Almost every morning, I receive an email alert from eBay, advising me about antique photos of Montreal that have been recently posted. Why? One day, I hope to find photos of the shops my ancestors owned, the homes and streets where they lived, or photos that provide an idea of what their life was like during a specific time period. Specifically, I am looking for old photos of a building at the corner of Prince Arthur (formerly Courville) and Hôtel-de-Ville streets and a building at the corner of Prince Arthur and Colonial.
Today on eBay.ca, there are more than 700 photos of buildings, streets, scenics, and portraits of people in Montreal, taken before 1940. Most photos are reasonably priced.
The 1928 photo below of the National shop at 901 Ste-Catherine Street at the corner of Champlain is an example of what can be found on eBay. Today, the neighbourhood appears run down and store is closed.
This 1920s photo shows a deliveryman for Molson’s Brewery, wearing a hat, white shirt and tie.
One way to find pre-1940 photos of Montreal or other cities and towns on eBay is to go to http://www.ebay.ca/ and enter Montreal (or other city name and province, e.g. Montreal Quebec) in the search box at the top. Then, using the menu on the left, narrow the search to Collectibles, next click on Photographic Images, and then, at the top of the menu, click on Antique (Pre-1940). A similar search of Sherbrooke Quebec uncovered a 1928 photo of the Sherbrooke High School basketball team — and the names of the players are listed: Noreen Dunsmore, Sylvia Loomis, Dorothy Nutbrown, Rita Shea, Ruth Loomis, and Grace Jackson.
Amusez-vous and happy hunting.
Nice tip, Gail. Don’t forget you can add your family names with place names, or business names, etc. for e-bay alerts (and Google alerts) too. Someone might be selling postcards sent by a family member for e.g. Good to see you here!
This is a great reminder. I need to sit down and do this for more places I am researching.