Horatio Walker

Horatio Walker was an internationally celebrated painter of rural French-Canadian life. In 1883, captivated by the timeless pastoral customs of the St. Lawrence River, Walker purchased property at Sainte-Pétronille on Île d'Orléans, Quebec, where he maintained his primary residence and studio for over fifty years.

Influenced by the French Barbizon school, Walker depicted woodcutters, pig-feeders, milkmaids, and plowmen working with powerful oxen under dramatic skies. His monumental paintings commanded record prices in New York, London, and Montreal, earning him the title "the Canadian Millet" and honorary doctorates from McGill and Laval.