Historians choose from among a variety of resources such as written documents, oral accounts, contemporary paintings and objects of daily life. Objects are, in a sense, witnesses of the past, and they are especially important when they reveal the unwritten history of the common people who, in the course of every day life, shape their country.
The historian can approach a material object from a number of aspects, depending on his objective. He might seek the resources used to make it, to describe how it was made, to determine its use, or to derive the comparative wealth of the class to which it belonged. He might also try to establish the relationship of the artifact to the customs and social patterns of earlier generations. This last is an extremely interesting and important study since customs are an integral part of social history. The examples of human behavior which we define as customs strongly reflect the spiritual values and beliefs of a society - so strongly, in fact, that customs are often the foundation of law. In a study of furniture, such as this one, the historian works in two directions: he discovers the nature of Quebec customs from examining the furniture and learns about the furniture by studying the folk culture surrounding it, each aspect of his study informing the other.
In order to understand the importance of the customs surrounding marriage in Quebec, one must remember the dominant characteristics of that society. Until the mid-nineteenth century the QuÄbÄcois were predominantly French in origin, steeped in the values of the soil and church, and strongly hierarchical in their social attitudes. In this context, marriage took on an importance that was more than religious. Because marriage was the foundation of family life which, in turn, formed the basis of Quebec society, it was considered the key to the transmission of spiritual and material values and hence an important element in the formation of a cultural tradition. Of the rites surrounding baptism, marriage, and death, those connected with marriage were considered the most important. But the legal action and the religious ceremony reveal less to the historian of material culture than the customs attached to marriage. Few of these customs were transcribed; so that the historian seeks documentation in oral records and in traditional practices followed until recently.
Such secular marriage customs include premarital visiting, the "great proposal", the engagement, the end of single life, the preparation of the trousseau, and finally the wedding festivities themselves. Other customs, although less well-known, are equally significant such as the conservation of the bouquet and the planting of a maple shoot near the house of the young couple. There were a host of activities symbolic of the love, happiness, prosperity, and the long and fruitful life one wished the young couple. It is not surprising to find these wishes transferred metaphorically to the design of the furniture prepared for the new household.
Trousseau and Furniture Recorded in Quebec
While historians would hesitate to claim that young couples throughout Quebec at any one time or place followed identical practices in celebrating their marriage or setting up a household, one would find at the root of all celebrations the sense of joy and importance that surrounded the event. There seems to be a link between the furniture of some regions in Quebec and marriage furniture from some parts of Europe. In addition, there are archival documents which suggest a tradition of marriage furniture. The practice of providing the bride-to-be with a trousseau suitable for keeping house is noted in documents from the middle of the eighteenth century. Usually this would consist of wearing apparel and linen as well as sheets, blankets, tablecloths and towels. Marriage contracts frequently mentioned a dowry of silver. It was the practice in Quebec to list all household items in an inventory which would be notarized. Wills were very carefully drawn and elaborate deposition of household goods made. Some of these lists are an excellent source of information about marriage furniture. A good example is the will dictated by a wealthy farmer in the Richelieu Valley which makes provision for his daughters' dowry. (AJSTH, Me L.C. Duvert, March 12, 1823.)
"(...) of a bed of goose feathers with a covering of store-bought ticking, a straw mattress, a childs cot, a bolster, two pillows with cases of new printed calico, a new counterpane, a blanket and two pairs of linen sheets, a buffet painted blue, a milk cow,....., a calf of six months, a spinning wheel a pig one year old, six ewes, six hens and a rooster, three geese and a gander, two turkey-hens and a turkey-cock, six earthenware plates, six forks and six spoons, two earthenware dishes, two firing-irons, a cauldron, a frying pan, six pans of tinplate, a strainer, a kneading-trough, a table painted red six new chairs, an iron seal, a decanter with two glasses, two tablecloths and four towels, a candlestick and a chamber pot; that they the said beneficiaries will be required to pay, give and deliver to each one of the aforesaid Misses Hebert as soon as they shall be given in marriage..."
On the other hand, a young man, in the process of establishing a household, also benefitted from paternal generosity. In order to "establish his son", as they used to say, the head of the family gave him, or bought for him, a good plot of ground, wood for his house and in this case:
"..., finally two mares, one yoke of oxen, two cows, six ewes, four geese, one dozen hens, a well-fitted plough, a harrow with iron tines, a light cart, a set of harness, an iron stove with its flue-pipe, a bed suitably equipped a cauldron and a frying pan.."
(Marriage contract, no. 247, 12-1-1815).
Certainly, the parents of these young people were better-off than many, and one cannot be sure that all newly-weds received as much from their parents. One can reasonably assume, however, that most parents contributed what they could to help establish the household. The question that interests historians is whether or not the furniture made or purchased at the time of marriage has special characteristics which distinguish it as marriage furniture.
Marriage Furniture
A home established between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century would have contained the following items:
Kitchen: buffet
cupboard
table
chairs
chest
stove (or hearth with
utensils)
Bedroom: bed
chest
wardrobe
chest of drawers
For work: loom
spinning-wheel
reeling-machine
wool-winder
warping-frame
spindle-rack
Later certain luxury goods found their way into Quebec homes such as a grandfather clock and, finally, what was to become a necessity: the rocking chair. Not all of these pieces of furniture display distinctive characteristics which relate to marriage, but most of these objects would have been acquired by a young couple establishing a home. Some of their furniture would likely have been chosen because it was typical of the region in which they lived, and some might have been made with special care by the groom or the bride's father to mark the occasion.
There are certain decorative motifs typical of marriage furniture in Europe which are found in some Quebec pieces. European marriage furniture included armoires, large and small chests with flat or rounded tops, hutches and sometimes china cupboards. Among these, historians have noted particular characteristics which would likely indicate that a given piece of furniture was prepared for the home of a newly-married couple. Vivid colours, symbols of love and fertility such as hearts and flowers, and carved dates and initials commonly suggest marriage furniture. The fact that dates and initials are rarely found on Quebec pieces puzzles historians. Although vivid colours and decorations were widely used, and many pieces of Quebec furniture have the vine branch, floral stalk, heart, or bouquet carved, few were executed in marquetry, as was the custom in Alsace. There seems to have been a tendency to chose specific colours for specific pieces of furniture: buffets, blue; tables and chairs, red; armoires, blue-green.
Historians concede that not all furniture decorated in this manner was marriage furniture. Hearts were often used in religious symbolism, and were a favourite with artisans because they were pleasing and easily executed. But it is not unreasonable to assume that furniture prepared for the joyous occasion of marriage would often bear decoration symbolic of love and fecundity. There is no doubt that marriage furniture was constructed with much care and talent. In old homes where the furniture has been carefully conserved and in public and private collections, one is struck by these extraordinary pieces whether they are special because of the care with which they have been made, the zealous respect shown them over the years, or the particular uses for which they have been reserved. The almost religious care that our own parents and grandparents took of their own wedding trousseau reflected the ancient tradition of preserving with pride and love the material evidence of nuptials.
The historian can never ask all of the questions or find all of the answers in studies of this nature. One always finds pieces of furniture which defy classification and one can never be absolutely certain that one's classifications are correct. The marriage furniture of Quebec bears the imprint of human sentiment, of the joy and expectation that surrounded the most important event in the life of an individual. Will the artifacts of our society bear such a happy tale?
