What was life life for young girls at the beginning of the twentieth century?  

Suzanne Hurtubise, sometimes referred to as Suzette in our archives, was the daughter of Flavien Hurtubise and Alice Rodier. Flavien being the only Hurtubise brother of his generation to have children, his daughters, Suzanne and Claire, were Dr. Leopold’s only nieces.

Suzanne appears in several photos taken by Dr. Leopold, now displayed in the Hurtubise House for guided tours. She may have lived in the Hurtubise house with her parents and sister for a time, or she could have often visited the house during summer holidays. For a long time, we only knew that the little girl in the photos was named Suzanne. The hypothesis was that she was Leopold’s niece, but we were unable to confirm the fact. However, a visitor informed us that in one of these photos, Suzanne is in a room which still exists in Villa Maria high school, which allowed us to dive deeper in our research.

The fact that Suzanne attended Villa Maria gave us a hint into her education. We found receipts dating from 1906 to 1913. This allows us to understand what kind of education she received. There were boarders and day-to-day students at the primary level, but all high school students were boarders. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Villa Maria had between 170 to 200 students. Amongst this number, many of them came from the United States and stayed at the school except for Christmas and summer holidays. 

We might guess that a private Catholic school for girls would concentrate solely on religious teachings and “feminine” learning such as sewing and art. Religion indeed played a big role in the school—the students took part in religious feasts, for example—but there was also a myriad of other classes : the girls studied subjects such as astronomy, history, and literature. Professors from Loyola University and Université de Laval were invited to enrich courses for the students. They also sometimes participated in outings —once, the students were invited to Loyola to assist in experiments on X-Rays. There was also time for extracurricular theatre activities. For example, the students performed Shakespeare plays at the schools. After leaving Villa Maria, the young girls probably had one of the most well-rounded educations available in Montreal at the time.¹

Even after our discovery about Suzanne’s schooling, we had no traces of her after her studies other than letters which are addressed to her in our archives. We did not even know whether the letters we found were for our Suzanne or a different one. However, thanks to deeper research in newspaper archives, we were able to find Suzanne’s wedding notice. In 1920, she marries an Englishman from London, C. Vivian Pullen. Her marriage allows us to understand that the Hurtubise, although French in origin, found themselves in the same social circles as Anglophones in Montreal.  

Suzanne was also very well-travelled. She would have visited Europe with her husband and later her sister for long periods of time. We also know that she would have visited or lived in New York thanks to letters addressed to a “Mrs. Pullen” at an address in the city.  

It seems that Suzanne and her husband C. Vivian Pullen never had children. We have not found his first name nor traces of his life in Montreal, but we have found Suzanne’s obituary. She passed away in Montreal in 1984. She was 88 years old, placing her birthdate in 1896. She would have seen the quick urbanization of Westmount with her own eyes, won the federal right to vote with all the women in Canada in 1919 during the first world war, and won the provincial right to vote in Québec in 1940 during the second world war. She lived through Expo 67 and would have seen the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In 1984, she leaves behind two nieces, daughters of Claire, and two cousins from her mother’s side of the family.

 Suzanne was buried in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery after a long and rich life. It is through the photos of Dr. Leopold displayed in the Hurtubise House that we can now remember her childhood and imagine her life.  

1. Helen Lanthier, “Monklands Then, Villa Maria Now.” Congrégation of Notre Dame, p. 38–40 
   “Annales de Villa Maria,” Archives de la Congrégation de Notre Dame. 
     ↩︎

By Julie Jacques

A twentieth century Beaux-Arts style porch on a house dating from 1739 can seem odd at first glance. At the Hurtubise House, this porch is not an anachronism but rather a hint. Its history can help us better understand the family who lived in this historic house for six generations.  

The porch, in any iteration, is not from the original construction of the Hurtubise House. When the structure was built, there were only stairs. The absence of a porch offered easy access to the basement which was probably used for storing harvests during the winter. The door which opens into the basement still exists today under the porch.  

It is clear that no historical house is without renovations. Each generation of Hurtubise left their own trace on the house and yard which belonged to them. During restorations carried out by the Canadian Heritage of Quebec (CHQ), five distinct layers of flooring were found. As mentioned, the house did not always have a porch, and we do not know exactly when one was added. It would have been added between the first and fourth generation, between 1739 and 1878, in addition to the work to extend the roof, which now covers and protects the porch from the sun and snow.  

However, the old style of the porch can help us reach a more exact estimate. This style, seen in photos from the beginning of the twentieth century, seemed to have a Victorian influence. The porch, and particularly its posts, bears resemblances with other houses around North American of Victorian and gothic rebirth styles.¹ Of course, the porch is very simple compared to others of real Victorian style; the Hurtubise House remains a French-Canadian farmhouse. 

Nevertheless, this helps us guess that the porch, or at least this quasi-Victorian iteration of it, was maybe built during the Victorian era between 1838 and 1870. (The Victorian era lasted until 1901, but the brick annex of the house was built in the 1870s. We believe that the porch likely predated the annex.) 

Although we cannot know exactly why the porch was added after the initial construction of the home, it is easy to picture the Hurtubise family enjoying precious summer days, long awaited after a long and harsh winter. They would be protected from the sun by the roof extension while they entertained guests or finished household chores—I think of my grandmother who recalls that her grandmother often sewed while sitting outside during the summer.  

Dr. Leopold Hurtubise, the last Hurtubise to have lived in this home, was responsible for the Beaux-Arts style porch, dating from 1911. From this, as well as from the photos he took with his bicycle camera over the course of his studies, we can guess that he was a man who appreciated the arts. As a doctor and amateur photographer, we see in his personality a marriage of arts and sciences. His photos show his appreciation for this porch and the exterior and nature which surrounded the Hurtubise House.  

Don’t hesitate to come and see the evolution of the porch as part of our temporary exhibition on the photos of Dr. Hurtubise, included in the visit to the Hurtubise House https://hcq-chq.org/the-hurtubise-house!

1. Thomas Durant Visser. “Victorian Porch Styles,” Porches of North America. University Press of New England, 2012.  ↩︎
2. Thomas Durant Visser. “Victorian Porch Styles,” Porches of North America. University Press of New England, 2012.  ↩︎

Written by Julie Jacques

How much would you pay for a melon?  

Despite the rising cost of our weekly groceries, it is difficult to imagine that in 1905, a type of melon grown in Montreal would sell for the equivalent of $35 per slice in Chicago, New York, and Boston hotels. Indeed, there was such a melon.¹ Sometimes nicknamed the Montreal muskmelon or the Montreal nutmeg, it was sold at the price of gold!  

When I hear this, I can think of only one thing: tasting that melon. Unfortunately for us, the fruit seems to have been lost to time. It would have been harvested in Montreal from the latter end of the 1800s and would have disappeared around the 1950s.² The fruit’s finnicky nature, the urbanization of Montreal’s Westmount neighbourhood, and the pull of easier-to-grow melons on farmers all seem to have led to the disappearance of the supposedly superior melon.  

According to farmer Ken Taylor, the Montreal melon required a delicate hand to prevent it from rotting or cracking. It needed attentive watering, ventilation, turning, and even gentle lifting from the ground with a flat rock or shingle.³ It also needed ample fertilization, which, according to Taylor, was easy to come by for the farms on the west of Mount Royal because they were surrounded by horse racing venues.⁴

The Décarie and Gorman family farms were known to be the primary source of the melon in the market. However, we think it may be possible that the last Hurtubise generation to have farmed the Hurtubise land could also have grown this fruit. In fact, Décarie and Hurtubise were neighbours! Isaïe Hurtubise farmed his land until the 1890s. During his time, the farm moved from growing cereal crops to focusing on vegetable and fruit crops for sale at markets. This could have included the famous melon, which is thought to have started its Montreal legacy around the 1870s, for some years before Isaïe’s death in 1893. ⁵

The fate suffered by the melon was not unique. Forty years earlier, the sixth generation of Hurtubise, Isaïe’s heirs, also faced the rise of the middle class and professional jobs, as well as the residential development of Westmount.  They were unable to continue the tradition of farming the Hurtubise land. Times had changed: what was left of the farmland was divided into 100 lots, sold to become the residential lots that we now know around Victoria Street, from Chemin de la Côte-St-Antoine to Mount Summit.⁶

The Décarie farm suffered the same fate when it began to be sold off in the 1920s.⁷ We can imagine that what land was left unsold needed to focus on crops which were less demanding than the Montreal melon, which would have contributed to its decline.  

Today, several farmers and academics work to find and germinate seeds from the Montreal melon because they believe crops are an important way to better understand a place’s cultural heritage.⁸ Likewise, we believe that to understand the history of the Hurtubise, it is important to situate oneself in the agricultural context of the time. Thus, at the Hurtubise House, we nurture raised vegetable gardens to call back to this tradition.⁹ We might even venture to say that our small urban garden is itself part of the cultural heritage of Montreal, Westmount, and the Hurtubise family.  

1. Daphné Cameron, “Le mystère du melon de Montréal enfin résolu?” La Presse, 8 June 2024.
   Tori Marlan, “This Melon Used to Sell for $24 a Slice. Should it Make a Comeback?” Buzzfeed News, 3 January 2016. ↩︎
2. Daphné Cameron, “Le mystère du melon de Montréal enfin résolu?” La Presse, 8 June 2024.
   Fabien Deglise, “Le melon de montréal ne fait plus le poids,” Le Devoir, 11 October 2006.
   Sophie Lachapelle, “Un melon mythique!” L’actualité.com, 22 April 2013.
   Clémence Ménard, “Vers un possible retour du melon de Montréal?” Ville en vert, 1 September 2021. ↩︎
3. Tori Marlan, “This Melon Used to Sell for $24 a Slice. Should it Make a Comeback?” Buzzfeed News, 3 January 2016. ↩︎
4. Tori Marlan, “This Melon Used to Sell for $24 a Slice. Should it Make a Comeback?” Buzzfeed News, 3 January 2016.
   “L’histoire du melon de montréal,“ Quelle histoire!, accédé le 17 juin 2024. ↩︎
5. Alan M. Stewart et Léon Robichaud. “Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise : Rapport présenté au Ministère de la Culture et des Communications et à l’Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française,” mai 2001.  ↩︎
6. Daphné Cameron, “Le mystère du melon de Montréal enfin résolu?” La Presse, 8 juin 2024. 
   Clémence Ménard, “Vers un possible retour du melon de Montréal?”  Ville en vert, 1 septembre 2021. ↩︎ ↩︎
7. Daphné Cameron, “Le mystère du melon de Montréal enfin résolu?”  La Presse, 8 juin 2024.  ↩︎
8. Daphné Cameron, “Le mystère du melon de Montréal enfin résolu?” La Presse, 8 juin 2024. 
   Clémence Ménard, “Vers un possible retour du melon de Montréal?”  Ville en vert, 1 septembre 2021.  ↩︎
9. « Le projet ‘agriculturel’ de la maison Hurtubise. »  hcq-chq.org
   https://hcq-chq.org/le-projet-agriculturel-de-la-maison-hurtubise/ ↩︎ ↩︎

You wish to visit the Hurtubise House?

Ease the process by booking directly online (see below)! Do not forget to wait for our confirmation before coming on your guided tour.

If you prefer to reserve by email, you still can do it by writing at coord@hcq-chq.org 

General Informations

From July 8 to July 24 is happening Historic Places Days, an event created by the National Trust for Canada! The goal is to discover and celebrate the Canadian heritage.

Come to visit us by reserving your spot at coord@hcq-chq.org

This summer, treat yourself to a journey through time in pictures.

This summer, there’s no need to travel far for a change of scenery. Maison Hurtubise, located on chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine in Westmount, transforms itself into an exhibition gallery during the summer and invites you to take a trip back in time to the Belle Époque, through a photographic exhibition featuring numerous photographs taken by Leopold Hurtubise.

“En photo… Être montréalais à la Belle-Époque” presents unpublished photographs taken by Dr. Hurtubise in the early 20 th century, from 1901 to 1908. Nearly twenty images captured by the photographer’s Premo bellows camera are on display in the ancestral residence that bears his name. These photos have been selected from some 300-glass plate negatives dating from the early 20 th century, bearing witness to Montreal’s urban life at that time.

Far more than a simple photographic exhibition, this initiative by the Canadian Heritage of Quebec (CHQ) promotes a long-term historical vision. The CHQ has embarked on the immense task of archiving this rich photographic collection documenting Montreal’s social history. Stored in the archives of Maison Hurtubise, these documents required special attention.

The Heritage team has ensured that the exhibition is accessible to all audiences, including the visually impaired, who will be offered a bridge between the visible and perceptive worlds thanks to a detailed and explanatory audioguide.

Come experience La Belle-Époque in pictures through the eyes of Leopold Hurtubise, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from June 20 to August 10, 2023, at 561 chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine in Westmount. Visitors must reserve their guided tour in advance to coord@hcq-chq.org.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2023 edition of the prize “Capture ton
patrimoine”!

Hurtubise House had the pleasure to welcome the team of Action-Patrimoine in order to
celebrate the finalists of a photography contest that aimed to highlight Quebec’s
heritage. The contest allows students from the 3rd cycle of elementary
school, as well as those from high school to explore their region’s heritage through the art of
photography. The finalists came at the event with their proud relatives and teacher
mentors.

A special bravo to Gaïa Viénot, the winner of the distinction prize, who charmed the jury with a beautiful photograph of a carpenter working with wood! Her photograph successfully represents an aspect of Quebec’s intangible heritage. A Canon EOS Rebel T7 camera was given to Gaïa!

To have a better look at all the finalist’s photographs, please do not hesitate to visit the
website of Action-Patrimoine!

Few words on the Festival d’Histoire de Montréal

Montreal has a rich history: alive, intense and multicultural! Come to discover or rediscover it through 14 history, archeology and ethnology museums that are accessible to everyone. Their exhibitions and archives gather more than 2.3 million objects that express the evolution of the territory of Montreal from prehistory to the present day. Each year, the museums present with passion and precision more than 30 exhibitions and events along with regular visits and numerous online activities. Fourteen museums and just as many ways of telling the stories of the city and its past… and to make us love it even more.

➡️ To learn more about it, visit the website of the Festival d’Histoire de Montréal

The Proposition of Hurtubise House

Have you ever asked yourself what a dissection over a century ago would have looked like? Have you ever tried to imagine the way Queen Victoria’s death has been honored in Montreal?

Coming back for another summer, the photography exhibition from the turn of the 20th century is featured in the Festival d’Histoire de Montréal! Come and discover immortalized scenes taken by the last occupant of Hurtubise House, Leopold Hurtubise. Be ready for fascination and wonder!

Novelty! Do not let your visual handicap keep you from the visit: the photography exhibition made several ajustements in order to adapt it for our public with visual impairment. Do not hesitate to come and ask for our adapted guide to live a unique audio experience!

Event details

Would you like to come to Hurtubise House for the Festival? Here you have some practical information…

🗓️ When? May 12, 13 and 14, 2023

💲Prices:

• 5$/person (14 years old and over)
• Free for 13 years and less
• Note: plan to have the exact amount in cash

IMPORTANT! Before coming to the house, be sure to reserve your spot at the following email address: coord@hcq-chq.org

3 easy steps:

1. Choose your day: May 12, 13 or 14, 2023
2. Select your preferred moment: AM (10:00-12:00) or PM (1:30-3:30)
3. Tell us if you need an adapted guide

Enjoy your visit!

Written by Delia Oltean

And here it is, finished… It is magically perfect! However, you must take a few steps back to see all the colours sparkling in the dark… The coloured globes reflect the lights and send red and green beams everywhere, it’s beautiful. When you get closer, it’s the little details of each bauble that are revealed. Yes, this year, our Christmas tree is very nice!

Suddenly a thought comes to mind: what is the history of this beloved tree?

We must go back as far as the Middle Ages to see these famous Christmas trees. The only difference is that then they were not in our homes, but in theatres (Lebel, 1996, p. 24)! It was not until the 16^th century that the first decorated trees appeared in Alsace and Strasbourg. What were the ornaments? Apples, sweets, pretzels, and paper roses as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. Gifts for children were also hung among the branches (Marsh, 2015).

Even though the tradition of the Christmas tree originated in France, it seems that the practice was not really pursued by the colonists in Nouvelle France. It was not until the wife of a German general, Friederike Charlotte Louise von Riedesel, decided to light a tree on Christmas Eve in Sorel in 1781 (Lebel, 1996, p. 24).

As for the famous Christmas baubles, they appeared in Germany during the 1830s and did not immediately find their place on the branches of the tree, but rather were hung in the windows. The function of the baubles was to detect evil spirits who wished to spoil the holiday (Lebel, 1996, p. 25). Indeed, if we see our own reflection, it means that we are a real human being who can receive our gifts. Without a reflection, however, we must be careful!

The practice of setting and decorating one’s Christmas tree gained popularity during the Victorian era, in 1848, after an illustration depicted the royal family decorating their Christmas tree. Even though Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, contributed to the popularity of the tree, it is necessary to mention that, contrary to popular belief, the tradition had already been started by Queen Charlotte at the turn of the 19^th century (Marsh, 2015).

As the 19th century progressed, inventions such as the electric bulb also contributed to the magic of Christmas: the manufactured production of garlands began around 1890. Interestingly, the first Christmas tree lit by small electric bulbs in Quebec was in Westmount in 1896 (Lebel, 1996, p. 26)!

This year, it is Maison Hurtubise’s turn to join the tradition of lighting the Christmas tree. During the holiday season, don’t hesitate to pass by the house—it’s your turn to observe this tree with a fascinating history!

We wish you a happy holiday season.

---

Bibliography :

Lebel, J.-M. (1996). Mon beau sapin : coutumes et décorations de l’arbre de Noël. Cap-aux-Diamants (47), 24–27. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/8234ac

Marsh, J. (2015). Christmas in Canada. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/christmas-in-canada

Written by Delia Oltean –

The very first motorized carriages replacing horses, gramophones used to broadcast music, cameras… All these inventions dating from the end of the 19^th to the beginning of the 20^th century were discovered progressively by the last generation of Hurtubise. At the beginning of this century, rich in all kinds of changes, the increase in the family’s level of education contributed to quench the thirst for knowledge of the last ones who lived in the house. The access to art stimulated the different passions of the family until they left behind them, still today, traces of this interest.

Two names stand out when we go back to the beginning of the last century: Melvina and Léopold Hurtubise. Melvina’s profession as a nurse did not prevent her from improving her talent for drawing. Some of her drawings are still preserved in the house and can be viewed during a guided tour. Leopold, on the other hand, was more interested in technology and artistic fashions than in the application of any particular art.

When Leopold acquired the house in 1911, he took the opportunity to add “symbols of modern comfort to the interior, namely running water and electricity.” (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.52) The Hurtubise house had thus been renovated to allow for the additional comfort that the technologies of their time allowed. Far from simply modernizing the interior, Léopold also modified the exterior look by undertaking renovations. He wished to “break the plain appearance adopted during the 1870s.” (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.52) To achieve this result, the fieldstone rendering was removed, the siding on the addition differed from that of the house, and some windows were added.

Following the renovations of the Hurtubise House in 1911, the major change remains, despite all the modifications, the Beaux-Arts style gallery at the front of the house. Very trendy in the United States, Beaux-Arts architecture was popular between 1880 and 1930 and is recognizable by its massive appearance with many decorative arches and columns (Jackson, 2021, para. 7). This type of architecture was much more commonly used for large public buildings (for example the Grand Central Terminal in New York City), although it is possible to see privately owned homes of the elite in Newport, Rhode Island (Jackson, 2021, para. 3). The gallery of the Hurtubise House was first expanded to cover the entire length of the façade. The gallery turns the corner of the house to allow the addition of a staircase along the wall. It is likely that Leopold’s inspiration for the Beaux-Arts came from his travels (it should also be noted that Melvina lived in New York for some time). The gallery is then in the image of the trendy architecture of the time!

Sources:

• Stewart, A. Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française et Ministère de la Culture et des Communications. 
• Jackson, A. (2021). Beaux-Arts Architecture: Definition, Characteristics & Style. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/beaux-arts-architecture-definition-characteristics-style.html