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Artworks
Detail, Inscription on the back in the hand of the artist (with ultraviolet light), ‘Indian Squaw - Lorette,
Fig. 1 Canadian Habitant in Blue Tuque, a Self-Portrait, 1850 (circa)
Cornelius KrieghoffIndian Squaw, Lorette, P. Que, 18501815-1872Oil on board7 3/8 x 6 in
18.7 x 15.2 cmSoldFurther images
Inscriptions
inscribed by the artist, ‘Indian Squaw - Lorette, P. Que /Cornelius Krieghoff 1850’; inscribed Collection WWC Wilson / Montreal / Barbeau, page 147 / (3rd from left top)’ (verso)Provenance
Collection W.W.C. Wilson, Montreal.
Continental Galleries, Montreal (probably).
Private collection, Westmount, Quebec.
Literature
Marius Barbeau, Cornelius Krieghoff, Pioneer Painter of North America (Toronto: The MacMillan Company of Canada Limited, 1934), 147Cornelius Krieghoff had a keen sense of observation and great respect for the Indigenous population of Quebec. His paintings can be regarded as testimony to their traditions and lifestyle that he observed. Here he has painted a close up of an “ Indian Squaw”, on her back a basket undoubtedly with goods she is offering for sale at a market. In Krieghoff’s time and place, today one needs to underline that the terminology was entirely respectful and current. Today one would use the terminology Indigenous women. Collectors and admirers of Krieghoff’s small pictures of this type immediately recognize his artistic mastery, one unparalleled in his day. However, a reflection or study of the participation of Quebec’s Indigenous communities in the commerce of Quebec of the period, one appreciates the enormity of Krieghoff’s contribution to the canon of mid 19th century painting in North America by the documentation of this economic activity by Indigenous women.
Manon Gautier’s More Than Picturesque: Cornelius Krieghoff’s “Moccasin Seller” article in the National Gallery of Canada Magazine of September 19, 2019, she writes of Krieghoff’s paintings, “…that of Indigenous women en route to sell moccasins, baskets or beadwork to the tourists and inhabitants of Quebec’s burgeoning 19th Century cities.”[1] These Indigenous women were “productive” labourers, producing “practical goods” that were used by their buyers in the market places.
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Footnotes:
[1] Manon Gaudet. “More Than Picturesque: Cornelius Krieghoff’s "Moccasin Seller””. National Gallery of Canada Magazine. September 19, 2019. https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/your-collection/at-the-ngc/more-than-picturesque-cornelius-krieghoffs-moccasin-seller -
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