Collection search - Desmarais et Robitaille fonds [multiple media]

Record information – Brief
1
Desmarais et Robitaille fonds [multiple media]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1907-2015.

Reference:

R16255-0-7-E

Type of material:

Architectural and technical drawings, Photographs, Textual material, Art, Objects (including medals and pins)

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

5758379

Context of this record:

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Desmarais et Robitaille fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

9 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1907-2015.

Bilingual equivalent:

Click here

Place of creation:

Québec (Province)

Extent:

18.25 m of textual records.
10781 photographs : 7278 b&w et 2434 col.; 1040 glass plates negatives; 29 negatives.
5544 technical and architectural drawings.
8122 artistic drawings.
138 postal cards.
16 aluminium plates.
139 cardboard templates.
118 drawings : illustrations.

Language of material:

French

Added language of material:

French, English

Accession:

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Fonds Desmarais et Robitaille [support multiple]

Scope and content:

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The fonds mainly relates to church renovation and decoration projects carried out by Desmarais and Robitaille as well as the design and sale of religious articles and church ornaments. A significant portion of the collection also relates to the activities of Gilles Beaugrand's studio, acquired by Desmarais and Robitaille in 1983. The collection finally pertains to various stained glass projects carried out by the company as well as other projects of an artistic nature.

The fonds contains a large number of technical drawings, including, among others, all the drawings made by Gilles Beaugrand during his career as well as the drawings of the various liturgical designers who worked for the company: Jean-Charles Charuest, Toby McGivern and Rob McDonell . It also contains a very large number of photographs of religious articles as well as drawings on cardboard for stained glass projects. Finally, it contains correspondence and administrative documents related to the company's activities.

Provenance:

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Desmarais et Robitaille limitée

Biography/Administrative history:

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Desmarais et Robitaille limitée : Desmarais et Robitaille is a company specializing in the trade of liturgical articles incorporated in Montreal in 1909, following the merger of the trade of ecclesiastical silversmith articles of Elie Desmarais and the import trade of religious articles by Louis-Arthur Robitaille. In 1929, the business moved to rue Notre-Dame, near Place-d'Armes. In the decades that followed, Desmarais et Robitaille continued its catalog sales activities, expanded its sewing and statuary workshops, and opened branches in Ottawa and Toronto.

Following the difficulties caused by the Great Depression and the Second World War, the company, under the leadership of Louis-Arthur Robitaille, decided to focus its activities on internal production: manufacturing of candles and stained glass, production of statues, clothing liturgical items, pieces of sacred goldsmithery and church furniture on order.

From the 1960s, the significant decline in religious practice among the population forced the company to close its statuary and candlelight workshops as well as its store in Toronto. Also, in order to adapt to the new needs in the Church generated by the Second Vatican Council and to the new way of celebrating Catholic worship, the business, then under the leadership of André Robitaille, decided to set up a of design and consultation specializing in the renovation and decoration of churches. Artists, including, among others, Frédéric Back, Jordi Bonet and Jean-Charles Charuest, then began to collaborate with the company. In addition, a stained glass studio was created in 1971 and, in 1983, the company acquired Gilles Beaugrand's famous silversmith's studio.

In the early 2000s, the company had to close its Ottawa branch and in 2008 it left Old Montreal. From 2016, its services are only offered online, as a result of the significant drop in church attendance.(Desmarais and Robitaille website - October 2019).

Finding aid:

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Multiple media (Electronic) Finding aid is a file list of volumes 1 to 301 in the fonds MSS2744 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf002/p000003689.pdf

Additional information:

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General note:

Received from Gabriel Robitaille in 2019 and 2021.
Subject heading:

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Churches

Christianity

Religion

Catholicism

Church renovation

Church ornaments

Church decoration

Religious articles

Stained glass

Religious heritage
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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2019-00427-5
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Conditions of access:

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Architectural: technical drawings

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation90 Open]

Object

[Consultation90 Open]

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Date modified:: 2024-04-09