The Harbinson Collection

The historical furnishings of Canada’s Maritime provinces reflect the immigration patterns of English-speaking peoples leading up to the mid-1800s. Following the American Revolution, approximately 35,000 Loyalists travelled north to their new homes in Atlantic Canada. Many settled near Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick, both of which had a well-established social structure and commercial base. Many of the furnishings in this section have a Halifax or Saint John provenance and provide insight into not only the fashions of the day but also the relatively high degree of comfort in which the upper classes lived.