Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Department of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Arts
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Department of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Arts was formally established on March 2, 1877, replacing the Department of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works.
The Commissioner acted as head of the Bureau of Agriculture and Arts from 1877 until 1882, as well as the Bureau of Industries, which replaced the Bureau of Agriculture and Arts, from 1882 until 1888.
The department was also responsible for a number of agricultural and arts- related agencies and associations, including: the Council of the Agricultural and Arts Association; the Association of Mechanics' Institutes of Ontario; the Ontario Society of Artists; the Fruit Growers' Association; the Entomological Society; the Dairymen's Association; and the Ontario Agricultural College and Experimental Farm, among others.
In 1880, the arts-related responsibilities of the Commissioner, and the bureau, were transferred to the Department of Education. The name of the department, however, remained the Department of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Arts until March 23, 1888, when legislation was passed, renaming it the Department of Agriculture.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Department of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Arts was responsible for encouraging and developing the agricultural and manufacturing activities of Ontario ("arts", at the time, referred to the application of industrial, manufacturing and scientific pursuits, rather than to its current cultural meaning). The department was also responsible for acquiring and publishing information and statistics, related to agriculture and industry, and for inspecting the books and accounts of the agricultural, arts and manufacturing societies and associations that were in receipt of government grants.
Address
The Agriculture and Arts Act, Statutes of Ontario 1877, Chap. 17
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
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Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
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Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
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Type of relationship
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Access points area
Subject access points
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Epithet
Control area
Authority record identifier
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Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Bishop, Olga. Publications of the Government of Ontario, 1867-1900 (1976)
Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24
Maintenance notes
Archivist(s):
R. Anger