Explore our ethnohistorical collection online!

Boasting over 25,000 objects, documents, works of art, and photographs that bear witness to the history of Montréal and its population’s way of life, Pointe-à-Callière’s ethnohistorical collection can be accessed online.

The digital catalogue provides an opportunity to explore the Museum’s ethnohistorical collection through an interface that offers several browsing options.

• Search by keyword: A search bar allows you to quickly find specific objects or documents.
• Explore by period: You can browse the collection by historical period, which lets you step back in time to learn how Montréal has evolved over the years.
• Explore by theme: Thematic categories—such as Montréal’s birthplace, democratic and political life, domestic life, and the environment and urban planning—allow for a targeted exploration of the collection.
• The team’s favourites: The Museum’s team presents its own selection of remarkable pieces.
• Favourites: You can also save your own selection of favourite objects.

The catalogue features photos and a description for each item in the collection, providing a better understanding of the object and its historical importance. In addition to simply browsing the collection online, the Museum has made it possible to download high-definition images, for non-commercial use only. Terms of use for the images are detailed in the Copyrights and Reproductions section on the site.

The Museum’s team regularly expands on the catalogue by adding information on existing objects and including new artifacts as the collection grows.

These efforts aim to facilitate access to our collections for the general public, the museum and university sectors, and the education community. The Museum hopes to encourage the preservation and sharing of knowledge by providing privileged access to this collection.

This project was made possible through the financial support of the Government of Canada.