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Produced in Europe, this copper object was used to fasten a loose garment, such as a coat or stole, around the body. In the French colony, this copper tie would have belonged to someone who was financially well-off. At that time, ordinary people used string, fabric laces or leather straps to hold their clothes in place.
1541 - 1542

Before Québec City: the Charlesbourg-Royal colony

After two initial voyages to Canada, between 1535 and 1536, French navigator Jacques Cartier set out in 1541 to found a permanent French colony in Canada. He was aided in this venture by Jean-François de la Roque de Roberval. The two navigators and some 1,500 colonists settled at Cap-Rouge, now a suburb of Québec City. After two disastrous winters of deep freeze, hunger and conflict with Indigenous Peoples, the colony was abandoned in 1543. Browse these many images to discover Charlesbourg-Royal, the first and then abandoned French colony in Québec City.

Clothing fasteners found in the Cartier-Roberval archaeological dig

Émilie Deschênes Produced in Europe, this copper object was used to fasten a loose garment, such as a coat or stole, around the body. In the French colony, this copper tie would have belonged to someone who was financially well-off. At that time, ordinary people used string, fabric laces or leather straps to hold their clothes in place.
Chronoscope What comments or thoughts does this item evoke for you? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex © Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex - Photo: Émilie Deschênes Date: 2019