Feature of the Week: The Titanic underwater

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Alison

In 2005, Ryerson Library Special Collections received a substantial donation of audiovisual material from Dr. Joe MacInnis. For 30 years, the Canadian physician and explorer has studied the human effects of working deep underwater and has organized dives in the Great Lakes, the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic Ocean.

In addition to being a medical consultant to the US Navy, contributing to the development of Canada’s first ocean’s policy, working with the construction team on the world’s first undersea polar station (the Sub-Igloo) and leading the team that discovered the HMS Breadalbane and filmed the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, MacInnis helped lead the filming of history’s most famous shipwreck, the Titanic.

MacInnis made two dives to the bow and stern of the Titanic between 1985 and 1991, and was co-leader of the two million dollar project to film the ship in IMAX format. In 2005, he joined James Cameron on a dive that produced a 90 minute live broadcast from some of the last unseen rooms of the ship.

The donated collection includes; 804 videocassettes, 144 sound recordings, 11 motion pictures, and 3 video reels. As the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic approaches, Special Collections has been working on digitizing and cataloguing the collection to preserve the many hours of original raw footage, and newscasts about the pioneering dives.

To view some of the digitized files, make an appointment at Special Collections by sending an email to: asc@ryerson.ca. For more information on MacInnis, check out these library sources:

MacInnis, Joe, 1937- Title Breathing underwater : the quest to live in the sea / Joe MacInnis. Publisher Toronto : Viking Canada, c2004.

MacInnis, Joe, 1937- Title Fitzgerald’s storm : the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald / Joseph MacInnis. Publisher Toronto : Macmillan Canada, c1997.

Sources:

Still images from: “Titanic d edit left #2 [unedited]” Invisible Media, c. 1991 MacInnis Audiovisual Collection, Toronto Metropolitan University Library Special Collections.

Dr. Joe MacInnis: Physician, explorer, motivational speaker and author. Dr. Joe McInnis, n.d. http://www.drjmacinnis.com/. 17 Mar. 2011.

A Contest that is for the Dogs!

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Rosalynn

Help us name the Oakham House dogs

The Ryerson Archives are the proud owners of a beautiful set of matching Labrador Retrievers. They have settled in and gotten used to their new home and now it is time to give them names!

The contest is open to all University faculty, staff and students, and there is only one rule: The names MUST have significant meaning to Toronto Metropolitan University. This can include either historical (The Archives is a good place to look for this!) or contemporary significance. So enter and win prizes for first, second, and third place AND have your picture taken with the Archives’ mascots!

A bit of history on the dogs

The dogs were designed by architect William Thomas to hitch horses to and were located in front of his Oakham House residence. Thomas lived in the house until his death in 1860. The house was sold to another family and then in 1899 the house, along with the dogs, was sold to the Society for Working Boys- a home for disadvantaged youth in Toronto. When Toronto Metropolitan University acquired the building in 1958, the dogs, originally located at the building’s Church Street entrance, were no longer there. They had been removed to the new location of the Boys Home. When Ryerson retrieved the dogs in 1982, the Toronto Historical Board wanted the pair to be mounted in their historical place in the front of the house. In the interest of protecting them from vandalism they were placed inside the house, and then adopted by the Archives in 2010.

Please send your name suggestions, along with an explanation as to why you chose those names, to archives@ryerson.ca. Please include your full name and a number or email address where you can be reached should your submission be chosen. Contest closes April 8^th, 2011.

Raw Materials: Inuit sculpture from the Sylvia A. Morley Collection

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Beth

In the early 1950s, the first large scale north-south cultural exchanges in Canada established the market for what we now refer to as Inuit Art. The first communities to begin selling their work to a southern market in any organized way were Inukjuak and Puvirnituq (Quebec) and Cape Dorset/Kinngait (Baffin Island). The sculptures from this early period tend to be small, easily transportable works created by what was still a nomadic people. In the late 1950s and early 60s, carving became a significant source of income within newly formed Inuit-owned co-operatives, and for many today it continues to provide a living while also supplying the means to express pride in their culture and their craft.

Special Collections received a donation of Inuit sculpture from a former Ryerson student who actively collected, both through galleries in the Toronto area and in person at northern co-ops. The small display on the Library’s 4th floor offers us an opportunity to discuss the use of materials from different regions, as she collected examples from across the Arctic (perhaps favouring Baffin Island and Labrador), and the growing art production within the Inuit communities over the latter half of the 20th century. The display also precedes the opening of a much larger exhibition of contemporary Inuit art scheduled to open at the Art Gallery of Ontario on April 2nd: Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Ester Sarick Collection. To learn more about these items and their creators, visit Special Collections and the AGO this spring.

Miki, Andy, 1918-1983 Bird figure, abstract [date unknown] stone, dark to light grey Arviat, Kivalliq region of Nunavut

Palliser, William, 1947- Hunter in Kayak, 1996 North West River Area, Labrador

Pisuktie, Josie, 1901-
Bird figure, black
[date unknown]
stone
Iqaluit, Baffin Island region of Nunavut

Sannertannu, Annie Anaronar, 1913-
Standing figure
[date unknown]
soapstone
Repulse Bay/ Naujaat in Nunavut

What’s on the Table: The Designer’s Response

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Beth

For those of you who were not able to visit the Library during the meet-and-greet with student designers last week, you still have two more weeks to view the products of their labour in the Special Collections display cases on the 4th floor. Students in a first year Interior Design course at Ryerson partnered with The Stop Community Food Centre to design a fund-raising item for their annual gala, which helps raise money for The Stop’s critical anti-hunger programs and services.

The exhibit was curated by Professor Lorella Di Cintio. Items will be on display from Feb 22nd to March 7th.

A bowl that can also be used as a cup, by student Iona Ionescu

A natural spoon, by student Kristalee Berger

Salad fork and spoon, by student Dorota Lemierzwicz

Feature of the Week: Cameras for the Masses, Kodak & the snapshot

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Alison

Taking photographs is like second nature to us now; we can snap a quick shot on our computers, laptops, cell phones, and with increasingly small and inexpensive digital cameras. It’s cheaper and easier than ever before to preserve special moments and with no film or processing to worry about anymore, every moment can be documented and remembered. How many photos did you take on your last holiday?

A No. 2A Brownie point and shoot camera from the Historical Camera Collection in Archives and Special Collections (2005.001.7.005)

It’s difficult for us to imagine a time when most people could only have photos taken at a professional studio. In the 19^th century, amateur photography was time consuming, often dangerous, and always very expensive. Some images were taken directly on metal or glass and only one copy could be had. Photographic “film” that allowed copies consisted of glass plates or paper soaked in chemicals.

When the Eastman Kodak Company introduced the first personal use camera in 1888, it was the beginning of the amateur snap shot. The Kodak Camera cost about $25 (that may not sound like much, but that would be about $550 today) and came pre-loaded with 100 shots. When the film was done, the customer packaged up the camera and sent it back to the Kodak Company in Rochester, NY for developing. The pictures were mailed back, along with a newly loaded camera for the price of $10 (about $235 now). Kodak had made photographs easier, but they were still expensive. To really make money, and make sure the Kodak name was in every home, they had to make it cheaper.

The “Baby Brownie” (1934-1941) from the Historical Camera Collection in Archives and Special Collections (2005.001.7.033)

A brilliant entrepreneur, George Eastman challenged his designers to come up with the cheapest camera possible; something that was economical to make and easy to use. The Brownie Camera was born. First sold in 1900, the Brownie cost $1.00 (less than $25 today) and was a simple box design with few moving parts. Ads claimed “Any school-boy or girl can make good pictures with one of Eastman Kodak Company’s Brownie Cameras!” With a product cheap and sturdy enough for a child to use, Kodak aimed its marketing campaigns at kids, opening “Brownie Camera Clubs of America” and enticing budding photographers to get snap happy. Nearly 250,000 of the first Brownies were manufactured. The Brownie evolved over the years, becoming sturdier, smaller and eventually including flash.

The Brownie Hawkeye camera (c. 1949-1951) from the Historical Camera Collection in Archives and Special Collections (2005.001.7.126)

Ryerson Library Special Collections holds an extensive Heritage Camera Collection, including many popular models Kodak cameras. Make an appointment (asc@ryerson.ca) or drop by the fourth floor to have a look!

The Brownie Flash camera (1946-1954) from the Historical Camera Collection in Archives and Special Collections (2005.001.7.451)

For more information on the history of the camera, check out these Ryeron Library Resources:

Camera : a history of photography from daguerreotype to digital / Todd Gustavson. Publisher New York : Sterling Pub., 2009. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991000169809708636

History of Kodak cameras. Publisher Rochester, N.Y. : Photographic Products Group, Eastman Kodak Co., / 1987. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991006741419708636~S0

The art of the American snapshot, 1888-1978 : from the collection of Robert E. Jackson / Sarah Greenough and Diane Waggoner ; with Sarah Kennel and Matthew S. Witkovsky. Publisher Washington [D.C.] : National Gallery of Art ; Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 2007. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991005991429708636

Sources:

Kodak. “The Brownie @ 100 : A Celebration.” Kodak. N.p., n.d. http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/brownieCam/ Accessed 16 Feb. 2011.

Kodak. “Building the Foundation, Kodak”Kodak. N.p., n.d. http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Our_Company/History_of_Kodak/Building_the_Foundation.htm Accessed Feb. 16 2011.

Feature of the Week: Map of Ryerson in 1923

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Alison

Ever wonder what your campus may have looked like 100 years ago? What were the older buildings used for before they were part of the University? What kinds of structures were here before the new facilities appeared?

A wonderful historical resource was recently donated to Special Collections from the collection of Edward Koshchuk: The Atlas of the city of Toronto and suburbs was published in 1910 in 3 volumes, expanded from the original 1890 edition because “the City has increased so rapidly, and the area is now so much more extensive.” The atlas contains maps of the city of Toronto including the land now occupied by the Toronto Metropolitan University campus, and was revised using small pasted-in bits of paper and handwritten notations, so that the current view is actually more accurate to 1923.

The area identified as St. James Square in the detail below is now bordered on all four sides by the endless tunnel known as Kerr Hall, and all that remains of the Upper Canada Normal School, founded by Egerton Ryerson as a Teacher’s College in 1852, is the thin façade marking the entrance to our underground gym (the RAC). These buildings survived to the 1950s, just hitting the 100 year mark before they were removed for the construction of Kerr Hall. The Archives has a diorama of the Square and the buildings shown on this map in their reading room, and more information about Ryerson campus history is also available on this website.

Of note are the many different religious houses in the area, including a Catholic Church where Lake Devo is now, a Synagogue, Lutheran Church and a Congregational Church at Bond and Dundas. The Synagogue is now a Greek Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church is still standing, hidden behind the construction for the new Image Arts building.

Other landmarks that have changed include a former public school where the Victoria Building stands, and the O’Keefe Brewery occupying the space now filled by the Bookstore, a parking garage and a Tim Hortons. Sadly, we have to count the Empress Hotel (more recently known as “the building that Salad King was in”) as a former landmark.

If you would like to take a look at the atlas yourself (Vols. 1 & 2 only), or one of the earlier atlases of the area such as The Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont, 1878 and The Topographical and historical atlas of the county of Oxford, Ontario, 1876, please make an appointment by sending an email to asc@ryerson.ca or phone 416-979-5000 x7027.

Ryerson Catalogue Entry: https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991002784679708636

Feature of the week : Making an Exhibition, Finding the Library’s Next Top Model

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Beth

This week’s feature is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the FACES exhibition in Special Collections, which ran from December 1, 2010 – January 21, 2011. (You can still see the display through to January 31st when the next scheduled change happens, but the contest is over and the names of all the Famous Faces have been revealed!)

Setting the stage
Take one Image Arts student working in Special Collections as an Exhibitions Assistant through the Summer Work Study program and ask her to re-imagine a contest timed for the winter break…

2009/10 Holiday Photo Contest announcement : Past winter contests have asked for users to contribute holiday-themed photos

This student decides that a guessing game would be fun, but how do we personalize it for Ryerson? A call goes out to our staff for help!

Library staff recruitment ad : not what you’d typically see

Following through
We had 4 volunteer models from our happy group: a Librarian, two Library Technicians and an Administrative Assistant. We couldn’t have asked for a better mix!

Now that we had our volunteers, we looked for some inspiration (think you can guess the staff members we were picturing?):

Our Exhibitions Assistant narrows down the results to two options and edits the photos:

Making it Happen
Working with another student in the Library employed by the Work Study program, our Exhibitions Assistant and Graphic Design Assistant come up with a look for the contest form online using the final poster girl:

Voilà, a successful competition was born! Thanks to Exhibitions Assistant Elaine Chan-Dow and Graphic Designer Alicia Russano (who also came up with the look for our new website). And thanks to our volunteer models!

FACES contest closes, winners will be notified by email

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Beth

Thanks to all who participated in our holiday quiz for 2010/11! Two lucky winners will receive emails notifying them of their prizes: Grand Prize $50 bookstore gift certificate for correctly identifying the famous faces OR a Second Prize $25 Starbucks gift card for guessing the Bonus Face correctly.

Want to see how you did on the quiz? Check out the answers below or on the 4th floor of the Library, in the Special Collections display cases (to see the accompanying portraits).

Faces exhibition advertisement, contest closed and answers revealed

1. Marian Anderson, 1897-1993 Singer, performer, diplomat, trailblazer

“Marian Anderson Award: Marian Anderson Bio,” 2005.

2. Eugène Atget, 1857-1927 Actor, Photographer, Documentarian

“Eugene Atget / Biography & Images.” http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Eugene-Atget.html

3. Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865 President, Orator, Egalitarian

“Abraham Lincoln | The White House.”

4. Audrey Hepburn, 1929-1993 Actress, Dancer, Humanitarian

“Audrey Hepburn’s Children’s Fund – The Real Audrey.”

5. Winston Spencer Churchill, 1874-1965 Prime Minister, Soldier, Strategist

“Why study Winston Churchill?”

6. Vladimir Ilʹich Lenin, 1870-1924 Rebel, Communist, Exigent Leader

Ryerson Library Catalogue resources

7. Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, 1926- Queen, Patron, Animal lover

“Her Majesty the Queen,” 2010/11.

8. Georgia O’Keeffe, 1887-1986 Painter, Model, Modernist

“O’Keeffe Museum > Her Life,” 2008.

9. Mahátma Gándhí, 1869-1948 Spiritual Leader, Reformer, Pacifist

“National Gandhi Museum,” 2011.

10. St. Nicholas, ?- 343 Bishop, Saint, Icon

“St. Nicholas Centre: Discovering the Truth about Santa Claus,” 2002-2010.

BONUS: Cecile Farnum, Communications Librarian
Subject Liaison: Gerontology, Occupational and Public Health, Philosophy

Feature of the Week: The Oakham House Dogs

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Alison

Remember the film “The Incredible Journey”? Much like the fabled animals in that movie, our featured archive items have been on quite the voyage.

Designed by architect William Thomas to hitch horses in front of his residence, which he named Oakham House, these two handsome canines guarded the home until Thomas’ death in 1860. In 1899, the house, along with the dogs, was sold to the Society for Working Boys; a home for disadvantaged youth in Toronto. When Toronto Metropolitan University purchased the building in 1958, the dogs, originally located at the building’s Church Street entrance, were no longer there. They had been removed to the new location of the Boys Home. When Ryerson retrieved the dogs in 1982, the Toronto Historical Board wanted the pair to be mounted in their historical place in the front of the house. In the interest of protecting them from vandalism, however, they were placed inside the house. Since 2010, the Ryerson Library Archives has had the pleasure of their company. Drop by and pay them a visit if you’re on the third floor of the library!

Feature of the week : American Burlesque

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Alison

Welcome to the first in a series of blogs highlighting interesting and unique objects we come across in the Toronto Metropolitan University Archives & Special Collections. There’s a lot of amazing objects in our stacks, and here are just a few….

AMERICAN BURLESQUE PHOTOGRAPHS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.

Special Collections number : 2008.001.1637

The Lorne Shields Historical Photograph Collection was donated to Special Collections in 2007 and includes many albums, professional portraits and amateur snaps as well as an interesting series of Cigarette Cards and Cabinet Cards featuring popular American Burlesque performers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Not the famous Gypsy Rose Lee, but just as sassy! Special Collections number : 2008.001.1650

In America, Burlesque began as a bawdy form of theatrical entertainment, popular from the 1870s to the 1920s, that borrowed from the British Music Hall format of combining comic skits and musical performances, but evolved into a risqué variety show focusing on dirty jokes and (most familiar) sexy women. As it was considered unseemly at the time for “decent” women to perform in the theatre, even the most serious of female thespians could find a home performing in the suggestive, and often ill-reputed Burlesque shows where the performers were mainly female and the audience was mainly working class.

These actresses could gain quite a following from the general public however, and their comings and goings (and divorces and affairs) were often reported in the daily papers. Seeing the potential gain, Cigarette cards and collectible photographs featuring the women in seductive poses (is that an exposed ankle? Gasp!) were produced by enterprising photographers.

Special Collections number: 2008.001.1634

Following are some of the stars of the bygone days of Burlesque found in the Lorne Shields Historical Photograph Collection. To see more, check out the Special Collections Flickr account (see right) or visit us on the Library’s 4th floor.

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For more information on Burlesque and the American theatre, check out these book resources in the Library:

“No legs, no jokes, no chance” : a history of the American musical theater / Sheldon Patinkin. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991007002949708636

A chronology of American musical theater / Richard C. Norton. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991002169629708636

The American musical : history and development / Peter H. Riddle. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01OCUL_TMU:01OCUL_TMU&docid=alma991001923199708636

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Help us name the Oakham House dogs

A bit of history on the dogs

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