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      At the time of Confederation in 1867, the maple leaf as a symbol of Canadian patriotism was relatively new. At a public meeting in August, 1860, a group of Toronto citizens, planning for the upcoming Royal Visit of the Prince of Wales, decided to identify themselves as native-born Canadians by ...

      Early Toronto residents, politicians and local entrepreneurs transformed the City by creating public gardens and offering services and supplies to the gardening industry. As a result of their efforts, nineteenth century Toronto emerged as a more liveable community and a popular tourist attraction.

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      Venture into the unknown with an exhibit of children’s books and illustrations featuring weird science, exploration, space travel and off-beat inventions.

      Fraternal societies have existed since ancient Greece and Rome. They were first introduced to Canada in the nineteenth century by immigrants from Great Britain. Although they developed independently, most fraternal societies mimicked their British counterparts, using similar philosophies, customs and organizational structures.

      This virtual exhibit presents a small selection of items taken from the Osborne Collection’s sixtieth anniversary exhibit, When Cinderella Went to the Ball: Five Hundred Years of Fairy Tales, held from September 12 to December 12, 2009. Celebrating one of children’s literature’s most enduringly popular genres, the exhibit progresses from ...

      Torontonians have a long and happy tradition of heading north to cottage country during the long, hot days of summer. This virtual exhibit explores cottage-related items from our Special Collections.

      Anderson Ruffin Abbott was the first black Canadian doctor. Abbott and his family had a long history of contributing to the social life and economy of Toronto. He was born in Toronto on April 7, 1837. He attended school in Toronto and when his family moved to Chatham in the ...

      Blessed with many ravines, wooded lots and parklands, early Toronto residents were able to enjoy many winter outdoor activies right in their own neighbourhoods. Sleighing, tobogganing, bobsledding, skating, curling, hockey, skiing and snowshoeing were all popular forms of winter recreation. As the city grew and prospered, clubs and associations formed, ...

      Sixteen artists and thirty-nine views of Canada are represented in Capturing Canada on Paper and Canvas. This exhibition features notable Canadian artists including William Armstrong, Anne Langton, Anthony R. V. Crease, John A. Fleming, Lucius O’Brien, James Peachey, George A. Reid and Anna Jameson. Working mainly in water colour, oil ...

      The tales of Italy have enchanted and entertained generations of young readers around the world. Visit the Osborne Collection to see this celebration of Italian traditional stories, including one of the best-loved stories of all time, Pinocchio.

      The circus is a theatrical spectacle that is international in scope and appeals to all ages. With a cast of performers including acrobats and jugglers, aerialists, equestrians, clowns, wild animals and sideshows, the circus is the United Nations of popular entertainment. Thrilling to some and terrifying to others, it has ...

      Toronto has hosted many royal visits. Anniversaries, fundraisers, conferences, athletic competitions and military duty are some of the events and occasions that royalty have celebrated or attended. These visits have included walkabouts and drive-bys that gave the public and media the opportunity to take photographs and catch glimpses of members ...

      2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sidney Paget (1860-1908), an illustrator closely associated with creating a visual identity for Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes. The lean, elegant Holmes Paget presented to readers of the Strand magazine worked beautifully with Conan Doyle’s text, and formed the basis ...

      Platinum print, col. with watercolour and with mat opening indicated in pencil, of wood-engraving. Laid down on light olive grey cardboard.

      Gelatin-silver print.

      Gelatin-silver print.

      Gelatin-silver print.

      Gelatin-silver print.

      Watercolour and pencil. Laid down on cardboard mount. Accession card for JRR 1383 mat