During the Middle Ages, women and craftsmanship did not go well together. Tolerated in the countryside but totally excluded in cities, craftswomen had to content themselves solely with textile work.

During this period, an official decree barred women from the training necessary for the practice of a trade. However, when a craftsman died, [Read more]

For drawings, Japanese and Chinese artists favor pure lines, even often refraining from adding color. On the other hand, Western artists are recognized for their use of gradations and shadow effects.

If the oldest greeting card, such as we know it today, dates back more than 600 years, it was not, for all that, the most ancient transmission of greetings in writing. In point of fact, well before it the Chinese were already exchanging little notes of well wishes, while the Egyptians often sent messages on papyrus scrolls.

Before the appearance of writing in Scandinavia, they would appoint "guardians of the laws". These were men charged with learning by heart and reciting upon demand all the laws and regulations of the land.

When asked, in 1928, to decorate the Saint Léon de Westmount Church, Guido Nincheri put all his talent into it. Thus, he drew preliminary sketches and detailed plans for all the ornaments (chandeliers, sculptures, crosses), created the many stained-glass windows, and made frescoes according to a technique dating back to the Renaissance. [Read more]

Upon his arrival in the New World, in 1534, Jacques Cartier noted in his report that he had caught sight of "savages" dancing and singing. These natives were spotted at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence and came aboard seven lifeboats. The explorer equally observed that the Amerindians he'd encountered all seemed joyful at the arrival [Read more]