Figure 1.-- Here is a portrait of the Guertin brothers, taken in 1932 according to an inciption on the back of the card. The two boys are Marie-Bernard (L) and Pierre (R). They were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo. They are the youngest sons of Aimé Guertin and his wife, Aline Tremblay. The Guertins were a well-to-do family and lived in Hull, Quebec, just across the border from Ottawa, Ontario. The French name for Hull is Gatineau. The photo is obviously a detail taken from a larger family portrait. Click on image to see the entire family. A grandson of Aimé and Aline tells us, "The full family shows Lina, Jérôme, Claire (sitting), Rachelle, Aimé (my grandfather), Fernande, Roger and Micheline. In the foreground (seated) are Marie-Bernard, Pierre, Susanne, Aline (my grandmother) and Serge. There was another boy (born after this photo was taken) named Jean-Aimé." He also tells us that based on the ages of the boys, the portrait was more likely taken in 1942.

Here is a portrit of the Guertin brothers. we at first thought in 1932, but now seems to be 1942. The two boys are Marie-Bernard (L) and Pierre (R). They were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo. They are the youngest sons of Aimé Guertin and his wife, Aline Tremblay. The Guertins had a large family and lived in Hull, Quebec, just across the border from Ottawa, Ontario. The French name for Hull is Gatineau. Aimé Guertin was a prominent conservationist and political figure in Canada, taking particular interest in the forests, streams, and wildlife of the country, especially in the province of Quebec. He was also active in the public affairs of Hull and was instrumental during the 1930s in modernizing the city. The two youngest boys, photographed in 1932 (the photo is obviously a detail taken from a larger image), were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo.

Parents

The boys are the youngest sons of Aimé Guertin and his wife, Aline Tremblay.

Aimé Guertin

Aimé Guertin was a prominent conservationist and political figure in Canada, taking particular interest in the forests, streams, and wildlife of the country, especially in the province of Quebec. He was also active in the public affairs of Hull and was instrumental during the 1930s in modernizing the city.

Location

The Guertins had a large family and lived in Hull, Quebec, just across the border from Ottawa, Ontario. The French name for Hull is Gatineau.

Family

The Guertins were a well-to-do family. They had aummer cottage as well as a boat to use while at the cottage.

Date

This portrit of the Guertin brothers in 1932. The date is noted on the back of the card. A reader tells us, "There is however a problem with the 1932 dating: My father Jérôme, 2nd from the left (standing) was born in 1932 and judging by the attached, would have been 8-10 years old." [Guertin] This suggests the portrait was taken about 1940-42.

The Boys

The two boys are Marie-Bernard (L) and Pierre (R). They were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo. The two youngest boys, photographed in 1932 (the photo is obviously a detail taken from a larger image), were aged 5 and 8 years old at the time of the photo.

Clothing

The clothing is somewhat curious as the boys are dressed so differently. The youngest boy wears a formal collared long-sleeved shirt and tie with dark short trousers, white long stockings, and hightop shoes. The older boy is dressed much less formally in a striped jersey or sweater, dark shorts, and dark tan long stockings, also with hightop shoes. Both boys wear double-pendant supporters to hold up their stockings. In both cases you can see the supporter clasps. These boys are pretty obviously wearing underwaists with pin tubes for the safety-pin tops of the garters. The Guertin brothers are very well dressed by the standards of the day. The Guertins were a distinguished family and fairly affluent, i.e., upper middle-class although not actually aristocratic. Long stockings were common in Quebec in the 1930s for both boys and girls. Notice the short haircuts with, in one case, a clear part on the left. The older boy's clothes reminded me a little bit of a Sears ad for long stockings, which shows a boy of about the same age playing with an airplane and also wearing a striped jersey, short trousers, and tan long stockings with supporters. This Sears ad is dated 1943, but it is a repeat of a photo that had appeared in earlier catalogues as early as 1940 or 1941. There is therefore about an 8-year gap between the two images.

Sources

Guertin, Louis A. E-mail message, March1, 2014.

Created: 8:50 PM 1/8/2009
Last updated: 9:39 PM 3/1/2014