Web Review: Picturing a Canadian Life: L.M. Montgomery's Personal Scrapbooks and Book Covers

http://lmm.confederationcentre.com/english/welcome.html

The Virtual Museum of Canada’s online exhibition, Picturing a Canadian Life: L.M Montgomery’s Personal Scrapbooks and Book Covers presents an engaging compilation of the book covers and scrapbooks that have accompanied Lucy Maud Montgomery’s work. The exhibition was sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage and was also available in Japanese for the 2005 Expo in Aichi, Japan. It is an excellent resource for researchers, teachers and “cultural tourists” as the website has named visitors who have stumbled upon the page. This exhibition takes a close look at the designs of the book covers that marketed her popular book series Anne of Green Gables and Emily, as well as the special materials found within her scrapbooks. Both collections are linked to the wild visual imagination that L. M. Montgomery is fondly remembered for.

As the viewer explores the depth of the web pages within this exhibition, they will discover some prominent features. Not only does it link collections from all over the country, but it is a prime example of how digital technologies can improve access to an archival collection. In Picturing a Canadian Life, digital reproductions of artifacts act as substitutes, thus contributing to the long-term preservation of fragile archival materials.

These original scrapbooks were created by L. M. Montgomery at the turn of the century using a delicate medium of paper with clippings, dried flowers, photos and other ephemeral pieces that could easily be damaged. In this case, the digital environment can actually offer many improvements over having the extant materials to examine. Often, it is easier to see details with the capabilities of zooming or digitally intensified images.

The Interactive Scrapbook feature allows the viewer to have a close-up look at the scrapbooks by zooming in on different areas or by “clicking” on particular elements within the books such as invitations, newspaper clippings or women’s fashion illustrations for more information. The website provides an abundance of information through this tool. It acts as a lens into events that were of particular interest to L.M. Montgomery (worthy of clipping), photos she had taken, and souvenirs which link to her life or provide general information about the time as seen through her eyes.

The Ronald I. Cohen Lucy Maud Montgomery Book Cover Collection of the National Library is also displayed on this website. It looks closely at the cover artwork and the collector’s experience. Ranging in date from 1908 to the present, the cover art is a reflection of the perceptions of her work through the twentieth century, taking on popular styles and themes in different countries and decades. For example, in Japan the character Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables was depicted as an almost cartoon-like child, in Norway, a grown woman and in Korea a teenager. In the 1960s even her physical characteristics took on the ideals of the time as she resembled the tall and slender model Twiggy.

The excitement of coming across these rare findings is discussed by collector R. I. Cohen. He discusses the survival of book covers, or “dust jackets” as they are also called. Originally intended for functional purposes, often they were discarded by the reader despite the fact that they can contain important information about the book including publishing information, illustrations, reviews or summaries.

The Collecting and Creating page contains much of the historical analysis of these artifacts. Under A Fascination with Fashion a closer look at the scrapbooks for instance shows L.M. Montgomery’s love for fashion especially when read alongside her journals. Reflecting upon her own collection brought back memories for L. M. Montgomery in 1908 as she looked back on fashion clippings pasted in her scrapbook. She recalled the large sleeves popular at that time which gave her an odd sense of being a student at Dalhousie University again. Here they used the inelegant instruction to “stuff me” as they asked other ladies to put their large sleeves into their coats.

The website design is lacking specific aesthetic qualities that might make the site appear not only as a high-quality resource but an eye-catching exhibition. The introductory page is presented in a small frame making the initial steps of navigating the website difficult for the reader. However, in the other pages, which are predominantly text, the frame expands improving the readability. Throughout the website the text is in a small font which is particularly noticeable when selecting the inward-pointing links (links within the site). It makes it difficult to read and possibly daunting to particularly “cultural tourists” who might prefer to browse the site.

Despite these minor issues, learning about L.M. Montgomery continues even as the reader leaves the website. The site offers thoughtful educational activities which will help younger schoolchildren have a better understanding of archives and of L.M. Montgomery as not just the author of popular books, but an important historical figure who provides insight into life at a different time. Under the heading Fun Learning, the authors provide educators with ideas on how to plan a class project on building a personal scrapbook by encouraging students to collect materials that have special meaning to them for producing their own scrapbook. As well, “cultural tourists” are invited to follow links to a complete works list of L. M. Montgomery and places to go for further information.

This website displays a collection that would be inaccessible to the public if not for this great undertaking. The creation of this fascinating digital collection and research ensures future generations’ access to this valuable resource.

The Virtual Museum of Canada. Picturing a Canadian Life: L.M. Montgomery’s Personal Scrapbooks and Book Covers. 2002 Online. 7 Oct. 2007. <http://lmm.confederationcentre.com/english/welcome.html>.