LES AVENTURES DE TIMOTHÉE
This coloured half page cartoon series, created by Albéric Bourgeois first appeared 30 January 1904 in La Patrie. Kenneth Baker has called it the first Canadian created cartoon strip to appear in a Canadian newspaper. A ne’er do well with a top hat and cane, Timothée’s life revolved around social graces and his fiancée Sophronie. He quickly became a popular feature of the newspaper. It quickly became a popular feature.
When Bourgeois left, Théophile Busnel from Breton took over the series until in 1905, he left to start his own series “Farces du petit cousin Chariot”; however he returned to “les Aventures”. From June 1906, the feature occurred every other week alternating with Raoul Barré’s “Les Contes du père Rheault”
In June 1907, Busnel had “Timothée” travel around the world. On these travels he was accompanied by petit Jean and Professor Fendl’air an aviator “Timothée” met on his travels. Busnel continued the series till he died September 1908. This appears to have been the end of the strip.
After World War 1, La Patrie revived “les Aventures de Timothée”, now cartooned by Arthur LeMay, but it did not last. It was replaced by cheaper American imports in translation as was the other native created strips.
SOURCE:
Article book:
Albéric Bourgeois caricaturiste, Robidoux, Léon-A, éditeur, VLB Éditeur/ Ville Saint-Michel: Médiabec Inc., 1978: “Des aventures de Timothée à la famille Citrouillard”: 49-68.
Article periodical:
Inks: Cartoon & Comic Arts Studies, 4-2, May 1997: “An Introduction to the Canadian Newspaper Comic.” Writ., Kenneth Barker: 18-25.
Kayak, 44, Sept. 2013: “Les aventures de Timothée”: 17.
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:
Les aventures de Timothée. Car., Alberic Bourgeois. Le Patrie, 30 janvier, 1904. Reproduced in inks, May 1997.