Cover of the 1914-15 Simpson’s Fall and Winter Catalogue
The University Archives is thrilled to announce the availability of a collection of historical catalogues from fashion and department stores.
The collection includes catalogues from Simpsons, Simpson-Sears, Sears, Eaton’s, and other catalogue and department stores. The collection contains hundreds of catalogues from 1888 to 2005.
These catalogues have been in the Archives for decades and have been used by researchers to design costumes, date museum objects, and provide valuable context to the social and cultural life of Nova Scotians over the years. But the collection was recently reboxed and listed; the University Archives now has a complete inventory that will be made available to researchers.
Page from the 1913-1914 Eaton’s Catalogue
We hope the catalogues will be of interest to costume studies and theatre students and faculty, business historians, and anyone interested in learning more about Nova Scotian and Canadian society through its fashion and consumer goods.
Drop by the Archives to browse the collection!
Great idea! but too far to come research.
Library and Archives Canada has a selection of digitized editions on line though
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/mailorder/index-e.html
Lovely to flip through the pages – especially the Christmas ones.
H
Thanks for the link Helen! We would love to make these available online, but for now, the collection is only available on-site. But it is more comprehensive than what’s on the Library and Archives Canada website so it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.