Canadian Museum of History Blog

This traditional Algonquin birchbark basket was used to collect maple sap. Folded and tied from a single piece of bark, the...

This soapstone amulet or figurine was found in the Ottawa Valley, but the culture and date of origin are unknown. We do know that...

Renowned jazz pianist Oscar Peterson used this OSCar synthesizer, manufactured by the Oxford Synthesiser Company. He received...

This exquisite ivory maskette is more than 2,000 years old. It was excavated at the Tyara (also Tayara) site, on Sugluk...

During the 19th century, foot warmers were very popular for sleigh rides. These small boxes were filled with charcoal or glowing...

This spear point, found in New Brunswick, dates back 10,000 to 11,000 years. Spear points made by the first inhabitants of what...

This type of Valentine’s Day card was introduced in the early 1900s. Such elaborate cards, made from honeycomb paper and...

This sleigh was used at the turn of the 20th century by the Canadian Transfer Co. Limited, which had a contract with the Post...

This harpoon head features a human face. It was carved 1,200 to 2,000 years ago in antler or ivory by the Dorset people.

In rural regions of Canada, people showed ingenuity by building vehicles adapted to our winters. The Regier family of...

Snowshoes have been essential footwear in the Canadian winter for many centuries. This is an example of the common “beaver...

This small ivory sculpture of a bear was carved during the Middle Dorset Period, between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. The exquisite...

Concert on the roof of Nain church, Nain, Labrador, 1923

This masterpiece by Léo Arbour was carved from a single block of wood in 1990. It tells the legend of The Bewitched Canoe (La...

Goalie Harry Lumley (# 1) and left-winger Sid Smith (#8) appear in this holiday photo from 1954. Lumley and Smith were Leafs...

On December 23, 1705, Pierre da Silva, known as “The Portuguese,” became the first officially commissioned Courier of New...

K.G. Chipman, J.L. Rathbun & Alvin Barter at Mont-Albert, Québec, 1922

Created by artist Yvonne Williams in 1942, this work was reproduced in a series of Christmas stamps issued in 1976. The series...