Toronto Public Library shares images of Hamilton from over 200 years ago
- Craig Clark
- 25 Jan 2020
The Toronto Public Library shared an image on Reddit that showed the landscape of Burlington Bay in 1796.
Other Reddit users followed up with comments that contained historical representations of the city. Images shared within the Reddit thread were from Digital Archive Ontario which has a collection of images from Hamilton’s history.
Burlington Bay drawing from over 200 years ago from Hamilton
Digital Archive Ontario is developed and managed by the Toronto Public Library and provides free access to digital material of historical importance to Ontario and Canada.
Toronto Public Library originally shared a drawing of The King’s Head Inn from the South-East, Burlington Bay. The artist is accredited as Owen Staples and the work was produced in 1910 replicating artwork that was originally created in 1796 by Elizabeth Simcoe.
Reddit user dpplgn commented on the post with further links to other period works from Simcoe, including an image of Cootes Paradise and the Head of the Lake. Each of the images show Hamilton’s landscape in 1796. The comment also included a link to a postcard of Hamilton Beach from 1910.
Simcoe was a British artist and diarist in colonial Canada. She was the wife of John Graves Simcoe who was the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. Simcoe is best known for her paintings and diary writings that provide a valuable impression of life in colonial Ontario. It was first published in 1934.
The database that was shared by the Toronto Public Library has hundreds of images from Hamilton’s history including photos of Dundurn Castle in the 1940s, an aerial photo of Hamilton harbour from the 1950s and photos of downtown from the late 1800s.
Visit the Digital Archive Ontario website to further explore some of Hamilton’s history through photos, paintings and other preserved documents.
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