Series S00675 - Toronto Telegram scrapbooks and clippings

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Toronto Telegram scrapbooks and clippings

General material designation

  • Textual record

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Series

Reference code

S00675

Edition statement

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

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Physical description area

Physical description

ca. 16 m of textual records
ca. 350 scrapbooks ; 55 x 43 cm or smaller

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1876-1971)

Administrative history

The 'Toronto telegram' (originally the 'Evening telegram,') was launched in 1876 by John Ross Robertson. The 'Tely' strongly supported the British connection in Canada, appealing to British and Imperial sentiments even after Canadian nationalism became fashionable. The newspaper was locked in a circulation war with its afternoon rival, the 'Toronto star', for much of the twentieth century. The battle involved giveaway contests, scoops, and even hiding personalities (like swimmer Marilyn Bell) from the competition to ensure exclusive stories. Following Robertson's death, the paper was continued by a trust he had established. In 1948 the newspaper was sold to George McCullagh, owner of the Toronto Globe & mail, who invited John Bassett to act as publisher. In 1952 Bassett bought the newspaper and attempted to best the Star with new features in his newspaper, the introduction of colour photography (which meant the demise of the famous 'pink' newsprint on which the "Tely" had been printed), and other modernizations (including a news office building). Falling circulation and lack of advertising led Bassett to close the newspaper in 1971.

Custodial history

Scope and content

Series consists of scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and printed materials. The scrapbooks are of three types. The fist is a collection of large scrapbooks, approximately 220 in total, that consists of copies of the Toronto Telegram and it's predecessor, The Evening Telegram. These scrapbooks are divided into several categories of material: "Advertising and promotion", "Circulation and Carriers", "Clubs", "Contests", "Events", "Daily and Weekly Features" (such as "schooner Days by C.H.J. Snider); "General Clippings", "News Features" (which include royal visits); "Outdoor Activities"; photo albums of high profile personalities such as royalty and politicians; "Sports", "Theatre and Opera", as wella s feature columns and programs run by the The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star.
The second group is a collection of scrapbooks and editorials and contests of the Telegram and its rivals, The Toronto Star and The Toronto Globe and Mail. The scrapbooks consists of Toronto Telegram editorians (1962-1967), Globe & Mail editorials (1961-1970) and Toronto Star editorials (1940-1968). There are also indexes to Star editorials, scrapbooks concerning the Star's Santa Claus Fund (1923-1960) and the Star's Fresh Air Fund.
Finally, there are two moderately sized collections of scrapbooks. The first consists of four books, covering the Toronto Transit Commission (1950-1970), and the second covers the canals of the St.Lawrence River (1910-1939).

The newspaper clippings are divided into two broad areas: Personalities, and Subjects. These consists of clippings from the Telegram arranged alphabetically by personality name, including such people as Winston Churchill, Henry Fort, Mitchell Hepburn, and Nellie McClung; and subjects, ranging from Abortion to Medicine and Australia to Japan. Both groups of files are complete only to the letter "M" (the remaining files do not appear to have been transferred to the archives).
The printed material consists of accompanying material removed from the files of photoprints from the 1987-001 accession. It contains information about the subjects of the photos they were separated from and are cross-referenced with those print files.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Location of originals

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Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

The finding aids available for this series consists of a contents list for the scrapbooks; a box list for the newspaper clippings, indicating the range of topics or names within each box, and a file list for the printed material.
An electronic finding aid is not yet available.

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Status

Draft

Level of detail

Minimal

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

2015-06-15 Anna St.Onge. Record created from print finding aid.

Language of description

  • English

Sources

Legacy finding aid.

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