Exclusively Canadian: Eaton’s Spring/Summer Catalogue 1927

The Canadian economy was flourishing two years before the Great Depression; the Eaton’s Catalogue had almost everything at prices that seem remarkable now.

In the late 1920s, Canada’s economy was prospering. WWI was over and the soldiers were happy to be home. The markets and industries were expanding products and developments, with new fashion styles, new home appliances and the newest in transportation. Automobiles were chugging along in all directions on rough Canadian roads. From 275,000 autos in 1918, said R. Neill in “Remaking National Policy: Canada”, there were nearly 2 million vehicles registered by 1929 in Canada. Eaton’s, one of Canada’s prime retail establishments, was ready for sales through the Eaton’s Catalogue, making goods available across the country.

The Eaton’s Spring and Summer Catalogue for 1927, filled with everything a Canadian shopper could need by mail-order.

The Eaton’s Catalogue

Timothy Eaton published his first sales catalogue in 1884, announcing the Eaton’s Mail Order Department of the Toronto store. (The first T. Eaton & Co. Store opened in downtown Toronto in 1869, later expanding to locations across Canada.) Receiving an Eaton’s catalogue in the mailbox “was a major event,” according to Eaton’s: The History and Legacy of a Canadian Institution, “and allowed people to avail themselves of the opportunity to purchase an array of products that were otherwise unattainable.”

Browsing through a reprinted copy of the Eaton’s Spring and Summer 1927 catalogue is a delightful trip into the past. The pages are crammed with detailed black and white sketches and information about the available goods. Prices are clearly marked in solid, larger print and a note at the bottom of every page lets the shopper know that Eaton’s will pay the cost of shipping on orders of $5 or more from the catalogue.

Fabulous fashion in Eaton’s Catalogue

Fashion was important in 1927, the women wearing the latest in mid-calf-length straight dresses and coats. Sold in a variety of fabrics, from house frocks to fancy dresses ($4 to $37), skirts and blouses, the clothing was not fitted. While the lingerie was embellished with lace and ribbon, the brassieres were not fitted but more in the style of camisoles and priced at about $1. Women could flatten their tummy areas by wearing restrictive corsets and corselettes, tightened by elastic fabric and buttons. To keep warm, there were “Blossom Bloomers” and lace-trimmed drawers.

A classic men’s suit could be purchased for about $25, a comfortable nightshirt for $1.75 and a bathrobe for $6.50. For the man needed outdoor work wear, grey striped overalls cost $2.10, or a one-piece heavy coverall in denim and khaki fabric for $2.65. Sturdy work boots of elk-leather were about $3.50.

A crocheted white baby sweater with pink or blue trim cost 89 cents, baby dresses were 49 cents each, or for the bigger child, a navy serge suit with white band trim on the collar was priced at $1.98. Little boys’ one-piece rompers were affordable at 89 cents.

If the woman of the house didn’t want to buy her family’s fashions, several sewing machines were available in the $40 to $60 range, and a wide range of fabrics, prints starting at 17 cents a yard, fine silks about $1.25/yard and wool tweeds for coats at $1.95. Patterns to sew the clothing were 25 cents each.

Fashion pages from the 1927 Eaton’s Spring and Summer Catalogue for the modern woman and girl. Canadian Museum of Civilization. “Before ECommerce” display.

Everything for the Home

The living room of the Canadian family would be a thing of beauty with the “Sani-Built” suite for $125, including the Queen Anne style chesterfield, wingback chair and easy armchair. Stoves for the kitchen were tall, cast-iron ranges that used wood or coal as fuel. Elegant nickle-plated ornamentation stood out against the black surfaces of the firebox, the warming closet and the oven, and cost about $60. A stylish bedroom dresser constructed in walnut with a mirror was about $30, a white enamel bedstead was $8, and a cozy mattress for a good night’s sleep in the Eatonia brand, $15. For entertainment, a phonograph set was $16.95 and records cost 55 cents each. Perhaps a harmonica for $1 or an Italian “Accordeon” at $12.50 would be fun.

The Smaller Comforts in the Catalogue, too

With catalogue pages a little too rough. Eaton’s sold toilet paper at 12 rolls for 49 cents in 1927. “Colgate’s” toothpaste could be bought for 25 cents and a toothbrush for the same price. Ladies could enjoy “Melrose” bath salts for $1 or six cakes of “Melrose Toilet Soap” for 50 cents. For 19 cents for the container, rose or violet-scented talcum powder might have been used after the bath, or for those tender spots, a large jar of Vaseline could be bought for 25 cents. The catalogue also advertised “Hudnuts Three Flowers” rouge in three shades, for 50 cents each.

A page of sweets, “Candies to Suit Every Taste” featured a five-pound box of assorted chocolates for $1.49. Three rolls of Lifesavers in wintergreen flavour was ten cents, a one-pound box of sugared gum drops was 20 cents, a box of jelly beans was 25 cents, and the old time favourite of Peppermint Humbugs could be enjoyed for 50 cents for two pounds.

Even Automobile Parts Through Eaton’s

For all those new purring automobiles, the Eaton’s catalogue included batteries, priced from $10.95 to $19.95, a new radiator for the Ford or Chevrolet from $11.95 to $17.50, a variety of oils and greases to keep the vehicle well-lubed, brake parts, seat covers, head lamps and tires. An Eatonia-brand cord tire in the standard size of 30 x 3-1/2, guaranteed for 8,000 miles, sold for $8.35; a replacement rubber inner tube for the tire was priced at $1.85. And for $1.50, a tire pump was available, a handy item to carry along in the auto in case one of the inner tubes goes flat.

The old Eaton’s Catalogue transports the reader into the strange yet familiar world of Canada 83 years ago. The Eaton’s catalogue was discontinued in 1976 and is now a fine memory in Canadian history.

Sources:

Eaton’s Spring and Summer 1927 catalogue, published by the T. Eaton & Co. Ltd, reprinted by the Musson Book Company, Don Mills 1971.

“Before ECommerce: A History of Canadian Mail-Order Catalogues,” Canadian Museum of History. Retrieved from https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cpm/catalog/cat0000e.html

This article first appeared on Suite101.com in April 2010. (C) Susanna McLeod