Residents stroll through a snowy alleyway in late 19th-century Québec City. Starting in 1905, a few years after this photo was taken, the city took charge of snow removal on public roads. Snowplows appeared on Québec City streets after urban development made it increasingly difficult for residents to remove snow by hand.

1840 - 1894

Ah! “It has snowed, oh, how it has snowed!”

These words were written by the famous Québécois poet Émile Nelligan in the late 19th century. Since then, they have been repeated at every large snowfall. And Québec City is certainly one of the places where this poem is quoted most often: It is one of the snowiest cities in the world! Explore this album of photos and other artworks to learn how 19th-century residents of Québec City made the most of winter. Lots of questions about these images await!

Snow-covered alleyway in a Québec City neighbourhood

Benjamin West Kilburn Residents stroll through a snowy alleyway in late 19th-century Québec City. Starting in 1905, a few years after this photo was taken, the city took charge of snow removal on public roads. Snowplows appeared on Québec City streets after urban development made it increasingly difficult for residents to remove snow by hand.

Chronoscope Do you recognize this alleyway? (unilingual French for a limited time)

Depicted period: 1888

Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Pierre Lavoie Collection - Date: 1888

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