Subseries

This subseries contains correspondence sent by Clarence A. Gagnon to Horatio Walker, covering the period from September 21, 1922, to December 8, 1933. There are eight handwritten letters, seven of which have typed transcriptions. The letters, sent from Baie-Saint-Paul, Montreal, Paris, and Dalen, Norway, chronicle the travels of the artist and his wife Lucile during this period. The open, expressive style of Gagnon's letters reveals the relationship of trust behind the two men's long friendship.

The artist shares his thoughts on both personal and professional subjects with his friend and mentor. Gagnon's letters illustrate his meticulous attention to technique and the quality of his art materials. For example, he preferred to ground his own colours. They also recount his difficult relations with the publishers and printers associated with his illustrations for the luxury editions of the novels Le grand silence blanc, by Louis-Frédéric Rouquette, and Maria Chapdelaine, by Louis Hémon. Moreover, the artist's correspondence reveals his criticisms of the workings of the art world and the artistic movements then prevalent in the Parisian art scene.

Gagnon's correspondence documents the active social life he and his wife enjoyed in Europe, chronicling his ties with artistic and political figures. For example, the artist spent time with both Duncan Campbell Scott, an author, poet and civil servant, and Eric Brown, the Director of the National Gallery of Canada, during their respective visits to Paris. He also rubbed shoulders with Canadian diplomat Vincent Massey and was friends with French politician and art critic Armand Dayot. Furthermore, the correspondence documents the many travels of the artist and his wife as they took advantage of their stay in Europe to visit several regions. There are letters about Gagnon staying in Switzerland with artist Frederick William Hutchison and a trip he made to various regions in France, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia in the company of his wife and one of her friends. Another letter recounts a journey by car to Belgium, Holland and again to Germany. The artist also shares his impressions of Norway, which he enjoyed for its vast landscapes and the opportunity to go fishing. Gagnon's correspondence also mentions that he met a young trapper studying art in Paris, who was no doubt René Richard. Although a few passages document French fears about the rise of Nazism, the artist does not appear to have been affected by it during his trips to Germany.