The Collection
Within each handwritten diary, document, photograph and artwork resides a story; a personal narrative of people and events often long forgotten. Whose elegant penmanship graces these pages? Who is the young woman smiling on the front steps? How did these objects survive? What did they mean to those who created them and, later on, to those who saved them? As these objects pass through time and into new hands, the stories and histories embedded in them begin to fade. It is through the act of remembering and sharing these memories with others that the stories engrained in these objects are given new purpose.
Help Us Grow Our Collection
Do you have any personal or family objects related to the Italian Canadian World War II experience that you would like to share with us?
Some examples:
- Handwritten letters between family members directly affected by the internment;
- Objects created or produced by those in the internment camps;
- Family photographs of Italian Canadians who were designated enemy aliens or discriminated against from 1940 to 1945;
- Government documents and Prisoner of War cards related to the internment;
- Publications or other print documents of the period.