Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th century fonds

Level

Collection

Fonds

43

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

15 glass slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm

26 slides : b&w ; 3.5 x 3.5 cm

1 negative : b&w ; 13 x 10 cm

Admin History/Bio

St. John's Ward, popularly known as "the Ward", was an area in Toronto bounded by Queen Street to the south, Yonge Street to the east, College Street to the north, and University Avenue to the west. The Ward was considered to be one of the poorest and unhealthiest areas in the city.

By the turn of the 20th Century, the majority of the Ward's inhabitants were Eastern European Jewish immigrants, who took up residence in the small stuccoed frame cottages dating from the 1850s and 1860s. Initially, settlers chose the Ward because of the need for inexpensive accomodations close to the central business district where employment was available. However, later Jewish immigrants also settled in the Ward because previous settlers had reconstructed the amenities and the security of the shtetl.

By 1911, the Ward was a self-contained community of Jewish services and facilities, supporting education, religious, social and business institutions. But with the influx to the area came a higher demand for housing and as a result, rents increased, congestion became alarmingly high and living conditions deteriorated. Many cottages housed three or four families, plus a workshop, in fewer than five rooms with no plumbing or drainage.

By the onset of the First World War, civic and business development began encroaching on the residential area of the Ward and many Jewish residents began the move westward into the Kensington Market area. The war also brought with it greater opportunities for the small merchant and salvage trades and as the economic conditions of the immigrant improved, the confidence and expectations of the younger generation increased. By the end of the war, only a few Jewish residents remained in the Ward.

Custodial History

There is no information on the source or the acquisition of the images. The slides were probably used as part of a study and presentation on the conditions of the Ward and its immigrant inhabitants.

Scope and Content

This fonds consists of 15 images depicting Jewish life in the Ward and Jewish religious practices during Rosh Hashana. The 15 glass slides are the original images, while the 26 slides and 1 negative are copies that were probably made for presentation purposes.

There are several images of Jewish children of the Ward, including one of Jewish newsboys, as well as two images of Jewish businesses, one streetscape and a typical St. John's Ward home. There are also several images depicting men and women engaged in the tradition/custom of Tashlich at theToronto waterfront on the first day of Rosh Hashana.

Subjects

Neighborhoods

Related Material

Speisman, Steven. St. John's Shtetl: the Ward in 1911.

1977-7-2

Places

St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of Teraulay St. (now Bay St.) showing pedestrian activity, 2 men on bicycles, a peddler's cart and several storefronts and buildings. The name on the window of the second hand furniture store is Liptchts (Lipchitz's). The Old City Hall clock tower can be faintly seen on the left hand side of the photo.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title is taken from a label on the slide.

Name Access

Lipchitz's

Subjects

Streets

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Bay Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Teraulay Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

2

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

1 negative : b&w ; 13 x 10 cm

Scope and Content

Photograph of seven boys and two girls playing on a sand pile in the Ward, while a man in a bowler hat looks on.

Notes

Original photograph is a glass slide.

Title taken from label on slide.

Subjects

Children

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

3

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of a small house in the Ward surrounded by other buildings and residences. The house appears to have a tar paper roof and many of its windows are broken. It is surrounded by pieces of old wood, barrels and a carriage. There is a for sale sign on attached to the wall on the left.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title taken from a label on the slide.

Subjects

Dwellings

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

4

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of a young boy holding a tin of salmon in the Ward.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title taken from writing on original slide.

Subjects

Children

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

5

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of 11 Jewish newsboys of various ages holding newspapers on a street in the Ward. The sixth newsboy from the left (standing centre) is Sam Lichtman.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title taken from writing on original slide.

Sam Lichtman was identified by his daughter, Maxine Cadsby.

Subjects

Children

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

6

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of three men and three women walking down a street in the Ward during Yom Kippur. View of one woman is blocked by one of the men in front, but part of her hat is visible. In the background is an ice-cream and confectionary store.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title taken from writing on the original slide.

Title may be wrong. It is possible that the holiday being celebrated is Rosh Hashana as the other slides in this accession depict the celebration of Rosh Hashana.

Subjects

Rosh ha-Shanah

Yom Kippur

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of 11 children, male and female, playing in the street, or possibly an alleyway, in the Ward.

Notes

Original photo is a glass slide.

Title taken from label on the slide.

Subjects

Children

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

8

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of a large group of Jewish men and women engaged in the custom/practice of tashlich at the shoreline of Lake Ontario during Rosh Hashana. Some are standing on a bridge in the background.

Notes

Original is a glass slide.

Title on original slide reads: Jews celebrating Day of Atonement which is incorrect as on the first day of Rosh Hashana, Jews gather at a body of water to cast away their sins by symbolically throwing breadcrumbs into the water. The title has been changed by the record creator.

Subjects

Rosh ha-Shanah

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

9

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of 7 Jewish women and 1 man praying near the shoreline of Lake Ontario during Rosh Hashana.

Notes

Original is a glass slide.

Title on original slide reads: Devout Jews reading The Law at Toronto Bay on Day of Atonement which is probably wrong as on the first day of Rosh Hashana, Jews gather at a body of water to cast away their sins by symbolically throwing breadcrumbs into the water. The title has been changed by the record creator.

Subjects

Rosh ha-Shanah

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

10

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of a woman buying a chicken in the Ward. The store in the background is that of S. Zlotkin, a grocery and poultry shop possibly located at 98 Elizabeth St.

Notes

Original is a glass slide with a black tape border.

Title taken from label on the slide.

Name Access

Zlotkin, S.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Elizabeth Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

11

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of a woman standing outside of the entrance to a general store in the Ward. On the awning is printed the number 84 and the words "Flour and Feed".

Notes

Original is a glass slide with a black tape border.

Title taken from label on the slide.

Subjects

Storefronts

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

12

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of 6 young girls and 4 older women at the waterfront in Toronto. The young girls are all facing the camera. In the background are some sailboats and a large boathouse.

Notes

Original is a glass slide.

Title taken from label on original slide.

Subjects

Children

Women

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

13

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

3 slides : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Photograph of seven children of various ages and one baby in a wicker pram outside a house in the Ward.

Notes

Original is a glass slide with a black tape border.

Title taken from label on the slide.

Subjects

Children

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

14

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

1 slide : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm

Scope and Content

Photograph of a man, woman and baby with a covered pull-cart in the Ward. The baby is in a bassinet resting on the handles of the cart which may be housing musical instruments. It is unclear what the (solo by the baby) in the title refers to.

Notes

This is a glass slide.

Title taken from a label on the slide.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scenes from The Ward in the early 20th Century fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

43

Item

15

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

1 slide : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm

Scope and Content

Photograph of the several horse and buggies at the Hamilton market located in Market Square. In the background is the Parke Building which housed a wholesale and retail drug store.

Notes

Original is a glass slide.

Title taken from writing on the slide.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

2005-5-6

Source

Archival Descriptions