White Sheep

This white sheep, suspended by the backbone, was probably made by Louis Jobin, a Quebec sculptor and statue maker best known for his sacred art. At the beginning of his career in the 1870s, Jobin had a shop in Montreal where where he made commercial signs.

In 1887, brothers Edmond and Honoré Lord opened their store, Lord & Frères, on rue Sainte-Catherine under the sign of the white sheep. Customers found a variety of imported items and novelties, while the white sheep told them that the business also offered the services of a bespoke tailor, L. Dragon.

In 1911, the sign was bequeathed to Louis Alphonse Boisseau, a former employee at Lord & Frères and the husband of the owners’ niece. The same year, he opened a boutique in Trois-Rivières where the white sheep sign advertised sales of wool and of fabrics by the yard.