Each year we offer several temporary exhibitions presenting a variety of topics. Visit the upcoming exhibitions schedule to learn more about what is booked to be on display, or view our list of past exhibitions to see what we have previously hosted.
Join us for our exhibition opening reception, taking place on Thursday, January 16 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Exploring Ancient Routes:
Highlights of the Robert L. Hunter Map Collection
This exhibit was developed in partnership with the Trent University Library and Archives.
Prior to the Thomas J. Bata Library renovation in 2017-18, the Peterborough Museum and Archives (PMA) had offered to house the Library and Archives entire collection of artworks while the work was completed. In return, Trent's Library and Archives agreed to provide the PMA with a selection of maps from the Robert Hunter Collection to form this exhibition.
Robert Lloyd Hunter (1914 - 1986) was an investment dealer in Toronto, Ontario and an avid collector of Canadiana. His collection was donated to the Trent University Archives and includes: original materials and rare first editions of books regarding the fur trade, the exploration of the Arctic, and the ultimate transfer of all Hudson's Bay Company lands to Canada.
"Exploring Ancient Routes: Highlights of the Robert L. Hunter Map Collection" was curated primarily from the pre-matted and framed maps within the assemblage. This exhibit of rare, vintage maps is presented chronologically. Visitors will see an evolution of geographical coverage and knowledge, as early cartographers learned more about the lands on which we live. Cartographer and map engravers' work on display include that of: Robert de Vaugondy, Gerardus Mercator, Vincenzo Coronelli, Emanuel Bowen and more. The maps on display range in age from 1556 to 1897.
By request of the collection's conservation team, please refrain from using flash photography within the exhibition.
A special thank you goes out to Trent University Archivist Jodi Aoki, and Trent Library's Head of Maps, Data & Government Information Centre (MaDGIC) Barbara Znamirowski who assisted PMA staff in the selection and preparation of these maps.
For more information about the Robert L. Hunter Collection (accession number: 87-001), and to find out how to access historical resources and research materials, contact the Trent University Library and Archives by email: archives@trentu.ca or call 705.742.1011 ext. 7413.
