(5 Nov. 1896-Sept. 1973), artist. (Art Sauvé) Born at Limoges, Ont. Parents: Angus Sauvé (d. 1 Dec. 1947, aged 83), who was a Maxville resident for 35 years, and his wife whose name has been given, probably incorrectly, as Elizabeth Cameron (correctly it may have been Lydia Julien; Elizabeth Cameron seems to have been the name of Angus’ mother). Arthur Sauvé, the subject of the present article, came as a young man to the St. Elmo area, before settling in Maxville. He worked on farms, went on harvest excursions, and was a World War I veteran, serving overseas. On return home from the war, he married Emma Lalonde of Maxville. (three children) Arthur Sauvé achieved distinction as a woodcarver. There are works of his in the Vatican and in the Canadian Museum of Civilization, at Hull, which has 22 examples of his work. Also, there are illustrations of his work in Blake McKendry’s Folk Art: Primitive and Naive Art in Canada (1983) and in Judy Ross’s article “A Visit with Blake and Ruth Mckendry” in City & Country Home of Nov. 1984. Gordon Winter of Maxville, recalling in his Maxville column in the Glengarry News the days before the growth of Sauvé’s reputation, wrote that “While Mr. Sauvé put in the time with his carving and painting years ago, we passed by his display on his lawn and hardly gave it a second glance.” (Glengarry News 4 May 1994) Also, Sauvé was a violin maker and violin player. He died in Maxville. Arthur Sauvé’s grandson Alphone Guindon, a Maxville resident and of Indian descent, has also become a well-known woodcarver.

     Another carver of Sauvé’s period was Peter White of Lancaster, carver of decoy ducks. The identification is uncertain, but he was probably the same as Peter White (24 May 1901-10 March 1947), a South Lancaster farmer who died following a highway accident.

Maxville (1991) 572, 574, 601, 829-832 (portrait) * Blake McKendry, A Dictionary of Folk Artists in Canada from the 17th Century to the Present (1988) for both Sauvé and Guindon * information from The Canadian Museum of Civilization (which also has a photograph of Sauvé) * Winter GN 9 Nov. 2005: another work perhaps by Sauvé * Angus Sauvé: obituaries Standard Freeholder 8 Dec. 1947, Glengarry News 19 Dec. 1947; cf. Boss 55; historical note on three log houses built in Maxville by Angus Sauvé, Winter GN 16 Oct. 1991 * Greg Kielec, “Maxville Man Carving Niche with Hobby,” GN 4 Sept. 1991 (illustr.), on Alphonse Guindon * obituary of Arthur’s sister Mrs Bertha Maude Lalonde, GN 1 March 2006 * Peter White: see refs. Bibliography of Glengarry 137, 143; obituary GN 14 March 1947