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Virtual Exhibit

The Textures of a Lost Toronto
THE TEXTURES OF A LOST TORONTO:
JOHN HOWARD'S DOCUMENTARY ART & DRAWINGS 1830s-80s

Between the 1830s and the 1880s, architect, surveyor, and engineer John George Howard produced watercolours, plans, and maps. Many depicted Toronto in general, others captured the details of structures he designed.

Today, these documents serve as evocative links to Toronto's 19th-century environment, particularly during the heyday of Howard's creativity in the 1830s-50s before railways and industrialization changed the face of the city. Beyond their intrinsic merit in documenting early Toronto, Howard's images encourage us to consider larger stories in the life of the community during the 1800s.

We invite you to explore this selection from John Howard's voluminous work and reflect on the textures and characteristics of a largely lost Toronto that Howard both depicted and helped to build.

Carl Benn, Chief Curator
Museums and Heritage Services
City of Toronto Toronto Culture

JOHN HOWARD, 1848 (THOMAS STEVENSON)
City of Toronto Culture Division, Museums and Heritage Services, 1970.102.19A.
JOHN HOWARD, 1848 (THOMAS STEVENSON)

TORONTO, 1854 (EDWIN WHITEFIELD)
City of Toronto Toronto Culture, Arts Services, A82-28.
TORONTO, 1854 (EDWIN WHITEFIELD)

TORONTO, 1858, SHORTLY AFTER HOWARD RETIRED
Archives of Ontario/Archives de l'Ontario, C295-1-163-0-27.
TORONTO, 1858, SHORTLY AFTER HOWARD RETIRED

EXPLORE JOHN HOWARD'S DOCUMENTARY ART & DRAWINGS

 
 
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