This impressive poster of the Grande Exposition agricole et industrielle de la Puissance (Dominion Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition), held in Montreal in 1884, is more than two meters high. Dominated by the picture of the Montreal Crystal Palace, this monumental wood engraving was typical of the "mammoth posters" that were used in both Canada and the United States. The poster evokes the exceptional scale of the 1884 exhibition, which attracted a large number of visitors. These exhibitions took place during one week in August or September of each year. The word "puissance" (power) in the original title referred to the Dominion of Canada, created by the Act of Confederation of 1867. Grouped by specialty on the exhibition field, which was located in the Mile-End District, the exhibitions presented products that included livestock, implements, new machinery, scientific curiosities, and much else. In line with the European tradition, awards and prizes were given. In addition to the program, balloon trips, fireworks, horse races, and merry-go-rounds were offered. As a symbol of the British colonial power, the Montreal Crystal Palace was an adapted, small-scale replica of the famous Crystal Palace built in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in London. Built in 1860 according to the plans of architect John Williams Hopkins, the structure was first located to the south of Victoria Street, between Sainte-Catherine Street and Cathcart Street. In 1879, it was relocated in the quadrilateral formed by Bleury Street, Saint-Urbain Street, Mont-Royal Avenue, and Saint-Joseph Boulevard. A fire destroyed the structure in 1896. Agricultural and industrial exhibitions in Quebec subsequently moved out of Montreal, to the cities of Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, and Saint-Hyacinthe.