Early Old Home Week Celebrations in Canada

We once had a conversation with a North Bay area educator about North Bay’s 1925 Old Home Week celebration. She had thought that Old Home Week was a North Bay invention; however, that’s incorrect. Here, at last, is “proof” of that — a 1904 patriotic private postcard which shows that Old Home Week and a “Champlain celebration” were held as early as June 1904 in Saint John, New Brunswick. This is the earliest Old Home Week postcard we’ve personally seen.

This colorful image was published by the Maritime Steam Lithography Co. of Saint John, which paid great attention to detail in this old postcard. The faux wood background is intended to give a 3-D effect to the image, using an art technique known as trompe l’’oeil, or “fool the eye.” The famous explorer was engraved in fine detail, as was the idyllic country cottage, upon which red maple leaves rest. Lest one need a reminder of the event, a wise owl perches atop the country cottage image, holding a sign that says: “Be Wise & Come” in his mouth.

See a scarce Nipissing District logging postcard.

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