Gift of the Artist to Hotel Tadoussac (1930s)
Frederick Brown, hotel manager (circa 1930-1952)
By descent to the current Private Collection, Quebec
Literature
“French Canada Pictures of Paul Caron,” Montreal Daily Star, December 13, 1933
The Quebec town of Tadoussac dates back as far as Jacques Cartier's September 1535 arrival to the American continent. The fur trade began in the early 1600s; Tadoussac served as the first trading post established in the territory of Canada as well as the first ocean port on the St. Lawrence Valley. Following a thriving lumber industry in the 1800s, the construction of Hotel Tadoussac in 1864 marks the emergence of Tadoussac as a vacation destination. Paul Caron created this canvas when he visited the popular summer destination in the 1930s. The painting was presented to the hotel as a gift, and then passed down to the current owner through a relative, who was the manager of Hotel Tadoussac during the 1930s and 1940s. The artwork illustrates and documents this historical piece of architecture just prior to its demolition in 1941 (it has since been rebuilt in a similar style). This charming oil painting, full of intricate details depicting the joys of summer vacation, exemplifies Paul Caron's excellent portrayals of Quebec urban and rural life. A 1933 “Montreal Daily Star” review of Caron's work declares that “...There are no pictures which give a better idea of a certain side of the life of French Canada.”
