Upcoming Exhibits & Events

Little Wanderers: A Literary History of the British Home Children in Canada

Between 1863 and 1939 as many as 118,000 children came to Canada under a British program of child migration. These “Home Children” journeyed to Canada from England in search of a better life, far from the poverty and desperation of the old world’s slums. But why was migration viewed as a reasonable solution to urban poverty in the first place, and why was Canada the selected destination for these displaced youth? This special exhibit, “Little Wanderers,” seeks to answer these questions by surveying influential literature from the period. The exhibit features texts by prominent social reformers documenting the dire situation of the working-class and poor people in the Victorian city. It also includes education and adventure fiction for children—works that often celebrate colonialism as a means to self-reform and social belonging. Literature by late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century Canadian authors also represents the colony as a place for discovery and growth. “Little Wanderers” concludes with a selection of texts specifically depicting the experiences and reception of the Home Children in Canada, including the legacy of these young migrants in their adoptive country.

April 2020

Curated by Dr. Brooke Cameron and Alicia Alves

Queen's Refuge: Forced Migration in the History of the University

September 18 - December 2020

Servicewomen's Salute Canada

January 2021

Curated by Dr. Claire Cookson-Hills and Dr. Allan English