Exhibits
Battle of the Ballots
While municipal politics have changed over time, some of the issues have never gone away. In “Battle of the Ballots: The Civic Election Story” visitors will learn about the civic election system in Ontario, meet mayors from the past and discover what was important to Ottawa from 1850 to 1950.
- Featuring artefacts such as the mayor’s “throne” and a chain of office the exhibit explores:
- How elections in 1850 were different from today
- Who was allowed to vote and why
- The role that region and religion played in selecting candidates
- Debates over who should own utilities
Visitors will have the chance to pass judgement on the political careers of some local mayors from the 19th century. They can also cast a ballot on five historic issues including whether or not women should have the right to vote and where to buy liquor.
“Battle of the Ballots: The Civic Election Story” runs from May 9 to October 3. Entry to the exhibit is free with regular museum admission. Be sure to visit our Events page for information about upcoming programming related to the exhibit.
Past Exhibits:
Drink This, Take That! The birth of marketing medicine
Even the earliest medicine makers knew they could make money using fear, desire, and life experience to sell concoctions to heal almost anything. In fact, they were among the first to use print advertising to peddle their wares. Drink This, Take That! encourages visitors to explore the beginnings of health care as a commodity.
The exhibit features historic advertisements for products like electric beans, alcohol-free medicines that were actually full of alcohol, and Bovril. To complement the advertisements will be dozens of artifacts, including:
- An infant urinal
- The Magneto Electric Machine
- A sputum cup, and
- A cupping set.
Come and explore the Victorian era as the breeding ground for what evolved into our modern culture’s ongoing search for physical and mental relief from the stressors of daily life, and how today’s marketers find similar motivations.
The Billings Estate National Historic Site would like to thank the following for their contributions to this exhibit: Museum of Health Care at Kingston, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Bytown Museum, and Kanata Theatre.
Sabra: Portrait of a Spinster
In medieval Europe, the word spinster referred to a woman whose occupation was spinning wool. By the 17th century it had become a legal term referring to an unmarried woman. Since then it has deteriorated into a derogatory expression that today makes most women cringe. Why did this happen?
Find out the answer, and how Ottawa's own Sabra Billings rejected social custom and embraced her independence to become one of her community's most respected women.
Silver Spoons and Colloused Hands
The transition from the pioneer to the Victorian era brought about changes that forever altered the path of childhood. Using artifacts, photographs, and stories, this exhibit explores the aspects of early life that everyone can relate to: play time, chores, education, and health care.
Silver Spoons and Calloused Hands explores the lives of the children raised on the Billings Estate during the 19th Century. Born to a prosperous farming family during an age of social reform, these children enjoyed an unusual childhood of both hardship and opportunity.
