“If there was one thing to save, it would be this,” says the director of the archives of the City of Quebec, Jérôme Bégin.
The large book that archivist David Tremblay delicately opens contains the first minutes of a council of the City of Quebec on May 1, 1833. Elzéar Bédard had just been elected first mayor of Quebec.
Since its founding in 1608, the City had been administered by officers of the French Regime and British justices of the peace.
For archivist David Tremblay, the document in its imposing binding is also the most significant. “It’s the foundation, the base of the city. It’s in the most valuable governing documents.”
The first minutes of a council of the City of Quebec are recorded in this precious book from 1833. (David Tremblay/Quebec City)
The delicate handwriting with a pen is a far cry from today’s minutes and agendas, PDF documents accessible with one click.
I went to take a look at the Archives of the City of Quebec, back since the winter in the brand new Gabrielle-Roy library after having been relocated to the Estimauville sector for almost five years, from April 2019 to January 2024 .
On site, the team of around twenty people found renovated premises, more lit and functional around the large vault which has not changed place.
If we formed a gigantic pile, the archives put end to end would measure 10 km!
What has not changed either is the passion of these archival specialists who are celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024.
From royalty to song
Other documents impress: the city’s guestbooks which highlight official visits or visits to Quebec by personalities. We can see the signatures of King George VI and “Queen Mother” Elizabeth on May 17, 1939.
That, too, of the legendary French singer Édith Piaf who was received at the town hall on May 28, 1955.
The famous French singer Édith Piaf was received at the town hall on May 28, 1955. (Valérie Gaudreau/Le Soleil)
A great experience too is that of the stereoscope through which two almost identical photos viewed at the same time form a three-dimensional effect. The Archives have hundreds of these photos of Quebec in all its aspects.
Dating from around 1860, his photos are the “ancestors of postcards,” explains David Tremblay.
Still in the photo department, the Archives include the collection of photos from Soleil from 1969 to 2002 after the newspaper donated hundreds of boxes of photos in 2021.
A stereoscope from 1901, which already made it possible to see photos with a three-dimensional effect. (David Tremblay/Quebec City)
The Archives continue to grow. When passing the Soleilthe team worked on the fund of the JB Laliberté store, acquired when the famous brand closed in 2020, after more than 150 years on St-Joseph Street. A gold mine of the commercial history of St-Roch.
In the pile, a poster from 2012 announced a competition to win a Fiat car. It seems very unhistorical at the moment. “But we must keep it, it will be history in 100 years,” illustrates director Jérôme Bégin.
The beauty of seeing our history recorded for generations to come.
The director of the archives of the City of Quebec Jérôme Bégin, in the center, surrounded by the archivist David Tremblay and Isabelle Drolet, advisor for the development of the heritage of the archives.
Open doors
Several activities have already taken place this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Archives.
I also declare my interest! I had the chance to recently give a conference there on the history of Soleil.
Thursday will be the turn of historian Luc Nicole-Labrie with the conference “By the glass or by the pint: the history of beer in Quebec”. On October 23, I will also host the conference day “Combining archives and current events – 100 years of Quebec history under the eye of the media”.
Other free conferences are coming, notably on the history of hip-hop and the funeral industry.
And if you are interested in the archives, the doors will be open this Saturday, October 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The team will offer a visit and activities including a photo coloring workshop, as was the tradition before the arrival of color photography, explains Isabelle Drolet, advisor for promoting the heritage of the archives.
Ms. Drolet also recently worked on another idea for promoting the archives of the City of Quebec with a project to project archives on the facade of the Gabrielle-Roy library which she would like to see come to fruition in the summer of 2026 “It would be a great way to showcase the archives and liven up the space in the neighborhood,” she says.
The executive committee of the City of Quebec authorized at the beginning of October a grant request for $300,000 from the Ministry of Culture for this project which could lead to collaborations with artists from the region.
A great idea to take the archives out of the vault and allow history to play out!
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