LE PÈRE LADÉBAUCHE
Le Père Ladébauche was created in 1879 by journalist and cartoonist Hector Berthelot. Then in 1901, Raoul Barré developed a series of cartoons entitled “En Roulant Ma Boule” that featured this character. Still later, on March 5, 1904 it was adapted to the La Presse Sunday comic page by J. Charlebois, and appeared as “Les Aventures de Ladébauche for 43 episodes. But it was only when Albéric Bourgeois took over the feature on February 11, 1905 that it gained great popularity.
A bald, bewiskered rogue, “Père Ladébauche” had a fondness for liquor, gambling and women. His adventures took place at first in Québec, but he was soon travelling around the globe which he circled several times, always coming back to Montréal to brag about his experiences.
According to Maurice Horn, “Le Père Ladébauche” is indisputably the most important Canadian comic strip in the French language.
“When he took over Le Père Ladébauche, Bourgeois was already in control of his drawing style: his line was elegant and humourous, his characters portrayed with a deft hand. Although he owed some of his techniques to the early American cartoonists (notably Richard Outcault and Charles Schultz from whom he borrowed his graphic treatment of children) Bourgeois was much his own man, and his style was highly individual. Thanks to his talent, “Le Père Ladébauche” became the best known Canadian feature of the time and it fended off the assaults of more famous (and cheaper) American imports for over 50 years. The only survivor of the entire comic strip line of La Presse in 1910, this feature was to pursue its long career until 1957, when Bourgeois retired from active life.” [Horn]
MEDIUM:
BOOK TEXT & GRAPHIC COLLECTION:
Content essay & cartoon & Cover book wraparound:
Albéric Bourgeois caricaturiste. Car., Albéric Bourgeois. Writ., Léon-A Robidoux. VLB Éditeur & Médiabec Inc. 1978.
Les voyages de Ladébauche autour du monde Car., Albéric Bourgeois. Préface, Léon-A. Robidoux et Victor-Lévy Beaulieu. VLB Éditeur, 1982.
SOURCE:
Article book:
Albéric Bourgeois caricaturiste. VLB Éditeur & Médiabec Inc. 1978: “ Ah, cet insécrable Ladébauche!”: Writ., Léon-A Robidoux: 214-237.
The World Encyclopedia of Comics, Ed., Maurice Horn. Chelsea House Publishers, 1976: “Père Ladébauche (Canada)”. Writ., Horn, Maurice: 547.
Article periodical:
“An Introduction to the Canadian Newspaper Comic.” Writ., Kenneth Barker. Inks: Cartoon & Comic Arts Studies, 4-2, May 1997: 18-25.
Internet:
Archived Newspaper Strips of the 20th Century – Québecois.” Library & Archives Canada/Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/comics. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
GALLERY:
“Le Pere Ladébauche.” Car., Albéric Bourgeois. Les voyages de Ladébauche autour du monde. VLB Éditeur, 1982: 97.