Chronicle
 

Dinner bowl,
Collection Maison Saint-Gabriel

Eating in New France gave rise to specific rules. Veritable table art developed in the colony as soon as economic conditions permitted. This was marked by the establishment of spaces dedicated to meals, the use of certain pieces of furniture and utensils as well, as the nature and order of dishes.

The society that developed in New France was far from the mother country bur remained attached to it through the habits people had acquired and the relationships that continued. As a result of this ongoing exchange, fashions and manners practiced at the court of Versailles were reproduced in the colony. Through these chronicles, we invite you to discover the art of good table manners in New France. 
 

Illustration: «Un souper chez un grand seigneur canadien au 18e siècle», tirée de Henri Julien, Album, Montréal, Librairie Beauchemin limitée, 1916, p. 156.
Source: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, collection numérique
First episode
From a Single Room to the Kitchen

Second episode
Kitchen Furniture in New France

Third episode
The Individual Place Setting

Fourth episode
The Art of Serving Guests


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