I just want to write about the famous «Tuque de voyageur» or «Voyageur's hat» and reproductions based on a original «canadian» artifact. You will understand the use of quotation marks I have made here at the end of your lecture.
What is the matter with 18th century hats? During that century, social codes stated that everyboby has to wear something on their head. For man, this statement was follow by wearing a hat ( that victorian era called later a tricorn) or a cap that can be made in different fibers. Wool cap were called «tuque» by 18th century canadians, and they still do it today for french-canadians. One french officer who served in New France during the Seven Years war between 1755 and 1760 says something about it in his letters. Jean-Baptiste d'Aleyrac, Aventures militaires au XVIIIième siècle, published in Paris by Charles Coste in 1935.
« Il n'y a pas de patois dans ce pays. Tous les Canadiens parlent un français pareil au nôtre. Hormis quelques mots qui leur sont particuliers, empruntés d'ordinaire au langage des matelots, comme amarer pour attacher, hâler pour tirer non seulement une corde mais quelque autre chose. Ils en ont forgé quelques-uns comme une tuque ou une fourole pour dire un bonnet de laine rouge (dont ils se servent couramment). Ils disent une poche pour un sac, un mantelet pour un casaquin sans pli (habillement ordinaire des femmes et des filles), une rafale pour beaucoup de vent, de pluie ou de neige; tanné au lieu d'ennuyé, chômer pour ne manquer de rien; la relevée pour l'après-midi; chance pour bonheur; miette pour moment; paré pour être prêt à. L'expression la plus ordinaire est : de valeur, pour signifier qu'une chose est pénible à faire ou trop fâcheuse. Ils ont pris cette expression aux sauvages. »
I will not entirely translate it since it's a long citation and my translation skills are average. The officer says that the french of canadians have no accent but they use uncommon words. Many are borrowed from the sailor vocabulary and others are new like ''tuque'' or ''fourole'' to say a red cap of wool. After there is more examples of specific french canadien word uses that were not in the continental France. Alas, we do not say ''fourole'' anymore.
Ex-voto des trois naufragés de Lévis
Anonymous
1754
Detail, man wearing a red tuque
Ex-voto des trois naufragés de Lévis
Anonymous
1754
Extract of the book:
L'héritage du Machault une collection d'artefacts du XVIIIe siècle
Catherine Sullivan
études en archéologie architecture et histoire
Direction des lieux et des parcs historiques nationaux Parcs Canada Environnement Canada
It's an elongated tube, closed at both extremities, without seam and folded on itself for more isolation. At the middle, ear room is made by littles enlargements. For many people, it is a canadian hat because it was discovered in Canada. I have many questions concerning this straight affirmation.
First, the location and specific time that let the Machault sank.
Little resume. The Machault is one of the 6 ships that had been sent from France to help to take back Québec City that had fallen in the hands of English on September 18th 1759. The ship la Fidèle was capture when this fleet leave Bordeaux. Two others ship were lost at sea while crossing the Atlantic. The three remaining ships were chased by five Britannic warship. The French fleet retreated at the botton of the ''Baie des Chaleurs'' where the Battle of the Ristigouche River took place.
Acadian milita and Native Americans came spontaneously help the French ships. That helped them to unload a part of the ships before the Frenchs destroyed their own ship. They did so because they did not want to their enemy to use those ships in their fleet, like they did with la Fidèle.
(For more information about that last naval fight in North America between French and Britain go see the museum of Battle of Restigouche National Historic Site located in Pointe-à-la-Croix in Gaspésie. I love their exposition.)
So, are present during the sinking of the French ships: French sailors and soldier, Acadian militia (deported since 1755 and trying to survive) and Native Americans. No Canadians. To have live there, I don't remember a seigneurie in the areas. So calling that artifact a Canadian voyageur hat it is ignoring the facts I just exposed. Many hypothesis can explain the finding of this hat: someone (French or Acadian), dropped it during the unloading of the ship , it was the personal belonging of a French sailor or soldier, or it was part of the cargo simply.
My personal hypothesis is more that it is a sailor hat. When looking at the famous French ports paintings of Joseph Vernet, I found many times men wearing what look like colored tuques. Joseph Vernet was asked by Louis XV to show in paintings the harbors of France. Their size are huge; 165 cm by 263 cm. In total, there is 15 paintings that had been painted between 1754 and 1765.
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| Detail Vue du port de Dieppe 1765 Joseph Vernet Musée National de la Marine |
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| Detail Troisième vue de Toulon: la vieille darse, prise aux côté des magasins aux vivres 1755 Joseph Vernet Musée National de la Marine |
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| Detail Vue du port de Rochefort, prise du magasin des Colonies 1762 Joseph Vernet Musée National de la Marine |
The Machault hat look like Holland sailor's hat of the 17th century. All sailors but not same time and not same country. Those hats were discovered in 1980 when excavating graves of whalers of the 17th century in Holland.
Wollen cap worn by Dutch whaler
Anonymous
Around 1650-1700
Rijks museum, Amsterdam
Wollen cap worn by Dutch whaler
Anonymous
Around 1650-1800
Rijks museum, Amsterdam
To quote back the French officer during the Seven Years War, most of the peticular words used by Canadians are borrowed from sailors. Can it be that the same thing applies for clothing, beginning with the famous '' tuque''?
On that sweet interrogation, I wish you a good day.
Mlle Canadienne
