Ice skating

These wool-lined women’s ice skates feature a soft, black leather boot laced with 16 holes and metal blades screwed underneath. Canadian-made, they were available at the Dupuis Frères store from the late 1920s to the late 1930s. The white color for women’s skates was popularized in the following decade. In its 1930-1931 catalog, the company proudly states “In the sports department, Dupuis forgets neither ladies nor young girls”. However, from the very beginnings of ice skating in the 1840s, the pastime became an important social activity, as it was deemed suitable for women. In 1850, the first commercial outdoor rink opened in Montreal, and in 1862, the Victoria indoor rink opened on Drummond Street. At the time, it was the largest skating rink in the world, with spectacular gas lighting. When the building was converted to electricity, it became the first in Canada to use this technology.