Collection - Michael Johnstone Postcard Collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Michael Johnstone Postcard Collection

General material designation

  • Object
  • Graphic material
  • Textual record

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

Physical description area

Physical description

0.1 cm of textual material
83 Postcards
3 Photographs
3 Image negatives
3 Stereoscopic prints
1 Object
1 Book

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

(March 27, 1945 - July 26, 2018)

Biographical history

Michael Roderick Johnstone was born in Hamilton, Ontario at the Salvation Army Hospital. He graduated from McMaster University in 1969 where he served as the Student Cultural Affairs Commissioner and President of the McMaster Students Union. He was also involved with The Silhouette, McMaster’s University’s student-run newspaper as a writer from 1962 to 1963 and with the McMaster’s Film Board. Michael returned to school at Mohawk College for nursing in the 1980’s and worked at the Hamilton General Hospital as a registered nurse in the post-operative care unit for more than 25 years until his retirement.

Michael was involved in the founding of many gay and lesbian organizations in the Hamilton area. Prior to moving back to Hamilton in 1979, he was a member of Gays of Ottawa from 1976 to 1979. Michael also served as a secretary of the Coordinating Office of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Rights Coalition that dealt with specific issues of federal jurisdiction. At this time, the Hamilton-McMaster Gay Liberation Movement group has been established. To expand outside of McMaster University and into the broader Hamilton community, core members of the McMaster Homophile Association formed Hamilton United Gay Societies (HUGS) in 1980. Michael was one of the founding members of HUGS and served in different executive committee roles such as secretary, treasurer and president from 1980 to 1982 and again from 1988 to 1991 when HUGS changed their name to Hamilton Gay and Lesbian Alliance (HGALA). Michael was the self-appointed archivist of the Hamilton-Wentworth Gay Archives which was founded in 1982 and was also involved in the Gay Phoenix (then The Phoenix/Hamilton Phoenix) newsletter, Lesbian/Gayline and Speakers’ Bureau.

Since its founding in 1986, Michael was as a member of the Hamilton AIDS Network for Dialogue and Support’s (HANDS) Board of Directors, was the president from 1991 to 1993, and a member of the Steering Committee. He was also involved in the AIDS Prevention Task Force Implementation Subcommittee of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, the AIDS Working Group on Anonymous HIV Testing, and Regional Palliative Care Program Hospice Services Group.

At the Hamilton GALA Honour Roll Dinner in 1991, Michael Johnstone along with Anne Cassel were presented with the Honour Roll Award plaque to recognize their contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in Hamilton throughout the years.

In addition to Michael’s activist work, he was a part of the Social Justice and World Outreach committees of the Hamilton Presbytery of the United Church of Canada and was an active member of the Hamilton Group of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East.

Michael passed away from lung cancer on July 26, 2018 at the Good Shepherd’s Emmanuel House hospice in Hamilton which used to be a housing residence for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Custodial history

Material was collected by Michael Johnstone in his lifetime. Material was later donated to the Local History & Archives by the executor of his estate, Sandra Cruickshanks.

Scope and content

This collection principally consists of early to mid-20th century postcards collected by Michael Johnstone depicting Hamilton, Hamilton citizens, and the Hamiltonian lifestyle at the time. Examples include: King street landscapes, Ellen Fairclough, Gage Park, the City Hospital, and New City Hall. Furthermore, collection contains non-postcard ephemera from the early 20th century such as photographs, Stereoscopic prints, an insurance policy, and a commemorative centennial coin.

Materials are organized into the following series:
Series 01: Motorways and waterways. – [ca. 1910-1915, 1960]
Series 02: Advertisements. – [ca. 1913]
Series 03: People. - [ca. 1901 - 1913, 1958 -1960]
Series 04: Parks and landscapes. - [ca.1907 - 1910, 1929, 1938 - 1940]
Series 05: Mountain Inclines. - [ca. 1903 -1910]
Series 06: Hospitals and Asylums. - [ca. 1906 - 1921]
Series 07: Streets and Streetcars. - [ca. 1900 - 1940]
Series 08: Hamilton Market. - [ca. 1910 - 1913]
Series 09: Churches. - [ca. 1906 – 1911, 1929]
Series 10: Railways and Train stations. - [ca. 1908-1920]
Series 11: Buildings. - [ca. 1905 - 1920, 1941,1955, 1960]
Series 12: Non-Postcard Materials. - (1906-1920, 1956)

Notes area

Physical condition

Contains some non-postcard material.

Immediate source of acquisition

Collection was donated to the Hamilton Public Library, Local History and Archives in 2019 by the estate of Michael Johnstone, c/o Sandra Cruickshanks.

Arrangement

Postcards were arranged by the subject of the postcard illustration.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no restrictions on access.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Copyright is held by the Hamilton Public Library. There are no restrictions on reproduction for research and private study.
*Preferred citation: Michael Johnstone Postcard Collection (Accession#01182), Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, Ontario.

Finding aids

File list available.

Associated materials

For related materials, please consult accession #01183: Michael Johnstone Bank of Hamilton Postcard collection.

Accruals

No further accruals expected.

General note

Title is based on the contents of the collection.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres