Three new collections of unique, authentic and irreplaceable documents detailing significant portions of Canada’s history have been added to the Canada Memory of the World Register, as announced yesterday by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, which manages listings to the Register.
Created in 2017, the Canada Memory of the World Register promotes and provides access to the immense diversity of the documentary heritage that is significant to Canada and whose roots extend from the initial settling of the land by Indigenous Peoples up to the present time.
The three new collections are:
McCord-Stewart Museum’s Notman Photographic Archives in Montreal
This collection contains 400,000 photographs from a Montreal studio founded by William Notman in 1856 and run by his sons until 1935. Comprised of glass negatives and original prints, stereograms, composites and painted photographs, the collection is a considerable wealth of documentation. The images give us insight on numerous aspects of Montreal’s history, the construction of the transcontinental railway and the evolution of Quebec and Canadian society in the years leading up to, and following, Confederation.
Archives of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
The recordings of statements, documents, photographs and objects in this collection recount the story of the residential school system, which was designed to annihilate Indigenous cultural identities. These documents are witness to Canada’s history and have largely contributed to the truth and reconciliation efforts between Indigenous Peoples and Canada. These archives are culturally, morally, ethically and spiritually significant.
Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection at the University of British Columbia
This collection is made up of 25,000 pieces, including texts, books, cards, posters, portraits, photos and artefacts documenting three areas of our history: the exploration of British Columbia, immigration and colonization — particularly the settling of Chinese communities — and the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
These three collections have been added to the Canada Memory of the World Register, for a total of 16 collections. For a complete list, see the register.
McCord-Stewart Museum President and CEO Suzanne Sauvage said, “I am very pleased with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s recognition of the McCord-Stewart Museum’s Notman Collection. The Museum acquired the collection’s first pieces in 1956 and has since carried out rigorous conservation and showcasing work with respect to the works of this visionary photographer. The inclusion of this photograph archive in the Canada Memory of the World Register consolidates our work, the outreach of Notman’s work and the documentation of Montreal and Canadian society’s histories.”
UNESCO’s Memory of the World program showcases the most meaningful documents in Canada’s heritage and history. More than recognition, being included in a document collection in the Memory of the World Register underscores the importance of preserving it, highlights its relevance, and encourages citizens, students and researchers to take an interest.
Call for nominations
In its announcement, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO also launched the new call for nominations for 2019-20 and invites interested organizations or individuals to visit the website for more information.
In light of the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent, the call extends a new special invitation for documentary heritage related to Black Canadians with the goal of increasing awareness of this community’s diverse cultures and contributions to Canadian society.
Kudos for Nora Hague and her team when she was with the Notman Collection at the McCord!! Essential, fascinating work done by a real dedicated archivist.
I have just ‘wasted’ an hour looking at these old photos and I’m feeling delighted at being transported in time to my father’s time in Montreal and the year my aunt was born in Sorel and so on. And that was just one category. Thank you Gail for posting this link.
A shout out for the Chung Collection at UBC! I’ve had the privilege of visiting the archive and handling some of the materials first hand.
I’d been researching the early life of my father and was shocked to find his WWII call up letter listed in the Chung Collection online. Archivist Krisztina Laszlo and Librarian Chelsea Shriver not only released a copy of the letter to me, they also invited me to visit the next time I was in town. I brought my sister. Our father’s always been a bit of a mystery to us, so it was with a mixture of discovery and joy that we were able to handle his papers.
Chinese Canadian genealogy is generally quite a challenge, with few records. Any collection focusing on the history of the Chinese in Canada is important, and I am profoundly grateful to see the Chung collection gain UNESCO recognition.