Costume Balls exhibition McCord Stewart Museum Montreal
Style, Visual Arts

Costume Balls: Dressing Up History focuses on a Montreal party era that reinforced colonial realities

by Savannah Stewart

The McCord Stewart Museum takes visitors back in time to Montreal’s costume balls over a century ago in their new exhibition.

The McCord Stewart Museum takes the visitor back in time to Montreal’s costume balls over a century ago in the new exhibition Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870-1927. With photographs, paintings and some of the original costumes worn by Montreal’s high society at the time, the exhibition doesn’t just show what entertainment events looked like 100 years ago, it also uncovers how costume balls reinforced colonial realities.

Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870-1927 is on at the McCord Stewart Museum (690 Sherbrooke W.), Nov. 14–Aug. 17, 2025

Costume Balls: Dressing Up History focuses on a Montreal party era that reinforced colonial realities

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Posted in Style, Visual Arts

by Savannah Stewart

Contributing editor for Arts
Savannah Stewart is a freelance journalist and Managing Editor at The Rover. She is passionate about community reporting and is happiest writing about art, language and culture in Montreal.