Andrew Randall Cobb Architectural Postcard Collection

Andrew Randall Cobb, 1876-1943

Andrew Randall Cobb, renowned Canadian architect, was educated at Acadia University, the School of Architecture at MIT, and Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was an influential Canadian architect practicing in the Atlantic region from 1909 until 1943 and was the first Canadian east of Montreal to be elected as a Fellow to the Royal Institute of British Architects. His accomplishments ranged from private homes to large commercial buildings and even the design of a city, Corner Brook, Newfoundland. In addition to his practice, Cobb taught architecture at the Nova Scotia Technical College (now Dalhousie University), where he used his professional collection of postcards to augment his teaching.

About the Cobb Postcard Collection

During his study and vacations abroad, Cobb collected approximately 4,000 postcards, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The cards depict sites, buildings and architectural details of hundreds of European and English buildings at the turn of the 20th century.

• The cards are an invaluable record of period images as many of these buildings have been altered or are no longer in existence.
• For example, one segment of the collection presents buildings constructed for international expositions and world fairs. Most of these buildings have been demolished.

Access to the collection

The collection is owned by the Sexton Design & Technology Library at Dalhousie University.

• To view the collection by appointment – contact the Sexton Library by phone (902-494-3240) or by e-mail sexton.library@dal.ca

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