A TRIP DOWN TORONTO’S MEMORY LANE
Steam trains, muddy streets, a horse diving into Lake Ontario. Long before smartphones turned all of us into street photographers, one man was already walking Toronto with a camera, capturing the city as it grew up. His name was William James, and thanks to the City of Toronto Archives, his early 1900s Toronto is still ours to explore.
WHO WAS WILLIAM JAMES?
A dream and $7. Born in Walsall, England, in 1866, James arrived in Toronto in 1906 with his wife, 5 children and, as the story goes, just $7. By around 1909, he had turned his passion into his living.
The city’s first press photographer. By day he roamed the streets; by night he developed his shots to sell to newspapers the next morning. At one point he was selling to all 7 of the city’s dailies, and he’s widely considered Toronto’s, and possibly Canada’s, first photojournalist.
WHAT IS FONDS 1244?
Fonds 1244 is the William James family fonds at the City of Toronto Archives, spanning 1900 to 1970 with most images from 1906 to 1939. It holds thousands of photographs and glass lantern slides, many of them beautifully tinted by hand. His son Norman, a longtime Toronto Star photographer, kept the collection together and saw it safely to the Archives.
WHAT DID HIS TORONTO LOOK LIKE?
Old Union Station. A 1907 shot shows the previous Union Station in the heyday of steam, standing west of today’s station before it was demolished in 1927 (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 99).
A diving horse. Yes, really. In 1908 James caught a horse plunging into Lake Ontario at Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 192).
King and Yonge in full swing. A 1912 image of a policeman at King and Yonge captures the buzz of one of the city’s busiest corners (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1008).
WHERE WAS THIS SHOT?
Some of our followers have been playing detective, and one commenter has a theory about where part of our reel was shot. We can’t confirm it yet. Know for sure? Tell us!
WHERE TO FIND IT
City of Toronto Archives, 255 Spadina Rd. The Archives sits at the top of the Baldwin Steps, just north of Dupont Station. Check the City’s website for current reading room hours before you go.
Browse from your couch. Head to the City of Toronto Archives’ “Digitized Photographs by Fonds and Series” page and look for Fonds 1244, the William James family fonds. The Archives’ “Our Favourite Photos” page is a great place to start, too.
Make a day of it. Casa Loma and Spadina Museum are just steps away, and the Baldwin Steps offer one of the best views back toward downtown. Grab a coffee on Dupont and wander.
YOUR TURN: WHICH CORNER WOULD YOU REVISIT?
If you could step into one William James photo, where would you go? Old Union Station, King and Yonge, or Hanlan’s Point to see that diving horse? Drop it in the comments and tag a friend who loves old Toronto.