Harold Bérubé is Professor and department chair at l’Université de Sherbrooke where he holds the research chair in contemporary Quebec history. His research focuses on the political and cultural history of cities and their inhabitants and the ways that cities are thought about and governed in twentieth century Quebec. You can read his article in the Journal of the Canadian Historical Association / Revue de la Société historique du Canada, vol. 34, no. 2 (2024) by clicking here.
You mentioned that in the late-1950s, advertisements started to feature ‘the quality of the environment’. Is there a reason why this happened?
Advertisers sold dreams, and clearly, during the 1950s, the nature of the suburban dream they offered to newspaper readers in Montreal changed significantly. In the years following the Second World War, advertisements were resolutely focused on the detached single-family homes being sold in the various suburbs of the region, on their characteristics, and on their prices. In short, these advertisements sold the house as a material reality, but also property ownership as a symbol of a certain accession to the middle class. This was a dream that was dangled before families who probably lived, for the most part, in apartments in Montreal’s working-class neighborhoods. From the late 1950s onward, advertisements increasingly emphasized the physical environment and the socioeconomic milieu in which these houses were located. Newspaper readers were invited to aspire not only to property ownership, but to a certain suburban lifestyle, a specific neighborhood (and specific neighbours), and specific activities. The suburban dream took on a different form, more clearly linked to the advent of the consumer society.
Nouveaux développements résidentiels, quartiers Rosemont et Mercier-est (Tétreaultville), 1951. Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec, E6, S7, SS 1, D52892 and D52893.
Source: https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3161268?docref=t_7mOQL1SVBtG3v-TBni0Q.)
Was there a change in how the advertisements were presented? (from cartoon graphics to ‘real people’ or photographs of houses)
Yes, the form of advertisements published in major Montreal newspapers changed considerably during the 1950s and 1960s. Advertisements published in the 1950s were surprisingly dull and similar to each other. They were small on the page and generally featured an engraving or a photo of the house on offer, framed by small print presenting its characteristics and price. Starting at the end of the decade, these advertisements multiplied and expanded, with full-page advertisements being frequently used by major developers. In addition, graphic elements related to the environment where the house was located were much more frequent. That said, and quite surprisingly, human figures were rarely seen. The house, as an object of consumption, remained the star of these advertisements. You have to look elsewhere, to advertisements for household appliances or cars, to find the people who would live in these bungalows!
Have there been other works that examined the suburbanization phenomenon in medium-to-small Quebec cities and towns?
No, and that’s a shame. Quebec historiography on the suburbs and the suburbanization process is essentially Montreal-based, although it’s worth noting the existence of a few interesting studies on the case of Quebec City. This isn’t surprising, however. Generally speaking, urban history in Canada focuses primarily on large metropolises and pays relatively little attention to the history of small and medium-sized towns. However, it’s likely that various major phenomena documented by urban historians occur in very different ways in these cities. Scale matters!
Nouveaux développements résidentiels, quartiers Rosemont et Mercier-est (Tétreaultville), 1951. Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec, E6, S7, SS 1, D52892 and D52893.
Source: https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3161268?docref=t_7mOQL1SVBtG3v-TBni0Q
Was race ever a factor in these advertisements?
Yes and no. The few human figures depicted in the advertisements studied are obviously all white. This is the “default” audience of the mass-circulation newspapers of the time and the advertisements they contain. As Sébastien Couvrette, who studied advertisements more generally in Montreal’s newspapers between 1920 and 1970, has demonstrated, the racialized people who appear in these advertisements are used as a marker of exoticism or to highlight white, middle-class figures, not as potential customers themselves.
Have you read anything good recently?
Absolutely. Allow me to mention two excellent books on a central aspect of the suburban revolution: the automobile. The first one is Ben Bradley’s British Columbia by the Road: Car Culture and the Making of a Modern Landscape (UBC Press, 2017) and the second one is Étienne Faugier’s Les Québécois au volant. La révolution de l’automobilisme dans la région de Québec, XIXe – XXe siècles (Septentrion, 2024). Both works offer an in-depth and fascinating look at the automobile revolution in Canada. And in both cases, we’re reminded that this revolution isn’t some sort of natural phenomenon, but the result of a complex series of decisions. What’s more, both books are very well written and a pleasure to read!
