The Hannah family of wood carvers. Montreal, Verdun, Quebec. Active from the 1930’s on.

The original family members were born in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec. The family origins are Scottish-Canadian. The patriarch of the family was married twice and 17 children were born of the two marriages. Among this group were many family members who carved and painted wooden sculptures, mostly figurative, that ranged in size from 5 or 6 inches to 12 inches or more. Generally, the men were carvers, save for one or two exceptions, and the sisters shared the painting of them.

The Hannah carvers worked in the Scandinavian flat plane carving tradition. They learned their art from observation of other artists and from Carl-Johan Trygg (C.J.) who emigrated to Quebec earlier in the 20th century and eventually relocated near Saint-Sauveur, Quebec where he established a wood-carving school. Trygg worked in, and taught, the flat-plane style of carving, a tradition in Northern Europe, and also the ‘caricature’ style of figurative carving that he worked in. It was usually humorous, and tongue in cheek, unlike the more formal Saint-Jean-Port-Joli figurative works that were often carved from life. To many, Pat Hannah was the best carver of the Hannah family. He certainly had more control with his knives and chisels and his carvings were more detailed and with better proportions.

Here is a listing of the various family members who were artists:

*Charles ‘Chas.’ Hannah. Sculptor.

*Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Sculptor.

*Tom Hannah. Sculptor.

*Janet Hannah. (Sister of the three brothers.) Sculptor.

*Elsie Hannah. (Sister of the three brothers.) Painted the carvings of her siblings.

*Duncan Hannah. (Son of Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah.) Sculptor.

*Mike Hannah. (Son of Allen Hannah, a brother of the three, who was killed in a road accident.) Sculptor.

*Howard Hannah. (Son of Charles Hannah.) Sculptor.

*Pete Hannah. (Son of Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah ) Sculptor. (Peter R. Hannah?)

*Norma and Judy Hannah. (Daughters of Pat Hannah.) Painted Pat Hannah’s work.

Ref: Mark Zannis, Montreal, Quebec.

Tom Hannah. Sculptor. Montreal (Verdun), Quebec. Active mid-20th century.

One of the original three Hannah brothers (Charles, Pat and Tom) who became wood carvers in the 1930’s in Quebec. He learned his art from his brothers Charles and Pat and from seeing the other artists from Quebec who were working in the flat-plane style of wood carving. Tom Hannah went on to become an accountant and carved  as a pastime and hobby. He retired at a young age and began carving full time. In 1969 he and his wife, Olive, moved from Verdun, Quebec to Spencerville, Ontario (and later to Prescott, Ontario) where he continued wood carving. He carved in Pine and Bass wood and made painted character figurative carvings. See other posts on the Hannah family of wood carvers. (Ref: Mark Zannis.)

Here are some illustrations of Tom Hannah’s carvings:

A group by Tom Hannah:

Tom Hannah. Wood carver. Verdun, Montreal, Quebec. A group of carved people. Photo: Mark Zannis.

Two Highland Gentlemen carved by Tom Hannah:

Tom Hanna. Verdun, Montreal, Quebec. Photo: Mark Zannis.

Several examples of his Marks:

Tom Hannah. His marks. Photo: Mark Zannis.

With thanks for the Illustrations and History from Mark Zannis. Montreal, Quebec.

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Sculptor. Born in Montreal (Verdun), Quebec. Moved to the U.s in about 1948. Active mid 20th century.

One of the original three Hannah brothers (Charles, Pat and Tom) who became wood carvers in the 1930’s in Quebec. “Pat” Gerald Hannah and his brother Charles learned wood carving from Carl-Johan Trygg (the founder of the Trygg family of artists in Canada.) who had a carving school near Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. He was called Pat because he was born on Saint-Patrick’s day; though living in the predominantly Irish Burrough of Verdun may have had some influence. The Trygg influence is apparent in many works done by him and the other family members who learned their techniques from Pat and Charlie Hannah.  After a brief stay in Florida, Pat Hannah re-located in North Poultney, Vermont in 1948. He carved character figures in a full range; from Mounted Police to sailors, famous people and just ‘folks’ in various sizes typically about 6 inches high. All in bright paint and in Pine wood or Basswood. Unlike the Trygg carvers, who applied their bases, Most of the the Hannah sculptors carved the base into their works. In the carvings by ‘Pat’ Hannah, illustrated below, the bases are applied, as the Tryggs were. He signed P. Hannah or Pat Hannah, usually on the bottom of the base with a pencil or later, with a chisel.  His son, Duncan Hannah,  of Vermont, was also a carver of figural characters (see his post). He had another son, Pete Hannah, who may have carved. Carvings stamped “Hand Carved by P. R. Hannah, Quebec” are seen occasionally. See the Listings of the other Hannah artists.

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Verdun, Quebec. Some Carvings:

A Group of Three by Gerald Hannah:

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Verdun, Quebec. Three Carvings. Image: Mark Zannis.

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Three marks:

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah.Three Marks. Image: Mark Zannis.

A Craving of a Quebec Woman by Pat Hannah:

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Verdun, Quebec. Carving of a Quebec Woman. Image: Mark Zannis.

A detail:

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Detail of ‘A Woman’ Image: Mark Zannis.

And the Mark:

Gerald ‘Pat’ Hannah. Quebec. Image by Mark Zannis.

A rare photo of Pat Hannah carving. Florida, 1959:

Pat Hannah at work in Florida. 1959. Photo from The State Archives of Florida.

With thanks for the Illustrations and History to Mark Zannis. Montreal, Quebec.

Charles Hannah. Sculptor. Montreal (Verdun), Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

One of the original three Hannah brothers (Charles, Gerald ‘Pat’ and Tom) who became wood carvers in the 1930’s in Quebec. Charlie Hannah and his brother Pat learned wood carving from C.J.Trygg (the founder of the Trygg family of artists) who had a carving school near Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. Charles used to spend part of his summers in Morin Heights, Quebec (where the author’s mother met him) and where he sold his carvings to tourists in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal. This area was a very attractive destination for tourists in all seasons; from skiing in the Winter to the hundreds of lakes in the Summer. It became a magnet for artists, both Academy trained and outsider folk artists, who came to paint, carve and meet their public.

‘Chas’ Hannah eventually moved there. ‘Charlie’ Hannah, as my mother knew him, carved ‘character’ sculptures in the Trygg Scandinavian flat-plane tradition. Lamps with wooden shades and figures were a specialty. His individual character carvings ranged from 7 to 10 inches high and were always painted in bright primary colors. Charlie Hannah carved in Pine or Bass wood. He signed his work ‘C. Hannah’, ‘Chas Hannah’ or simply ‘Hannah, Canada’; often in pencil or pen on the base or with a chisel. Charles, Pat, and Tom Hannah were the first of an extended family of Hannah carvers in Canada and, later, in the U.S. (See other Hannah Family posts.)

Some examples of his work:

A Group of Charles Hannah Wood Carvings:

Charles ‘Chas.’ Hannah. Verdun, Montreal, Quebec. A Group of Carvings. Photo: Mark Zannis.

‘The Mountain Climber’ by Charles Hannah:

Charles Hannah. Verdun, Quebec. ‘The Mountain Climber’. Photo: Mark Zannis.

An Early Mark of Chas. Hannah:

Charles Hannah. Verdun, Montreal, Quebec. Early Mark. 1930’s. Photo: Mark Zannis.

Two Later Marks of Charles Hannah:

Charles ‘Chas’ Hannah. Verdun, Quebec. Two later Marks. Photo: Mark Zannis.

A Table lamp by ‘Chas.’ Hannah. C.1940:

Table Lamp by ‘Chas.’ Hannah. 1940.

The “Chas. Hannah, Morin Heights”  mark on the base:

Table Lamp by Chas. Hannah. The Mark on the base.

With thanks for the Illustrations and History from Mark Zannis. Montreal, Quebec.

Jean-Claude Labrecque. Sculptor. Vallee-Jonction, Quebec. Active late 20th century.

A talented wood carver and sculptor. He carves both wild and domestic birds and animals. And people in their situations. His sculptures are done in Pine and are always  painted with acrylic colors. Except for some early work (Birds especially); all of his work is signed on the base and dated and sometimes numbered.

An example here of his early work. A horse carved and painted with real horse hair for the tail:

Claude Labreque. Vallee-Jonction, Beauce, Quebec. C.1990.

Some examples of his mark:

Labrecque. The Camper. His mark.

Jean-Claude Labrecque. Inuit. Detail. of his mark.

Click here for a gallery of his work for sale:

http://lyleelderfolkart.com/gallery-artists/jean-claude-labrecque/