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How far must we go back in our history to learn about the early carvers and sculptors? Religious sculpting and patriotic theme were the call of the day. Under the directorship of Charles-Olivier Dauphin (1807-74) and Napoleon Bourassa (1827-1916) the task was begun and the works came into being.
The history of this time is an unknown to me and includes artists I know nothing about. They came and went in and out of the churches and buildings decorating them according to the designs set by the architects.
The association that O.Gratton had with Louis-Philippe Hebert during his lifetime was one of assistant, starting in 1881 and you call it what you may. It becomes one of a situation that was constantly under change. Collaborator is one of them and so was the case for the figures that were made for Notre Dame du Ottawa started in 1879-87.
The first work I ever saw of his was in the Notre Dame de Lourdes Montreal in the chapel at the back of the cathedral. It was not long before I learned of more work and then the whole thing took off in the finding of his relative Bernard Mulaire of Montreal. He got together an exhibition to which I got an invitation.
The list of sacred statues is a long one including works found all over Quebec. Saint Wenceslas Nicolet got the first work as early as 1881. By 1885 Autel for St. Jacques, Chaire for Ste. Marie Montreal, Autel for Ste. Anne Basilique, and the list just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I will use a few photos from the exhibition catalogue so you can get a better picture of what he did during his life. Arthur Vincent and many others decorated all of the churches in Quebec and I am no expert on the subject. I would have to live another lifetime to get it all recorded.
The documentation is in my files right now ready to get used for anyone interested in learning about the amount of work it took to get the carvings finished in the various churches in Canada.
I have a couple of busts done by Gratton, one of Taschereau and the other of Houde mayor of Montreal. These two works have been in my collection since 1974 when I bought them from an antique place in Gananoque Ontario.
Since the exhibition catalogue covers so much of his life I will leave well enough alone and chance they do not mind the spread of his name as an early carver and designer. It has been wonderful to find but I cannot say I will ever do the job I want with the number of difficulties there are in getting a history of that Province.
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