Huron Chief Zacharie Vincent Telariolin Painting a Self-Portrait, c.1875

Charcoal illustration by Zacharie Vincent, seen on yellowed paper, of a man wearing traditional Huron clothing sitting in front of an easel and painting. An inscription at the bottom of the composition reads: “… Chief of the Hurons and his portrait painted by himself."

Zacharie Vincent, Huron Chief Zacharie Vincent Telariolin Painting a Self-Portrait, c.1875, charcoal on paper, 65.4 x 49.6 cm, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Centre de conservation du Québec.

Here Vincent portrays himself painting at an easel, creating a scene that traditionally emphasizes a painter’s professional status by showing him at work but moving the workspace outdoors. It represents a hybridization of Vincent’s double identity as a Huron and an artist.


The inscription at the bottom of the composition reads: “… Chief of the Hurons and his portrait painted by himself,” affirming that Vincent is both the subject and the creator of the portrait.

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Huron Chief Zacharie Vincent Telariolin Painting a Self-Portrait - Art Canada