Results tagged “19thcentury”

Would you trust a doctor whose name carries an element of danger with your next bridge work? Especially when they advertise a half-price offer? At least Dr. Risk tried to make his patients as comfortable as possible by focusing on small details and a comforting environment. In an ad that ran in The Toronto Star throughout most of 1899, the good doctor claims that:

A flip through the pages of any Toronto newspaper published around 1900 reveals numerous pitches for castor oils, kidney pills, liver pills, trusses, nerve tonics, Asian catarrh treatments, and assorted cures for ailments that might not be believed when taking a sick day at the office ("I can't come to work today due to tired blood!"). The advertising for Hutch, a remedy for indigestion, was among the most graphic of the time, as today's samples testify. This poor fellow's hallucinatory images while in the depths of his agony are the stuff of literary masters of horror.

These days, the Arcade Building at Yonge and Temperance may be known for the neon light installation on its facade or recently-erected signs offering up "big retail for lease" in its emptied-out shopping concourse. The current structure replaced a similarly-named building that one might be tempted to call the city's first indoor shopping centre, which housed a variety of offices and retailers under its glass roof for seventy years.

The Don Jail at Toronto, 1860s. Wikimedia Commons

Every Saturday morning, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today.

While P. Jamieson tried to raise a ruckus with their dare to the dozen or so other dry goods retailers located in the vicinity of Queen and Yonge, two competitors would have the last laugh—T. Eaton and R. Simpson expanded rapidly after 1883, with the early versions of their landmark stores in place by the end of the 19th century.

Every Saturday morning, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today.

Every Saturday morning, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today.