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Here we have a delightful photograph of William Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne (age 3) on the grounds of his grandfather's mansion near Montreal. The boy's grandfather was the famous railway baron, Sir William Van Horne (1843-1915). Sir William was born in Will County, Illinois, the son of a struggling farmer-lawyer. He started life as a telegraph operator with the Illinois Central, the Michigan Central, and the Chicago and Alton railroads. He rose to become a great magnate of railroads in Canada and lived in Montreal as a Canadian citizen and president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Here we have a charming view of how the other half lived, or better said the other 1 percent. The boy's grandfather was the famous railway baron, Sir William Van Horne (1843-1915). Sir William was born in Will County, Illinois, the son of a struggling farmer-lawyer. He started life as a telegraph operator with the Illinois Central, the Michigan Central, and the Chicago and Alton railroads. He rose to become a great magnate of railroads in Canada and lived in Montreal as a Canadian citizen and president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Sir William was a
great art collector and amateur architect who was influential in the building of the great Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City.
The photograph was taken
(age 3) on the grounds of his grandfather's mansion near Montreal. The Drumonds and the Van Hornes were part of the elite of Canadian society. These families lived on the slopes of the Mount-Royal Mountain in opulent palaces . The place where they lived was called the "Golden Square Mile". Some of those castles are still there and they are protected against demolition by laws.
Sir William to delight his grandson, the wealthy grandfather painted a charming freize of romping Dutch children attired in traditional costumes on the wall of his summer mansion in Minister's Island, called Covenhoven.
The photograph was taken in 1910.
Here we have a delightful photograph of William Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne. He was 3 years old when the photograph was taken. We have no information on William as an older boy or what his adult life was like.
William here is driving his miniature car. Wouldn't you have loved to have had a car like this as a kid? This is not a toy car, but a fully functional miniature car. William has a goodly assembly of
teddy bears as his passengers. Many children at the time may have had a teddy bear, some even two or three. Very few children of course would have had a miniature car tho take them on a ride. The family spaniel follows dtifully behind.
Notice the boy's pageboy bangs and his large-brimmed hat. These wide-brimmed hats were very popular for younger boys. They were a sailor style, but they were worn with many other outfits besides sailor suits. William wears a Chesterfield overcoat with a black velvet collar--a quiet sign of elegance. William also wears above-the -knee knickers with white long stockings and hightop shoes.
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