19th century two trade cards Montreal QC Henry Morgan Colonial House

Two attractive trade card with images of Asian children in traditional clothing, one playing with puppets. Vibrant bold background.

Witten at bottom of fronts:

HENRY MORGAN & CO. Colonial House Montreal

On BACK:

Corner damage on back when mounted with loos of text. Puppet card has crease UR corner.

11 x 7.50 cm

Move to Phillips Square

Henry Morgan never married, but his brother James had a son, also named James (James II), who followed his father into the family business in 1863. He was joined by his cousin Colin, son of a third Morgan brother, in 1869. Colin Morgan is credited with conceiving the most significant move of all. In 1886, Montreal suffered a devastating flood. Morgan’s suffered major losses to inventory stored in its cellars. Morgan’s key clients were moving to the edges of the city and building lavish properties in new residential areas. In 1889, Colin and James II decided to re-locate to the top of Beaver Hall Hill and they began to buy property on the north side of Phillips Square, at the corner of Ste-Catherine Street and Union Avenue.

Local residents were appalled and competitors were amused. Everyone but the Morgans thought that the venture was doomed to failure. In April 1891, the company opened its doors in its new location and never looked back. Within five years, the Ste-Catherine Street area had become the new retail heart of the downtown. The Ste-Catherine Store originally had the address 2185 Ste-Catherine. When the street was divided into east and west sections at Ste-Laurent Boulevard in 1905, the store's address became 305 Ste-Catherine West. The current street number, 585, came into effect in 1928.

The new Colonial House was four storeys, with the top floor home to the Morgan Factories. Here, large numbers of seamstresses, cabinet-makers, and upholsterers were engaged in making custom clothing, draperies, and furnishings for the store’s own galleries. In this respect, Morgan’s was noticeably different from other retailers — including Hudson’s Bay Company, which was never directly involved in manufacturing.

www.hbcheritage.ca/history/acquisitions/morgans-of-montreal