Embracing nearly four centuries of history is not an easy task, but a new book based on archives held by Bibliothèques et Archives Nationales du Québec takes up the challenge brilliantly.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Memory reflections paints a vast picture of the development of the province, from New France to modern times, with the help of maps, illustrations, photographs and other historical documents; each marking, at a glance, a captivating or symbolic stage in the nation’s journey.
A dozen themes have been selected, navigating between the family, women, major projects, education, health, advocacy movements or even festivities of all kinds. The book is traversed and pecked, moving from joy to drama, from major events to the sweetness of everyday life, from the discovery of indigenous cultures to technical developments. The gaze thus lingers sometimes on the photograph of a forge from 1907, sometimes on handwritten notes by René Lévesque from 1980, festive images of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (with Gilles Vigneault and others in 1976) or abrasive ( riot of 1968), a Micmac hieroglyphic manuscript, the duo Céline-René, just as much as on workers or anonymous citizens sketched in their daily activities.
Each piece is explained and captioned by brief texts signed by specialists from the National Archives, which makes it possible to define the context without burdening the consultation of the work. A pleasant and instructive way to savor the nostalgia of memories of yesteryear or to discover lesser-known parts of Quebec’s history.
Reflections of memory – Quebec in pictures
Library and National Archives of Quebec Under the direction of Hélène Laverdure, Isabelle Crevier and François David
Quebec Publications
225 pages