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Lot Essay
Légaré has included a rainbow in the plume of spray just above the heads of the sightseers standing on the rocks on the left, two habitants, probably the sightseers' guides, and two Native Americans seated in the woods on the right. For a smaller oil sketch of the same subject by Légaré, previously in the Winkworth Collection, see the oil on card now in the Library and Archives, Canada (R9266-546).
‘In a book published in 1815, the surveyor-general Joseph Bouchette gives the following description of the falls on the River Chaudière …: ‘The River Chaudière, which crosses the seigneury [of Lauzon] and flows into the St Lawrence about two leagues above Quebec City, is of considerable width … Its bed is uneven and confined by rocks which just from its side and cause violent rapids; the current dropping over the different rocks results in falls of a considerable height; the most remarkable are those called the Chaudière, about four miles before the river joins the Saint Lawrence. … The darkish hue of the woods which stretch on each side of the edge of the river makes a striking contrast with the snow-white brilliance of the torrent; the headlong movement of the river which rushes among the rocks and hollows as it makes its way towards the Saint Lawrence, and the continual noise occasioned by the cataract itself, together make a strong impression on the senses and amply satisfy the curiosity of the astonished spectator. … Repeating the same observations in 1831 Bouchette this time indicates to his reader the different places from which the view of the falls is particularly remarkable. … The best of these vantage points, the one from which the view is most awe-inspiring, he states, is to the left of the falls themselves, from a rocky point that juts out into the basin. It is from this spot that Légaré has painted The Chaudière Falls. This work is a perfect illustration of Bouchette’s description.
In the foreground may be seen tall if stunted fir trees and dead tree trunks. To the right are two seated Indians, one of whom is smoking a pipe. To the left, in the middle distance, visitors contemplate the grand spectacle of the Chaudière Falls. Beyond the falls may be seen a strip of thick forest, bordering the riverbed and disappearing into the distance on the right-hand side of the picture. We have found a variation of this work in the store rooms of the Séminaire de Québec Museum. … This picture, in rather poor condition, was painted from the same place. It shows a few differences, particularly in the disposition and outline of the trees in the foreground. Since its treatment is less detailed and the composition not so well balanced, it may possibly have been a preliminary sketch for the splendid picture found in London.’ (J.R. Porter, op. cit., pp.80-81)
‘In a book published in 1815, the surveyor-general Joseph Bouchette gives the following description of the falls on the River Chaudière …: ‘The River Chaudière, which crosses the seigneury [of Lauzon] and flows into the St Lawrence about two leagues above Quebec City, is of considerable width … Its bed is uneven and confined by rocks which just from its side and cause violent rapids; the current dropping over the different rocks results in falls of a considerable height; the most remarkable are those called the Chaudière, about four miles before the river joins the Saint Lawrence. … The darkish hue of the woods which stretch on each side of the edge of the river makes a striking contrast with the snow-white brilliance of the torrent; the headlong movement of the river which rushes among the rocks and hollows as it makes its way towards the Saint Lawrence, and the continual noise occasioned by the cataract itself, together make a strong impression on the senses and amply satisfy the curiosity of the astonished spectator. … Repeating the same observations in 1831 Bouchette this time indicates to his reader the different places from which the view of the falls is particularly remarkable. … The best of these vantage points, the one from which the view is most awe-inspiring, he states, is to the left of the falls themselves, from a rocky point that juts out into the basin. It is from this spot that Légaré has painted The Chaudière Falls. This work is a perfect illustration of Bouchette’s description.
In the foreground may be seen tall if stunted fir trees and dead tree trunks. To the right are two seated Indians, one of whom is smoking a pipe. To the left, in the middle distance, visitors contemplate the grand spectacle of the Chaudière Falls. Beyond the falls may be seen a strip of thick forest, bordering the riverbed and disappearing into the distance on the right-hand side of the picture. We have found a variation of this work in the store rooms of the Séminaire de Québec Museum. … This picture, in rather poor condition, was painted from the same place. It shows a few differences, particularly in the disposition and outline of the trees in the foreground. Since its treatment is less detailed and the composition not so well balanced, it may possibly have been a preliminary sketch for the splendid picture found in London.’ (J.R. Porter, op. cit., pp.80-81)