McCord Museum
Encyclopedia
The McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum
dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history. The museum, whose full name is McCord Museum of Canadian History, is located at 690 Sherbrooke Street
West, next to McGill University
, in downtown Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
.
, based on his own family collection of objects. Since then the museum's holdings have increased substantially.
In this collection there are more than 7,300 historical aboriginal objects, dating from the early 1800s to 1945 (clothing, accessories, headgear, domestic tools, baskets, hunting weaponry, etc.) and more than 8,500 archaeological objects dating from about 10,000 years ago to the 16th century (stone tools, potsherds).
, Quebec
and Canada
from the 1840s to the present.
The collection contains the William Notman
& Son Photographic Studio fond constituting more than 600,000 photographic images (including 200,000 glass negatives) dating mostly from 1840 to 1935.
The collection also includes approximately 700,000 images taken by other photographers, including such known figures as Alexander Henderson
and John Taylor .
, Quebec
and Canada
, from the 18th to the 21st centuries.
It includes paintings (oils, acrylics and watercolours, mostly from the 19th century), miniatures, silhouettes, prints (maps, plans, portraits, mostly from 1751 to 1900) and caricatures from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries (John Collins, Serge Chapleau
and Terry Mosher
alias Aislin).
This collection consists of furniture, glassware, ceramics, ironware, sculpture, hunting equipment, sports equipment, items of folk art and a major collection of 19th century toys .
The documents come from families (the Dessaulles, McCord
, Armstrong-Deligny-Philips and Bacon families); from well-known individuals (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 museum's exterior features the sculpture Totem urbain / histoire en dentelle, an allegorical representation of Montreal history, by Pierre Granche
.
On October 13, 1971, the McCord National Museum, as it was then called, moved to the former McGill Union building, designed by Percy Erskine Nobbs
in the Arts and Crafts
tradition. The collection was based on the McCord family collection. Since 1878, David Ross McCord had been adding to the already considerable collection assembled by his family since their arrival in Canada. Over the years he developed the plan of founding a national history museum in Montreal, at that time Canada's metropolis.
The museum was administered by McGill University for over sixty years until it became a private museum. Leading members of the community, including the families of Walter M. Stewart, Thomas H.P. Molson and John W. McConnell
, lent their support to the Museum over the years. Today, the McCord Museum is supported by the governments of Canada, Quebec and Montreal, and by a large network of members, donors and sponsors.
, CHIN
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history. The museum, whose full name is McCord Museum of Canadian History, is located at 690 Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...
West, next to McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, in downtown Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Collection
The museum was founded in 1921 by David Ross McCordDavid Ross McCord
David Ross McCord was a Canadian lawyer and philanthropic founder of the McCord Museum in Montreal, Canada....
, based on his own family collection of objects. Since then the museum's holdings have increased substantially.
Ethnology and Archaeology
This collection of 15,800 objects documents many aspects of the ways of life, arts, cultures and traditions of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. It also includes a number of objects from communities living in Alaska and the northern United States.In this collection there are more than 7,300 historical aboriginal objects, dating from the early 1800s to 1945 (clothing, accessories, headgear, domestic tools, baskets, hunting weaponry, etc.) and more than 8,500 archaeological objects dating from about 10,000 years ago to the 16th century (stone tools, potsherds).
Costume and Textiles
This collection of 18,845 objects consists of women’s dresses, parasols, hats, fans and footwear, many created by some of Montreal’s greatest 20th century designers. The menswear in the collection includes suits, coats and accessories. There is also an important selection of embroidered samplers, quilts and other textiles, including North America's oldest known patchwork quilt (1726).Notman Photographic Archives
This collection includes 1,300,000 photographs and various items of early photographic equipment and accessories. It provides a visual history of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from the 1840s to the present.
The collection contains the William Notman
William Notman
William Notman was a Canadian photographer and businessman.Notman was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1826, the same year in which photography was born in France. William Notman moved to Montreal in 1856. An amateur photographer, he quickly established a flourishing professional photography studio on...
& Son Photographic Studio fond constituting more than 600,000 photographic images (including 200,000 glass negatives) dating mostly from 1840 to 1935.
The collection also includes approximately 700,000 images taken by other photographers, including such known figures as Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson may refer to:* Alexander Henderson , Scottish theologian* Alexander Henderson , Scots-Quebecer merchant and photographer...
and John Taylor .
Paintings, Prints and Drawings
This collection of 69,000 iconographical pieces illustrates the personalities, places and events that made the history of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from the 18th to the 21st centuries.
It includes paintings (oils, acrylics and watercolours, mostly from the 19th century), miniatures, silhouettes, prints (maps, plans, portraits, mostly from 1751 to 1900) and caricatures from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries (John Collins, Serge Chapleau
Serge Chapleau
Serge Chapleau is a French-Canadian political cartoonist from the province of Québec.- Biography :...
and Terry Mosher
Terry Mosher
Christopher Terry Mosher, OC is a Canadian political cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette. He draws under the name "Aislin", a rendition of the name of his eldest daughter Aislinn ....
alias Aislin).
Decorative Arts
The 38,900 objects included in this collection documents the material environment within which Montrealers, Quebeckers and Canadians lived in past centuries.This collection consists of furniture, glassware, ceramics, ironware, sculpture, hunting equipment, sports equipment, items of folk art and a major collection of 19th century toys .
Textual Archives
This collection, which total 262 running meters, includes manuscripts, correspondence, personal journals and other documents showing the history of Canada from the 18th century to the present.The documents come from families (the Dessaulles, McCord
McCord
-Places:United States*McCord, Oklahoma*McCord, Wisconsin*McCord Bend, MissouriCanada*McCord, Saskatchewan*McCord Museum, Quebec*Mount McCord-Surname:...
, Armstrong-Deligny-Philips and Bacon families); from well-known individuals (Sir George-Étienne Cartier
George-Étienne Cartier
Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, PC was a French-Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation.The English spelling of the name, George, instead of Georges, the usual French spelling, is explained by his having been named in honour of King George III....
, Maurice-Régis Blondeau, Hélène Baillargeon
Hélène Baillargeon
Hélène Baillargeon, CM was a Quebec singer, actor and folklorist probably best known as the host of the CBC television show Chez Hélène from 1959 to 1973....
Côté); from companies and associations (Women's Art Society of Montreal, Victoria Rifles of Canada
Victoria Rifles of Canada
The Victoria Rifles of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army...
, Gibb & Co.); and from collections (New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, Concert and Theatre Programs, Valentines).
The museum's exterior features the sculpture Totem urbain / histoire en dentelle, an allegorical representation of Montreal history, by Pierre Granche
Pierre Granche
Pierre Granche was a French-Canadian sculptor.Having studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and the Université de Vincennes in Paris, he taught in the art history department of the Université de Montréal for more than twenty years until his death in Montreal.As a sculptor, his works are...
.
History
Percy Erskine Nobbs
Percy Erskine Nobbs was a Canadian architect who was born in Haddington, Scotland and trained in the United Kingdom. He spent most of his career in the Montreal area...
in the Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
tradition. The collection was based on the McCord family collection. Since 1878, David Ross McCord had been adding to the already considerable collection assembled by his family since their arrival in Canada. Over the years he developed the plan of founding a national history museum in Montreal, at that time Canada's metropolis.
The museum was administered by McGill University for over sixty years until it became a private museum. Leading members of the community, including the families of Walter M. Stewart, Thomas H.P. Molson and John W. McConnell
John Wilson McConnell
John Wilson McConnell was a Canadian businessman, newspaper publisher, humanitarian, and the most significant philanthropist in the history of the province of Quebec, Canada.-Early life:...
, lent their support to the Museum over the years. Today, the McCord Museum is supported by the governments of Canada, Quebec and Montreal, and by a large network of members, donors and sponsors.
Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMACanadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...
, CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada
The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...
.