Antique & Vintage Postcards

Ink-drawn sailboat masts rise above the calm harbour of Little Current, the small Georgian Bay-side town that serves as the northern gateway to Manitoulin Island — the world's largest freshwater island — in this charming pen-and-ink artist's postcard that doubles as a snapshot of 1970s Canadian tourism culture. Little Current sits at the island's northeastern tip where a swing bridge connects it to the mainland; the card's back notes it as a Customs Port and pleasure-craft gathering place, conjuring images of weekend sailors clearing customs before exploring the island's rugged limestone shores. The drawing, executed in confident expressive linework, shows a tree-massed shoreline opposite a waterfront of vernacular commercial buildings reflected in still water. Published by Stonehouse Publications Limited of RR1 Fonthill, Ontario, and retailed through Espanola Pharmacy, Espanola, Ontario — a lovely chain of small-town Canadian commerce.