$15.00 CAD
– Sold Out| /
Nice letter talking about a second hand organ for the Church in Smithville. Sheet with company logo and images of its building in Toronto.
Smithville is about 30 kms SE of Hamilton.
Includes advertising envelope with image of piano and company info. Postmarked ‘TORONTO ONT. FEB 17 1920’. Receiving postmark on back ‘--- ONT FE 18 20’.
Mismatch in years between letter and envelope.
Folded horizontally and vertically to fit into envelope.
10 ⅞” x 8 ⅜”
Gourlay, Winter & Leeming, Ltd. Toronto retailer of pianos, player pianos, organs, music boxes, and phonographs, and manufacturer of pianos. The firm was established in 1890 by Robert S. Gourlay, Francis William Winter, and Thomas Leeming. The firm was incorporated, with Gourlay as president, in 1915, when Winter and Leeming retired and Gourlay's sons David and Albert became sales manager and manufacturing supervisor respectively. Gourlay himself was active in civic affairs and served terms as president of the Toronto Board of Trade and the Canadian Manufacturers' Association. After his retirement in 1923 the firm was forced into receivership.
Throughout its history the company had a retail store on downtown Yonge St. It began by selling Heintzman pianos and imported Steinway pianos and Estey reed organs. By 1904 it had begun the production of its own pianos, and by 1911 the factory employed 225 persons. By 1915 8000 Gourlay pianos had been built. The Gourlay company also sold the Gourlay-Angelus line of player piano.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gourlay-winter-leeming-ltd-emc