The portrait painter was highly esteemed, but going to see him was considered a luxury. He did not keep people’s feet warm in winter or fill their bellies in hard times. Yet, by immortalizing the faces of loved ones, he offered a small treasure that nourished heart and soul. From village to village, the traveling painter and later photographer offered to make such portraits which were long considered a luxury but became more affordable in the 19th century through the development of photography.

Under the French régime, portrait makers found their clients in the religious communities and high society. Several painters had to travel about to meet their subjects since they were often dying or already dead. This was the case, for example, of Abbey Hugues Pommier who painted a portrait at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec of Mother Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin, or of Pierre Le Ber who made a posthumous portrait of Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1700. Other painters painted living people such as Brother Luc who drew the portrait of Jean Talon in 1671. The custom of preserving the images of aged, ill or dead people continued until the 20^th century and lies behind a superstition to the effect that the portrait could cause death.

In the more affluent parts of societies, painting the portraits of adults or children was popular until the middle of the 19th century. Some were miniatures, occasionally painted on ivory; others were merely black silhouettes. The middle-class clients liked their portraits to reflect their social status. Drapes of velvet, jewelry and lace could contribute to create an impression of wealth. Certain portrait painters personalized their works with accessories such as a book or a game.

Of the many artists who dedicated their work to making portraits, Jean-Baptiste Roy Audy is know for having been a traveling painter from 1815 to 1848. He would go from manor to manor looking for clients and would place ads in newspapers. Other painters, such as Frances Ann Hopkins, accompanied the explorers to bring back souvenirs of their discoveries.

In the 19th century, the demand was so strong that it contributed to the development of a new process for making portraits: photography. It was in about 1840 that the daguerreotype, arrived in the St. Lawrence valley, offered in Quebec and Montreal by itinerant American photographers. At that time, sitting time took between three and 30 minutes, depending on the light, and the first sets and accessories were essentially intended to help the subjects remain still. Fortunately rapid technical progress served to reduce this time to less than a few seconds.

As of the 1860s, the daguerreotype was replaced by a new process that included the use of negatives and was developed by Englishman William Henry Fox Talbot. This process, which was less costly, allowed people to obtain several copies of an image. The media used for negatives were waxed paper and then glass plates. Around 1880, cellulose nitrate films similar to those we have today appeared. Until 1890, the photos were printed on albumenized paper then glued to cardboard. In the case of ferrotypes (tintypes), the image appeared directly on a sheet of black tin.

In the urban areas, the clients would meet with the photographer in his studio. In the countryside, they would wait for a traveling photographer to pass by. Since negatives on glass had to be processed immediately, this photographer would carry a small laboratory with him, either on his back or in a hand cart or horse-drawn cart. Fortunately, the photographer’s equipment became lighter when a camera equipped with ingenious, folded shutters was developed.

Since the traveling photographer did not have a studio, he would set up his equipment in a private house and receive clients wearing their finest clothes there.  Photos were costly and not accessible to the poorest families. Nevertheless, certain modest middle-class families found ways to economize by having their photo taken as a group. This only became possible, of course, when techniques allowing photos to be taken almost instantaneously.

In order to enhance portraits, the photographer would prepare sets, and offer clothes and jewelry to his clients to make them look richer. And he would loan a bouquet of flower to newly married couples, who wanted a photo of their marriage after the fact. After 1890, seasonal sets were also very popular.

Since painted portraits were still very fashionable in the 19th century, some photos were colored with pastels, water colors or paint in order to make them look like paintings. The photographer could also add curtains by hand or correct certain physical defects, either on the negative or on the photo.  In this respect, much like the portrait painter, he would use his artistic skills.

Liker painters and photographers, other artists exercised their talents on the road.  To learn more about public entertainers and buskers, puppeteers, poets and street musicians, we invite you to return on February 3, 2009.

Sources

LEMAGNY, Jean-Claude and André Rouillé, dir. Histoire de la photographie. Paris: Larousse, 1998, 296 pages.

LESSARD, Michel. La nouvelle encyclopédie des antiquités du Québec. Montréal: Éditions de l'Homme, 2007, 1103 pages. 

MCCORD MUSEUM. Virtual exhibit on William Notman:
http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/fr/clefs/expositionsvirtuelles/studionotman

POMERLEAU, Jeanne. Métiers ambulants d’autrefois. Montréal: Guérin littérature, 1990, 467 pages. 

 
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