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Cornelius Krieghoff, Pioneer Painter of North America

A major figure in Canadian art history, Cornelius Krieghoff is known for his many paintings depicting Quebec landscapes and habitants (rural Quebecers) in the 1800s. A complete portrait of this artist can be found in the book Cornelius Krieghoff, Pioneer Painter of North America. Published in 1934, this work is based on extensive research by Marius Barbeau, a pioneering anthropologist and the founder of professional folklore studies in Canada.

In the first few chapters, the author tells us about Krieghoff’s life based on a wealth of factual information, with the occasional imaginative speculation thrown in. Krieghoff was born in Amsterdam in 1815, and spent most of his youth in Bavaria before emigrating to New York in 1837. There, he enlisted in the American army and produced illustrations as a war artist. During that time, he also met his future wife, a French Canadian named Louise Gauthier. Krieghoff and his family eventually moved to Canada, living in Toronto, Montréal and other Canadian cities. He also went to Paris to refine his technique before settling in Montréal in 1846 as a professional painter. It was not until he moved to Québec City in 1853, however, that his career really took off. It is estimated that Krieghoff painted between 1,500 and 1,800 works over his career. His production slowed down after he left for Europe in 1863. He returned to Quebec briefly in 1871 and then moved to Chicago, where he died in 1872.

The second part of the book presents a chronological listing of Krieghoff’s works as well as a catalogue raisonné: a detailed listing of nearly 500 of these paintings, organized by subject. As a genre painter, Krieghoff mainly illustrated scenic landscapes depicting life in parts of rural Quebec – a galloping horse pulling a sleigh along a snowy road, a hunter in an autumn landscape, a crowd of revellers spilling out of a tavern after a night of carousing. Krieghoff captured the beauty of Quebec’s landscapes as well as the activities, interactions and lifestyles of the habitants. His vibrant and detailed illustrations, sometimes tinged with humour, provide a remarkable record not only of the occupations and labours of the peoples depicted in his work, but also of the simplicity and small pleasures of life in the 19th century.

Details

• The Library of Parliament’s copy of this book has a red cloth hard cover, contains 152 pages and measures 25 cm high.
• The book was published in Toronto by the Macmillan Company of Canada and contains 16 leaves of colour plates that feature a selection of Krieghoff’s works, as well as two specimen prints.