The Canadian National Exhibition posters, program and prize list covers of the past are like small works of art, many of them giving us a glimpse into the era. They expressed the theme of that year’s Exhibition, what was being celebrated or commemorated, the architecture, fashion and even the sentiment of the country and world events.
CNE Program Covers & Posters
1884 – The Great Industrial Fair & Semi-Centennial prize list cover (CNE Archives)1884 – The Great Industrial Fair & Semi-Centennial prize list back cover (CNE Archives)1885 – The Crystal Palace and Lighting Tower on the front of the Industrial Exhibition prize list cover (CNE Archives)2022 – Doorways to the Past at the CNE showing the 1885 Canadian National Exhibition prize list cover. Notice the cover features the Crystal Palace and the Lighting Tower1886 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair and Agriculture Exposition program cover showing Exhibition grounds (CNE Archives)1887 – Grand Dominion and Industrial Exhibition program cover showing Queen Victoria in the upper right corner (CNE Archives)1887 – Grand Dominion and Industrial Exhibition prize list cover (CNE Archives)1888 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair & Exposition program cover (CNE Archives)1889 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair and Exposition program cover during the Science and Art year (CNE Archives)1890 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair program cover showing Exhibition grounds (CNE Archives)1890 – Toronto Industrial Exhibition prize list cover (CNE Archives)1891 – Industrial Exhibition prize list cover (CNE Archives)1892 – Industrial Exhibition Toronto, Canada’s Great Fair prize list front and back cover (CNE Archives)1893 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair program cover (CNE Archives)1894 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair poster showing CNE scenes (CNE Archives)1894 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair program cover (CNE Archives) 1895 – Canada’s Greatest Fair and Industrial Exhibition prize list cover showing a woman gazing over Exhibition grounds (CNE Archives)1896 – Canada’s Great Industrial Fair poster showing CNE scenes and the provinces crests (CNE Archives)1896 – Canada’s Great Fair and Industrial Exhibition prize list cover showing a woman on a bike, which at the time, would have been a reasonably new sight (CNE Archives)1897 – Canada’s Great Victorian-Era Exposition and Industrial Fair program cover (CNE Archives) 1901 – Canada’s Great Exposition program cover showing Exhibition grounds (CNE Archives)1902 – Canada’s Great Fair prize list cover (Toronto Public Library TSPA_0111771F)
1905 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover (CNE Archives) 1906 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives) 1907 – Canadian National Exhibition poster showing CNE scenes in the background (CNE Archives)1908 – Canadian National Exhibition poster showing CNE scenes (CNE Archives)1910 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1911 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover commemorating the Coronation year of King George V and Queen Mary. The artwork was created by Arthur H Hider, a Canadian painter and commercial illustrator (CNE Archives)1912 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives) 1913 – Canadian National Exhibition poster during the Expansion year. The artwork was created by Arthur H Hider, a Canadian painter and commercial illustrator (CNE Archives)1914 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto poster during the Peace year (CNE Archives)1915 – Canadian National Exhibition poster during the Patriotic year (CNE Archives)1918 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing CNE scenes in the background (CNE Archives)1919 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives) 1922 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1923 – Canadian National Exhibition poster during the International year. The artwork, which shows the previous Dufferin Gate, was created by Stanley F Turner (CNE Archives)1924 – Canadian National Exhibition poster showing the Gooderham Fountain and the Horticulture Building (CNE Archives)2022 – Doorways to the Past at the CNE showing the 1924 Canadian National Exhibition poster. Notice the poster features the Gooderham Fountain and the Horticulture Building1925 – The Trail of the CNE program cover (CNE Archives) 1925 – Canadian National Exhibition prize list cover (CNE Archives)1926 – Canadian National Exhibition poster celebrating the grand opening of the Ontario Government Building (today’s Liberty Grand). The artwork was created by Stanley F Turner (CNE Archives)1927 – Canadian National Exhibition pamphlet cover commemorating the 60th anniversary of Canadian Confederation (CNE Archives)1927 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover during the Confederation year (CNE Archives) 1928 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1928 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto poster featuring the Goddess of Winged Victory statue, which tops the Princes’ Gates (CNE Archives)1929 – Canadian National Exhibition guide showing the Automotive Building in the background (CNE Archives)1929 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1930 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing CNE and Toronto architecture in the background (Toronto Public Library TSPA_0111811F)1931 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the 53rd year and CNE scenes (CNE Archives)1931 – Canadian National Exhibition poster with artwork was created by Jules Laget (CNE Archives)1931 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto sports program cover which was priced a 10¢ (CNE Archives) 1933 – Canadian National Exhibition pamphlet showing the 55th consecutive year and CNE scenes (CNE Archives)1934 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover commemorating the 400th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s first voyage to Canada and the City of Toronto’s 100th anniversary (Toronto Public Library TSPA_0111806F)1935 – Fashion Show program at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE Archives)1936 – Canadian National Exhibition poster commemorating Canada’s Recovery Year (Toronto Public Library TSPA_0111805F)
1936 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1937 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover commemorating the Coronation year of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (CNE Archives)1937 – Canadian National Exhibition Women’s Buiding and Handcraft Salon prize list cover (CNE Archives)1938 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1939 – Canadian National Exhibition poster during the Transporation and Communications year (CNE Archives)1939 – Canadian National Exhibition Women’s Buiding and Handcraft Salon prize list cover (CNE Archives)1939 – Conklin World’s Finest Shows poster. Conklin provided the rides, games and sideshows for the Canadian National Exhibition Midway (CNE Archives) 1940 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing “Canada Prepared,” the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 10¢ (CNE Archives)1940 – “Here they come – Conklin Shows – World’s Finest Shows” poster depicts the amusement company’s train and a carnival scene (CNE Archives)1941 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto program cover (CNE Archives)1941 – Canadian National Exhibition Toronto prize list cover (CNE Archives) 1947 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 15¢ (CNE Archives)1949 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the Gooderham Fountain, the Manufacturers Building, and the program price of 25¢ (CNE Archives)1951 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 25¢ (CNE Archives)2022 – Doorways to the Past at the CNE showing the 1951 Canadian National Exhibition program cover. Notice the poster features the Princes’ Gates1951 – Canadian National Exhibition poster showing the Princes’ Gates (CNE Archives)1954 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 35¢ (CNE Archives)1955 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing a family, and the program price of 35¢ (CNE Archives)1956 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the RCMP Musical Ride, the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 35¢
(CNE Archives)1957 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the Princes’ Gates, and the program price of 50¢ (CNE Archives)1958 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing the 80th year, and the program price of 50¢ (CNE Archives)1962 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover (CNE Archives)1965 – Sights and Sounds of the Sixties program cover signed by Bob Hope (CNE Archives)1966 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing, from left to right, the domes of the Ontario Government Building (today’s Liberty Grand), the Government Building (today’s Medieval Times Building) and the Horticulture Building (today’s Toronto Event Centre) (CNE Archives)2022 – Doorways to the Past at the CNE showing the 1966 Canadian National Exhibition program cover Notice the Horticulture Building on the cover1969 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover for The Way Of The Future year, and the program price of 50¢ (CNE Archives)1970 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing scenes from The Ex (CNE Archives)1974 – CNE program cover showing the Carlsberg Carillon, scenes from The Ex, and the program price of $1 (CNE Archives)1975 – CNE program cover showing a young person with goodies from The Ex, and the program price of $2 (CNE Archives)1976 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing places and architecture at The Ex (CNE Archives)1985 – CNE program cover showing colourful illustrations of places, food and events at The Ex, and the program price of $2 (CNE Archives)
