The collections held by the Archives of Ontario are a rich resource for
the study of the history of Ontario and its people. This document provides
an overview of the different sources that are available for research at the
Archives.
To go directly to our search tools click on the link to the right. To learn more information about the types of records that are available for research click on the menu choices to the right below.
Once you understand what we hold, you can search more detailed descriptions
of some of our collections using our online databases.
Ontario Government Records
Superintendent's Daily Journal,
1880 - 1889
Reference Code: RG 10-20-F-4,
Vol. 1
Archives of Ontario
The majority of the records in the
collections of the Archives were created by the government
of Ontario and its predecessors in the fulfillment
of its legal and administrative functions. These records
date from the late eighteenth century to the present
day. They document political and legal decisions,
the evolution of provincial administration, the interaction
between the government and its citizens, and provide
key evidence of the rights and responsibilities of
Ontarians.
Government records are described in
the Archives
Descriptive Database and in
finding-aids in our reading room.
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Private Sector Records
Charles Butler diary, 1833-1837
Charles Butler fonds
Reference Code: F 577
Archives of Ontario
Since 1903, the Archives of Ontario
has been acquiring records from the private sector.
The Archives holds the records of over 2600 private
individuals, businesses, clubs and associations, labour
and political organizations. These records include
paper files, diaries, photographs, maps, architectural
records, sound recordings and moving images. These
collections can range in size from one or two items
to thousands of items that occupy hundreds of metres
of shelf space.
Private sector records are described
in the Archives
Descriptive Database.
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Genealogical Records
The Archives of Ontario holds many important sources for
researching family history in Ontario. There is no single
finding aid or database for this type of research. Our Discover Your Family History web pages provide an overview of the
types of records that we hold that can help you research
your family history in Ontario.
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Vital Statistics
By far our most popular records are historical registrations
of births, marriages and deaths. No database yet exists
that allows you to search these records by name. Rather,
these records must be searched using microfilm. Our
Vital Statistics web pages
provide information on what vital statistics records we
hold and how to use them.
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Records Relating to Aboriginal Peoples
Upper Canada Land Patents
Reference Code: RG 53-1 Volume A, All Districts 1795;
1797-1798, page 7
Archives of Ontario
The Archives of Ontario has a substantial
number of records relating to aboriginal history,
very widely scattered through the Archives' total
holdings. Dating from the 1760s, most focus on what
is now Ontario. However, a reasonable number -- for
example, fur trade and missionary papers -- refer
to Aboriginal people of Quebec, other parts of Canada,
and the United States.
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J. J. Talman Library
A City Boy in the Woods
Ontario Department of
Lands and Forests
[Toronto: Department of
Lands and Forests, 1955]
Reference Code: PAMPH 1955 55M
Archives of Ontario
The
J. J. Talman Library
at the Archives
of Ontario is a research and
reference collection for the general public and the
staff of the Archives. There are approximately 75,000
books, pamphlets, Ontario Government publications,
periodicals, microfilm, microfiche and other printed
and published items in the Library's collections.
Most of the Library collections relate to the social,
political, economic, cultural and military history
of the Province of Ontario. This material provides
context and analysis and assists in interpreting and
understanding the archival material (government records
and private papers/collections) held at the Archives
of Ontario. [More
about the Library]
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Special Collections
Photographs
Jessie Mann playing an
accordion, Gogama, 1957
John Macfie
Black and white negative
Reference Code: C 330-5-0-0-4
Archives of Ontario, I0000105
The Archives of Ontario's photographic
collection consists of approximately 1.7 million images
documenting activities, people, places and events
in Ontario from the mid-1800s to the present. These images
come in many formats, including colour and black and
white prints, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes,
slides, and glass plate negatives.
The Archives photographic holdings include images
from many private sources such as photojournalists,
studio photographers, amateur photographers, and corporate
collections. The Archives' photographic holdings
also include images created by many Ontario government
ministries and agencies to document programs and activities.
Photographs are accessed through the
Reading Room. A small selection
of our photographs has been digitized and may be searched
using our Visual
Database. Some photographs are described
(but not digitized) in our Archives
Descriptive Database. In many cases you
will need to use paper-based finding aids and card
catalogues to help you find the images you need.
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Cartographic Records
![Detail, Seneca Township [patent plan], RG 1-100, C-51.](pics/c51th2.jpg)
Seneca Township [patent plan]
James Kirkpatrick,
copy Thomas Park SG, [1842]
Records of the Ministry of
Natural Resources
Reference Code: RG 1-100, C-51
Archives of Ontario
As well as its large collection of government cartographic
records, the Archives has significant collections
of private cartographic records including those produced
by or for: Lieutenant Governor Simcoe, Thomas Talbot,
the Canada Company, and David Thompson.
The Cartographic Records Collection
of the Archives of Ontario contains over 40,000 maps,
plans, hydrographic charts, atlases, bird's eye views,
and other cartographic materials relating to the Province
of Ontario. The foundation of our collection consists
of maps produced by and for the Government of Ontario,
most notably the Ministry of Natural Resources and
its predecessors.
Maps in the collection span the period from the early
eighteenth century, when Ontario was still part of
New France, to the present.
The collection contains maps and plans
documenting many aspects of the province's history
and development including exploration maps, settlement
maps, township and town surveys, road maps, fishing
maps, boundary maps, electoral plans, fire insurance
plans, and maps showing the location and distribution
of various natural resources. Many of these maps are
in manuscript form and thus are unique items.
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Architectural Records
Proposed additions to
University of Victoria College;
perspective rendered from
the SW angle, 1861
William G. Storm
Watercolour
Reference Code: C 11-695-0-1,(642)4
Archives of Ontario, I0005431
The Archives of Ontario has an extensive
architectural records collection of approximately
200,000 drawings and other items, dating from the
early 1820s to the 1990s. These records document Ontario's
built environment and heritage.
The collection consists of architectural materials created or accumulated for government purposes. An example would be the records of the Public Works Department, which was responsible for the construction of prisons, hospitals, special schools, and other facilities. The Archives also holds architectural records created by individual architects or private sector firms. The scope of these records ranges from houses to factories to skyscrapers.
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Documentary Art
Ferry at the Mouth of the River
Trent, 1830 (detail)
Thomas Burrowes
Watercolour
Reference Code: C 1-0-0-0-114
Archives of Ontario, I0002233
The Archives of Ontario holds a collection
of approximately 4000 documentary art records that
document the people, places and events in Ontario
from the 1790s until the 1900s. The collection
contains paintings, drawings, and prints by both amateur
and professional artists, such as Caroline Armington,
William Armstrong, Thomas Burrowes, Anne Langton,
C. W. Jefferys, Stewart C. Shaw, Elizabeth Simcoe, Fred Brygden, Robert Sproule, Owen Staples, and Dorothy
Stevens. It covers a wide range of subjects such as
views of small towns, famous and infamous people,
and historical events.
Landscapes and City Views
The documentary art holdings contain landscapes and city
views of places throughout the province, from Thunder Bay
to Ottawa. This includes watercolours by Elizabeth Posthuma
Simcoe, the wife of Lieutenant-Governor, John Graves Simcoe
documenting life in Upper Canada from the 1790s to the 1840s;
drawings by William James Thomson of Toronto and surrounding
areas, done for the Globe newspaper from 1889 to 1893; watercolours
by well-known artist William Armstrong of Niagara Falls
and Lake Superior from the 1840s; and landscapes by amateur
artists such as Reginald and Nigel Drayton, and others.
Portraiture
Prominent figures such as George Simpson, the Governor-in-Chief
of Ruperts Land, Sir John Beverley Robinson, politician and
judge in Upper Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister
of Canada, Sir James P Whitney, Premier of Ontario (1905-1914),
and John Robarts, Premier of Ontario (1961-1971) are all
depicted in various different media, such as photographs,
prints, and bronze plaques.
Caricatures and Cartoons
The Archives of Ontario has over 2000 political caricatures
and illustrative cartoons from the 20th century, largely
done by Newton McConnell, the staff cartoonist for the Toronto
Daily News and William James Thomson of the Globe. Chief
among the themes occurring are the Laurier administration,
Robert L. Borden, reciprocity (free trade) with the United
States, and the separate schools issue. Ontario topics include
drawings of Sir James Whitney, Alexander MacKay, N. W. Rowell,
and W. J. Hanna, and famous criminal trials of the period.
Poster Collection
The poster holdings of the Archives of Ontario document
various aspects of Ontario culture, including farm auctions,
tea and church socials, sporting and cultural events, and
political meetings. In addition, the Archives holds World
War I posters, which called Ontario's citizens to arms or
to support the war effort on the home front.
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Sound and Moving Images
Ontario Government Holdings of Sound and Moving Images
Ontario government films, 1940s to 1980s:
Government ministries and agencies have produced film
to inform and educate the public about government programs,
to celebrate events such as the Canadian Centennial at Expo
'67, and to market and promote Ontario's tourism and economic
development potential. Major functions depicted in films
available at the Archives of Ontario are agriculture and
food production, natural resources, tourism, trade and economic
development, and transportation. With the exception of a
few titles, all films were produced in 16mm. As part of
the wider communications function, ministries active in
film production also produced extensive photograph libraries.
These collections are available through the
reading room.
The Ontario government did produce films earlier than the
1940s through a central film production bureau called the
Ontario Motion Picture Bureau which operated from 1917 to
1934. Extant films from the OMPB are held by and available
through the Library
and Archives Canada/Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
in Ottawa.
Televised broadcasts of the Ontario Legislative
Assembly, 1986-1994:
Televised broadcasts of the Legislative Assembly began
in 1986. Current holdings at the Archives of Ontario include
up to the end of 1999. To order a specific tape from the
Archives you will need to provide the date, time, and name
of speaker from Hansard. Please allow 2-3 days for retrieval
as the material is stored off-site. For broadcasts after
1994, please contact the Legislative Assembly's Broadcast
and Recording Services by telephone at 416-325-7900.
Audio or videotape recordings of Royal Commission
hearings and inquiries:
These audio-visual records are usually complemented by
textual records such as briefs, correspondence, exhibits,
and reports which are available through the Reading Room.
Other government productions including:
Radio and television ads, public service announcements,
speeches, and press announcements.
Private Sector Holdings of Sound and Moving Images
The corporate audio-visual memory:
The most significant and extensive is the T. Eaton Co.
Records which include films and video on the store's history,
staff training films, television advertising, community
involvement as well as the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade in
Toronto. Other company films depict mining, boat-building
and manufacturing activities.
"Home movie" collections, 1920s to 1960s:
Amateur films, especially from the pre-television age,
provide a valuable window into social history, family and
home life, leisure activities, and local communities. They
capture events such as the 1939 Royal Visit and cleaning
up after Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Frequently, the camera
followed the play lives of Ontarians and their love affair
with Muskoka (and Florida!), parades, and visits to the
Canadian National Exhibition (C.N.E.) in Toronto.
Political voices and images:
From newsreels and speeches of Mitchell Hepburn (Premier
of Ontario, 1934-1942) to television ads and election campaign
footage of Bill Davis (Premier of Ontario, 1971-1985).
Television and radio programs:
Including newsfilm from CHCH-TV (Hamilton), CFPL-TV (London) and programs
from Multilingual TV (Channel 47), CHIN Radio/TV International
and CJRT-FM, and the Canadian Association for Adult Education.
Oral History Collections
Oral history collections recorded at the Archives of Ontario originate
from both the government and private sector. Most of the
collections are only sound, although there are some interviews
captured on film and video.
The Government of Ontario Art Collection
The Government of Ontario Art Collection
(GOAC) currently comprises over 2,500 original works
of art, conservatively valued at almost 16 million
dollars. Administered by the Archives of Ontario,
the collection includes paintings, murals, works on
paper, indoor and outdoor sculpture, antique furnishings
and decorative objects.
Recognized as the first public art collection in
Canada, it was initiated in 1853 by an act of the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada West.
The nucleus of the collection dates to the 1850s and,
following confederation, the Province of Ontario continued
its development by purchasing modern works of art
from Ontario artists. This policy continued from 1873
to 1914 when the practice of regular purchasing came
to an end.
The commissioning of official portraits first initiated
in the 1880s continues today. The collection includes
over 200 such works which portray former Lieutenant
Governors, Premiers and Speakers as well as judges,
politicians and other notable Ontarians. Other works
of note include the C. W. Jefferys’ drawings
for Canadian history texts, created early in the 20th
century, and 459 of his own paintings gifted by George
A. Reid in 1944.
In the mid 1960s the Art-in-Architecture (AIA) program
called for the creation of site-specific works of
art for government buildings such as those found in
the corridors and grounds of the Macdonald Block.
Between 1966 and 1995 over 600 contemporary works
entered the collection through this initiative.
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock,
K. B., [ca.1883]
President and Administrator
of Upper Canada, 1811-12
George Theodore
Berthon (1806-1892)
Oil on canvas
Government of Ontario Art Collection, 694158
Donations
have contributed significantly to the growth of the
collection over the years. Most recently, 18 new pieces
were donated by members of the Ontario Society of
Artists in 2005.
Eclectic and widespread, the collection can be found
hanging in the Ontario Legislative Building and ministry
offices in Toronto, as well as in government buildings
in 36 towns and cities across the province. To learn
more about the Government of Ontario Art Collection
visit the online exhibits below.
To see more images of works in the collection visit
the Art
Collection of Ontario Online Database.
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