Preserving the ‘tableaux vivants’ of Ogilvy’s Christmas mechanical window displays

The United States has its famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and ice rink in New York City; Germany is known for its festive Christmas markets in cities like Nuremberg and Dresden; Japan eats KFC; San Fernando in the Philippines hosts a spectacular lantern festival.

There are unique holiday traditions found all over the world. This is one of ours in Montreal.

Every year since 2018, hundreds of hand-crafted animals come to life across two revived Bavarian settings: An enchanted village and a forestry mill, where teddy bears carry lumber into an Alpine building with lazy water wheel, scarved pigs nuzzle noses, carousels of ducklings spin, besuited frogs go fishing, and a monkey pulls at the reins of a pack donkey.

Similar to the window displays found in great department stores like Macy’s in New York and the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, these animated scenes in Montreal are among the last of their kind in North America: They are the preserved window store displays of the Ogilvy’s department store in Montreal, dating back to 1947 and dancing annually since.

The story behind the storybook

These displays start with Margarete Steiff. Born in 1847 in Giengen, Germany, she contracted polio as a toddler, leaving her legs paralyzed and her right arm only partially functional. Margarete trained as a seamstress and opened her own clothing business.

Margarete Steiff (left) and her felt clothing shop for self-made garments and household articles dating back to 1877 (right). | Photograph: © Margarete Steiff GmbH

In 1879, she stumbled across a pattern for the “Elefäntle” elephant-shaped pincushion in Modenwelt magazine. She turned it into a toy, replicating it five times as Christmas gifts, which kids loved. Sensing she was onto something, Margarete flipped her business and boasted a catalogue of stuffed animals by 1892. By 1893, a toy factory was established—that German toy manufacturer still exists today.

The felt elephant, "Elefäntle", intended as a pincushion that became a popular children's toy. | Photograph: © Margarete Steiff GmbH

It's this company that conceived of the teddy bear: Margarete’s nephew Richard designed the Bear 55 PB, Europe’s first plush bear with movable arms and legs. It was known as the Steiff bear until American President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear tied to a leash during a hunting trip, a moment that was drawn up by cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman in the Washington Post. Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, saw that cartoon and created a stuffed toy bear with his wife that they named ‘Teddy’s Bear’ in 1902.

Margarete's nephew Richard Steiff (left) and the Bear 55 PB (right). | Photograph: © Margarete Steiff GmbH

The name stuck, and that moment became publicity for Steiff: Both Steiff and what would become Mitchom’s Ideal Novelty and Toy Company commercialized their first Teddy Bears in 1903. In 1907, an impressive 973,999 teddy bears had been made by Steiff.

In 1911, the Steiff company was producing mechanical windows featuring moving animals that stores could rent or purchase to order. Two of these displays were purchased by James Aird Nesbitt, the owner of Oglivy’s from 1927 to 1985, aptly named The Enchanted Village and The Mill in the Forest.

What started as a way of entertaining children while promoting merchandise has since become something Montrealers have made a tradition of visiting, even after they were donated to the McCord Stewart Museum in March 2018 by Holt Renfrew.

Now, the museum presents both every winter from November through early January, just as the store used to. The Mill in the Forest sits outside in a container at Sherbrooke and Victoria and The Enchanted Village is set up indoors.

Moving machines

“When the museum (first) received the windows, it was like having to put together two giant jigsaw puzzles,” writes Catherine K. Laflamme, a Project Manager of Exhibitions at McCord Stewart Museum.

“Damaged bits of scenery were touched up with paint, worn-out mirrored surfaces were replaced, and everything was magically refreshed with fake snow.”

Now, the museum’s Chief Technician and Supervisor of Technical Services & Exhibitions Melissa Jacques carefully assembles the displays piece by piece with their team, restoring and repairing the stuffed animals, and cleaning the mechanisms.

It’s an intricate system where each module operates independently. Each moving element—like an animal or a scene—usually has its own motor. They’re tested and repaired to ensure everything works when assembled. It’s like piecing together a clock, with chains, straps, and motors connecting the components.

“The biggest challenge is storage. Each display has about 20 components, plus bases, trees, lights, and other elements,” explains the McCord Stewart Museum Technician for Exhibitions, Olivier LeBlanc-Roy.

“Some components date back to the 1930s or 1940s, so there’s been a mix of original parts and modern updates, like replacing old lightbulbs with LED lights for safety and efficiency. Some mechanical parts have also been repaired or re-engineered over the years.”

A tradition preserved

“These displays are deeply tied to Montreal’s identity. For many families, visiting the Ogilvy windows was a holiday tradition. You’d see children with their noses pressed against the glass, mesmerized by the moving figures. It wasn’t about shopping; it was about creating joy,” explains McCord Stewart’s Curator of Material Culture, Guislaine Lemay.

“When I talk about this being a Montreal tradition, it’s because it has become a family tradition. My mother brought me to the displays with my siblings when I was young, I brought my kids, and now my daughter is bringing her kids. It’s like a family heirloom that you take out once a year—this heirloom brings memories and emotions,” she adds.

“These windows are a Montreal heirloom—they belong to everyone—and every year people are so happy to see them come out again.”

Ogilvy’s Christmas mechanical window displays are not only a holiday tradition but also a significant piece of local history, an artifact of a bygone era when department stores were cultural landmarks. Preserving displays like these both honour a shared local experience and celebrate the history of department stores and their role in the community.

“As things become increasingly virtual, these displays offer something tangible—a chance for families to step away from screens and share a physical experience. It’s nostalgic but also meaningful for children and for parents,” Lemay says.

The Ogilvy Christmas mechanical window displays at McCord Stewart Museum come alive from November 30, 2024 to January 5, 2025: The Mill in the Forest (free of charge at all times) is presented outside the museum on Victoria Street, and The Enchanted Village (free admission for children 17 and under) is located inside the museum.