Graduate of the Collège de Saint-Laurent and author of the first complete book on French-Canadian furniture - The Early Furniture of French Canada (1963) - Jean Palardy (1905-1991) quickly became a devoted collaborator of the Museum's founder, Gérard Lavallée. He offered, from his own personal collection, more than 180 objects and thousands of photographs.

The Jean Palardy Photographic Fund is composed of 8716 documents in the form of developed photographs, negatives, slides and transparencies that demonstrate the professional activities of the author and his principal fields of research. The fund equally includes textual documents, in addition to drawings, maps and plans. Several series of images also make up the fund. The principal series are:

1. Traditional French-Canadian furniture
   The photographs served in the preparation of Palardy's book, The Early Furniture of French Canada, published in 1963, which remains one of the most important texts on the subject.
    

2. The Louisbourg fortress
   Jean Palardy amassed rich visual documentation on the architecture and interior decor of the Louisbourg fortress during his time working on the reconstitution of the historic site. This assemblage is very important for the history of Louisbourg.
    

3. Folk art and religious art
   These photographs illustrate the research conducted by Jean Palardy on folk and religious art, studies that he began during the thirties with Marius Barbeau and afterwards continued throughout his life.

Photograph, 8 x 10 inches, black and white
Jean Palardy Photographic Fund
Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec