Holidays at the McCord Stewart Museum – through January 5, 2025 LiveEvents December 19, 2024 82 The magic of the holidays returns to the McCord Stewart Museum through to January 5, 2025. Visitors will be able to reconnect with their inner child as they admire Ogilvy’s iconic mechanical Christmas windows, which have been inspiring dreams for over 75 years. The two scenes and their many little characters have returned to the Theatre indoors and to Museum Alley outdoors, which has been specially decorated for the winter season. New additions to the 2024 programming: Miss Lily Darboy, an exceptional 19th-century fashion doll, complete with part of her luxurious trousseau, as well as a selection of toys from the 1920s, including an elephant and a cat on wheels. These treasures come from the Museum’s Material Culture collection, which boasts the largest toy collection in the country, with over 11,600 objects spanning nearly three centuries of history. Ogilvy’s Mechanical Christmas Windows at the Museum The Mill in the Forest © Roger Aziz Musee McCord Stewart Museum Free access to The Mill in the Forest outdoors, on Sherbrooke Street. Access to The Enchanted Village in the Museum Theatre is included with admission to the exhibitions or for a voluntary contribution. Every holiday season since 1947, La Maison Ogilvy’s mechanical windows have been the stuff of dreams for Montrealers! Custom-designed by German toy manufacturer Steiff, these displays plunge us into a picturesque setting where a host of animals handcrafted by the company come to life. The Enchanted Village © Roger Aziz Musee McCord Stewart Museum As early as 1911, Steiff produced animated window displays, populated by mechanical animals, that stores could rent or commission—an excellent way to entertain children while promoting their merchandise. James Aird Nesbitt, owner of La Maison Ogilvy from 1927 to 1985, bought two of them, The Enchanted Village and The Mill in the Forest. Similar to those of other department stores around the world, such as Macy’s in New York or Galeries Lafayette in Paris, these windows are among the last of their kind in North America. They were bequeathed to the McCord Stewart Museum in March 2018 by Holt Renfrew, with the aim of preserving and ensuring the continuity of this iconic Montreal tradition. Access to the Museum is free all year round for children under 17 and for members of Indigenous communities. Visitors who book online enjoy a $2 discount. www.musee-mccord-stewart.ca
