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Series consists of advertising cards pertaining to commerce and industry in the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto, primarily during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The records in this series document the types of businesses operating and the products available during this period. Most cards are illustrated with decorative images or examples of commercial products, and some cards feature depictions of Toronto locations, such as the Empress Hotel, the Ford Hotel, the Queen City Oil Works, Toronto Harbour, the "Mail" publishing house, the British American Assurance Company building, government buildings, and the Thompson's dry goods store. Included are cards for stores selling clothing, shoes, jewellery, groceries and dry goods, art and antiques, furniture, and books and stationery; department stores; hotels and restaurants; services including insurance, legal and medical practices, home repairs and dry cleaning; products including cosmetics, medicine, soap, food and household goods; and manufacturers of a variety of products including rubber, machinery, furniture and household appliances. Also included in this series are illustrated cards collected as representative examples of racial stereotyping in advertising in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
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