A Montreal House of 1810, watercolour, Walter Baker.
A stone house was scarcely unusual in Montreal, certainly not in the main body of the town where this one on McGill Street was located. It is, however, a good example of the dwellings of the time (although this painting dates from the late nineteenth century), with its thick walls, small dormers, and raised fireguard wall at the end of the roof. This sort of building could have housed a shop, lawyer's office, or craftsman's workshop downstairs; or it could have been the residence of a merchant in Montreal's rich northwestern fur trade. The greatest merchants, however, had more impressive homes.
Courtesy: John Ross Robertson Collection, Metropolitan Toronto Library Board
