Eaton's Spring / Summer 1935.

Timothy Eaton founded one of Canada’s Largest Dept. Stores in 1869. When he sold his interest in a small dry-goods store in the market town of St. Mary’s, Ontario and bought a dry-goods and haberdashery business at 178 Yonge Street in the city of Toronto. Eaton's was one of the first " No Credit & No Haggling" store and many business owners had doubts that it would succeed. After 14 years at this location with great success Mr. Eaton moved the business one block North to 190 Yonge Street. This building had the largest plate glass windows in Toronto, as well as the first electric lights and elevator in a Canadian retail establishment. In 1919, the store contained over 60 acres of floor space.

The Eaton Complex in 1920

At a time when the majority of the Canadian population was rural and mail order was common place, Eaton’s first catalogue was issued in 1884 and provided a huge selection of dry goods that would normally be unavailable, as well it gave citizens the choice and options to price compare. Eaton’s offered everything one could imagine. From Women’s wear, farm equipment, medicine, and at one time even houses. The catalogue is very much a collectable, a looking glass into history of Canadian homesteads. My wife brought into our home a Spring / Summer 1935 catalogue, and it has kept me busy a great many of Sunday mornings flipping through the yellowed pages seeing what bizarre remedies were available, and contraptions for the home. Here are a few pictures of some of the men's wear from 1935 as well as some of the camping and outdoors equipment. Buying Clothing etc via illustrations must have been difficult. Most of the men's work clothes look like they are made of cardboard and you have to be a paper doll to wear them. Enjoy.