Temporary exhibit

TWO OF A KIND
The History of Shoes
Starting May 9, 2012

Maison Saint-Gabriel presents its new temporary exhibit, Two of a kind, from May 9 to December 21, 2012. From the moccasin to the silk slipper, this educational exhibit traces the history of shoes in Québec, with a glance at 21st-century fashion.

The history of shoes in Québec
Whether they are worn as protection against bad weather or to seduce and draw attention, shoes have been part of human history since the dawn of time. Inevitably, this history reflects periods, social classes, fashion... and the people who wear shoes.

In 17th-century New France, the shape of shoes was influenced by the French fashion of leather shoes, although such shoes were the privilege of the wealthy bourgeois. The average peasant adopted Amerindian traditions and wore moccasin-like footwear. Later, people would wear the famous botte sauvage which was found in all regions.

A sign of wealth and an enhancement
Many of the ordinary people considered shoes essentially as a sign of wealth. Shoes were expensive items that were maintained carefully so they could be kept as long as possible and they were passed on from one generation to the next, as indicated in certain inventories made following death.

But, from the slipper to the bootee or the pump, the shoe was also an enhancement with which men and women indicated their identity. And what don’t we do, occasionally, to seduce? This exhibit also highlights the distinctive taste of Québec women for fine shoes, both in the past and today. Between 1755 and 1760, Jean-Baptiste d’Aleyrac had already noted this: "For them, luxury is taken to the utmost. It is not for the peasant women who do not wear dressing gowns and silk corsages, as well as lace bonnets and damask shoes, which makes them envious of all things."

This exhibit has been made possible through the financial support of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, the Ministère de la culture, des communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec and the Ville de Montréal, under the agreement on the cultural development of Montreal.