History Collections
Photograph: Items documenting the lives of single men in Victoria’s Chinatown.
The collection's focus is on objects that tell the story of life in British Columbia through material culture. It is a relatively new part of the museum, being established as Modern History in the 1960s as part of the construction of the new museum building, although it contains earlier donations transferred from the British Columbia Archives.
The 165,000 objects include objects relating to: British Columbia’s ethnic history; items on the history of manufacturing and business, such as canneries, mining and breweries; professional activities and organizations such as public health and medicine, policing, surveying and groups such as the Women’s Institute. The collection documents the changing material culture of daily domestic life, including collections on furniture. There are unique collections, such as BC ceramics, such as hotelware; and locally made silverware. The textile collection is particularly strong research area, with over 10,000 textile items, ranging from quilts, samplers, and lace, and examples of several centuries of costume.
Our mandate: to collect items made, or used, in British Columbia; of significance to BC’s history or illustrative of life in the province.
Approximately 2% of the collection is on display or on loan to other accredited institutions at any given time, resulting in the movement of approximately 500 items a year. While we do, on occasion, purchase objects, most of our collection has been gifted by the public to the RBCM. If you have an object of significance to the history of British Columbia we would like to hear from you. For example we are currently interested in acquiring items related to immigration to BC after World War II.
The collection is open to members of the public and researchers by appointment.
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