From Early Stories to Today · Drawing 05
A well-filled chest
In the 17th and 18th centuries
In some homes long ago, a chest held clothes and household linen. Its lid protected the things stored inside.
Look together
What would you keep in this chest?
An idea to try
Draw an open chest on a sheet of paper. Invite the child to add three things they would like to keep and explain their choices.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Maison Saint-Gabriel displays furniture and everyday objects connected with Montréal’s rural heritage, including the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum explains that chests were used to store clothing, among other things. This familiar purpose offers a way to talk about keeping and organizing belongings.
Invite the child to compare the chest with a cupboard, drawer or box they know. The illustration shows an imagined interior for colouring; it does not describe every family’s possessions or a particular museum chest.
Sources and context
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
Source review: 2026-09-14. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.