While doing some visual research recently at the Toronto archives we stumbled across a series from the 1930s documenting school pageants at the Art Gallery of Ontario. We were especially intrigued by these tableaux vivant (see slideshow above) intended to mimic other cultures. Sure, as far as decades go, no one would turn to the ’30s if you were looking for enlightened thinking about how, say, race is nothing more than a social construct. Still… wow… faces with greasepaint… no stereotype is left untouched. Then a second thought competes for my attention: these kids were actually kinda talented. The costumes are impressive and they’ve gone to considerable effort to achieve certain details. I guess that’s something. I can’t really blame the students for recasting the racial and social stereotypes they’ve been handed down from parents and teachers and popular culture, so I find myself torn: awful images versus an endearing talent. And, of course, a vision of what Toronto once was – doubly ironic considering the polyglot city it would turn out to be.