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Looking for Anne of Green Gables - Tracing Visual Culture in the Creative Imagination of Lucy Maud Montgomery

The celebration surrounding the 100th anniversary of the writing of Anne of Green Gables is crossing over to contemporary pop culture, with a Facebook page and summer-long celebrations including a visual exhibition celebrating all things Anne.

“Looking for Anne – Tracing Visual Culture in L.M. Montgomery’s Creative Imagination,” is an exhibition overseen by Dr. Irene Gammel, and organized by Ryerson University’s Modern Culture Multimedia Centre. It kicks off June 12 at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, and assembles images from visual sources such as portraits, photographs, daguerreotypes, manuscripts, magazine advertisements, cover art, and posters.

The exhibit, according to Dr. Gammell, utilizes a narrative based on new research that attempts to present Anne as a product of her time. Demonstrating that the character was composed by blending of glamour girls and orphan girls who author Maud discovered by reading the magazines in her grandmother MacNeill’s homestead in Cavendish.

The exhibition is just one of numerous celebratory events designed to recognize the historic anniversary.

If you are traveling to PEI to jump into Anne’s world there are plenty of places to stay including: hotels, PEI cottages, and bed and breakfast accommodation.

“I cannot emphasize strongly enough: book now,” David Malahoff, who is co-executive director of the Anne 2008 Centennial Committee, told the media. “In fact, I recommend arranging hotel accommodations and car rentals in advance every year, let alone this one.”

The celebrations will return to important settings for the book, like Cavendish, a tiny town of 267 that swells to thousands in Anne season.

The demand for Anne isn’t surprising considering the popularity of the book, which sold only 19,000 copies in 1908 when it was first published, but has since sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. A new edition was published this year in recognition of the anniversary containing the original illustrations and cover.

Malahoff says he continues to be impressed by the popularity of Montgomery’s book and the character of Anne.

“It’s limitless every year,” he says, adding this is a special year. “We’ve never had to beg for volunteers before, either, but this year, they've been knocking on our doors.”