"A picture is worth a thousand words" -- according to the adage attributed to advertising executive Frederick R. Barnard Frederick R. Barnard who authored his article in 1921 titled "One look is worth a thousand words." Some others attribute is to U.S. newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane in 1911. Going back, Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828-1906, Norwegian playwright, founder of realism and modernism in theatre) wrote ""A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed." A much earlier proverb attributed to Chinese philosopher Confucius (trad. 551–479 BCE) also been quoted: "one picture is worth ten thousand words."
This photo archive of images just a century attest to the power of images and the memories attached to them. The various photograph collections in this archive speak to the compelling history of Northwest Ohio -- and to large extent, Toledo -- to the region's commerical, industrial, and social history -- through the large collection of black-and-white photographs contributed form the Maumee Valley Historical Society, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Ward M. Canaday Center, and other unnamed contributors. The archive spans the region's automobile history, businesses and industries, the social unrests and strikes, mayors and institutions, cityscapes and future visions, and the nationally renowned architectural heritage of Toledo most typically represented in the city's first suburban community: the Old West End. The photographs in the archive are without caption but they appear in some of the exhibits and essays. The Timeline of Toledo History from 1900 through 1970 will also provide historical and social contexts to these photographs.
Use the index on the right to view them separately.