T-Drive; A D1

Date of the items: 1900-2003

Physical description: 1 file folder; 2 DVD-Rs (approx. 10GB total)

Title: Matthew Griffis Fonds

Creator: Matthew Griffis

Repository: Trent Valley Archives

Reference number: TVA Fonds 400

Scope and contents: The fonds consists of high-resolution scans of approximately 230 colour, sepia, and black and white vintage postcard images of Peterborough, Lindsay, and various locations in the Kawartha Lakes region. All originals measure approximately 9×14 cm. The scans include the front and back of each card (labelled “a” and “b” respectively); these were scanned (at a resolution of 600 dpi) and labelled by the donor before donation. All paper originals remain with the donor; he has donated only the scans to TVA to use for public research, publications (when copyright allows), and TVA publicity.

The overwhelming majority of the original cards date ca. 1900 to 1920; others date from 1920 to 1945; and a small portion of the original cards date from the late 1940s to the mid- to late-1970s. Most of the original cards are mass-produced cards consisting of lithographed images printed onto standard cardstock; others are real photograph postcards (RPPCs) which are black and white photographic images printed (from negatives) onto 9×14 cm photographic paper and rubber-stamped on the back. Many of the early cards were manufactured by the Valentine & Sons postcard company (which had offices in Toronto and, incidentally, used Roy Studio images on their cards) and the International Stationary Company of Picton. Others were produced by more local manufacturers, among them the Roy Studio.

The collection is organized into three major series:

Series A – Peterborough: Business and Industry, Churches and Cemeteries, Downtown Streets, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Homes, Hotels, Otonabee River (Bridges, Lift Locks, Marinas and River Views), Parks and Campgrounds, Railway Stations, Recreation and Entertainment, Services and Public Buildings, and Misc. Rural Scenes.

Series B – Lindsay: Canal, Churches, Downtown Streets, Services and Public Buildings, and Other.

Series C – Kawartha: Apsley, Balsam Lake, Bobcaygeon, Buckhorn Lake, Burleigh Falls, Chemong Lake, Fenelon Falls, Haliburton, Havelock, Lakefield, Pigeon Lake, Rice Lake, Stoney Lake, Sturgeon Lake, and Misc. Kawartha Lakes.

Also included in the digital image collection is a scan (front and back) of a cabinet photograph of the Peterborough Lift Locks (date unknown) as well as 1 file folder containing printed copies of approximately 15 articles from the Globe and Mail online database. The original articles date from approximately 1900 to 2003 and pertain to the life and work of Frederick M. DelaFosse (FMD), first Librarian of the Peterborough Carnegie Library (opened 1911). The collection includes published letters that DelaFosse wrote to the editor of The Globe, brief mentions of FMD in society columns, and obituaries related to members of the DelaFosse and Fewer families.

Access Conditions: No Restrictions

Finding aid: None

Accruals: No further accruals are expected

Custodial history: Griffis began his postcard collection in 2007. The scans were donated in 2013.

Biographical sketch: Dr. Matthew Griffis was a professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Southern Mississippi and a former employee of the Peterborough Public Library. He worked for Trent Valley Archives as a volunteer in 2012 and then as an assistant in 2013. His work on the history of the Peterborough Carnegie Library resulted in the publication of a PHS Occasional Paper about the history of the Carnegie Library. He also co-authored Postcards from Peterborough and the Kawarthas with Elwood Jones. His Peterborough postcard collection remains an enjoyable personal hobby.

Related fonds at TVA: Many fonds at TVA contain postcards, but fonds with a significant number of postcards include F540 Andre Dorfman Postcard Collection; F543 Dianne Tedford; F544 Ken Brown Postcard Collection; F546 Hugh Jones and F628 John T. Brooks.

Access Points:
Peterborough, Ontario
Lindsay, Ontario
Kawartha Lakes
Frederick M. DelaFosse
Carnegie Library