02/13/2025
100% Canadian!....over the next few weeks we'll be posting some history and stories and pictures of Canadian art, handicraft and Canadian manufactured items from our past...and not so distant past. We have a history and collective creativity and productivity to be truly proud of!
Beginning in the 1940s, but rooted in an older tradition of folk art, Quebecois wood carving artisans began marketing their wares to tourists up and down the St. Lawrence River valley. The fishing, farming and hunting heritage of the Quebecois became the inspiration for carved figures of sailors, habitants and village folk as well as local wildlife such as beavers, bears and geese.
Several carvers became famous for the output and quality of their works. Among those artisans, the Caron family stands out. In the town of St Jean Port Joli, Paul Emile Caron started selling his carvings in the 1930s, soon follwed by his brother, Jocelyn. His sons continued the family business into the 1970s. The carver would generally carve their name or initials into the base of their carvings. Finding a piece with the name P.E. Caron can be quite a find...while later pieces from that family simply have the name Caron carved into them.
Similar artisanal carvings can be found in the tourist shops of Montreal and Quebec City today, but it's always a hurrah moment when you find a vintage carving on auction, at a yard sale or thrift store. These items are still quite affordable but they're becoming more collectable every year!!
