An Extraordinary Gift from Extraordinary Collectors

Stackable teapot set featuring the Canadian coat of arms (older version, used between 1921 and 1957) from the Vachon Collection, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Photo Steven Darby, IMG2012-0025-0003-Dm

When Auguste Vachon and his wife Paula Gornescu-Vachon began collecting ceramics featuring Canadian heraldry (coats of arms, armorial bearings, insignia and other related symbols) in the mid-1980s, it was easy to predict that they would assemble an impressive collection. After all, Auguste was Saint-Laurent Herald and Registrar of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and Paula was a museum cataloguer. Still, even the Vachons had no inkling that their collection would eventually include more than 1,100 plates, bowls, saucers and many other ceramic pieces representing the entire spectrum of Canadian heraldry, from the Crown, governors general and the federal government to provinces, municipalities, universities and military regiments.

In 2007, after downsizing from a house to an apartment, the Vachons made an extraordinary decision: to donate their collection to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. “When we moved, we had to put the collection in storage,” says Auguste. “We wanted it to have a permanent home and to be widely accessible, so we chose the Museum of Civilization.”

A National Treasure

As they acquired pieces, the Vachons documented each object’s date, manufacturer, country of origin and material, along with descriptive, historical and bibliographical notes. “To have such an extensive collection assembled by experts is extraordinary,” says Dr. Xavier Gélinas, the Museum of Civilization’s Curator, Canadian Political History, and Assistant Director, Archaeology and History. “When you add very broad and accurate documentation as a support, it’s even more precious.” The unique value of the collection was recently affirmed when the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board, an independent panel of experts, designated it to be “of outstanding significance and national importance.”

The public will have an opportunity to see Vachon Collection pieces in the upcoming exhibition A Queen and Her Country opening this July.

Hand-painted souvenir plates, Wedgwood Pottery (UK), featuring Canadian heraldic symbols (circa 1909-1917) from the Vachon Collection, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Photo Steven Darby, IMG2012-0025-0001-Dm

Jasperware tea service, Wedgwood Pottery (UK) circa 1905, featuring Canadian coat of arms (older version before 1876) from the Vachon Collection, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Photo Steven Darby, IMG2012-0025-0002-Dm

A Unique Record of Canada’s Symbolic History

“The Vachon Collection offers the widest possible panorama of our national symbolic history, with every type of political institution across Canada pictorially represented,” says Xavier Gélinas.

“It documents seminal events such as royal visits, the Boer War, the First World War, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Expo 1967 and the repatriation of the Constitution. The Museum receives the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board’s recognition of the collection’s significance with pride and humility. It’s our responsibility to be a good steward for this remarkable collection, which is truly a gift to all Canadians.”