This painting, a copy, depicts Charles-Louis Tarieu de Lanaudière (1743-1811), born in Quebec City. He was the son of Louise-Geneviève Deschamps de Boishébert and Charles-François Tarieu de Lanaudière. His godfather was Charles de Beauharnois de La Boische, the governor general of New France.
After spending a few years in France after the Conquest, Charles-Louis returned to the country. He married Geneviève-Élisabeth Chapt de La Corne in 1769 in Montreal. The couple had three children, including Catherine-Élisabeth-Geneviève, who was born in March 1779 and died in 1784 at the age of 5.
Charles-Louis Tarieu de Lanaudière became the aide-de-camp to Guy Carleton, who placed all his trust in him. Owning land in Lanaudière and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, he focused on developing his seigneuries. Upon his death, he was buried in the crypt of the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.
The grandparents of Charles-Louis Tarieu de Lanaudière were Marie-Madeleine Jarret de Verchères (1678-1747) and Pierre-Thomas de Lanouguère Tarieu de Lanaudière (1677-1757). The mother of the latter was Marguerite-Renée Denys de la Ronde, the sister of Father Joseph Denys, Recollect, and Marie-Louise Denys de la Ronde, the wife of Pierre d’Ailleboust d’Argenteuil.
As for the artist, Donald Riblings Hill, he was born in New York State in June 1900. He came to settle in Montreal with his parents (Franze Max. Hill and Sophia Hill) and his two brothers, Herbert and Nicholas. The family settled in Westmount in 1907, and everyone obtained their Canadian citizenship in 1921.
Donald Riblings Hill studied the arts. In 1927, he participated in the Salon du Printemps in his adopted city, and his miniatures were noticed. They were “exquisite, delicate in execution and perfect in expression.” The artist was also present at the Salon du Printemps 1928.
Much like other painters of his time, Hill produced copies of works from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The group portrait William McGillivray, His Wife and Their Child, copied by Hill from the work by Louis Dulongpré (1759-1843) is on display at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal.
The exact date of Donald R. Hill’s death is unknown.
Donation from Alice Lanaudière Neilson
Musée Pierre-Boucher Collection
1980 12 P
