File

This file chronicles Clarence A. Gagnon's contributions to the organization of the 1939 royal visit of King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth. He not only loaned original illustrations from the deluxe edition of Maria Chapdelaine (Mornay, 1933) to decorate the Queen's sitting room in Rideau Hall, he also served as a member of the Decorations Committee in charge of selecting paintings and sculptures by Canadian artists to decorate the rooms used by the royal couple in Montreal's Windsor Hotel. The file is composed primarily of correspondence, press clippings, and notes, both handwritten and typewritten.

The file contains three letters from Lieutenant Colonel Eric Mackenzie, Comptroller of the Household at Rideau Hall (home of the Governor General), to Clarence A. Gagnon, regarding the logistics of having the latter loan some of his paintings. In a letter dated December 10, 1938, the comptroller invites Gagnon to come and place the pictures himself. Mackenzie even encloses a rough sketch of the room in question with his missive of January 7, 1939. After the royal visit, Lieutenant Robert Scott, an aide-de-camp at Rideau Hall, sends Gagnon a note conveying the King and Queen's appreciation of the pictures. There is also a list of the paintings displayed, with a note indicating the total estimated value of the works.

In addition, the file contains an admission card for the Windsor Hotel banquet held May 16, 1939, along with handwritten notes regarding the decorations for this prestigious establishment chosen to host the royal couple during their visit to Montreal. There is a list of works by Canadian artists (Robert Pilot, Horatio Walker, Clarence A. Gagnon, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Maurice Cullen, Thomas Harold Beament, Frederick S. Coburn, Albert H. Robinson, James Wilson Morrice, Edwin Holgate and Lilias Torrance) selected to decorate the walls of the lounge room. A second document identifies some of the lenders of these works: the artists themselves or their estate, galleries, and private individuals.

The majority of the press clippings that complete the file cover the same subjects. Several articles list the names of the works displayed in each room of the royal suite in the Windsor Hotel, which some people had the privilege of visiting before the suite was dismantled. One article notes that Gagnon was also commissioned to design the banquet menu. A letter from the Earl of Airlie and several press clippings report that the Queen asked the Governor General to convey her wish that Gagnon paint two pictures of typical Quebec scenes for her. Finally, the file contains two copies of an article published in the February 28, 1919, European edition of the New York Herald regarding the London wedding of Princess Patricia and Alexander Ramsay. The article reports that one of the wedding gifts was a painting by "Mr. Clarence Gaguin" (Gagnon) from Mrs. Hamilton Gault.