Collections and Exhibitions
Collections
 |
| The fur trade: model of a Montreal canoe. |
The Saint-Boniface Museum's collections document the evolution of the Francophone community since it established itself in the Canadian West, particularly as it developed in Manitoba. There are some 30,000 artifacts in the Museum.
The collections may be divided into four main categories:
· historic
· ethnological
· fine arts
|
| Portrait of Joseph-Philippe Guay, mayor of the City of St. Boniface in the 1960s, painted by Pauline Boutal. |
· and archival
The
historic collection includes, for example, the following: French-Canadian and Métis furniture (the Proulx loom, the Malo chest-on-chest, a Quebec armoire, the Moïse Richard table and armchair); craftsmen's tools (blacksmith, carpenter, tinsmith) and professional equipment (Doctor Collin's surgical instruments); objects typical of pioneer living (butter churn, oil lamp) and of agriculture (scythe, sickle, plough); and objects linked to religious observance (liturgical vestments, crucifix, candlesticks). Objects related to leisure time and entertainment include toys and home made statuettes, and musical instruments such as violins that
belonged to Claude Ayotte and Andy De Jarlis.
The collection of
ethnological artifacts from the First Nations of the Prairies includes beadwork (gloves, a coat, moccasins), a pestle used for pounding pemmican, a "tikinagan"or baby carrier, and archaeological specimens that include arrowheads, spearheads and stone tools.
The fine arts collection contains paintings, sculptures, watercolours, and drawings created by Franco-Manitoban and Métis artists such as Réal Bérard, Jules Desjarlais,
 |
| Red River Cart |
Hubert Garnier and Miguel Joyal; portraits of the mayors of St. Boniface painted by Victor A. Long; several of Pauline Boutal’s works, including a painting of the old Grey Nuns’ convent.
Part of the Museum's
archival collection is stored in the Centre du patrimoine (Heritage Centre), which is managed by the Société historique de Saint-Boniface. There, more than 1,300 photographs and hundreds of documents are made available to researchers who are interested in
|
Statue of the Immaculate Conception, made of papier mâché by sisters Lagrave and Gosselin; altar painted by Constantin Tauffenbach, from the Notre-Dame church (Lorette, Manitoba).
(Photo: R. Barrow) |
Franco-Manitoban and Métis history. Moreover, the Museum holds some 1,800 rare and older books in this collection.
back to top
Exhibit Themes
The themes that the Museum interprets shape its collections and influence the way exhibitions are developed. The themes are:
· the fur trade (Hudson’s Bay Company trade gun, voyageur sash, model of a Montreal canoe, small box);
· the origins and development of the Métis nation (tea kettle, Red River cart, snowshoes, beadwork [leggings and cushion], furniture, tools, artifacts from the Union nationale métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba);
· the Red River Colony;
· the arrival of the missionaries and the Grey Nuns
 |
| "Louis Riel: Son of Red River and Father of Manitoba" exhibit. |
(the convent building itself, the papier mâché statue of the Immaculate Conception made by Sister Lagrave, artifacts used in Catholic services);
· Louis Riel (moccasins, tuque, hairs from his beard, part of his suspenders, his revolver) and the creation of Manitoba (gun seized at Upper Fort Garry);
· the City of St. Boniface (the mayor’s chair, a councillor’s cap, publications);
· the evolution of the French-speaking population in various fields after the second wave of French and French-Canadian immigration
 |
| City of St. Boniface mayor's chair. |
– socio-economically (artifacts from businesses), educationally (school supplies and collections of books), and linguistically and culturally (Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day medal).
back to top
Artifacts Associated with Well-Known Figures
Various artifacts in the collections are associated with famous Franco-Manitobans and Métis, for example:
 |
Period room: master bedroom.
(Photo: R. Barrow) |
· Louis Riel’s coffin, moccasins and tuque
· Archbishop Alexandre Taché’s bookcase
· Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière’s dispatch pouch
· Mélina (Landry) Roy’s quilt; she was the mother of Gabrielle Roy
· Andy De Jarlis’s violin
· Pauline Boutal’s paintings
· Victor A. Long’s portraits of the mayors of St. Boniface
|
Archbishop Alexandre Taché's bookcase.
(Photo: R. Barrow) |
back to top
Virtual exhibits
You can explore the Museum's collections through the virtual exhibits in the Virtual Museum of Canada:
Gestures and Words about works of art:
http://www.museevirtuel.ca/Exhibitions/Gestes/
Staying in Tune about musical traditions and instruments:
http://www.museevirtuel.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/
 |
| Moccasins and other objects that belonged to Louis Riel, part of the "Louis Riel: Son of Red River and Father of Manitoba" exhibit. |
Living Traditions about Métis sports:
http://www.museevirtuel.ca
Agriculture in French Manitoba about the history of agriculture in French Manitoba:
http://www.webmstb.com/index_anim.html
back to top
