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Lord Aberdeen was appointed governor-general of Canada in 1893. During his tenure, he travelled the country to get to know its people. Even though he is said to have liked many winter sports, such as tobogganing, in this shot, he did not seem to be enjoying the snow. He was escorted to his hotel by the Snow Shoe Club during a snowstorm.
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!

Lord Aberdeen escorted to his hotel in a snowstorm

Benjamin West Kilburn Lord Aberdeen was appointed governor-general of Canada in 1893. During his tenure, he travelled the country to get to know its people. Even though he is said to have liked many winter sports, such as tobogganing, in this shot, he did not seem to be enjoying the snow. He was escorted to his hotel by the Snow Shoe Club during a snowstorm.
Chronoscope Can you locate this place on the map? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Pierre Lavoie Collection - Date: 1894