Growing up in Montréal

October 29, 2004 to January 7, 2007

"One, two, buckle my shoe..." Sound familiar? How about the "whack" of hockey sticks from a street hockey game? Can you still name your favourite teddy bear or comic book? Journey back to your youth this fall with Growing Up in Montréal, a major new exhibition at the McCord Museum that explores the daily lives of young urban-dwellers in the last century.

Starting at the close of the 19th century and throughout the 20th, Montréal underwent a remarkable expansion that profoundly affected its children. Many new families arrived in the city and had to adapt to the rhythm and activities of a metropolis that comprised more than half of Quebec’s urban population. Children grew up in the heart of the city, moving between the home, back lanes, schoolyard, park, and downtown core. Growing Up in Montréal looks at the behaviours and rituals, habits and games of Montréal children, from birth to the pre-teen years. It also examines the changes and discoveries that marked the century and transformed children’s lives.

Growing Up in Montréal evokes times and places both distant and familiar, recalling collective memories and individual experiences. Featuring the McCord’s remarkable collection of clothing, toys and photographs, the exhibition is designed to inspire parents, grandparents, and other "ex"-children of Montréal to share their own memories with the young people of today.