The Fisherman

Between 1859 and 1868, Jean-Baptiste Côté was a printer-caricaturist for the satirical press in Quebec City. The practice of caricature had an obvious effect on his profane sculpture, for example the exaggerated elongation in his representations of figures engaged in the pastimes of the middle class. The caption to one of his similar caricatures (A Drawing Room Vocalist, in La Scie illustrée, February 23, 1866) confirms his intention to satirize this group. His works in this genre are unique in the history of Canadian sculpture.