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.
TORONTO, 1854 (EDWIN WHITEFIELD)
City of Toronto Toronto Culture,
Arts Services, A82-28.
TORONTO, 1858, SHORTLY AFTER HOWARD RETIRED
Archives of Ontario/Archives
de l'Ontario, C295-1-163-0-27.
EXPLORE
JOHN HOWARD'S DOCUMENTARY ART & DRAWINGS
