Théophile-Abraham Hamel (8 November 1817 – 23 December 1870) was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.

Life

Hamel was born in 1817 in Sainte-Foy (that was a suburb of Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

), the son of a successful farmer. Hamel's paternal ancestry can be traced to French immigrant Jean Hamel, who arrived in New France

New France

New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...

 from Avremesnil

Avremesnil

Avremesnil is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village in the valley of the Saâne river, in the Pays de Caux, situated some southwest of Dieppe, at the junction of the D27 and D2 roads.-Heraldry:-Population:-Places of...

 (Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

) in 1656. In 1834 Théophile was already taking art lessons from Antoine Plamondon

Antoine Plamondon

Antoine-Sébastien Plamondon was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :Plamondon was born in 1804 at L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, the son of the village grocer...

. For a while he attended the Accademia di San Luca

Accademia di San Luca

The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...

, in Rome. He was very much interested in the works of the Romantics.

Career

His early portraits show a mixture of European romanticism and Canadian simplicity. His style gradually changed to match the taste of his clients for simple, honest, even prim portraits.

In 1838 he painted 'Three Indian Chiefs Leading a Delegation to Quebec. In 1843, Hamel travelled to Europe (London, Naples, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, and then north to France and Belgium).
In 1846 he returned to Canada to Quebec. Throughout his career he travelled throughout Canada East

Canada East

Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....

 and Canada West, painting portraits of such notables as Sir John Beverley Robinson

John Beverley Robinson

John Beverley Robinson was elected mayor of Toronto in 1856. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between the years 1880–1887....

, Denis-Benjamin Viger

Denis-Benjamin Viger

Denis-Benjamin Viger was a 19th century Lower Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, and Patriote movement member.Viger was part of the militia in the early 19th century and then a captain in the War of 1812...

, Sir Allan MacNab

Allan MacNab

Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...

, Louis-Joseph Papineau

Louis-Joseph Papineau

Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...

, John Sandfield Macdonald

John Sandfield Macdonald

John Sandfield Macdonald, QC was the first Premier of the province of Ontario, one of the four founding provinces created at the confederation of Canada in 1867...

, and Sir Étienne Taché. He worked quickly, often completing a portrait in a single day.

Hamel also painted religious pictures for various commissions, and a series of "imaginative" or "semi-imaginative" portraits of Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...

, Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....

, Jean Talon

Jean Talon

Jean Talon, Comte d'Orsainville was a French colonial administrator who was the first and most highly regarded Intendant of New France under King Louis XIV...

, Montcalm

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, Marquis de Saint-Veran was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War .Montcalm was born near Nîmes in France to a noble family, and entered military service...

, and General James Murray. The image of Cartier even appeared on a banknote.
It is estimated that Hamel painted more than 2000 portraits during his lifetime. In 1848, he painted portraits of Robert Baldwin

Robert Baldwin

Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....

 and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...

. In 1850-1, he painted Egerton Ryerson

Egerton Ryerson

Adolphus Egerton Ryerson was a Methodist minister, educator, politician, and public education advocate in early Ontario, Canada...

. In 1853, he painted 'Madame Renaud and Her Daughters Wilhemine and Emma'. His painting 'L'Abbé Edouard Faucher', painted in 1855, now hangs at Eglise de Saint-Laurent, Lotbiniere. His painting of Sir Allan MacNab

Allan MacNab

Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...

, painted in 1862, currently hangs in the Senate of Canada.

Family

In 1857, at age of 40, he married Mathilde-Georgiana Faribault, daughter of George-Barthélemy Faribault

George-Barthélemy Faribault

George-Barthélemy Faribault was a Canadian archaeologist, born in Quebec.Faribault was a first cousin of Jean-Baptiste, father of Alexander, founder of the city of Faribault, Minnesota, U.S.A....

, a pioneer librarian. He died in Quebec City, in December 1870.

Works

Title/subject	Artist	Date created	Medium
Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1848	Oil on canvas
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1848	Oil on canvas
Egerton Ryerson Egerton Ryerson Adolphus Egerton Ryerson was a Methodist minister, educator, politician, and public education advocate in early Ontario, Canada...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1850-1	Oil on canvas
'Madame Renaud and Her Daughters Wilhemine and Emma'	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1853	Oil on canvas
'L'Abbé Edouard Faucher'	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1855	Oil on canvas
Jean-Antoine Panet Jean-Antoine Panet Jean-Antoine Panet was a notary, lawyer, judge, seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Quebec in 1751, the son of Jean-Claude Panet. He served in the militia defending the town of Quebec during the American Revolution and he later attained the rank of ieutenant-colonel in the...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1856	Oil on canvas
David William Smith	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1859	Oil on canvas
Alexander Macdonell Alexander Macdonell (politician) Alexander Macdonell was a soldier and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Scotland in 1762 and arrived in the Mohawk Valley of New York with other members of his family, including his brother, Angus Macdonell. He served with the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment during the American...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1854	Oil on canvas
Levius Peters Sherwood Levius Peters Sherwood Levius Peters Sherwood was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born at St. Johns in Lower Canada, the son of Justus Sherwood. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1803. In 1804, he was appointed registrar for Grenville, Leeds, and Carleton and customs inspector...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1855	Oil on canvas
John Willson John Willson John Willson was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in New Jersey in 1776. He arrived in the Niagara District around 1789 and settled in Saltfleet Township, where he became a farmer, in 1797. In 1809, he was elected to the 5th Parliament of Upper Canada in a by-election in...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1855	Oil on canvas
Marshall Spring Bidwell Marshall Spring Bidwell Marshall Spring Bidwell was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1799, the son of Barnabas Bidwell. His family settled in Bath in Upper Canada before the War of 1812. He studied with a law firm in Kingston and was called to the Ontario Bar in...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1854	Oil on canvas
Archibald McLean Archibald McLean (judge) Chief Justice The Hon. Archibald McLean was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.-Early life:...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1854	Oil on canvas
Sir Allan Napier MacNab Allan MacNab Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1853	Oil on canvas
Henry Ruttan Henry Ruttan Henry Ruttan was a businessman, inventor and politician figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Adolphustown in 1792. At the age of 14, he left school to work in a store in Kingston. He served in the militia during the War of 1812. After the war, he remained in the militia and reached the rank of...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1856	Oil on canvas
Austin Cuvillier Austin Cuvillier Austin Cuvillier was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada and Canada East.He was born Augustin Cuvillier in Quebec City in 1779 and was hired by a Montreal auctioneer, eventually taking over the business when his employer retired. After he formed a partnership with two other men, the...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1856	Oil on canvas
Augustin-Norbert Morin Augustin-Norbert Morin Augustin-Norbert Morin was a lawyer, judgeBorn in Saint-Michel, Lower Canada, into a large Roman Catholic farming family, Morin was identified by the parish priest at a young age as a boy of exceptional talent and intelligence. The parish priest therefore arranged for his education at the...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1854	Oil on canvas
John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, QC was the first Premier of the province of Ontario, one of the four founding provinces created at the confederation of Canada in 1867...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1854	Oil on canvas
Louis-Victor Sicotte Louis-Victor Sicotte Louis-Victor Sicotte was a lawyer, judge and politician in Lower Canada.He was born Louis Cicot in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1812. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1839...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1855	Oil on canvas
Sir Allan MacNab Allan MacNab Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1862	Oil on canvas
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte Joseph-Édouard Turcotte Joseph-Édouard Turcotte was a lawyer and political figure in Canada East.He was born in Gentilly, Lower Canada in 1808. He studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. In 1831, he lost his right arm in an accident. Deciding not to pursue a future in the priesthood, he studied law with Elzéar Bédard and...	Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	1865	Oil on canvas
Major General James Wolfe James Wolfe Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	circa 1865	Oil on canvas
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm Louis-Joseph de Montcalm Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, Marquis de Saint-Veran was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War .Montcalm was born near Nîmes in France to a noble family, and entered military service...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :...	circa 1865	Oil on canvas
George Prevost George Prevost Sir George Prévost, 1st Baronet was a British soldier and colonial administrator. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the eldest son of Swiss French Augustine Prévost, he joined the British Army as a youth and became a captain in 1784. Prévost served in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary...	Copy by Théophile Hamel Théophile Hamel Théophile-Abraham Hamel was a Canadian artist who painted mainly portraits and religious images in 19th-century Quebec.- Life :... after Robert Field (circa 1808)	1864	Oil on canvas