Simply Montreal : Glimpses of a Unique City Complete texts of the exhibition presented at the McCord Museum. Permanent Exhibition Table of Contents Introduction 4 1. Surviving Winter - Brrrr ! 5 1.1. Crossroads of the Winds 5 1.2. Below Zero 6 2. Surviving Winter - Cozy Mittens, Winterproof Walls 8 2.1. Second Skin 8 2.2. Warm and Cozy 11 2.3. Everyday Comfort 12 3. Surviving Winter - Montreal, Winter City 15 3.1. Getting Around 15 3.2. Ice for Sale 18 3.3. After the Storm 19 4. Different Cultures Meet - A Northern Mosaic 20 4.1. Montreal Portraits 20 4.2. A New Land 31 4.3. Migratory Waves 35 5. Different Cultures Meet - Living Together 37 5.1 Conflicts and Alliances 37 6. Different Cultures Meet - Alliances and Passions 43 6.1. Family Ties 43 6.2. Couples: Alliances and Passions 44 6.3. Garden of Cultures 46 7. Prospering - They Came from the Sea 53 7.1. Trading Routes 53 7.2. The Fur Rush 57 7.3. The Fur Barons 59 8. Prospering - City of Promise, Land of Trade 63 8.1. Commercial Hub 63 8.2. Place of Transit 66 8.3. At the Center of the Web 67 8.4. St. Catherine Street 69 9. Prospering - The Highs and Lows of an Imperial Jewel 73 9.1. The Wheels of Progress 73 9.2. A City of Contrasts 74 2 10. Enjoyment - From Cricket to Arm-wrestling 78 10.1. Something for Everyone 78 11. Enjoyment - Open-air City 82 11.1. A Spirit of Adventure 82 11.2. The National Sport 87 11.3. Hand in Hand 90 11.4. Winter Wonderland 91 12. Enjoyment - A Swinging City 93 12.1. Open City 93 12.2. 1001 Nights 94 Credits 100 3 Introduction By turns dazzling and dark, dignified and frivolous, steamy-hot and icy-cold, Montreal - city of a thousand spires, crossroads of a continent - casts its eternal spell. Like a tune that lingers in the mind, its history speaks to the hearts of all: Montrealers, people experiencing its charm for the first time, and those who just keep coming back. The McCord Museum's permanent exhibition, entitled Simply Montréal, offers myriad glimpses of this unique city and immerse visitors into the very heart of the rich and varied experience it offers. An array of First Nations objects, full of symbolism and emotion; a selection of extraordinary photographs by the renowned Canadian photographer William Notman; a variety of sports equipment and charming toys; a series of splendid gowns and outfits worn by illustrious Montrealers - over 800 objects from the McCord's famous collection will bring the great Montreal adventure to life. Accented with interactive installations and enveloped in evocative atmospheres, Simply Montréal is an invitation to people of all ages to steep themselves in the city, surround themselves with its sounds and sensations - even to brave an authentic “made in Montreal” snowstorm! Simply Montreal 4 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 1. Surviving Winter - Brrrr! Montreal can be beautiful under a cloudless January sky, but sometimes its inhabitants would willingly exchange their seemingly endless winter for a milder climate. Occasionally, a sudden mid-season warm spell causes the mercury to rise, swelling the rivers and hinting at an early spring. But a couple of days later, winter's back, the temperature drops to twenty below, and the city is trapped in a straitjacket of ice. Fascinated by the weather's whims, Montrealers never tire of discussing it―what it's like today, what threatens for tomorrow, the power of the "storm of the century, when my father was a boy". Which will be next to visit the plains of the St. Lawrence Valley―the nor'easter, the vicious arctic gale or the balmy southwesterly breeze? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind… 1.1. Crossroads of the winds During the first half of the 19th century, John Samuel McCord, father of the Museum’s founder, took daily readings of climatic variations and noted them in his meteorological journals. Thermometer About 1843 Gift of David Ross McCord McCord Museum, M8461 The Museum’s founder, David Ross McCord, inherited this thermometer from his father, who would consult it religiously each morning to check the temperature. The instrument shows degrees in the Réaumur scale on one side and in degrees Fahrenheit on the other. The weather is still, for present-day Montrealers, a major subject of interest and discussion. Letter From Charles Lyell to John Samuel McCord about the barometrical height of Mount Royal 1842 Gift of David Ross McCord McCord Museum, P001-D12/36-820.11 Simply Montreal 5 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 Facsimile Travels in North America with Geological Observations on the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia 1845 Author : Charles Lyell McCord Museum, RB-0576 Barometer Early 19th century Gift of David Ross McCord McCord Museum, M8464 During the first half of the 19th century, John Samuel McCord, father of the Museum’s founder, took daily readings of climatic variations and noted them in his meteorological journals. Using this barometer, he could observe rises and falls in atmospheric pressure and thus predict if the weather was going to change. Weathervane 19th century Gift of Mrs. Margaret de Volpi McCord Museum, MC989.119.20 The weathervane often took the form of a rooster, perched atop the church steeple. Feathers unruffled, it would twist and turn, indicating the wind’s direction by the four cardinal points mounted at the ends of its crossed shafts. 1.2. Below Zero Each winter, nature invades and besieges Montreal for months on end. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Montrealers used wooden shovels to dig staircases and sidewalks free of the all-invasive snow. A FOUNDER, A CROSS In 1643, Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve, founder of Ville-Marie, erected a wooden cross on the summit of Mount Royal. He made the gesture in thanks to God for having protected the colony from a flood. The rising spring waters remained a threat to the town until the building of protective walls in 1896. But Ville-Marie survived the elements, and the cross still reigns over Montreal's skyline. Simply Montreal 6 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 Shovel 1910-1920 Manufactured by Arthur Leblanc McCord Museum, M22431 Snow shovel Late 19th century Gift of Air Canada McCord Museum, M993.115.10 Simply Montreal 7 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 2. Surviving Winter - Cozy Mittens, Winterproof Walls Montrealers have always had to struggle against a capricious and ever-present enemy: the cold. To fight it effectively, considerable ingenuity had to go into the design of both clothing and housing. The area's first inhabitants created soft, warm garments out of the skins of wild animals, and the mittens and anoraks made by early European settlers mimicked these age-old clothes. Aboriginal peoples, for their part, appreciated the warmth and practicality of the woven fabrics and woollens made by Europeans. Houses, too, had to be protected from the cold. Montrealers knew this only too well, and took great care to ensure that their homes were weatherproof, solidly built and, above all, equipped with an efficient heating system, the heart of the house. A faulty furnace or inadequate insulation was the only invitation the north wind needed to take over the living room. Despite every effort, a sneaky little draft might still work its way in, so even indoor clothing was warm and cozy in wintertime. 2.1. Second Skin HANDILY HOT! Aboriginal people decorated much of their clothing, including gloves and mittens. In the 17th century, they began using fabrics and glass beads imported by Europeans, blending a range of styles and materials. They also sometimes made clothes for Canadians of European origin. Hat 1987 Inuit (Iglulingmiut), maker unknown McCord Museum, ME987.202 Belt 1850-1880 Dene, maker unknown Gift of Mr. Randolph Routh McCord Museum, ME982.568 Gloves 1920-1940 Northern Plains, maker unknown Gift of Eleanore B. Kennedy McCord Museum, M2008.75.2.1-2 Simply Montreal 8 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 Arrow sash 19th century Gift of Mrs.Ward Pitfield McCord Museum, M970.29.4 Mittens 1984 Innu (Naskapi), maker unknown Gift of Gabrielle Gagnon. McCord Museum, M2008.49.3.1-2 Innu craft item acquired at Blanc-Sablon by archaeologist Pierre Dumais during an archaeological project in the summer of 1984. Boots 1900-1930 Inuit (Kablunangajuit), maker unknown Gift in memory of William Hill Petry (1868-1951) and Elizabeth Petry (1880- 1973), parents of Mrs. L. S.Apedaile McCord Museum, ME986.104.2A-B Moccasins 1900-1925 Iroquois (Mohawk?), maker unknown Gift of Mrs. Nancy Mathias McCord Museum, M2008.53.6.1-2 Four Indians About 1825-1836 Reproduction of a watercolour by J. Crawford Young McCord Museum, M21230 With their European cut and aboriginal decoration, these winter outfits are the result of a happy blend of cultures. Canadian Habitants About 1825-1836 Reproduction of a watercolour by J. Crawford Young McCord Museum, M21231 For British soldiers like Young, the costume worn by 19th-century “habitants” was a real revelation. French Canadians braved the cold in warm overcoats made of a woolen fabric known as étoffe du pays or “country cloth”, which was woven by their womenfolk. Simply Montreal 9 © McCord Museum of Canadian History, 2009 ELEGANT… BUT WARM TOO Montrealers of the 19th and early 20th centuries wore warm but very fashionable clothing for their the chilly winters. Fur and wool were used to make elegant winter outerwear. Canadians added warm accessories such as fur mittens, hats and gloves, not to mention warm wool undergarments.