Québec's
Folk
Culture

Remembering Hope Chests

Remembering Hope Chests
Remembering Hope Chests
Remembering Hope Chests
Remembering Hope Chests
Remembering Hope Chests

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You will find these granite chests outside, in front of the Musée québécois de culture populaire. This work entitled La mélancolie des coffres was created in 1996 by artist Marie-France Brière as part of the Programme d’intégration des arts à l’architecture du Québec.


The work represents Hope Chests. These chests were manufactured to hold a young girl’s trousseau. They contained the future bride’s clothing and household linen. The chest was the guardian of these treasures. The work is echoed inside the Museum where the chests are represented by granite rectangles inserted into the main hall’s floor.