written by Alice McClintock Tucked away on the first floor of the Toronto Reference Library is a unique space, where the TRL showcases portions of Toronto’s cultural history. On now is the exhibition Vice & Virtue: Booze, Broads, and Sunday Laws, which traces the complicated history and the moral conflict of the city known as “Toronto the Good”. What visitors will appreciate is an exceptional exhibition that openly discusses a city’s moral code, through a study of race, class, and gender. Here there are tangible histories, some extending back to the nineteenth century, others much more recent to the collective Torontonian memory. The TRL handles such scope deftly, with an exhibition that engages with a local audience about their city’s past, while also challenging commonly held attitudes and assumptions about Toronto. At the start of the exhibition there is a touchscreen with a map of Toronto’s breweries and distilleries, giving visitors a sense of place. The exhibition’s primary focus is on temperance (a social movement popular in the late nineteenth century to stop the consumption and production of alcohol), and features temperance propaganda from the period, denouncing the evils of alcohol in the simplest terms, from a list of acceptable stimulants to effects of alcohol on various professions. There are also some labels for “malt” that are shown, as brewers circumvented prohibition laws in order to produce beer. Of particular interest are excerpts from brewer William Helliwell’s diaries (the brewery infrastructure can still be seen at Todmorden Mills), and a map of Enoch Turner’s original brewery property (another brewer who founded Toronto’s first free school in 1848). Also covered is the sensationalism of tabloids and sex scandals, most notably the controversy that surrounded Toronto when burlesque shows were opened on Sundays. There are examples of the tabloid magazine Flash, with its bold headlines of: “Lust-Mad Male Seduces Sitter in Wife’s Home”, “Filthy Movies Flood Canada”, and others. It’s interesting to see just how far we haven’t come, as the headlines in the National Enquirer show that we still thrive on scandal, except now in the mainstream. The exhibition takes a look at the legality of homosexuality throughout Toronto’s history, with added content surrounding Toronto’s first queer bar, and the early advocacy groups for LGBTQ rights in the city. Similarly, an investigation of the issues surrounding women’s access to contraception, which was not made legal until 1969, and how certain medical groups would use euphemisms (such as “feminine hygiene”) to be able to supply birth control to those who wanted it. Both issues are especially pertinent to consider in today’s political climate. Vice & Virtue brings together many interesting pieces of ephemera, and showcases the visual culture of Toronto during this particular time period. You can also link to an app called Aurasma that adds extra content to the exhibition by creating “auras” around certain objects. While the technology was at times spotty, the added content that Evan and I could access was informative and entertaining, mostly consisting of videos relating to certain artifacts or points in history. The TRL has done a wonderful job of representing some of Toronto’s darker cultural history. It is both entertaining and eye-opening. The exhibition is located in the TD Gallery on the first floor of the TRL, and is running until April 30. There are weekly tours at 2pm every Tuesday, and there is a host of talks and film screenings that accompany the exhibition. More information can be found here: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/exhibits/vice-and-virtue.jsp. All photography courtesy Alice McClintock. All images courtesy of the TRL.
1 Comment
George McClintock
2/28/2017 04:41:45 pm
A very fine review Alice. I look forward to having a chance to see this exhibit. And thanks - I did not know that Enoch Turner had a brewery as well as founding the first free school in Toronto. I think you and Evan have created a wonderful website for sharing your very knowledgeable reviews in order to enhance a visitor`s own enjoyment of these exhibits and displays.
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