[LINK] "Looking at the overlooked"

[rfmcdonald]

brunorepublic has a thoughtful post examining the differences in Toronto's streetscape and appearance over time.\

What I found most fascinating were not the images of long-demolished landmarks or buildings transformed beyond recognition, but the smaller businesses, like clothing shops, gas stations, and restaurants, which were very much products of their respective time. These things tend not to be well-documented (if they are documented at all), despite -- or perhaps because of -- being very much a part of everyday life. These types of places disappear silently, largely unnoticed, and in a short span of time, it's as if they never existed at all. Old photos give a voice to them, surprising us by proving their place in time.

Everything from the typefaces used on the signage to the goods on offer instantly affixes these establishments to their era in a way which is almost never correctly duplicated in historical re-creations. I cringe when I see depictions of the 70s and 80s (and probably soon the 90s) in new movies and TV, because I can't stop thinking "no, it wasn't like that". I'm sure people older that I must think the same thing about other decades.