Did you know? 11 Fun Facts about Canadian Literary Icon L. M. Montgomery
- Jun 26, 2024
- History
- 3 minute read
L. M. Montgomery, subject of our newest commemorative circulation coin, lived a life rich with creativity and humour. More than just an author, Montgomery practiced her artistry in various forms, and enjoyed many hobbies and interests.
Keep reading to discover 11 fun facts about L. M. Montgomery!
L. M. Montgomery, subject of our newest commemorative circulation coin, lived a life rich with creativity and humour. More than just an author, Montgomery practiced her artistry in various forms, and enjoyed many hobbies and interests.
Keep reading to discover 11 fun facts about L. M. Montgomery!
1. She loved cats.
Montgomery adored cats, and kept many as pets throughout her life. After her beloved cat Lucky passed away, she wrote a journal entry about him and even dedicated her novel Jane of Lantern Hill to him. When signing books, she would often include a drawing of a cat in the inscription (as seen on our L. M. Montgomery coin).
2. She kept an extensive diary.
In addition to her scrapbooks, Montgomery kept a diary as early as age nine, but she created (and preserved and wanted published) years of detailed diaries, from the age of fourteen. It was in these diaries that she chronicled her day-to-day living, hopes and aspirations, and her personal tragedies and challenges.
3. She had pen-pals.
Montgomery kept correspondence with two writers: Ephraim Weber from Canada and George Boyd MacMillan from Scotland. Although busy with her career and household duties, she found time to craft and send long letters to her “pen friends,” keeping in touch with them until the end of her life.
L. M. Montgomery’s cat Lucky, Norval – ca. 1930s
4. She was an avid gardener.
As someone with a deep love and appreciation for nature, Montgomery enjoyed gardening. She would even exchange flower bulbs and plant cuttings with her overseas pen-pal, and many of the images pasted into her scrapbooks were cut from seed catalogues.
5. She was a proficient needlewoman, and was passionate about clothing and fashion.
Montgomery made many beautiful quilts and lace pieces, and was also skilled at embroidery. The University of Guelph has samples of her work, and the L. M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island owns Montgomery’s hand-crocheted apple-leaf bed spread.
6. She was passionate about photography.
In the 1890s, Montgomery used a glass-plate camera to take photos, which she would then develop in her grandparents’ farmhouse. Additionally, she created cyanotypes (inexpensive blue prints)—some of which appeared in her scrapbooks. She even took a brand-new Kodak film camera on her honeymoon to England and Scotland in 1911.
L. M. Montgomery in her garden, Norval – ca. 1932
7. She documented her life in scrapbooks.
During her youth in P.E.I. and her early years in Ontario, Montgomery would artistically arrange memorabilia, photographs, newspaper and magazine cut-outs, as well as other bits and pieces into her scrapbooks. In her later years, her scrapbooks focused more on chronicling her life than creative arrangement.
8. She was a gifted cook.
Montgomery enjoyed cooking, and was proud of her ability to set a bountiful table. She took her household and domestic duties seriously, believing they were of utmost importance in her life.
9. She loved astronomy.
Montgomery would often use binoculars to observe the night sky, looking for stars and constellations. In 1910, she even witnessed Halley’s Comet while in Cavendish.
Image from Imagining Anne: L.M. Montgomery’s Island Scrapbooks
10. She loved to read.
From a young age, Montgomery relied on her imagination and the fictional worlds of her beloved books to escape from her day-to-day life. Some of her favourite authors included Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Agatha Christie.
11. She was an eager tourist.
Montgomery went on some memorable trips: She made a literary tour to Boston in 1910 (at the invitation of her publisher), she and her husband traveled to England and Scotland on their honeymoon in 1911, where they visited sites from her favourite books and poetry, and the family took a road trip to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky in 1924.
Celebrate the life and lasting legacy of literary icon L. M. Montgomery with the commemorative $1 circulation coin minted in her honour—a lasting tribute to Canadian creativity and the power of imagination.
P.S. Why 11 facts? Because Anne Shirley is 11 years old at the beginning of Anne of Green Gables!
L. M. Montgomery and L. M. Montgomery’s signature and cat motif are trademarks of Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc.
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COLLAGE #2 – AUTHOR (left to right)
L. M. Montgomery portrait, age 61, Norval – ca. 1935 | Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L.M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097 017 0103
L. M. Montgomery’s cat Daffy, Leaskdate, ON – ca. 1925 | Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L.M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097040
John Sylvester/Tourism PEI
Anne of Green Gables manuscript, 1905 (published 1908) | Purchased, 1967 | Collection of Confederation Centre Art Gallery, CM 67.5.1 | Photographer: Jean-Sébastion Duchesne
Image from Imagining Anne: L.M. Montgomery’s Island Scrapbooks edited by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly | Reprinted with permission from Nimbus Publishing | Copyright © 2008, 2019 Elizabeth Rollins Epperly and Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc.
L. M. Montgomery, age 34 (at time of publication of Anne of Green Gables – ca. 1908 | Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L.M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097057
M. Montgomery and L.M. Montgomery’s signature and cat motif are trademarks of Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc.
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IMAGE 1
L. M. Montgomery’s cat Lucky, Norval – ca. 1930s | Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L. M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097 040 0599
IMAGE 2
L. M. Montgomery in her garden, Norval – ca. 1932 | Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L. M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097 017 0102
IMAGE 3
Image from Imagining Anne: L.M. Montgomery’s Island Scrapbooks edited by Elizabeth Rollins Epplerly | Reprinted with permission from Nimbus Publishing | Copyright © 2008, 2019 Elizabeth Rollins Epperly and Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc.
Behind the Design: L. M. Montgomery Commemorative $1 Circulation Coin
Behind the Design: L. M. Montgomery Commemorative $1 Circulation Coin
Discover the design details behind our newest commemorative circulation coin celebrating Anne of Green Gables creator L. M. Montgomery.