it hasn’t fared as well as the original!

NO USE CRYING OVER PLASTIC MILK: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MILK DELIVERY IN THE GTA

BY: KATIE WILSON

The Plastic Milk Jug introduced by
the Scarborough Branch of the Silvewoods Dairy in 1967.
Photo by Katherine Wilson.

Since the 1890’s families in the GTA had their milk delivered daily in glass bottles by their neighbourhood milkman. Trucks full of glass bottles of milk would leave the dairy every morning and return at the end of the day full of empty bottles. According to historian and head archivist at the Scarborough Archives Rick Scofield, things began to change in the 1950s, when more and more families had their own cars and “one stop shopping plazas” became favoured places to shop. One of the major innovations that contributed to this shift from home delivery to self purchasing was the introduction of the Plastic Milk Jug, such as this one found at the Scarborough Archives.

In 1967, the Scarborough branch of Silverwoods Dairy began mass producing milk in plastic jugs. Silverwoods Dairy, while based in London (Ontario), provided services across Ontario acquiring a number of smaller dairies. While plastic milk jugs were first introduced in London, Silverwoods chose to test the waters in Scarborough before introducing them widely throughout the GTA. These three quart jugs were made of high density polyethylene plastic and were lighter than glass jugs. While dairies thought these plastic bottles would benefit them, they were lighter, easier to transport, and made no noise, it was convenience and grocery stores that ultimately benefitted more from this change.

Home milk delivery was popular throughout the 1950s, but during this decade a number of factors impacted the lifestyle of those living in the GTA. Many families had their own cars and could therefore buy large quantities of groceries and household goods from shops. In addition, appliances, specifically refrigerators, were more affordable and families did not have to rely on fresh milk every day. Convenience stores like the new and popular Ontario chain Becker’s began selling milk in plastic jugs. Becker’s was bought out by Silcorp in 1996 and is now affiliated with the network of Mac’s Convenience Stores.

Eventually, two things caused dairies to rethink their decision to produce milk in plastic jugs. First was the environmental concern. While the dairies originally believed that the plastic jugs would retain even less odors than glass bottles it was soon discovered that it was difficult to disinfect the porous plastic containers and they could only be used once. The second was financial. Dairies like Silverwood attempted to return to distributing milk in glass bottles for home delivery experimenting with different sizes but corner stores continued to sell milk in the three quart plastic jugs at a cheaper price. The dairies could not compete with the discount prices of these new convenience stores and many families elected to by their own milk from the store than have it delivered.

The plastic jugs continued to be sold, but soon gave way to cardboard cartons and finally, plastic bags of milk. The plastic milk jug is easily ignored as it is quite commonplace. It was this jug however, that launched the milk revolution in the GTA.

Works Cited:
Chetroff, E. (2012, August 1), “The Surprising History of the Milk Carton,” http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/08/the-surprising-history-of-the-milk-carton/260587/ Retrieved: November 23, 2015

Grey, J. (2013, December 21, Saturday), “When Milkmen Still Rode Down Toronto’s Streets. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/when-the-milkman-still-rode-down- Toronto’s-streets/article16073542/ Retrieved: November 23, 2015

“Ontario Dairies: The Most Comprehensive Image Archive of Ontario Dairies,” http://www.ecbw.ca/ontario_dairies/ Retrieved: November 23, 2015. 

“Switch to Plastic Jugs,” The Scarborough News, March 9, 1967, pg. 16.

THE COUGH SYRUP THAT CHANGED COOKBOOK HISTORY

BY: JESS ZHANG

A few bottles of Northrop and Lyman Co.’s “Bickle’s Anti-Consumptive Syrup” can be found at the Scarborough Archives in Toronto, Ontario. Housed in formerly a prosperous general store operating from 1891-1967 [1], the Scarborough Historical Society preserves the building for to promoting Scarborough’s heritage. Archivist Richard Schofield explains, “it is important to learn and share history so that future generations will have a better understanding of our past.” Schofield’s passion for research and conservation continues to provide access to authentic historical objects such as this cough syrup bottle, which reveals a fascinating narrative about culinary history and material culture in 19th century Canada.

These expired bottles of “Bickle’s Anti-Consumptive Syrup” offer knowledge on Canada’s early pharmaceutical industry and on the development of cookbooks.

Northrop & Lyman Co. Bickle’s Anti-Consumptive Syrup
(Scarborough Archives. Photo credit: Jessica Lin Zhang).

During mid-19th century, Canada had seen an emergence of three new types of culinary manuals: community cookbooks, including fundraising or charitable cookbooks; advertising or promotional cookbooks; and educational cookbooks for cookery classes. [2] Under the advertising genre of cookbooks, famous Canadian pharmacists Henry Northrop and John Lyman published for public distribution various cookbooks and almanac pamphlets promoting their patented medicines.

In a review of the Northrop and Lyman’s Family Recipe Book and Guide to Health, dating to ca. 1877, it was evident that the pamphlet was designed for Canadian housewives. The pamphlets offered a basic selection of recipes - for instance, how to prepare pickled plums, strawberry jelly, raspberry jam or apple jelly. [3] The cookbooks also included testimonials about the effectiveness of the different medicines, descriptions of symptoms for various illnesses frequent at that time such as tetanus or blood-poisoning, paired with the appropriate medicine recommended to combat each illness. [4]

Front cover of Northrop & Lyman Co. publication of Family Recipe Book and Guide to Health 1877
(Toronto Reference Library, special collections).

Page spread advertisement of Bickle’s Anti-Consumptive Syrup in Family Recipe Book and Guide to Health 1877
(Toronto Reference Library, special collections).

The pharmaceutical advertising in cookbooks spoke to the essential home economics skills asked of women at that time. The recipe pamphlets intended to teach, inform, and advise the community by assisting women to make healthy homes, thus improving the standards of their Canadian lifestyle. [5] Northrop and Lyman Co. proved to be highly successful and the business became one of Canada’s first and largest patent medicine manufacturers and wholesale dealers. [6]

This bottle of cough syrup traces an important moment in Canadian history. Its biography reveals many important ideas and stories about the pharmaceutical industry and its connections with early Canadian print culture and culinary practices as “cookbooks can be read as a small-scale manifestation of a larger subject – the importance for Canadian women of associational life as a means of contributing to their society”. [7] These connections are historic but continue today.

Footnote

1. Scarborough Historical Society, 2013; pp. 1.
2. Driver, 2008; pp. xxii ‘Introduction’.
3. Northrop and Lyman Co., 1877; pp. 27.
4. Sullivan, 1983; pp. 22.
5. Driver, 2008; pp. xxvi ‘Introduction’.
6. Driver, 2008; pp. 301.
7. Driver, 2008; pp. xxix ‘Introduction’.

Works Cited
Driver E. (2008). Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825-1949. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Print.

Northrop and Lyman Co. (1877). Family Recipe Book and Guide to Health. Toronto: Northrop and Lyman Co. Print.

Northrop and Lyman Co. (1896). Almanac and Guide to Health. Toronto: Northrop and Lyman Co. Print.

Scarborough Historical Society. (2013). Scarborough Historical Notes and Comments 23: W. J. Morrish Store and 1891 Diary. Toronto: Scarborough Historical Society. Print.

Sullivan, C. (1983). The Bottles of Northrop & Lyman, A Canadian Drug Firm. Material Culture Review / Revue de la culture matérielle, 18. Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/MCR/article/view/17163/22805

CAN FOOD MAKE BETTER NEIGHBOURS? THE WING IN SEATTLE, WA

A MUSE BOUCHE

BY: ERIKA ROBERTSON

This week I’m showcasing the extraordinary museum where I work as a collections intern. Like every museum I’ve visited so far, the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (the Wing for short) keeps food and drink out of the galleries. They don’t even offer a restaurant or café for hungry visitors! 

It turns out this is a intentional choice. The Wing staff think of themselves as ‘concierges’ to Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. Staff love recommending local restaurants (where they can often be found ordering their own lunches). Rather than competing with their neighbours, the Wing collaborates with local businesses to organize food tours. My mom and I had the pleasure of taking their “Not Just Tofu” tour together.

Mom, wait up! 
Photo by the author. 

From beginning to end, "Not Just Tofu" was about building empathy. Our guides, Doan and Jintana, asked us to introduce ourselves "before we eat a meal together." These brief introductions broke the ice. By the end of the first course, we felt comfortable bringing up difficult topics such as economic stresses facing the historic neighbourhood. Doan connected the museum's mission to foodways: both the Wing and food are ways to preserve and share stories. 

Doan pauses mid-story.
Photo by the author. 

So how was the food? In a word, amazing. Our "progressive dinner" began with Vietnamese-style lemongrass chili tofu from Chu Minh while Jintana shared historic images of the tofu-making process. Next, we enjoyed tea, eggplant in garlic sauce, and crispy tofu at Henry’s Taiwan Kitchen. Seoul Tofu had the greatest variety of flavours with its many banchan, or pickled side dishes. As our guide explained, the Korean American community is a relatively recent addition to Chinatown-International District. The dishes had been thoughtfully selected to weave together many flavours, experiences, and histories.

Henry's signature crispy tofu has a light, aromatic quality.
Photo by the author.

Somehow, we found room for three creamy shaved ices at Bambu. Doan said she felt more at home at this last stop, which offers wifi and caters to a younger generation. Our two-and-a-half hour dinner concluded with a gift. We were presented with lovely “Eat Sheets” with a list of more vegetarian dishes to try and unique recipe for each of us. Soon we were all sharing stories about our favourite recipes and what we wanted to cook next. 

Jintana enriches the Thai tea-flavoured shaved ice with history and culture.
 Photo by the author.

Food can be a delicious introduction to a neighbourhood. As an intern at the Wing, I’m proud that my host institution is taking a leading role in building relationships. Many people are joining the conversation and finding creative ways to encourage cross-cultural understanding. Three groups caught my eye because they’re using food to discuss immigration, place, and cultural identity in innovative ways:

1) The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) in Brooklyn values the universal nature of eating: “Food is culture. It is more than simply what is on our plates: it is a common denominator of human relationships” Source. They have partnered with local restaurants to open conversations about immigrant chefs’ contributions to New York Source. 

2) Torontonians may have seen the Toronto Ward Museum’s new food tours featured in Huffington Post recently: “the Toronto Ward Museum has already begun to tell the city's local stories in an unconventional way—through food” Source.  You can learn about the experiences of Arlene and Leo Chan on their “Wok Through Chinatown” tour. Their goal is to introduce visitors to the stories of Chinese immigrants through food Source. 

3) Culinaria Research Centre at University of Toronto, Scarborough just launched their mobile app. Scarborough, A Little Taste (SALT) helps you navigate the stunning diversity in their city’s restaurant scene.  Source. If you want to try something new but you’re not sure where to start, they can point you in the right direction. Check it out here.

So find a food tour or try a new cuisine near you! If you’re in Seattle, check out the Wing’s upcoming Game Day BBQ tour. (Pro tip: museum staff encourage you to bring a container for leftovers.) Stay tuned next month to hear about changing perceptions of First Nations dishes as I bite into fry bread.