Commissioned by Peter Simons, La visite celebrates the colourful past of our store in Old Quebec. In 1648, when Quebec was home to a mere 500 people, this was the site of the town's first inn. The aptly named proprietor, Jacques Boisdon, was required to discourage drunkenness, cursing, gambling, and scandals, and to close his establishment during church services and on feast days.
Pierre Laforest used this story as inspiration for a scene that takes us back to the everyday life of Quebec's first residents. A muralist living on Île d'Orléans, Laforest uses a technique similar to that of the Dutch masters of the 17th century.