Quebec – Madness Canada

Saturday May 9th, 2026Monday May 11th, 2026

Childhood Madness: Compassionate Portraits of Children in Canadian Insane Asylums, 1900-1930

Childhood Madness: Compassionate Portraits of Children in Canadian Insane Asylums, 1900-1930 By Kira A. Smith Between 1900 and 1930, kids across Canada entered insane asylums designed for adults. Care was rarely offered. Children were subject to incarceration, eugenics, and institutional abuse. Asylum environments were often scary for children. The experiences of children are at the …

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Category: Uncategorised Tags: 20th Century, Asylums / Psych Hospital, British Columbia, Children / Youth, Colonialism, Eugenics, Family, Gender, Intersectionality, Maritimes, Ontario, Patients, Prairies, Psychiatry, Quebec, Race, Sexuality, Treatment

Four sisters standing side by side, wearing white dresses.

Thursday December 11th, 2025Saturday April 18th, 2026

Marguerite-Marie

Were people in long-stay psychiatric institutions really shut off from the world? The life of Marguerite-Marie, resident of Montreal’s Saint-Jean-de-Dieu Hospital from age 12, shows that this was not always the case. Family letters provide a glimpse into Marguerite-Marie’s daily activities, her dreams and desires for her life outside of the asylum, and the maintenance and nurturing of familial ties.

Category: Exhibits Tags: 20th Century, Asylums, Children / Youth, Family, Lived Experience, Psychiatry, Quebec, Work