Lot #726: Vintage 1920s Ontario Postcard - "Ontario Street, St. Catherines, Ontario" - "The Garden City" - Photogelatine Engraving Co. (PECO)

One Vintage 1920s Ontario Canada Postcard, unused, showing leafy avenue at "Ontario Street, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada" published by the Photogelatine Engraving Co. (PECO) of Toronto. The Photogelatine Engraving Co. (PECO) of Toronto was a dominant force in the Canadian postcard market from the 1920s through the 1950s, specializing in the collotype (or photogelatine) process a process that sat somewhere between a high-end print and a real photograph. Like other PECO cards offered here, this card uses the collotype (photogelatine) process. This was particularly effective for "leafy" scenes because the lack of a halftone screen (no ink dots) allowed for a much more natural, soft rendering of the dappled light filtering through the tree branches. This postcard is a quintessential example of the "City Beautiful" movement as captured by the Photogelatine Engraving Co. (PECO). During the 1920s, St. Catharines was widely celebrated as "The Garden City," and postcards featuring its lush, tree-lined residential avenues were incredibly popular souvenirs for visitors exploring the Niagara Peninsula. At the time this card was produced, Ontario Street was one of the premier residential and commercial arteries of St. Catharines. This street would have been home to many of the city's prominent citizens and was a key route for those traveling toward the lake or the various mineral springs that originally made the city a health resort destination. The 1920s was an era before Dutch Elm Disease devastated the urban canopies of Ontario. The "leafy avenue" look—often featuring a tunnel of towering elms or maples—was a point of immense civic pride. St. Catharines underwent significant urban change in the mid-20th century. A 1920s view of Ontario Street often serves as a vital record for local heritage enthusiasts looking to see the original setbacks and architectural styles of the homes before modern commercial intensification. Dimensions: 9 mm x 14 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}