Mid-Century Quebec Ephemera

The Quebecer: Where to Go and What to See [1955 Quebec City Travel Guide] [Mid-Century Tourism Ephemera with Advertisements]

Mid-century promotional booklet presenting Quebec City and its surrounding attractions to American and domestic travelers, combining practical sightseeing information with a dense layer of local commercial advertising. Issued in a folding format, the piece reflects the postwar expansion of automobile tourism and the growing importance of regional identity marketing in Canada.

The guide highlights principal destinations including the Château Frontenac, Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Lac Beauport, and local cultural sites, while interspersed advertisements promote furriers, china and crystal shops, theaters, hotels, and recreational venues such as harness racing. A notable feature is the strong targeting of American visitors, underscoring Quebec’s mid-century appeal as an accessible “European” destination within North America.

The graphic design is characteristic of the period, with a striking pink duotone photographic cover and clean typographic layouts throughout. Particularly useful is the laid-in “Current Events” sheet dated to the week beginning June 24th, 1955, anchoring the piece to a specific moment in the city’s seasonal tourist cycle.

+++ Format: Stapled wraps, glossy covers; 6 by 9 inches, opening to 12 by 9 inches; approximately 34 pages including advertisements; with laid-in event sheet.

+++ Condition: The bindings are tight and secure. Text and images are clean with light, even age toning. Moderate handling wear to the wraps. Laid-in sheet present and well preserved.

+++ A representative example of mid-20th-century Canadian tourism ephemera, illustrating the intersection of travel culture, regional commerce, and graphic design in the postwar period.

Genres: Travel ephemera, advertising ephemera, regional tourism
Subjects: Quebec City tourism, mid-century travel culture, Canadian advertising history, Château Frontenac, Ste. Anne de Beaupré, postwar tourism development.

Item #21765

Price: $20.00