Ministry of
Government and Consumer Services
Ministry of
Government and Consumer Services
Ontario Government Record Series RG 65-35
1946-1996
ca.. 65 000 photographs
52 centimetres of textual records
1,589 photographs : colour slides
42 photographs : colour images
18 photographs : black and white photographs
Series consists of photographs created and used to market, advertise and promote tourism in Ontario. The photographs were maintained and indexed in a Photo Library, initially established in the Department of Travel and Publicity in the late 1940s or early 1950s and maintained by its successors. The photographs cover all regions of Ontario. The subject matter includes buildings, historic sites, street scenes, landscapes, recreational activities, events, festivals, and people throughout the province. Also included are images of the United States editors' tours of Ontario which began in the late 1940s and continued into the 1960s. The series provides a visual overview of the changing face of rural and especially urban Ontario in the post-war years, highlighting urban growth, infrastructure development, changes in technology, fashion, tastes and leisure activities.
While a part of the Departments of Travel and Publicity and Tourism and Information from 1946 to 1972, the Publicity Branch and Photography Branch also acted as the official government photographer for other ministries lacking their own photography operations. Branch photographers documented royal visits, the swearing-in ceremonies of MPPs, Cabinet members' portraits, the openings of the Legislature, other official events, Department personnel, and government institutions such as hospitals and prisons. From 1972 to 1982, when the tourism function was part of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, the Photo Library also included photographs related to the Ministry's industry function. When the tourism and industry functions were separated into two different ministries in 1982, the tourism- and industry-related photographs in the Photo Library were separated with the latter transferred to the newly created Ministry of Industry and Trade. Some photographs with an industrial theme from the 1970s, however, are found in this series.
The photographs were available on loan to other Ontario ministries and agencies, local governments, chambers of commerce, resorts and other tourism-related businesses. The photos could be used to advertise resorts, historic sites, provincial parks, festivals and events in Ontario. Users were prohibited from using the photos for commercial purposes (e.g. postcards or souvenirs).
A number of photographic formats were used over the years. Black and white processes predominated from 1945 until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Over time, colour processes, particularly transparencies, became the format of choice for tourism promoters.
The photographs are arranged into 8 sub-series based on the format of the photographs, as this was the arrangement followed by the creator of the photographs -- although the range of subject matter does not vary greatly among the sub-series. Different numbering systems were established for the various formats as well as indices to the these format-based sub-series. The various numbering systems are described in the sub-series descriptions; a knowledge of these systems is helpful in understanding and using the creator-generated indexes. The Archives has only some complete creator-generated indexes. Not all of the photographs listed for this series were transferred to the Archives' control by the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation.
Received in 2017: Box B934949 contains 4 binders of photographs and slides. The first binder contains colour slides of the pedal boats and water rides at the marina at Ontario Place. The second binder contains slides concerning the Children’s Village, Lego, Nintendo, Dempster’s Kids, Space Ball, and the bumper boats. The third binder is entitled "slides / photographs Ontario Place". The fourth binder contains colour slides of Ontario Place in 1996.
Click here to see a list of sub-series that make up this series
Click on the link(s) below for more information.
Ontario. Dept. of Travel and Publicity Ontario. Dept. of Travel and Publicity. Publicity Branch Ontario. Photography Branch Ontario. Dept. of Tourism and Information Ontario. Dept. of Tourism and Information. Publicity Branch Ontario. Ministry of Industry and Tourism Ontario. Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Audio-Visual Branch Ontario. Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Communications Services Branch Ontario. Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Advertising & Promotion Services Group Ontario. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. Marketing Section Ontario. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. Advertising and Promotion Section Ontario. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation (1982-1993) Ontario. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation Ontario. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. Advertising and Promotion Section Ontario. Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Ontario. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. Advertising and Promotion SectionFurther accruals may be expected.
These records were created by the following Ontario government agency or agencies. Click on the agency reference code for information about this agency and other records it created.
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1946-1951 : |
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Department of Travel and Publicity (AA1) |
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Publicity Branch (CA8) |
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1951-1964 : |
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Department of Travel and Publicity (AA1) |
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Photography Branch (CA7) |
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1964-1972 : |
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Department of Tourism and Information (AA2) |
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Publicity Branch (CA29) |
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1972-1974 : |
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Ministry of Industry and Tourism (AA13) |
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Audio-Visual Branch (CA30) |
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1974-1980 : |
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Ministry of Industry and Tourism (AA13) |
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Communications Services Branch (CA604) |
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1980-1982 : |
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Ministry of Industry and Tourism (AA13) |
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Advertising & Promotion Services Group (CA608) |
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1982-1987 : |
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Ministry of Tourism and Recreation (AA6) |
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Marketing Section (CA609) |
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1987-1993 : |
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Ministry of Tourism and Recreation (AA6) |
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Advertising and Promotion Section (CA610) |
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1993-1995 : |
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Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation (AA7) |
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Advertising and Promotion Section (CA610) |
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1995-1996 : |
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Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism (AA8) |
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Advertising and Promotion Section (CA610) |
See sub-series descriptions to narrow your search and for information on how to order records.
As all the sub-series contain a similar range of subject matter, researchers interested in exhaustive searches and no particular image format are advised to check each sub-series and its accompanying listing. For a one-stop reference to a fairly representative range of subjects in this series, it is recommended to use sub-series RG 65-35-1 and its accompanying listing. For access by geographic location, use sub-series RG 65-35-2, 3 or 7 and their accompanying listings or indexes.
Please note that this material may be stored off-site. A minimum of 1 business day is required to retrieve off-site material from storage. Please contact a Reference Archivist for more information.
Click here to see a list of sub-series that make up this series
Scroll up to "Finding Aid" for more information about any available finding aids or listings.
Digital images of all or some of these records are available for online research.
Click on a reference code for more information about a series of records.
| Reference Code | Sub-series Title |
| RG 65-35-1 | Tourism promotion photographs - black and white negatives and prints |
| RG 65-35-2 | Tourism promotion photographs - 35 mm color transparencies |
| RG 65-35-3 | Tourism promotion photographs - 10 x 13 cm colour transparencies |
| RG 65-35-4 | Indexes to 10 x 13 cm colour transparencies |
| RG 65-35-5 | Tourism promotion photographs - colour negatives and prints |
| RG 65-35-6 | Index to colour negatives and prints |
| RG 65-35-7 | Tourism promotion photographs - 6 x 6 cm colour transparencies |
| RG 65-35-8 | Photographs of historic Ontario sites |