Many other data sources were used to trace London’s retail history such as newspaper articles and photographs. They provide additional context for
understanding the evolution of the retail landscape. If the source contains a spatial reference, or if one could be discerned from its contents, then the source could be positioned within the HGIS.
Photographs provide excellent documentation of the changing retail landscape. Both interior and exterior shots of businesses were used to study the three-dimensional form of the structures. Details found in the photographs also add much to the story. The goods in the windows provide an indication of the type of store and the quality of its service; similarly the finishes of the store indicate its success and quality. When people are present they also reveal much about the culture of shopping. A photograph showing a street full of women in hats helps to explain the presence of many millinery shops in the late nineteenth-century. The numbers of people are also an indication of the activity levels in an area or given store.
Aerial photographs are one specific sub-type of visual documentation. They are available for a series of years, the earliest dating to 1922. They do not contain a description of the features, and the earlier versions were not of high-resolution. Further confounding their utility is the presence of clouds and shadows. They do, however, provide another source to document the city’s changing landscape, and are especially valuable to fill the gaps between other cartographic sources. The modern air photos obtained through the city’s planning division are more useful, being in full colour and high resolution. They are available annually as part of the digital
definition to some of the polygons. The modern air photos are valuable in order to differentiate different segments of retail plazas which are discernable due to their high resolution, for example demarcating the anchors from the rest of the plaza, as well as land dedicated to parking.
Newspapers provide two general types of information which adds to the understanding of the retail landscape. Articles written by journalists tell the story of an event which occurred such as the opening of a store, or a business merger. Details of the business operations or those pertaining to the daily life in general can also be taken from the articles. At times an article will discuss the number of customers that a store had, or its management structure. They can provide a
picture as to shopping practices, much like what would be found in a diary, however, on a less personal and perhaps more objective level. Newspapers were used for all time periods, from the historical to the present day.
Newspapers also contain advertisements which are very valuable to this research. The advertisements typically listed the goods sold and a description of their quality. Although most likely inflated, these descriptions provide a resource as to the nature of the business. The presence of an advertisement typically indicates that the firm was successful in that it could afford the advertising fees. Marketing strategies of the firm can also be discerned by studying their advertisements in the newspaper. For many retailers, these advertisements are the only records which remain that detail their businesses, other than the business directory.
Although they could be equally valuable for understanding the contemporary retail landscape, for the purposes of this research advertisements were exclusively used from the nineteenth-century. Advertisements marked the actual opening day of a store allowing for analysis to the sub-year level. Retailers advertised going out of business sales, which could be used to study business failure. Advertisements were also used to indicate the timing of new goods arriving in the London market. Grocer’s advertisements from before and after London was connected to points east and west by the railway are examined to determine the impact of new
transportation linkages. The distances traveled of the goods can be discerned, for example oranges were likely coming to London from Florida. The locations where the goods were coming from is often explicitly mentioned, especially in the fashion sector; many clothiers proclaim that their latest arrivals were from London or Paris.
This demonstrates not only the transportation linkages, but also the diffusion of fashion into a relatively small and isolated Canadian city.
Account books and ledgers provide further details about the financial affairs of a business. By showing daily sales totals, the ebb and flow of the market over time can be traced. They indicate from where the goods which stocked the shelves were procured, as well as information pertaining to the store’s employees. When customer account books are available they show who shopped at the store. By cross referencing the customers in the city directories, the homes of the customers and their journey to the store can be mapped. The inventory ledgers list the types and quantities of goods sold, demonstrating both the size and market positioning of the firm.