Photograph of Lidia Orlando, Toronto, ON, 1950s

Black and white photograph of Lidia Orlando, Toronto, ON, 1950s. She stands on a rooftop or balcony of a large building (most likely a hospital). Another multi-storey building is partially visible in the upper left corner.

Lidia was the eldest daughter of Eliseo and Maria Orlando. In about 1920, she immigrated as a young child to Toronto with her mother to join her father, who had come to Canada in search of work. The family first settled on Queen Street before moving to the Beaches area. Eliseo was a tailor and his wife Maria was also an exceptional sewer.

In 1940, Eliseo and his two sons Italo and Roy Orlando were arrested and interned. At the time, Lidia was a nurse, having studied and obtained her degree. Advanced studies and professional training was unusual for Italian immigrant women in that period.