Now & Then: Fun Facts

Using today’s technology to explore the past

THEN: 1951

Click the image for a large version to see detail.

In the Aitken Rotunda, stand in front of our main desk and you’ll see a familiar sight – the original circulation desk of the Saint John Free Public Library whose replica is at your back. The front entryway and the current women’s washroom (then an office!) are at left and centre in the background, as is the doorway into the current City Gallery on the right.

Aside from the ladies’ fashions, the ‘Bestsellers’ post board on the pillar holds the key to the date this photo was taken; titles of popular novels of the day, including The Golden Exile, Sheep Rock, The Hayvens of Demaret and
A Woman Called Fancy reveal the year as 1951.

Of note (but barely noticeable, look closely!) in the upper left of the photo is a corner of the ornate fan-shaped stained glass window that once graced the front entryway. To see this stunning work today, visit its current home on the second floor of  the ‘new’ (1983) Saint John Free Public Library Main Branch in Market Square – a lovely memento of the 79 years of library history, still overlooking the entryway.

When you Visit SJAC, use your ‘smart’ device to capture QR codes and reveal fun facts and photos of the historic Carnegie Building.