Not so Vintage Postcards
I live on Georgian Bay so this vintage-look postcard drew me in. Even better when I realized these cards depicting beloved places all over Canada are by artist Mitchell Fenton. (See a previous post on him here.)
These 5 x 7 inch postcards “were produced from existing paintings, mostly for fun, under the “Canadian Specific” label celebrating the golden age of advertising,” Fenton says. He has donated each series to public bodies for fundraising (for example the Georgian Bay Land Trust and Lake Ohara Trails Club in Yoho).
There are plenty of choices for Banff, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Jasper. The selection for Toronto Island, where Fenton lives, is also wide-ranging.
See all the postcards here
See more about Fenton and his work on the Art Junkie post, here.
NOTE: For those wondering about the “Canadian Specific” logo, the Canadian Pacific Railway (the CPR), produced thousands of promotional travel posters beginning in the 1880s, searing the company’s logo and images into the consciousness of many generations of Canadians. (Just do a Google search.)
8 Comments
Awonderfulsheep
These are lovely! I love getting vintage poster postcards when I travel, and it’s nice to learn about the artist behind these Canadian ones. I’ll have to keep an eye out next time I visit. Thank you for sharing!
J Walters
Yes you’ll definitely have to count Canada as a potential soruce! Thank you for taking the time to fill us in.
broadsideblog
Love the ones for Toronto Island! I got married in St Andrew by The Lake, the little wooden church on Centre island, in 2011. LOVE the islands.
J Walters
Love hearing these stories, and I also like the islands, although I’ve never spent a lot of time there. That would have been a lovely spot for a wedding.
broadsideblog
It was so fun! Had Timbits in the water taxi over and cows mooing from the petting zoo next door. Not terribly formal
brilliantviewpoint
Wonderful postcards. In Indiana where I am from we have the South Shore Line (train system). Posters were made for this. A well known one was this one: https://www.southshoreartsonline.org/posters/1fdeu6fh412w8a7vrcg4hix8pkfd00
J Walters
Thanks for that. I think posters must have been extremely effective in those days.
brilliantviewpoint
I agree, I think it was an “in” thing to buy and collect each one that came out.