Morgan's

Morgan's (formally Henry Morgan & Company) was a Montreal-based Canadian department store chain. At its peak, the company had stores in Quebec and Ontario. In its last years, the chain was known in Quebec as Morgan without the possessive.

Morgan's is the predecessor of The Bay department store chain in Quebec and Ontario.

The first Morgan's store was opened in Montreal in 1845 by Scottish immigrant Henry Morgan. The second store to operate under the Morgan's name opened in 1950 on Queen Mary Road in the Snowdon section of Montreal. Other stores then opened on the island of Montreal, and several Ontario cities.

Ownership of the store was originally split evenly between Mr. Morgan and his partner David Smith. Smith's portion was later purchased by Henry's brother, James Morgan. The store stayed in under the ownership and management of the original Morgan brothers and their descendents for over 100 years of business.

Morgan's was purchased in 1960 by Hudson's Bay Company.

In 1964, the stores in Ontario were converted into the new name The Bay. At that point, the Morgan's logo was replaced with a new logo with a similar design to the Bay's logo (shown above) for the Quebec stores still operating under the Morgan's name. The Quebec stores were converted in 1972. The Morgan's flagship store in downtown Montreal has been a Bay store since Morgan's was absorbed into The Bay. The Morgan locations in Montreal's shopping centres are also all in operation as Bay stores. Only the Queen Mary Road site has been shut down (in the early 1970s, right before the chain was renamed).

In 1945 Morgan's Department Store commissioned a Wedgwood bowl, designed by Keith Murray, to commemorate the store's 100th anniversary in Montreal. Black and white transfer prints on the front and back contrast Montreal as it was in 1845 and in 1945. Relief portraits on each side of Jean Baptiste and John Bull are surrounded by colourful maple leaves, shamrock, rose, thistle, and fleur-de-lis and celebrate the city's French and English heritage. The inside of the bowl is decorated with the coat of arms and motto Concordia Salus (Salvation Through Harmony), colourful maple leaves, and the following English and French inscriptions around the upper rim: "Discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, Founded by Maisonneuve in 1642, Decouvert par Jacques Cartier en 1534, and Fonde par Maisonneuve en 1642". The underside of the bowl has the Morgan's and Wedgwood logos and provides the population data for Montreal in 1845 (45,000) and 1945 (1,500,000). This footed bowl measures 12 1/4" in diameter, and is 6 3/4" high.

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