Each September, the first year class of the Graphic Communications Management Program at Ryerson explores the connections between modern printing and its historical origins. The school has been investigating historical print artifacts and museums in the Toronto area, and has discovered four treasures which GCM students will experience this year. There are three GTA museums with print content (Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum, The Mackenzie House, and Black Creek Pioneer Village) as well as the Ryerson Kodak Archives. The museum sites have a tremendous amount of insight about the world of print in the 1800-1900s. They are all highly informative and engaging, each with a hands-on component. Here is what you can see with friends from out of town, or perhaps with a favourite client.
The Houses that Mackenzie Built
William Lyon Mackenzie immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1820. Though he had several roles in our fledgling nation, he is best remembered for his print and politics. The launch of his political career started with the “Colonial Advocate”, a weekly paper he wrote and produced. In it he expressed his edgy political views on change in Government. Thanks to the paper’s success, he became the first Mayor of Toronto.
But by 1837, his printing got him into trouble, as he led an unsuccessful Rebellion. He was exiled and did not come back to Canada until 1850, when he once again returned to print and politics.
His life and career are landmarks in Canadian print history. Two sites dedicated in his name exist in Ontario: the Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum in Queenston and the Mackenzie House in Toronto. Both prior residences of Mackenzie, they are now restored and home to fully functional hands-on print museums.
The Mackenzie Printery Museum in Queenston
The Mackenzie Printery Museum opened its doors as an official museum in 1991. Originally the home was a restoration project initiated by Prime Minster William Lyon Mackenzie King, the great grandson of Mayor Mackenzie. His great grandfather had lived in the house for only a year (1823-1824)—but the venue is still significant, as it is where his newspaper began.
The museum is a joint venture between the Mackenzie Printery Committee and the Niagara Parks Commission. It houses many pieces of historical equipment, including a restored lithography studio, an operational Linotype, and 10 heritage presses. The presses date from the late 1700 to the early 1900s. The best-known in the group is the Oak English Common Press. Built in 1760, scholars believe it is one of the oldest presses in Canada. Used by Louis Roy, one of the first King’s Printers commissioned to create community and disseminate information in the newly settled Upper Canada, the press is now commonly nicknamed the Roy Press. First operational in Newark (now Niagara-On-The-Lake), the press was moved to York (Toronto), the new country capital.
Interestingly, the press—though wooden—managed to survive the American sack of York in 1813, when most valuable objects were stolen or burned. Since then, it has been on loan to many sites, including the Upper Canada Village and the Museum of Science and Technology (in Ottawa); it was returned to the Mackenzie Printery in 1992.
Mackenzie House in Toronto
While the Niagara Printery was Mackenzie’s first print post, the Mackenzie House in Toronto is where he spent his last years. It is located just around the corner from Ryerson, at 82 Bond Street. His friends and supporters donated the house to Mackenzie to show their gratitude for his years of political service. He died in the house in 1861.
The site itself is in large part dedicated to restored living quarters. There is a fully functioning kitchen, bedrooms, and formal rooms. While living in the house, Mackenzie rented a print shop on King Street near Victoria Street. In 1967, an addition to the museum was built. It contains a replicated print house as well as a museum gallery. The site runs many school programs in addition to having public hours.
There is a very fun and interactive environment at the museum. The staff is fully attired in clothing representative of the time period. Visitors with an interest in print even get to do some hands-on typography and printing. Some say the house is haunted, which makes it a favourite tour around Halloween!
The print shop is equipped with several cases filled with different typefaces, a guillotine cutter (which they demonstrate very carefully!), a perforating machine, and, most importantly, an 1845 Washington flatbed printing press. This type of press was much lighter than it’s Iron Press predecessor. It was also the last of the hand presses. In the early 1900s the demand for print in larger quantities became greater, thus perpetuating designs with better print speeds. A discussion of this type of press will follow.
Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto
Run by the City of Toronto (Conservation), Black Creek Pioneer Village is a museum dedicated to life in the 1800s, located right in North York (near Jane and Steeles). The Village is a replica of what a small rural town in Ontario would have looked like in the 19th century. It has 35 buildings dedicated to the different functions of a small town in that time period, such as a Town Hall, schoolhouse, and mill. Most relevant to us, however, is the Printing Shop.
When Ontario’s first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe, was charged with creating Upper Canada, he had some demands. One of these demands was a King’s Printer, so that communities surrounded by nothing but forests could promote settlement and trade. That printer was Louis Roy, whose press is now at the Niagara Printery mentioned above.
The Roy press set a standard for Ontario towns. While large cities East of Upper Canada, such as Quebec, had large centres of print only in the downtown core, Ontario’s print industry was more widespread, with small communities everywhere creating growth through the power of the written word. So Black Creek must have a print shop—the challenge is having a press that still works.
In 2004, Ray Redmayne, a 60-year-old retired printer, decided he was up for that challenge. He invested 3 years and countless hours in the restoration of the R. Hoe & Co. 1860s Drum Cylinder Press. In the early 1800s, print was primarily used by government. It was highly controlled, with no concept of “freedom of speech.” But toward the end of that century things began to change. Many attribute the beginnings of press freedom to Mackenzie, who believed that a printed discussion of politics was essential for a growing community. Also to be credited were the printers themselves, who invested in printing presses. As a result of those investments, the Hoe press found its market in Ontario towns, where small run newspaper circulation was the standard.
The press was donated to the village in
1964, tethered and worn down after just over 100 years of use. After tremendous amounts of time and research, the press is now in working order. During Ryerson’s visit to see the press, Redmayne shared that some of the greatest frustrations came from replacing parts. Only about 12-18 of these presses are known to still be in existence. Of those, only about one third are in working order. As a result, some broken parts had to be cast and machined from scratch. The final result was well worth it!
On our visit to the Village in September we brought in 80 first year Graphic Communications Management (GCM) students (in small groups) to see the press demonstration. You could see a look of awe on their faces. The clacking of metal and the hand turned wheel used to be thought “too loud.” Of course, it comes nowhere close to the sound of a modern press operating at 15,000 sheets per hour. The students came home with a completely new appreciation of the GTO and DI Presses at the Heidelberg Center.
Kodak Archives at Ryerson
When the Kodak plant in Etobicoke closed down, many years of photographic and print history came to a close as well. Kodak has had a tremendous impact on the history of photography and print. The complete Kodak Canada Corporate Archives are now at Ryerson. With them came a big responsibility—it is up to the University to maintain that history. The archives date back as far as 1909—making some items nearly 100 years old.
The collection includes historic photos, files, trade circulars, Kodak magazines, price lists, daily record books, cameras, equipment, and other collectables. The archives take up an entire room. Though the collection is not open to the public, a visit can be arranged by appointment with a librarian. Ryerson is aiming to move the collection to a more accessible place within the Library, so that everyone can see it. Before this occurs however, a lot of work and preparation needs to be done. What now exists in the room is an incredible transformation from what it was when the collection arrived. Everything is being carefully restored and transferred to archival-quality books and boxes.
Along with library staff, interns from the School of Image Arts are working on the project. Ryerson is home to the only Masters degree in Photographic Preservation and Collection Management. The collection has given the students a wonderful opportunity for the hands-on work experience we value so greatly at Ryerson.
As for the archives in general…flipping through the catalogued prints can really take you through many eras of print and design. Visit the archives to view all sorts of historical Kodak items. Items range from fun posters to patents featuring the signature of George Eastman himself!
For more information visit the following:
Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum:
www.mackenzieprintery.ca
www.onlineniagara.com/mackenzie-printery-museum.htm
Mackenzie House:
www.toronto.ca/culture/mackenzie_house.htm
Black Creek Pioneer Village: www.blackcreek.ca
Kodak Archives: http://www.ryerson.ca/library/
collections/special/
Additional Reading and References:
Raible, Chris (2007). The Power of The Press. Toronto: James Lortimer & Co. Ltd.
Dewalt, Bryan (1995). Technology and Canadian Printing: A History from Lead Type to Lasers. Ottawa: National Museum of Science and Technology.
(1940). Canadian Book of Printing. Toronto: Toronto Public Libraries