The Quebec Gazette – Lower Canada (Québec), Guillaume Brown and Thomas Gilmore, 1776

The Seven Years War (1756–1763) was a global conflict between Great Britain and France, which involved numerous European powers and their allies, including the Indigenous peoples of North America. It concluded in 1763, with Great Britain taking possession of all French territories in North America. During the 100 years of French control over Lower Canada (Quebec), no printing press was ever established. All colonial literature about New France was published in France for a European audience.

Quebec’s first printing press arrived in 1764, just a year after France ceded control of its colonial possessions to Britain. As American printers sought new business opportunities in Lower Canada, Guillaume (William) Brown (1737–1789) and Thomas Gilmore (1741–1773) from Philadelphia traveled to Quebec City. On June 21, 1764, they published the first issue of The Quebec Gazette. The newspaper was bilingual, featuring the front page in a single wide column and the remaining pages in a two-column format. Since neither Brown nor Gilmore spoke French, they hired a translator. The Gazette was published every Thursday, initially with 143 subscribers paying an annual subscription cost of 15 shillings. Despite high costs and limited funds, Brown succeeded in securing a government contract with an annual salary of 50 pounds, which helped ensure the newspaper's viability.

In addition to the regular weekly issues, the Gazette frequently published extra editions with extraordinary news or announcements. These supplements were a unique feature of The Quebec Gazette, with nearly every issue in the last decade of the century including a supplement.

Besides the Gazette, Brown also published various materials, including catechisms and schoolbooks, on demand. Gilmore passed away in 1773, and Brown continued until his death in 1789. After Brown's death, his nephews, Samuel, and John Neilson, took over the press and maintained the legacy of fine printing. The Quebec Gazette ceased publication in 1874.