Fonds

The Charles Irénée Douville fonds is primarily a chronicle of the family business located in the village of Saint-Alban, Portneuf County. Spanning more than half a century, it documents the goods, clientele and commercial practices of a typical rural Quebec retail establishment during the pre-1950 period: the general store. This corpus is a valuable contribution to the history of consumption and material culture in Quebec.

Produced between 1906 and 1963, general ledgers and other books of account, order forms, invoices and receipts paint a portrait of consumption over a period of time that covers almost the entire existence of the Douville store. They provide information about the store's clientele, which included both individuals and institutions like the Saint-Alban parish school board. They also document the products sold and the vendors from Quebec City, Montreal and even Toronto that supplied the store. In addition, these documents record the store's administrative, commercial and accounting practices, illustrating how they evolved over time from one generation of business owner to the next.

The fonds contains a number of store inventories dated from the 1910s to the late 1950s, providing a detailed look at the goods sold by the store, the quantities in stock, and prices. It also includes a sample of the general store's stationery (with the letterhead C.-I. Douville & Fils) and a poster advertising Martin Senour paints.

Ration books issued during the Second World War bearing the names of Charles, Diana and Rachel Douville make up the portion of the fonds devoted to Charles Irénée Douville's personal and family life.