McCord Museum of Canadian History

Région touristique : Montréal

Inaugurated in 1921, the McCord embodies the vision of a passionate collector, David Ross McCord, whose abiding wish was to shed light on the history and cultures of his country and thus bring its people together.

The McCord Museum conserves, studies and presents a remarkable collection of objects, archives and historical photographs, through which it helps increase awareness of the social history and material culture of Canada, Quebec and Montreal, from the 18th century to the present.

Renseignements sur les collections

The McCord Museum conserves and presents over 850,000 objects, images and manuscripts, all irreplaceable reflections of the social history and material culture of Montreal, Quebec and Canada. These myriad items - glass negatives, frothy crinolines, pieces of fine china, hand-forged tools, elegantly written phrases, beaded headdresses - represent the lives and dreams of the men, women and children that came before us. They are words and actions brought to life, witnesses of our collective memory.

Most of the objects cover the period from 1800 to 1945, an era that saw many changes, including Victorian Montreal's accession to the role of Canada's metropolis, the development of an urban culture and the transformation of family and social values. But the collection also spreads beyond these years, enabling the Museum to provide insight into all the important stages in Canada's history.

Composed initially of the 15,000 objects, images and manuscripts assembled by David Ross McCord, the collection has expanded considerably over the years and today consists of 863,900 objects and groupings, plus 176 running metres of textual archives and 4,000 documentary files.

Information about this communal heritage is accessible, by appointment, through the Archives and Documentation Centre. Thanks to this Centre, researchers, students and visitors can conduct in-depth research into the Museum's holdings. All sorts of documents are available for consultation, including textual and photographic archives, documentary files relating to specific objects in the collection and numerous reference works. All visitors can also make use of the McCord's internal data base and can surf the Internet - free of charge - to learn more about a specific artist, technique, region or period.

· Ethnological and archaeological objects: 13,000
· Costume and Textiles: 16,600
· Notman Photographic Archives and Textual archives: 1,250,000/200 lin.m.
· Paintings, Prints and Drawings: 65,000
· Decorative Arts: 27,600

Nombre approximatif d'objets ou de spécimens dans la collection : 850 000

Archives

PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVES

Institutions and researchers from all over the world consult the Notman Photographic Archives. Through its thousands of images - landscapes, well-known people, families, places, events, activities - these historically invaluable Archives provide a visual history of Montreal, Quebec and Canada from the 1840s to the present. As well as the iconographical data bank of some 750,000 photographs, the Archives include various items of early photographic equipment and accessories.

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Over 450,000 photographs (including 200,000 glass negatives), taken by the Notman studio during its 78 years of existence. Each glass negative is accompanied by a print that is identified, listed and classified in numerical order in one of 200 albums, and in alphabetical order in one of 43 other albums.

Principal period: 1840-1935.
About 300,000 images taken by other photographers (from the 19th century to the present), including such known figures as Alexander Henderson and Peter Pitseolak.
A small but important collection of photographic equipment.


TEXTUAL ARCHIVES

The Textual Archives, which total 176 running metres, contain a large number of items, among them manuscripts, original documents, correspondence and personal journals. Some of the oldest and most outstanding pieces were collected by David Ross McCord himself, with the aim of preserving our written memory. The Museum's founder also believed that exhibiting a manuscript alongside an object to which it related served to enhance the object's evocative power and give it fresh vitality.

Profile

This sector is composed of 259 fonds and 83 collections, for a total of 342 groupings.
The documents have a wide and varied range of sources. They come from families (the Dessaulles, McCord, Armstrong-Deligny-Philips and Bacon families); from well-known individuals and others well worth knowing (Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Maurice-Régis Blondeau, Hélène Baillargeon Côté); from companies and associations (Women's Art Society of Montreal, Victoria Rifles of Canada, Gibb & Co.); and from collections (New France, British Empire, Concert and Theatre Programs, Valentines).

The McCord allows consultation of 342 fonds and collections covering the period from the 18th century to the present and focusing on a wide variety of subjects, including religion, business, exploration, the fur trade, and social, military and economic issues of the time.

Architectural Records • Cartographic Materials • Prints and Drawings • Manuscripts • Photographs • Sound Recordings • Textual Records

Arts décoratifs

Furniture, pottery, silverware, glass, fine china, toys... The extremely varied objects included in the Decorative Arts collection document the material environment within which Montrealers, Quebeckers and Canadians lived in centuries past.
Emphasis is on objects that effectively illustrate the country and its evolution from a largely rural colonial community to the increasingly urbanized and industrialized society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Around 27,600 objects: furniture, glassware, ceramics, ironware, sculpture, hunting equipment, sports equipment, items of folk art, etc.
A major collection of 19th-century toys.

Ceramics, Porcelain or Pottery • Costumes • Furniture or Furnishings • Glass • Metalwork, Silverwork or Goldwork • Textiles or Tapestries

Beaux-arts

A wealth of visual memories of Montreal, Quebec and Canada dating principally from the 18th and 19th centuries, the Paintings, Prints and Drawings sector eloquently conjures up the personalities, places and events of bygone days. The collection contains some 56,700 iconographical pieces, making it one of the largest of its kind in Canada.

Profile

Paintings (oils, acrylics and watercolours, mostly from the 19th century).
An important collection of miniatures and silhouettes.
Prints: maps, plans, portraits (mostly from 1751 to 1900).
Original drawings (graphite, ink, pastel). Major collections of caricatures from the 19th and 20th centuries, including the John Collins, Serge Chapleau and Terry Mosher (Aislin) fonds.

Culture :
American • Canadian • Aboriginal or First Nations • Inuit • European

Période :
Historical
Autre période : Georgian and Victorian

Média : Painting • Photography • Prints and Drawings • Sculpture • Sketchbooks or Albums

Divers :
Folk Art • War Art • Religious Art

Histoire humaine

ETHNOLOGY AND ARCHEOLOGY

Some 13,000 ethnological and archaeological artifacts reflect the special and longstanding ties that link the Museum to Canada's Native peoples and document many aspects of their lifeways, arts, cultures and traditions. This sector also includes a number of objects from communities living in Alaska and the northern United States.
Its size and intrinsic value make this one of Canada's major collections and the most important of its kind in Quebec. Due to the vastness of the area covered, the great age of many of its pieces, their excellent state of conservation and the extensive documentation that accompanies them, the collection is known the world over.

Profile

Over 7,000 historical aboriginal objects, dating from the early 1800s to 1945; clothing, accessories, headgear, domestic tools, baskets, hunting weaponry, etc.
Over 6,000 archaeological objects (stone tools, potsherds) dating from about 10,000 years ago to the 16th century.
Items representing aboriginal groups from all Canada's cultural regions: the Eastern Woodlands, the Prairies, the North West Coast, the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions.


COSTUMES AND TEXTILES

Begun in 1957 and today considered the second most important collection of its kind in Canada - and leader of the field as regards Canadian content - this group contains some 16,400 items of apparel and accessories, mostly feminine. And among the kaleidoscope of dresses, parasols, hats, fans and footwear are many marvels created by some of Montreal's greatest 20th-century designers. The smaller collections of men's and children's wear include suits, coats and accessories. There is also an important group of samplers (embroidery work), quilts and other textile pieces, which includes North America's oldest known patchwork quilt (1726).

Profile

16,400 items of clothing and accessories, mostly for women but including some men's and children's wear, plus many other textile objects, all made and/or worn and used in Canada.
An extensive collection of clothing by major European and Canadian designers.
Principal period: 1800-1945, when Montreal was Canada's fashion capital.

Agriculture • Archaeological Objects • Ceremonial Objects • Clocks or Time-Keeping Devices • Costumes and Accessories • Currency • Fisheries • Furniture or Furnishings • Household Objects or Domestic Technology • Imaging : Photographs • Local History • Manuscripts • Maps, Charts, Plans or Blueprints • Masks • Medals • Medical History and Technology • Meteorology • Memorabilia • Military History and Technology • Musical Instruments • Religious or Liturgical Objects • Sports Equipment • Toys and Games • Weapons • Transportation : Marine : Railway

Services

Services de recherche

Archives and Documentation Center: by appointment, (514) 398-7100, ext 249, Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Archival Records • Conservation or Restoration • Genealogical Research • Information Centre • Laboratory • Library • Slide Library • Conference or Symposium

Programmes Éducatifs

The McCord educational programs offer an innovative animation approach, using the theme "The Five Keys to History". Our education team provides fascinating tours and turns history into child's play - with a difference.

With the help of their guide, children enter into an authentic dialogue with selected objects: the result is an inspiring experience rich in emotion and information that helps them grasp the importance of history and material culture.

One Tour for Young People and Teachers

Duration of each tour: 90 minutes


A Museum To Discover

All year

The Museum is a treasure chest that Mr. McCord began filling in 1878. Come and meet this man with a dream, and discover objects that speak of elegant dances, exciting games, and lavish ceremonies... A perfect introduction to the Museum and the hidden nature of objects.


A Special Invitation to Teachers

The Museum offers free information sessions on its school programs. Schedule available on request.

Information and Reservations

Tel.: (514) 398-7100, ext 222

Reserve early to ensure you get the dates and times of your choice. Take advantage of our special group rates.

Classes or Workshops • Demonstrations • Family Programs • Internships • Lectures • School Programs : Age 5-11 (k-6) : Age 12-17 (7-13)(Quebec: Secondary 1-CEGEP) : Age 18 and up (Post-Secondary) • Seniors Programs • Professional Development
Autre : Arts & Crafts Workshops + Thematic Activities + Independent Activities

Information aux Visiteurs

Guided visits
Cultural activities

Bilingual Services • Films and Videos • Guided Tours : English : French • Accessible by Public Transportation • Children's Activities or Services : Playground • Information Centre or Desk • Meeting Room Rental • Gift shop • Special Needs Facilities : Signs : Washrooms : Wheelchairs available : Wheelchair access • Cloakroom • Washrooms
Autre : Native and Canadian arts and crafts, fine china and rustic pottery, beautifully fashioned jewelry, posters, exhibition catalogues, greeting cards featuring early photographs.
Information: (514) 398-7100, ext 274

Services de bénévoles

Volunteer Services Available • Volunteer Training Offered

Nombre de bénévoles : 52

Tâches : Guided tours to the public + Cataloguing + Customer service (Gift shop) + Assisting in preventive conservation

Avantages d'adhésion

Free admission (unlimited)
Invitations to openings
Subscription to the McCord newsletter
A 10% discount at the Boutique, the Café, and on all the Museum's cultural activities

Services de restauration

If you feel like savouring a delicious cup of coffee or tea and watching the passersby, simultaneously satisfying your appetite for life and for lunch, or taking an enjoyable break between two exhibitions... the McCord Café is the place! Indulge yourself.

Information and Reservations

Tel.: (514) 398-7100, ext 306

Museum members receive a 10% discount on the à la carte menu.

Catering Services • Reception Facilities • Restaurant

Services Internet

General Information • Collections • Events • Virtual Exhibitions • Education • School Visits or Programs • Children • Directions or Map • Local History • Online Giftshop or Bookstore

Liens touristiques locaux

Local Attractions • Hotels • Restaurants

Publications et produits

| Books | Ivalu: Traditions of Inuit Clothing + Dulongpré - A Closer Look + McCord Newsletter + Montreal, Quebec and the French Revolution + The Scots of Montreal: A Pictorial Album
| Catalogues | The McCord Family: A Passionate Vision + Mont-Royal - Ville-Marie: Early Plans and Views of Montreal + Ethnology and Archaeology (working title) + Victoria Bridge, The Vital Link + William Notman's Studio: The Canadian Picture + Eclectic Tastes: Fine and Decorative Arts from the McCord + Form and Fashion: Nineteenth-Century Montreal Dress + The McCord Museum Archives + After Notman

Annual Reports • Books • Brochures • Catalogues • CD-ROMS • Educational kits • Museum Guide • Newsletters • Postcards • Posters • Scholarly Papers • T-Shirts or Sweatshirts or Caps • Slides

Images en vedette

Carte

Consultez le site Web

Emplacement

Adresse :	690 Sherbrooke West Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E9 Voir la carte
Téléphone :	514-398-7100
Télécopieur :	514-398-5045
Adresse postale :	McCord Museum of Canadian History 690 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E9
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