Subseries

This subseries documents Clarence A. Gagnon's professional relations with employees of Rous and Mann Limited, a Toronto printer. It contains seven letters sent to the artist between April 8, 1926, and March 21, 1933, when he was living in Paris.

Five of them were written by Albert H. Robson. Robson communicated with Gagnon primarily on behalf of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario), where he worked as a member of the Exhibition and Purchase Committee. In his letter of April 8, 1926, Robson asks Gagnon to write to the Johnson Art Galleries and Watson Art Galleries in Montreal, which had some of his paintings, to ask that these works be sent to Toronto for the museum's exhibition scheduled for May of that year. In a letter dated August 24, 1926, Robson conveys the committee members' desire to see Gagnon's "paintings which were at Wembley" in Toronto (probably those exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley, England, in 1924 and 1925), along with perhaps "the painting which is in New York and which won the Jesse Dow prize in Montreal [...]." On January 7, 1928, Robson confirms to Gagnon that the committee has approved the purchase of his painting Racing on the Ice, which joined the other three paintings by Gagnon already held by the Art Gallery of Toronto.

Robson also takes advantage of Gagnon's presence in Paris to retain his services as an intermediary, asking him to keep an eye out for any paintings that might interest the museum. On February 16, 1927, he tells Gagnon that Frank Wood, a major museum benefactor, is planning a trip to Paris and asks him to advise Wood on what new paintings he could purchase for the Gallery. In a letter dated March 16, 1927, he asks Gagnon to offer similar assistance to Fred S. Haines, the past president of the Ontario Society of Artists, who was recently appointed Secretary in charge of the Canadian National Exhibition Gallery. The same letter notes that the museum missed an opportunity to acquire some works by Collet and Simonidy.

The content of the last two letters relates more directly to the company's printing activities. One was written by Herbert Laurence Rous and the other by a Rous and Mann employee. Rous' letter, sent to Gagnon on June 21, 1926, refers to an epistolary exchange between the two men regarding printing processes. Rous is particularly interested in a process that would prevent the colours from fading, and asks Gagnon to put him in touch with any Paris manufacturers that could help with this process. He also encourages Gagnon to provide some additional sketches for the production of greeting cards. The last letter, dated March 21, 1933, draws Gagnon's attention to a counterfeit Christmas card featuring a reproduction of one of Gagnon's illustrations, printed by the Montreal firm Queen Printing & Stationery Co.