Name/Title
Québec vu de portEntry/Object ID
2018.08.05Description
Print
This image depicts a view of the port of Old Québec on Cap Diamant on the Promontory of Québec and on which Québec City is located (formed by the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and the St. Charles River). Explorer Samuel de Champlain founded a French settlement here in 1608, adopting the First Nations Algonquin name, Kébec.
The ramparts area within old Québec's city walls was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Québec", one of the world's best examples of a fortified colonial city. The heritage site of Old Québec is an urban area of some 135 hectares with two distinct areas - the upper part on the Cap Diamant promontory and the lower part on a strip of land between the escarpment, the St. Lawrence River and the St. Charles River.
The image shows the waterfront port area with workmen, barrels and cargo bales in the foreground, various ships and boats, as well as the Lower Town with various buildings and the Upper Town in the background. Visible in the distance are two well-known symbols of the city - to the left is the Château Frontenac (now The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac), and to the right is La Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec. Multi-story residential houses, seen at the top of the escarpment ramparts, reflect the traditions of over four centuries of history and climate.
The Château Frontenac in the Upper Town, with its distinctive and commanding silhouette, is a landmark of Old Québec. Completed in 1893, it was designed by Bruce Price and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The Château Frontenac was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.
La Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec is the primatial church of Canada and the seat of the Archdiocese of Québec. First construction dates from 1647 on the site of the first chapel constructed by Champlain in 1633. The church was classified as a Canadian Historic Monument in 1966, and designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989.Artwork Details
Medium
Etching and aquatint on paperSubject Place
Region
NortheastContinent
North AmericaContext
The Château style, as exemplified by the Château Frontenac, is still considered as one of the distinctive features of Canadian architecture. The Canadian Pacific Railway made it the official style for its hotels across the country, such as the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa and the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. Characterized by the use of elements from medieval and Renaissance castles, these luxury hotels were usually constructed of stone masonry, but red-brown brick was also used, as with the Château Frontenac.
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La Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québect is a living place of worship with a long and proud history, and has served as the first Catholic parish in North America since 1664. It acquired cathedral status in 1674 and 200 years later, that of a basilica. It was shelled prior to the siege of Québec in 1759, destroyed by fire multiple times and experienced many reconstructions and renovations. Of note, was the ornate interior work completed in 1828 by three generations of the Baillairgé family of architects and wood carvers - Jean, his son François, and his grandson Thomas. In late 1922 the church burned to the ground. A seven-year reconstruction project began in 1923 from the original plans and old photographs, ultimately deemed an exact replica of the work of the Baillairgés. There are more than 900 tombs of various dignitaries in the church, but the dream of finding Champlain’s tomb, thought to be on the site of the first chapel, has yet to be realized.
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The residential houses at the top of the escarpment ramparts, likely built for merchants, blended traditions and features from the French and the English, and the architecture was also adapted to local conditions such as shallow land lots and extreme winter weather. For example, the medium to steep gabled sloped roof design provided protection from collapse under the weight of snow, and tin was used instead of slate or tile that was ill-suited for extreme cold temperatures.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac (1905-1984)Role
PrintmakerDate made
circa 1936Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Québec City, Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac was a noted Canadian painter and printmaker. She studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in her native city, graduating in 1931 after study with H. Ivan Neilson (1865-1931) who taught her etching and Lucien Martial (1892-1987), her professor of drawing, painting and decoration. She succeeded Neilson in 1931, and taught engraving, perspective, interior design and illustration until 1945. She moved to Montréal in 1945 and worked there as a book illustrator.
Hudon-Beaulac's love of old Québec and its landscape is clearly reflected in both her paintings and etchings. She won numerous awards during her career, and exhibited widely, notably with the sculptor and fellow Québecois artist, Sylvia Daoust RCA, (1902-2004). A member of the Society of Canadian Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Hudon-Beaulac's work has been exhibited many times, in both North America and Britain. She is well-known for her illustration of the book entitled "Au fil des côtes de Québec" which was completed for the Canadian Centennial in 1967.Edition
Edition Size
95Edition Number
55Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Inscription, SignatureLocation
Left to right bottom in pencil:
Québec vu de port 55/95 Simone HudonDimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
27.3 cmWidth
18.4 cmRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
By Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac:
2018.08.05 Québec vu de port
2018.08.06 Sur le Cap à Québec
