The first page of Hudson’s Bay Co.’s Royal Charter, 1670.Supplied
Hudson’s Bay Co. plans to auction off a vast collection of art and artifacts, including its 1670 charter that played a pivotal role in the history of Canada – raising concerns among experts in the preservation of historical archives.
In an announcement on Wednesday evening, Hudson’s Bay said that it will seek court approval for the auction. That will take place separately from the sale process currently seeking bids for all or part of the company’s assets and operations. Those bids are due by the end of the month.
The Globe and Mail previously reported that the collection was included in a confidential information memorandum, which was sent to potential bidders in the sale process and provided an overview of HBC’s corporate assets.
The memorandum, which was obtained by The Globe, advertised “a collection of artwork and items that date back to the company’s role in the founding and development of Canada.”
The collection includes more than 1,700 pieces of art and more than 2,700 artifacts, according to the company.
It also includes the 1670 royal charter, which granted HBC exclusive trading rights over nearly one-third of the territory that is now Canada. The document, which includes the wax seal of King Charles II, claimed dominion over that land without the consent of the Indigenous peoples who already resided there.
“I am extremely disappointed and shocked to learn that such a prominent document in relation to Canadian, Indigenous, and international histories is at risk of being lost to a private collection,” said Cody Groat, an assistant professor of history and Indigenous studies at Western University, whose research focuses on the preservation of Indigenous cultural history.
Prof. Groat, who is Mohawk and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River, added that he believes public institutions in Canada have a responsibility to find the resources to keep the document publicly accessible.
“It gave the Hudson’s Bay Company essentially political and corporate sovereignty over vast tracts of North America, and really did a lot to attempt to erase indigenous sovereignties. So the stories embedded in that document are so vital,” Prof. Groat said.
While many of the Bay’s most prized historical objects and records were donated to the province of Manitoba and the Manitoba Museum in 1994, a number of artifacts – including the 1670 charter – are still owned by the company. Those include store paraphernalia, packaging, private-brand items, company awards and plaques. Memorabilia in the collection include a number of Bay point blankets – which have been in continuous production since 1780, and which are a fraught symbol of the fur trade and of colonization.
The Hudson’s Bay archives have been designated as part of the UNESCO Memory of the World registry, which seeks to preserve “documentary heritage” and advocate for continuing public access to important records.
The committee of experts who advise the Canadian Commission for UNESCO “has expressed to HBC its desire that the Charter be transferred to a public archival institution to ensure its long-term preservation and access,” commission spokesperson Vanessa Poulin-Gladu wrote in a statement on Thursday. She noted that UNESCO does not own or control the records given designation under the program.
In the memorandum obtained by The Globe, Hudson’s Bay compared the value and historical importance of the charter to the American Declaration of Independence and the Canadian Constitution.
“HBC is deeply mindful of the cultural significance of HBC’s art and artifacts collection in Canadian history,” spokesperson Tiffany Bourré wrote in a statement on Thursday. The company’s press release noted that holding a separate sale overseen by a fine-art auction house would ensure that “the care, consideration and expertise required for these pieces” would be prioritized.
Ms. Bourré declined to answer questions about whether the auction will include any measures to ensure that items such as the charter remain in a public collection, or whether the company would be required to accept the highest bid for these items as it seeks to repay its debts.
Facing a financial crisis, Hudson’s Bay was granted court protection from its creditors on March 7 under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The company has begun liquidating all but six of its stores across the country.
“The company is working with its advisers and the court-appointed monitor to ensure that the auction appropriately balances the interests and concerns of all stakeholders within the confines of the CCAA process,” Ms. Bourré wrote.
Kathleen Epp, the keeper of the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives at the Archives of Manitoba told The Globe in an interview earlier this month that she hopes the 1670 charter will become part of a public collection, so that it can be properly preserved and cared for. “We’ve always thought it would come to us eventually,” Ms. Epp said.
An art collection, primarily made up of Canadian works, will also be part of the auction. Those artworks include 17th- and 18th-century portraits, historical calendar paintings, Inuit prints and sculptures, and photographic and limited-edition prints.