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Colonization propaganda in Abitibi

A French pamphlet's cover page. We can see a goddess holding objects symbolizing wealth. She is walking on a land where we can see the names and places of colonization villages following the rail road in Abitibi before the rising run. The motto Seize the Land is at the top.

Picture of the book cover Maria Chapdelaine, wife and mother, Conference in Montreal on October 6 1927 to the Canadian Women’s Association / by the Hon. J. E. Perreault… [sic]. Source : ex. de conservation (no 109487): Collection Saint-Sulpice (Fonds L.W. Sicotte).

The Mérite agricole medal was awarded to a woman for the first time in 1927. Alexina Godon Croteau, a pioneer from Amos, receives this important award directly from the Minister of Colonization, and at the same time she is appointed with the “Maria Chapdeleine d’Abitibi” title. With this moment comes the publishing of a flamboyant propaganda document about Abitibi’s colonization, in which Mrs. Godon Croteau’s image was manipulated so she would be seen as the newest Maria Chapdeleine (A character from the famous novel that became famous in 1921).

Picture of the back of the book Maria Chapdelaine, wife and mother, Conference in Montreal on October 6 1927 to the Canadian Women’s Association / by the Hon. J. E. Perreault… [sic]. Source: ex. de conservation (no 109487): Collection Saint-Sulpice  (fonds L.W. Sicotte).