Gada Jane

190-192 Oxford Street

While at an artist’s retreat in Pont-Aven, in France, painter Paul Peel meets miniaturist Isuare Verdier, and they fall in love. Isaure’s mother objects to her daughter marrying Paul, a penniless Canadian, and will consent to the match only if Paul can win a medal at the Salon. Paul does eventually win a medal at the Salon, and Paul and Isaure are happily married.

Transcript

Paul Peel, possibly Canada’s best known 19th century painter, began studying art in his teenage years while living in a house that once stood at 190-192 Oxford Street, directly across the street from this sign. In the following story, artist Gada Jane tells a story about her distant cousin, Paul Peel.

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When Paul was 22, he went to Pont-Aven, which is a well-known artists street in Brittany in France. And while he was there sketching and painting he met a young woman, the daughter of a wealthy widow who was chaperoning her. And Paul and this young woman fell in love very quickly. Paul was penniless, unfortunately, and this was apparent to the wealthy widow who did not want this penniless Canadian artist to marry her daughter. So… but she liked Paul, and she thought that he was talented. So she said that if he was able to win a medal at the Salon of the Society of French Artists, the next year, he could marry her daughter. And Paul worked very hard and he was able to win a medal. Now there’s been speculation that the artist—`or the judges—may have been slightly swayed by the romance of the proposition. But who knows?

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If you would like to hear stories from the Great Talbot area walk north on the west side of Richmond Street until you reach Sydenham Street, cross Sydenham, and look for an orange Hear, Here sign just west of the corner of Sydenham and Richmond.

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