PROVENANCE
Leslie Lewis, London
Private Collection, Ontario

Cornelius Krieghoff lived in Quebec City from 1853 to 1863, and some of his best-loved works from this period are depictions of the local Hurons. Although the fur trade provided their greatest source of income, the local economy in Quebec City included the production and sale of traditional items such as moccasins, snowshoes, baskets and canoes. Moccasins were not only attractive footwear; they were also very practical. Their soft soles enabled the wearing of snowshoes in the winter and allowed one to step safely into a birch bark canoe in the summer. Many of these local crafts were sold to army officers who were looking for a tangible keepsake of their stay in this place of romantic scenery. These same officers were also avid collectors of Krieghoff’s small paintings, as the subject matter of these works provided a special memory of Canada. The female moccasin seller is seen picking her way through the ice jams on the St. Lawrence River, the jagged shards of ice serving as a dramatic backdrop as well as a reminder of the harsh but beautiful winters of Quebec.

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