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Category: Vintage Canada

Happy Canada Day! Roundup of Fun 1940’s & 1950’s Canadiana

This Sunday, Canada turns 151 (Happy Birthday Canada!) and as many of you know I’m a born and raised Canadian Vintage Gal and I love to show off my beloved country thru many of the vintage posts I share here. So for today’s post I have put together a collection of Vintage Canadiana that I found online. Enjoy!

vintage-posters-canada-canada-vacations1

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 


Roundup of Fun 1940’s & 1950’s Canadiana

Vintage Canadian Affairs Reconstruction Supplement Number 7 – Mining In Canada. Published for the Canadian Armed Forces by the Canadian Information Service….issued January 1946.

About: 

This booklet features information on Canada’s booming Post War mining industry and how to get involved.

“Canadian Affairs Reconstruction Supplements are intended for those in the Services who want to discuss realistically the Canada in which they will work after the war. The Supplements are prepared by the Wartime Information Board and will appear fortnightly, alternating with the regular issue of CANADIAN AFFAIRS.”

It is part of the Canadian Affairs series issued to WW2 veterans returning home from service overseas and to people emigrating to Canada. The topics in the series range from Canadian politics, starting a business, investing, returning to school, avoiding scams, etc.

This Etsy seller is selling each one individually that you see in the below photo. Check out her page HERE.

Vintage Canadian Affairs Reconstruction Supplement Number 7 - Mining In Canada - 1940s Era Post War Time Veterans Booklet
Source: Etsy

1950’s Forestville Wall Clock-Made in Canada. So cool looking!

About:

The Blackforest Clock Company of Toronto, Ontario was founded by Leopold and Sara Stossel in 1928 and imported their clocks from Germany and sold in thru jewelery and department stores across Canada.  Renamed Forestville Clock Company in 1941.During the war years this company imported its clock movements from England, the United States, and even France. However, starting in the mid 1950s German factories again became the source of most Forestville clocks (Source).

I believe you can still buy Forestville clocks today according to the website where I found info on this Canadian Brand (If any of my readers have info on this please share in the comments below).

1950s mid century Forestville clock
Source: Etsy

The Pride of London, Ontario! Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, Vintage 1950’s Concert Program.

Further Reading: Guy Lombardo-Canada’s Famous Big Band Leader

Guy Lombardo 1950s Concert Program Vintage Collectible
Source: Etsy
Guy Lombardo 1950s Concert Program Vintage Collectible Inside
Source: Etsy

1950’s Wooden Bear Brooch from Banff, Alberta. Banff is the best! It is so pretty there.

Further Reading: Vintage Travel To Do List: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

1950s vintage wooden brooch of a bear and advertising Banff, Alberta Canada
Source: Etsy

Canadian Engineering Construction Toy Set, 1950’s by Multiple Toy Makers.

Vintage Canadian Engineering toy set 1950s
Source: Etsy

Montreal is a must see when you visit Canada. It’s truly beautiful and feels like you have stepped out of Canada into Europe. Below is a collection of 18 vintage snapshots that you could of purchased when visiting the city.

Montreal Canada vintage photo album.
Source: Etsy
Montreal Canada collection of vintage photos
Source: Etsy

1950’s / 1960’s brass hand painted enamel Canadian souvenir charm of Vancouver, BC.

1950's 1960's brass hand painted enamel Canadian souvenir charm
Source: Etsy

Time to hit the road and visit Ontario (my province) with this 1958 Road Map (I’m sure this map looks very different from today’s roads).

Further Reading: Vintage 1950s Travel Brochures & Pamphlets

1958 Ontario Official Vintage Road Map
Source: Etsy

This is a brand new discovery for me and I went to school for Fashion. Canada once had a magazine entitled “Women’s Reporter-The National Magazine for the Fashion Industry“. Here is the January 1948 Cover.

Do any of my readers remember this magazine? Share in the comments below if you do.

Vintage Magazine Canadian Women's Reporter January 1948
Source: Etsy

Late 1940s fashions for Women on display, including an Emma Domb design (who I have done a blog post on!).

Further Reading: Vintage Fashion Designer Spotlight: Emma Domb

1948 Fashion from a vintage magazine

“Wanted Magazines for our fighting Men”. 1940’s Original Canadian Propaganda poster.

"Wanted Magazines for our fighting Men". 1940's Original Canadian Propaganda poster
Source: Etsy

We have now come to the end of my vintage Canadiana roundup. I hope you enjoyed the post (share what you liked in the comments below) and Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian Readers!

FURTHER READING: Vintage Canada Blog Posts from the 1920s-1960s (Archived)

Liz

The Spring Edition of My Favorite Vintage Online Reads & Videos

It’s been awhile since I have done a roundup of some of my favourite online vintage reads and videos. So here we go….

Questions about the Vintage communit by Flashback Summer

Vintage Wearers Speak‘. This blog series by Flashback Summer is a Q & A with the vintage world, that myself and other vintage clothing fans recently participated in. It was a fantastic idea and I really enjoyed everyone’s diverse and interesting answers. Check them out below.

Vintage Wearers Speak:

If you could give one piece of wisdom or advice to vintage brands as an influencer and/or consumer, what would it be?

When do you NOT wear vintage styles?

Have you developed any new skills as a result of your interest in vintage style?

What is one area of vintage style that you struggle with?

What non-Western fashion aesthetics are you particularly attracted to or draw inspiration from?

What is one of your favorite interactions you’ve ever had with another vintage wearer on social media or a blog post?

When you first started wearing vintage, what was one thing that encouraged you to continue?

What vintage reproduction piece (or supply to reproduce your own vintage) has become a treasure to you?

Myth Buster! ‘Flappers Didn’t Really Wear Fringed Dresses‘. Article by Zoe Berry for Racked all about how the iconic flapper costume wouldn’t fit in at one of Jay Gatsby’s parties.

1920s photo of flappers and musicians having a party

Mary Travers, a.k.a. La Bolduc (seen above). La Bolduc was Canada’s first “chansonnière,” singing about the daily problems and difficulties of ordinary life. Her songs would cheer on les Québécois during the Great Depression. Take a look at her Heritage Minute below, focusing on the payment for her first recording session in 1930 (Video Clip).

Mary Bolduc, Canadian 1930s Famous Female Singer.
Source: Library and Archives Canada

The Google Doodle on June 4th was all about Canadian Tom Longboat on what would have been his 131st Birthday. Tom was an Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario and was one of the world’s great long-distance runners.

It celebrates the Canadian long-distance runner Tom Longboat on what would have been his 131st birthday.

He ran his first official race in Caledonia in 1905 and two years later shot to international attention with a record-breaking win in the Boston Marathon. He represented Canada in the 1908 Olympics. Hailed as professional world champion the following year, Longboat went on to set world records for 24- and 32-km races. During the First World War, he served as a dispatch runner with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (1916-19). Tom Longboat is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (Source).

Seventy-Five Years Ago, Women’s Baseball Players Took the Field.  Article by the Smithsonian

For further images, please check out my ‘All American Girls Baseball League‘ blog post.

History of Women's Baseball in United States during the 1940s-League of their Own
Source: Smithsonian

Canadian Born, Rose Marie Reid’s Vision For Beachwear Helped Shape The Modern Swimsuit. Article by the Smithsonian.

About: In the dead of winter, 1950, a Los Angeles fashion designer named Rose Marie Reid–already known for designing the beachwear of stars such as Marilyn Monroe–patented a one-piece bathing suit made using elastic fabric that could just be pulled on. Reid, who already held a number of bathing suit-related patents, had just created the earliest version of the modern one-piece suit (Source).

1950s Starlight Swimsuit. Rose Marie Reid
Source: Wikipedia

Further Reading: 1940s & 1950s Canadian Swimsuit Designer-Rose Marie Reid (Vintage Inn Blog Post)

Rose Marie Reid 1950s Swimsuit designer

The Swing Reival in the 90’s is a big part of why I am a lindy hopper and vintage fan today. So the music from that time will always hold a place in my heart. Billboard magazine wrote this long but very interesting article entitled “In Defense of the Swing Revival: Why America Flipped for ’40s Sounds in 1998“. Check it out to see why they had to defend it.

(Video Clip)

This last article/video brings us to the end of this edition of the vintage roundup. I hope you enjoyed what I had to share and thanks for stopping by!

Question time: What article or video did you enjoy above? Did you read or see anything that is in the vintage world that you found interesting? Share in the comments below! You know I love to hear from you.

Liz