Previous exhibitions

Industrial Montreal
March 14 to November 30, 2008

A masterful creation between beauty and a blot on the environment, this particular aesthetic is part of the city's charm, whether we like to admit it or not. The perspicacity and sensitivity in the chosen photographs give these dehumanized constructions new life, in a perspective that allows us to rediscover a neglected aspect of the city's heritage, with keen pleasure.

Discover the colossal industrial heritage that made Montreal the economic capital of Quebec and of Canada from 1850 onwards. This exhibition restores the allure of these forsaken and disdained monuments of the past, with the participation of the Association québécoise pour le patrimoine industriel and the contribution of Photo Service and Studio-gallery Nicolin & Gublin.
Who set fire to Montreal. 1734. The trial of Angélique
October 11, 2006 to december 30, 2008

The Centre d’histoire de Montréal has created an exhibition that challenges visitors to find the real culprit behind the fire that, on April 10, 1734, destroyed the Hôtel-Dieu (hospital) along with some forty houses in Montréal. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore Montrealers’ daily lives during this period.

Marie-Josèphe Angélique
Angélique, a black slave of Portuguese origin, born in Madiera near Lisbon, disembarked in Montréal in 1729 at the age of 24. Suspected, accused and then found guilty by the legal system of having set the fire, she was condemned to torture and then to being hang and burned, her ashes scattered to the wind.

Guilty or Not Guilty
Were the rumours of the day true? The archives of the trial leave room for doubt, since Angélique did not run away. Although her lover fled, she stayed in place to help her mistress. Arrested and thrown into prison, Angélique proclaimed her innocence loud and clear. Was she innocent? If she was, who was guilty? Or was it an accident?
Baby’s on the way – 100 years of births in Montréal
From June 15 to November 4, 2007

Over the past century, the experience of motherhood and birth have changed a lot, though the questions and amazement they evoke have never ceased. Today, pregnancy is an exceptional event and women exhibit it with pride. But for a long time, giving birth was surrounded by dangers and wrapped in mystery. Being born was a risky business for both mother and baby and surviving the first months was a real accomplishment.

With Québec’s metropolis as example, the Centre d’histoire de Montréal tells a story full of contrasts. Another way of celebrating 100 years of helping life grow at Sainte-Justine! As well, it is a way of talking about the founding of a children’s hospital, the Sainte-Justine and of highlighting the unique contributions made by two courageous and visionary women, Justine Lacoste-Beaubien and Irma Levasseur.
In collaboration with the CHU Sainte-Justine
Expo 67 – Passport to the World
From June 23 to September 3, 2007

Hey friend, say friend… On April 28, 1967, Québec opened itself up to the world with Montréal’s World’s Fair : truly a passport to creativity and discovery of the world offered to Montrealers. An opportunity to relive or discover Expo 67 in order better to understand what Montréal has become over the past 40 years.

In collaboration with the Parc Jean-Drapeau
Johnny… and the parks – Montréal’s parks in photographs 1953-1963
From May 4 to August 20, 2006

Municipal parks and playgrounds have delighted children for more than fifty years. An ambitious and innovative project, the Parks Service was created in 1953 at the instigation of Claude Robillard. The watchword: “recreation in beautiful surroundings.” Henceforward, children would have surroundings other than the back alleys to play and have fun in. On the program: free play and organized activities as well as cultural and sporting events, from performances by the Roulotte de Paul Buissonneau, to the Jardin des Merveilles children’s zoo, play modules, a "park parade" and many more activities. Jeannot will be your guide for our tour of Montréal’s parks in photographs!
In collaboration with the Section des archives de la Direction du Greffe de la Ville de Montréal.
JAZZ - Swinging Nights in Montréal
From May 5, 2005 to March 26, 2006

What do Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière, Willy Girard, Maynard Ferguson, Infonie, Charlie Biddle and Oliver Jones have in common? All have left their mark in one way or another on jazz in Montréal. With JAZZ: Swinging Nights in Montréal, the CHM brings back the great moments in jazz that made Montréal one of the jazz capitals of North America. A musical and audio-visual adventure in the city from the early 20th century until the era of the Montréal International Jazz Festival. Now, for the first time in its existence, the CHM is devoting two entire floors to a temporary exhibition.
One Show, Two Voices
Throughout this exhibition you will be accompanied by two voices well-known to Montréal jazz fans, Gilles Archambault and Katie Malloch. Two voices, two languages, and what's more, two points of view...
Jazz: Music that Spans Eras
The exhibition follows the history of jazz in Montréal through its many styles, from ragtime, swing and be-bop through to contemporary jazz. The first part of the show, taking up the entire first floor of the museum, presents legendary venues like the "Café Montmartre," "Rockhead's Paradise" and the "El Morocco." The second part is devoted to jazz between the years of 1960 and 1990, with a particular focus on the birth of Québécois jazz.

The CHM offers you the experience of a musical journey that includes encounters with the issues and events of the day such as prohibition, the arrival of Mayor Drapeau, the creation of the first black musicians' union and Québec's Quiet Revolution. You will stroll among sites that evoke the Golden Age of jazz, the night clubs, dance halls, cafes and record stores.
The Jazz Club Experience
On the second floor at the Centre, we have recreated a small jazz club for concerts. The audience will be able to experience a swinging night of jazz by watching archival footage of the Montréal International Jazz Festival and listening to newly recorded interview material. The exhibition will be accompanied by a CD catalogue.

This exhibition of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, in collaboration with the Phonothèque québécoise, has been made possible thanks to financial support from Canadian Heritage.

The Centre d'histoire de Montréal would like to thank the Quebec Musician's Guild for its financial support of the music programming, Justin Time for production of the CD catalogue, the Off festival de jazz de Montréal for its logistical support to the art director and the following partners: CBC Radio-Canada, the Spectra team, the Concordia University Archives, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Guidatour and Sortiesjazznights.com.

The Centre d'histoire de Montréal will be also presenting a series of free jazz concerts. Information here.
Wired: City Life and Montréal's Commission des services électriques 1914 to 1933
September 30, 2004 to April 3, 2005

The photographs that make up "Wired" offer wonderful candid shots of Montréal life between 1914 and 1933. Created for Montréal's Commission des services électriques, this piece of our photographic heritage will be displayed for the very first time in an exhibition prepared by the Centre d'histoire de Montréal and the Section des archives de la Direction du Greffe de la Ville de Montréal.
Tèt Ansamn, Tous ensemble: Présences haitiennes d'ici
May 19 to September 5, 2004

An exhibition about Montréal's Haitian community.
Encontros: The Portuguese Community, Neighbours for 50 Years
September 18, 2003 to April 25, 2004

Neighbours for fifty years!

The first contingent of immigrants arrived in Canada fifty years ago, in May of 1953, four hundred years after Portuguese navigators first explored our shores and attempted to establish a colony here. These past 50 years of living together have resulted in the transformation of some Montréal neighbourhoods, so that now it seems as though the Portuguese community has always been part of the Montréal mosaic. Today, Portuguese Montrealers live throughout the metropolitan region and participate in all the city's diverse socio-economic and cultural environments. As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, in collaboration with the Carrefour des jeunes lusophones du Québec, the Mission Santa Cruz and the Portuguese Association of Canada will be mounting a three-site exhibition about the experience of the Portuguese community in the Greater Montréal area.
WISH YOU WERE HERE - Two photographers on the road, 1910-1940
A summer show that visits vacation destinations from the early 20th century
June 27 to August 31, 2003

The Centre d'histoire de Montréal invites you to relax and enjoy a tour of Québec as it was between 1910 and 1940, thanks to photographs taken by tourists John Boyd and Clifford M. Johnston, who criss-crossed the province many times in order to take in the modernity of its cities and the picturesque charm of its countryside. The 58 photographs in the show, most of them exhibited here for the first time, are complemented by souvenirs and other objects that evoke the early 20th-century tourist experience. The photographs are drawn primarily from the National Archives of Canada and the Archives of Ontario.
"MIN ZAMAAN - SINCE LONG AGO": The Syrian-Lebanese Presence in Montreal between 1882 and 1940
October 10, 2002 to May 25, 2003

One hundred and twenty years ago, in 1882, Montreal's first immigrant of Syrian-Lebanese origin arrived in the city and stayed. Over the next three decades, some 2,000 men and women would also leave their cities, towns and villages of birth in Bilad al-Sham (geographical Syria) and immigrate to Montreal where they would form the city's first Arabic-speaking community. The exhibit "Min Zamaan - Since Long Ago" tells the story of this immigrant community, composed largely of Syrian-Lebanese, and, in smaller numbers, of Mardini (people from the city of Mardin) and Palestinian immigrants, as it anchored itself in Montreal's early-twentieth-century economy and society.

"Min Zamaan" tells the story of the early Syrian-Lebanese presence in Montreal and in other parts of Quebec, covering a range of themes: the context and causes of departure from Bilad al-Sham, the journey to North America, the challenges and strategies of earning a living during the initial years after immigration, the subsequent process of adapting and contributing to Montreal and Quebec's economy and culture, the achievements and trajectories of some of the community's more "legendary" personalities.

Complementing the historical exhibit is a photographic exposé on the present-day Arab community of Montreal entitled Wousoul (l'arrivée-arrival). It was prepared by Rawi Hage, a local artist of Lebanese origin.
MEMORY ALIVE
May 31 to September 22, 2002

The "Memory Alive" project, produced by DARE-DARE in collaboration with the CHM, will be happening at the CHM and around the city. Ten artists will explore the vast territory of Montréal memory. From terrible fires to public health, from traditional legends to the story of Angélique the slave and including the Russian community, Nelson, the Indian Act and marginal lands, this interactive exhibition invites you to a new and different artistic and historical adventure that will extend through the summer months and into activities in different parts of the city.
BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY: CHRONICLES OF DOMESTIC WORK IN PRIVATE HOMES, 1920-2000
September 12, 2001 to April 28, 2002

"Beyond the Call of Duty" is the result of original research carried out by Raphaëlle de Groot, visual artist and guest curator for the CHM. Using an original blend of artistic, historical and sociological enquiry, Raphaëlle de Groot introduces us to the history of domestic service in Montreal based on the memories and intimate experiences of the people most directly concerned.

This exhibition will travel starting in the fall of 2002.
SILO Nº5
June 29 to December 3, 2000

As part of the Silophone event, coordinated by Quartier éphémère, this exhibition focuses on Silo Nº5, best known of the Port of Montréal's grain elevators. The exhibition explores the history and memory of this industrial giant, whose enigmatic presence on the urban landscape evokes passionate responses. In collaboration with Heritage Montréal, the Association québécoise pour le patrimoine industriel and Docomomo Québec.
SO FAR AND YET… SO NEAR. MEMORIES OF A CENTURY: 20 portraits, 20 Montrealers, 20 encounters
May 4 to June 11, 2000

So far and yet so near, these stories are told through the faces and poses of 20 witnesses, their gaze and humanity magnificently captured by the photographer; and as well by means of short biographical texts and photos taken from family archives. Visitors rediscover a century marked by wars and poverty, but also by the hopes of thousands of people looking for a better life.

The stories of these twenty Montrealers have been mixed in with the stories of others who have been here for many generations, to a point where all the stories have blended together. "So Far and Yet So Near, Memories of a Century" lets us focus on the unique, exemplary character of these parallel and intertwined lives. Karim Rholem's large-scale photographs ensure that visitors experience a powerful encounter with 20 people who arrived in Montreal over the course of the 20th century, pushed out of their countries of origin by the tumults of history and whose faces nonetheless greet us so openly, so movingly.
WITNESS: CHRONICLE OF A NON-EVENT
March 10 to April 23, 2000

Four up-and-coming artists decided to immortalize a unique moment: our passage into another century. Between noon on December 31 and noon, January 1st, 2000, in Québec and in Montréal, hour by hour, they photographed modest events and grand ones, happy people as well as the anxious and indifferent. From this photographic marathon emerged the exhibition "Witness: Chronicle of a Non-Event" that was presented for the first time at the Centre d'histoire de Montréal. A photo-mosaic in black and white was accompanied by a sound track made up of interviews and ambient sound captured over the course of these 24 hours, and a text by writer and filmmaker Jacques Godbout.
THE EYE OF THE CITY
September 15, 1999 to February 27, 2000

From September 9 to 11, 2000, 30 photo-journalists from the four corners of the planet arrived with the mission of delivering their vision of Montréal in just 60 hours. Just 60 hours to create 30 distinct subjects, a strong and original portrait of Québec's metropolis, a city unique in North America.

Over 30,000 shots were taken by professionals used to capturing the action in the world's hot-spots. They came from Europe, the United States, Canada or elsewhere, seasoned witnesses to scenes of conflict and tension from Kosovo to Kuwait, Rwanda to Haiti. They needed to be given a challenge in order to truly exercise their skills and talents. With The Eye of the City they were able, together, to mount a raid on the town, up against the only competitor imposed on them: time.

The event that made these unique photographs possible was created by Eyes-On Productions, specialists in mounting media events. 120 photographs, strong images of the city, are on exhibit at the Centre d'histoire de Montréal.
MONTRÉAL IN THE 1950s. ALAN B. STONE, PHOTOGRAPHER (1928-1992)
January 27 to September 6, 1999

In these unique photographs you will discover the beauty, humanity, and mastery of his craft that make up the original vision of this little-known Montreal photographer.

In collaboration with the Archives Gaies du Québec. This exhibition will be on display at the Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay and then at the Écomusée du Fier Monde.
THEIR WORSHIPS, THE MAYORS
September 18 to December 6, 1998

This exhibition recalls the long history of municipal politics in Montréal by telling the stories of some of its colourful characters, all in good fun.
*PRENDRE SON BAIN AUX BAINS: LES BAINS PUBLICS DE MONTRÉAL
June 4 to September 7, 1998

In collaboration with the Atelier d'histoire Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
*UN PATRIMOINE OUBLIÉ, LE COMPLEXE MILITAIRE DE L'ÎLE SAINTE-HÉLÈNE
February 12 to April 13, 1998

Travelling exhibition from the David M. Stewart Museum under the auspices of the program Exposer dans l'île.
EXPO 67: WHEN THE WORLD CAME TO VISIT...
July 9 to October 19, 1997

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of Expo 67. An exhibition built, among other things, around the testimony and memories of visitors.
*MONTRÉAL EN COULEURS
April 12 to June 15, 1997

Created by the Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay. Painters from yesterday and today who have taken Montréal as their subject.
ADRIEN HÉBERT: AN ARTIST'S VIEW OF MONTREAL HARBOUR
February 13 to March 25, 1997

Travelling exhibition from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, under the auspices of the program Exposer dans l'île.
TEA. A DRINK TO QUENCH ALL THIRSTS!
May 29 to December 8, 1996

Exposition sur les techniques, les rituels et l'histoire du thé à travers le monde.
An exhibition about tea, through the world and the history.

Virtual exhibition