75,000 pages of History

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation and 375th anniversary of Montreal’s founding, the McCord Museum is making 75,000 new images from its Textual Archives collection available to the public.

This carefully curated selection features 21 sets of documents, most of which are archives from individuals, families or organizations, or special collections organized around a theme or type of document. The archival documents described, digitized and published online as part of this project recount the history of Canada, but more specifically that of Montreal and Montrealers over the 19th and 20th centuries.

Part of a knowledge-sharing initiative that aims to provide public access to a variety of content-rich archives, this project presents major events, organizations, and figures that have marked our history, both local and national. By encouraging the dissemination of its archives, the McCord Museum also hopes to help preserve and showcase Canada’s heritage.

Each archival description includes a noteworthy excerpt from the documents as well as explanatory notes. We invite researchers and amateurs alike to discover the stories and history of Canada, its inhabitants, and urban life in Montreal.