Subseries 58: Department of Public Works, Roadway photographs

The backbone of the City of Toronto Archives’ photographic collection is a series of over 40,000 prints and negatives created by the City’s Department of Public Works. This series is broken into ninety-nine subseries alphabetically arranged by the commissioning department or subject area. Photographs created for the Roadway Section form Subseries 58

These images, taken by staff photographers Arthur Goss and Howard McDonald, during the first half of the 20th century record road widening, re-surfacing, streetcar track laying and sidewalk construction projects, but also capture the city’s roads, sidewalks, houses, and storefronts. Although the images are documentary in nature, they reveal the creativity of the photographers who made them, showing a range of compositional strategies and framing approaches.

This exhibit highlights the versatility and flexibility of these images, by removing their original documentary context and arranging them by visual themes, associations, repetitions and typologies. The installation invites comparison and allows subtle differences to emerge between features of the urban landscape. This survey will appeal to anyone interested in a close examination of historical photography, archives, and Toronto’s built environment.