As was the custom in rural QuÄbec, Maries' father made toys for his children in his spare time. The rocking horse on the right and the cradle in this photograph were made by hand. Because they had little money to spare, workers rarely bought manufactured toys. The dolls and the rocker on the left might have been the gift of a more prosperous uncle in MontrÄal. The family kept their toys for many years, each child taking his turn playing with them.
The hooked rug was made by Marie and her mother for the parlour, a room that was kept for special occasions.
The artifacts in this photograph come from the Museum of Man in Ottawa which has a large collection of common place objects from which we learn much of the unwritten history of people like Marie.
Courtesy: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada
