Abstract

Men's clubs played an important role in the cultural and social life of Montreal's elite during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. This thesis looks at the architecture and collection of paintings of the Mount Royal Club, Montreal, between the years 1899-1920, a time of prosperity and growth in Montreal. Since the Mount Royal Club's history is closely tied to the social, economic and cultural development of the city at the turn of the century, the architecture and art of this Club will therefore be examined within a variety of interrelated contexts. These will range from the Club's inception in 1899, to the biographies of the founders and the cultural and social forces that played an important role in the selection of American architects, McKim, Mead and White to design the new clubhouse in 1904-1906, as well as the painting collection of the Club during this period in Montreal's history. Pierre Bourdieu's theories on social, cultural and symbolic capital will be used to frame this discussion