This colourful miniature carriage is probably a souvenir brought back by a member of the Van Horne family after a trip to Sicily. The carriage is decorated with scenes inspired from the Italian opera Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. An icon of Sicilian identity, the carriage is still used today for festivals, weddings and parades.
Several other objects in this exhibition were provided by Mrs. William Van Horne, née Margaret Hannon, wife of William Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne, grandson of William Cornelius Van Horne (1843-1915), the major magnate of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
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