Originally from the Netherlands, artist Cornelius Krieghoff lived in several places in the United States and Lower Canada during his lifetime. He spent several years in Québec City in the mid-19th century, producing many paintings of daily life there. He became a regular in the reception rooms of the English-speaking elite, who bought some of his paintings.

1840 - 1889

A partly English-speaking city

Today, the vast majority of Québec City’s population speaks French as their first language. It is hard to imagine that a great part of the city was once English! However, it was the case in the mid-19th century. A large wave of immigration from the British Isles came through Québec City, the point of entry to Canada. The Anglophone presence peaked in Québec City around 1870, when nearly half of the residents, mainly from Ireland, were English-speaking. Come and rediscover Québec City’s English-speaking past!

Painter Cornelius Krieghoff

Jules-Ernest Livernois Originally from the Netherlands, artist Cornelius Krieghoff lived in several places in the United States and Lower Canada during his lifetime. He spent several years in Québec City in the mid-19th century, producing many paintings of daily life there. He became a regular in the reception rooms of the English-speaking elite, who bought some of his paintings.

Chronoscope What comments and thoughts does Krieghoff’s work evoke for you? (unilingual French for a limited time)

Depicted period: 1870

Source: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Date: 1870

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