This is what Toronto postcards looked like in the early 1900s

Vintage postcards in Toronto offer a glimpse of how the city saw itself at moments of time. 

Some of the buildings will look familiar despite a change in occupant or use— like, for instance, the former Toronto General Hospital, which is now part of the MaRs Discovery District on College at University or the former Toronto Normal school, whose facade has been preserved as the entrance to Ryerson's Recreation and Athletics centre.

As they offer a vignette of history in the city, postcards can also preserve an image of Toronto, frozen in time.

Here are some vintage postcards from Toronto's past. 

The Armouries, in 1905. 

Boats docked at Toronto's Harbourfront, 1905.

A view east on Carlton, with the streetcar in view, 1907.

A skyline shot of Old City Hall, 1907.

The intersection of Broadview and Gerrard, 1908.

A boat arriving at the Harbourfront from Niagara, 1908.

Houses along Jarvis, 1909.

A shot of Knox College, now part of U of T, 1909.

The Normal School, now part of Ryerson, 1909.

The Asylum, now CAMH, 1910.

A very different Yonge and Bloor, 1910.

A view of Adelaide Street, 1910.

The Grand Union Hotel on Front, 1911.

A very different looking Union Station in 1913.

Spadina Avenue in 1914.

A view of City Hall and the Eaton Centre, 1920.

University of Toronto, 1920.

Another glimpse at the old streetcars, 1923.

Toronto General Hospital, 1924.

The CNE featuring a livestock competition, 1925.

An old nightclub/dance hall, 1926.

The Maple Leafs at the beginning of a game, 1929.

A skyline showing a Toronto without the CN Tower, 1943.