Fair For Britain (Night Scene, Riverdale Park, Toronto, 1942-43), 1942

Private Collection, Ontario

“Fair for Britain”, Jack Ray: Selling Glamour and Illusion, North American Carnival Museum and Archives (VirtualMuseum.ca online resource), Section 1

In 1942, James “Patty” Conklin, head of the Canadian National Exhibition from 1937 to 1970, was left without a venue for the yearly extravaganza as the grounds were in use by the Canadian Armed Forces. As well, and importantly, “Fun wasn’t much of a priority with the outbreak of WWII. Land, money and effort were all spent supporting the Allied Forces.” Rather than cancel, Conklin developed a strategy to not only support the war effort, but to also “help sustain morale of citizens through entertainment” and “provide work for unemployed carnies and others during hard times.” Conklin introduced Fair for Britain, a carnival held for two years in Toronto’s Riverdale Park. Proceeds from the gate would be donated directly to the Toronto Evening Telegram’s British War Victim Fund. Over the two years, the fair raised more than $127,000 for the cause, in excess of $1 million today. An expert in capturing varied scenes of life and industry in early to mid-century Toronto, P.C. Sheppard presents a scene of energy and beauty, viewing the fairgrounds from above, the fronts and midway glowing with light and excitement between the tents and canopies. Pointing to the success of the fair, the scene is heavily populated by excited patrons old and young (Conklin’s fair introduced “Kiddie-Land”, a section devoted to rides and activities for young children, an instantly popular attraction which was soon adopted by other fairs and amusement parks). Each area of the fair is jammed with people while two late-comers race to get inside from the lower right corner of the composition. Towering over the scene, a ferris wheel blasts streams of light into the dark sky. This perspective of “Fair for Britain” was also employed by Owen Staples, his “Lancaster over ‘Fair for Britain’, Toronto, Ont.” (1942) looking down into the fairgrounds by day.