O-442

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painting (portrait)

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The Honourable Rodolphe Lemieux

Portrait of Speaker Rodolphe Lemieux

As a party organizer and public Speaker of great skill, Rodolphe Lemieux was second only to Wilfrid Laurier in his importance to the Liberal party during his time. While in law school in Ottawa, the Montreal-born Lemieux would skip classes to sit in the public gallery of the House of Commons. He was elected in 1896, and would win nine more elections and hold several key Cabinet positions. He was twice elected Speaker over Opposition objections, though he strove to be non-partisan. He retired in 1930. Jacqueline Comerre Paton painted his portrait c. 1924.

Jacqueline Comerre Paton

Jacqueline Comerre Paton, who was only the second female to paint an official portrait of a Canadian Parliamentarian, was born in Paris in 1859. Her parents were both writers, and she studied at the École des Beaux-arts in Paris. She was married to the artist Léon-François Comerre, and was known for her portraiture and what one critic called her “pictures of sentiment and feeling.” She died in 1955.