Forrest Pass
@forrestpass
Historian, curator, heraldist, vexillologist, collector of arcane and eclectic Canadiana. All opinions my own. Likes, reskeets =/= endorsement.
#vexillology (My latest substitution for an American product is Maltese corn startch, which, I am disappointed to report, has neither a falcon nor a terrier on the label).
And a nice @library-archives.canada.ca shout-out! #cdnhist Img: A Canadian (i.e. BC) Salmon Cannery, from the Empire Marketing Board collection.
Easy for you to say, judgemental fortune cookie... #HistorianAllegories
I think The Beaverton really ought to footnote @tomhawthorn.bsky.social from two days ago (tho' I'm sure many had the same thought!)
Dress for the job you want, not that job you have - and that goes for your ride as well! (Big thank-you to @joeplanta.bsky.social for this delightful addition to my eclectic #vexillology collection!)
Bonne Fête nationale française #14juillet (Image: Drapeau de la France libre, Caen, 11 juillet 1944. Photo: Ken Bell/Ministère de la Défense nationale, @library-archives.canada.ca, a16566) #vexillology / #vexillologie
The second, contemporaneous with Raddall's book, is in M.M. Marberry's "The Golden Voice: A Biography of Isaac Kalloch," a 1947 life of an infamous 19c CA clergyman, politician, and rake. Did Raddall find the word in this bio? Did he remember it from the 1920s? Or did he coin it independently? (3/3)
Not quite, but Raddall's use is early. Only two earlier instances over @archive.org (and none in digital newspapers I've checked). The earliest is in "Variety", Aug 5, 1925, in much the same context as Raddall: a British criticism of the immorality of 1920s American cinema. (2/3)
Did a Nova Scotia novelist coin the term "Californication" 50 years before the Red Hot Chili Peppers? I was surprised to find the term in Thomas Head Raddall's "The Nymph and the Lamp" (1950), p. 366. Is it a Canadianism worthy of @canadiandictionary.bsky.social? (1/3) #cdnhist #canlit #lexicography
It'll be a great addition to my study mantel, alongside the BC Centennial 1971 desk flag I found a few years ago....
To the sinister, a linguistic minority community flag ought not to take precedence over a province, but I live with three proud Franco-Ontarians! And taken as a trio, I guess BC is the senior flag here? Alberta included this year as a quiet thumbing of nose to separatist yobbery! #abpoli
To the dexter, the typically the order would be National Flag, Ontario, Quebec, based on population at entry into Confederation. But here in QC, the Fleurdelisé takes precedence over all flags, incl the National Flag. So I compromised (2/3)
Flags up for Canada Day, but some interesting protocol challenges this year. A very short, very nerdy 🧵 #cdnhist #vexillology
Even North Korean passports opt for the iconic scenery of Mount Paektu rather than the Dear Leader's mug....
Célébrons la Saint-Jean comme c'est 1950, en hissant le Fleurdelisé et en chantant O Canada! Let's celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day like it's 1950, flying the Fleurdelisé and singing O Canada! #vexillology #cdnhist #qchist
British Columbia: Showing other provinces how to air grievances politely but firmly since 1871! (Image: Arch with "Carnarvon Terms or Separation" banner, Victoria, 1876. Source: BC Archives, @royalbcmuseum.bsky.social) #cdnhist #bchist #cdnpoli
Les drapeaux sont hissés pour la Saint-Jean/la Fête nationale demain! #vexillology
In the 1990s, the Vancouver artist ManWoman ran a one-ManWoman campaign to rehabilitate the swastika. These art stamps were among his educational offerings, and included a clin-d'oeil to the Swastika, ON, sign... #cdnhist
Anyone else notice a passing similarity between this year's G7 and America 250 logos? Ho-hum designs both, and of course both countries (and many others) can claim the red, white, and blue, but still... #vexillology
Pschaw - amateurs! If you're into mixing politics and extreme sports, Rideau Hall (residence of the Governor General of Canada) had a pretty dope tobaggan slide in the 19th century... now there's a man's (and women's) pursuit! #cdnhist
The skull in triangle is the emblem of the Royal Black Chapter, one of the higher degrees of the Orange Order. An example of the emblem from a Niagara preceptory:
For International Archives Day / #iaw2026, I'm checking out urban planner Noulan Cauchon's 1927 scheme for "Hexagonopolis" @library-archives.canada.ca. A "honeycomb" street pattern would, he argued, speed up traffic flow while preventing accidents. #cdnhist #archives #urbanhistory #envhist
Our peonies are not quite there (this week, maybe?) But the yellow irises...
Coming up tomorrow and Sunday, from 10am until 4pm. Don't miss this opportunity to see a few neat documents marking @en.ottawa.ca history and ask me about white marl and Scott! #cdnhist #archives #Ottawa200!