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From the Archives
Framing the Pandemic: O.C.A and the 1918 Influenza Outbreak
The second major flu epidemic to affect Canada since Confederation was by far the most damaging – the 1918 outbreak followed the first World War and swept through an already fragile and depleted Ontario.
In Canada, which then had a population of eight million, as many as fifty thousand people died. In comparison, sixty thousand Canadians died in the four years of war that preceded the outbreak. In Ontario, there were three hundred thousand recorded cases and approximately eight thousand deaths. It is extremely likely however, that the number of influenza- related deaths was underreported, especially within isolated Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario. Learn more: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/1918-spanish-flu-in-canada
Where was the Ontario College of Art in all this?
Primary sources in the OCAD U Archives document dropping student enrollment between 1918-1919; significant for a still fledging art school with only six professors (in fact, the College was operating with only four teaching staff as Professor Cruikshank took leave at this time and Mr. Beatty was serving for the War Artists Commission).
Principal G.A Reid’s reports frequently mention lower income from tuition fees, which combined with another theme that resurfaces – the need for new facilities – make it clear development was hindered by circumstance.
However, a report of the Board of Education Examiners from 1917-1918 acknowledges O.C.A’s endurance and efforts in a significant way;
…we are particularly gratified that in these times of great stress concerning our national and domestic life to find it possible to maintain the work of the College at such a high standard, and while we think it unnecessary to urge upon the Staff, the Executive and Council of the College the national value of the work it is doing both for the present time and for the future, we wish to state our belief in its great importance as one of the phases of effort which is being put forth to make life worth living after the war, and for the maintenance of our standard of civilization.
It is clear O.C.A weathered the post war years with patience and adaptability. It endured cramped quarters during an airborne pandemic, shared course loads, fluctuating student enrollment, and a lack of funds. These challenges didn’t interrupt annual participation in the Canadian National Exhibition (held outdoors) nor student shows at the AGO, earning O.C.A the high praise offered by the Education Board.
Jessica Zimmerman, MLIS, MA (Museology), BFA
Archivist, Visual Resources & Special Collections, jzimmerman@ocadu.ca
Image: Ontario College of Art Report of Examiners, 1918. RG 8, Series m/m, Council Meetings Ledgers #1 (Nov 1916-Oct 1919). OCAD U Archives, Toronto.
Learn more about this topic including public health programs, veteran re-establishment, and open air education, situating O.C.A within the greater upheaval that followed WWI, by attending my Town Hall Lecture on the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. Date TBA!
