History of Edmond J. Massicotte

Edmond was the brother of E.Z. Massicotte. He was an artist. He has many drawings throughout many books and publications. The following is an article by Aubert Pallascio translated to English by his wife Helene.

Edmond J. Massicotte was born in Montreal in 1875. He was Edouard Massicotte's second son from his wife Adele Bertrand. Edouard was from Ste-Genevieve-de-Batiscan. Edmond had an elder brother, Edouard-Zotique, a well-known figure in the family, and a younger sister, Marie-Antoinette. Their father would have served in the Canadian Army and would have settled in Montreal in 1865.

At an early age, Edmond-J. showed his appeal for drawing. He studied commerce at Ste-Cunegonde's Academy. It seems that he despised mathematics. Then, at sixteen years old, he studied at the "Ecole des Arts et Manufactures". Advised by his tutor, professor Edmond Dyonet, he pursued at the "Galerie de Arts" and was trained by the well-known painter Henri Julien. A street is named after the latter in Montreal.

The young man met Aldine Edmond you became his wife. He had met her at Beauchemin's Bookshop where she worked. He used to buy his drawing material there. It is said that these two used to write each other wonderful love letters, all well kept and preserved by the family. Edmond and Aldine had two children, Cecile and a boy, deceased in childhood.

According to his unique child, he was an authoritarian character. One day, little Cecile went to play outside with her neighbor, forgetting to put her hat on. Despite a Spring well on its way, the father who had see her, ran to catch and bring her back home, scolding. Inside the house, Cecile ran in hiding under her bed. Edmond-J. pulled her out by the leg and gave her a good spanking.

The artist disliked cats. The only time he accepted that a cat would pass his threshold, it was to serve him as a model.

As for the drawing entitled "Une noce d'autrefois" published on the front page of Le Massicot (Vol. 2, no. 3 of June 1996), our artist used his family members as models. The bride was his own wife, Aldine; the groom, his wife's nephew; the little girl running towards the couple, his own daughter Cecile. The latter married Jules Pothier in 1956. They had a son, Jean-Francois, who takes a lot after his maternal grandfather. Cecile Massicotte was certainly well taught as she later on became a teacher at primary school and used to draw very well.

Around 1892, Edmond-J. published in several newspapers; Le Monde Illustre, La Presse, Le Passe-Temps, Le Samedi. He also published in the People's Almanac and illustrated school books such as "L'Histoire du Canada". What's more, he enhanced the books of Brother Marie-Victorin, the famous botanist.

A paper once quoted: "Added to all his qualities and awareness as an observer and a learned patriot, Mr. Edmond-J. Massicotte now shows us his gifts as a designer: his works reach all their value only according to his manner of realization."

Edmond-J. was a nervous and stressed type of person. He suffered a stroke in 1928. It left him partially paralyzed, which made things worse since he was unable to draw at will. A second stroke brought his demise in 1929 in his home of Sault-au-Recollet at the age of 53.

He lived five years in this house bought almost new in 1924. Jules Pothier, his son-in-law, still lives there. On a wall in the drawing-room, there is one of his drawings entitled: "La Lecon de Piano". We see little Cecile sitting at the piano, offered by Edmond to his daughter is still there by the window exactly like the painting. What used to be called Sault-au-Recollet is now close to Henri-Bourassa boulevard in Montreal.

Here are some other drawings by Edmond.