Antique Furniture of Quebec: Four Centuries of Furniture-Making

Antique Furniture of Qu?becbrings together hundreds of sumptuous full-colour photographs illustrating every phase in the history of Qu?bec furniture and an authoritative text written by Michel Lessard describing and analysing that history. The result is a book that is both a beautiful object and an unparalleled resource. Lessard emphasizes the cosmopolitan and eclectic nature of Qu?bec society and its openness to outside influences. He draws upon both textual and photographic sources to demonstrate that Quebeckers, from the first years of settlement to the present time, have adopted craft and design ideas from abroad. The three cultures that have historically shaped Qu?bec society, that of France, Great Britain, and the United States, have naturally been the most powerful influences. Lessard traces their effect while, at the same time, demonstrating the often original and creative response to these influences by Qu?bec designers, artists, and craftspeople. It's all in these pages: from the ornate and often heavy furniture of eighteenth century France to the primitive, Shaker-influenced pine furniture of rural Qu?bec, to William Morris and Art Deco and, finally, the Modern era. Of particular interest is the series of homes that the author has tracked down, each typical of a particular era and each preserved with furnishings appropriate to the era in place. By this and other means, Michel Lessard masterfully combines an appreciation of the historical and social context in which furniture is made and used with a thorough understanding of the craft and business of furniture-making. "Furniture," writes Michel Lessard, "is an open book containing a multitude of stories." This lavish and authoritative book is certain to continue telling its stories for years to come.