The Woodcutter by Octave Henri Julien

Born in Quebec City, P.Q., the son of Henri Julien (who was a manager. Of Desbarats Co., King’s Printer) and Zoé Julien (his mother had the same surname as his father, although not related). Henri Julien attended schools in Quebec City and in Ottawa at the University of Ottawa. At the age of 16 he entered the engraving firm of George E. Desbarats Co. of Montreal after his family settled in that city. This firm published “The Canadian Illustrated News, L’Opinion publique” and “The Hearthstone (later The Favourite)”. He worked in a number of engraving departments of Desbarats and then began to draw and sketch, and it was not long before his sketches appeared in the papers produced by Desbarats.

In 1874 Julien took time out from Desbarats to accompany the first expedition of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police to suppress liquor traffic on the Prairies and while in the West enjoyed an experience of a lifetime. Frederick Yorston (past Editor-in-Chief of “The Montreal Standard”) commented on Julien’s career noting, “His sketches of the Indians and the life of the plains were famous throughout the continent. Mr. Julien related many an amazing tale of the then great unknown land, and his story of a buffalo hunt at Fort Garry was a classic.” On his return to the east, Julien went back to work Desbarats, who were later bought out by George Burland. Later he was offered a job on the permanent staff of “The Montreal Star” by its proprietor, Mr. Hugh Graham, and Julien accepted.

Julien knew every phase of newspaper production: the first sketch, making the plate, working in every form of known engraving processes also for stone work and general lithography. His rare skill with pen and pencil and the above knowledge of the various processes made him a unique asset in the publishing industry. But Julien was also loved by his friends and newspaper associates. His cartoons were not dependent on the harsh distortion of features of his subjects but of a greater skill of catching very human glimpses of his political subjects in normal or comical poses.

In 1938 Dr. Marius Barbeau described Julien’s newspaper career as follows, “From the moment Julien became a newspaper illustrator, he was always harried by the inexorable clock, and by the needs of his large family. He invariably had to dispatch his drawings before he had time to finish them to his liking. During the sessions of Parliament at Ottawa, he worked in a small room, at the Old Russell House, the clock ticking close to him and reminding him that he must run to the station with his last cartoon, if it were to appear in “The Montreal Star” the next day. Under pressure he developed a skill that was amazing: a high speed in taking ‘shorthand’ notes from his living models, a memory of facial expression and of gestures, and a sense of instantaneous characterization. Kindly humour, fun and good fellowship enabled him throughout that steady outpouring to interest and amuse often at the expense of other people but without ever hurting them. Indeed everyone was proud to be the object of his passing attention.”

It was in 1886 that Julien became chief of the “Star’s” art department, a capacity which he filled until his death in 1908. He also did book illustrations for Adolphe Poisson’s “Sous Les Pins” in 1902 and Louis Frechette’s “La Legende D’Un Peuple, 1908” and probably for other publications. As a painter he also showed marked ability and if he had had more time to carry through his ideas for paintings he would have been equally esteemed in both fields. He did mostly watercolours and a few oils, and many pencil drawings of the Habitant’s life and character. A good number of his watercolors were of men fishing on the river near Ste. Rose where he had a summer home and spent most of his leisure time fishing. An exhibition of his drswings, watercolours and oils of French Canadian life was held at The Arts Club, Montreal, in October of 1936. They were mainly from the collection of his daughter Miss Jeanne Julien who then owned 76 of the 98 works on exhibit.

Henri Julien married Marie-Louise Legault dit Deslauriers and they had 18 children of whom eight survived infancy (one son and seven daughters). His wife died in 1924. Whether his other works were in the possession of his surviving family or their offspring besides his. Daughter Jeanne is not known but Alan Jarvis in an article on Julien for “Weekend Magazine” in 1961 noted that a collection of 130 of Julien’s works owned by the Julien family was sold in 1936 to Raoul Barbin (Quebec artist) and that this collection was later purchased by Paul Cardinaux who was the owner at the time of Jarvis’ article. Dr. Marius Barbeau wrote in 1938 that he had traced 700 of Julien’s drawings to a storage room. Also in 1936 the Quebec Provincial Museum exhibited 80 of his sketches of members of Parliament during the Laurier era, also sketches of legends and customs of Old Quebec.

In 1938 an important tribute was paid to Julien by The National Gallery of Canada who organized an exhibition of 135 pen and ink, chalk, watercolour, pencil, coloured chalk, oils and wash drawings. This exhibition was opened by the then Minister of Public Works, Hon. P.J.A. Cardin. Here a series of 15 reproductions of his work and one original drawing of Sir Wilfred Laurier were shown. The reproductions included drawings of Sifton, Borden, Blair, Tarte, Mulock and others. There were also drawings of events of the time. The exhibition was made up from private and public collections of the following: The Musée de la Province de Québec, Art. Association of Montreal, The McCord National Museum of McGill University, The Arts Club, Montreal, Raoul Barbin, Esq., Montreal; J. Arthur Dupont, Esq, Montreal; Joseph Lebrun, Esq., Monreal; W.S. Maxwell, Esq., Montreal; The Misses Mignault, Montreal; Louvigny de Montigny. Esq., Ottawa; Ward C. Pitfield, Esq., Montreal; C.W. Simpson, Esq., R.C.A., Montreal; Antoine Valiquette, Esq., Montreal. This memorial exhibition was also shown in Toronto and Montreal. In 1941 Marius Barbeau’s very human and definitive book “Henri Julien” was published as part of the Ryerson’s Canadian Art Series and was very well received.

Julien died at the age of 56 after leaving the office of “The Montreal Star” to arrange for a little holiday he had earned. He dropped on the sidewalk just before reaching the Canadian Pacific Railway Office. Dr. Barbeau in his book wrote, “His premature death was brought about by overwork. ‘He was well built, like an athlete, all muscles, little flesh,’ according to a member of his family. ‘But in the winter of 1908, while in Ottawa, he had suffered a severe attack of influenza, and before he had time filly to recover, he had to work strenuously on the Tercentenary of Quebec. Much weakened after returning to his job in Montreal, he was trying to fight it off when he collapsed on the street, his heart having failed him.’ “ Over the years many tributes have been paid to this gifted and much loved Canadian.

Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume 3: Jacobi-Lismer", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1979