Title and statement of responsibility area
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Edition area
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
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Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1939-1982, predominant 1946-1982 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
6.1 m of textual records 966 photographs 3 scrapbooks 48 plans 10 prize ribbons
Publisher's series area
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Archival description area
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Administrative history
The Canadian National Exhibition, originally called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, was founded in 1879 for the purpose of promoting agriculture, industry and the arts. From the outset, the agricultural events featured at the annual fair were administered by various committees. In the 1880s, for instance, there was a Horse Committee, a Cattle Committee, a Sheep and Pig Committee, an Agricultural Products Committee, and so on. Eventually, these committees were drawn together and coordinated by an overarching Agriculture Department.
Unfortunately, no unpublished records exist regarding the activities and achievements of the Agriculture Department prior to the Second World War. Researchers interested in agricultural events at the CNE before the 1940s should consult published records, such as the CNE programmes and annual reports. The CNE was closed from 1942 to 1946 when the grounds were used by the Canadian Military.
The records in RG 1 cover the period from 1946 to 1982. During this time the Agriculture Department's operations were extensive: it administered the annual CNE livestock shows and competitions; oversaw the rental of agricultural exhibit space in the Horticulture Building and the commercial exhibit space in the Coliseum; managed the Woodcarving Exhibit (from 1977 on) and several junior competitions; and organized the Miss CNE: Queen of the Fairs and Dairy Princess pageants. The department also communicated and worked with the Provincial and Federal Agriculture Ministries, with various national and international breed societies, as well as with local agricultural organizations. These societies and organizations contributed a large portion of the prize money and awards offered to competitors at the CNE.
The Department was, and still is, organized around various committees responsible for setting standards, rules and deadlines for competitions and exhibits, establishing prize money, adding, deleting and changing classes, classifications and prizes, communicating with outside organizations, and recommending judges, superintendents and veterinarians.
The members of the committees are drawn from the governing body of the CNE, the Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA), as well as from various societies and organizations with an interest in agriculture. The Manager of the Agriculture Department, an employee hired from outside the CNEA, was, and is, responsible for coordinating the Department's various efforts, and attends to general administrative duties. The manager also performs consultative work for other agricultural events such as the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Managers of the Agriculture Department have been: Sam Foster (1943-1954), J.N. Perdue (1954-1968), Frank A. Wolff (1968-1971), John Wiley (1971-1972) and Ross T. Farr (1972-1982).
The Agriculture Department's responsibilities have undergone very few changes between 1946 and 1982. Since the early days of the CNE the agriculture program has provided one of the most important attractions of the annual fair, although agriculture itself has lost much of its significance in contemporary urban-industrial Canadian society.
Custodial history
The records comprising RG 1 were created by the Agriculture Department of the Canadian National Exhibition from 1934 to 1982. No documentation is available regarding the time or circumstances of the physical transfer of the records from the creating office to the Exhibition Place Archives, the transfer of legal custody and control to the Archives, or the acceptance of the records by the Archives. The records have been situated at the Exhibition Place Archives since, at least, 1985, although no clear date of transfer can be established at present.
The Agriculture Department fonds was reappraised in 2019. Files not containing records of archival value were culled as per the Exhibition Place records retention bylaw and duplicate and transitory records were removed from all Agriculture Department files.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of textual records, photographs, architectural plans, prize ribbons and scrapbooks documenting the activities of the Agriculture Department. Arrangement and description is at the series level, and each series has an accompanying file list. Fonds consists of the following series: Agriculture Department Administrative Files, Agriculture Department Scrapbooks.
Notes area
Physical condition
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Arrangement
Language of material
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Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Researchers are advised that citation of the Exhibition Place Archives is required in publications and essays. Please consult with the archivist regarding reproduction requests.
Finding aids
A detailed inventory is available onsite for the fonds.
Associated materials
See the James G. Perrin fonds, MG 3, for records pertaining to the Miss CNE and Dairy Princess pageants and agriculture publicity.
Accruals
General note
"Sweetheart of the Fair," ARCHEION Virtual Exhibit