50 years ago, Pierre Lahoud’s first photos…

For today’s interview column, Pierre Lahoud delved into his archives to extract some of his first photos from five decades ago.

As early as 1975, the distinguished historian used aerial photography to participate in the inventory of Quebec heritage for the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The project ended in 1982, but Pierre Lahoud was already hooked. He therefore continued his momentum, extending his duty of memory to the point of taking a million photos of Quebec through the ages.

Île d’Orléans, in 1975

“This is our house, that one, the one at the far left! says the author and photographer. I flew over the Île d’Orléans during one of my first flights for the heritage inventory. The house had been abandoned for 15 years at the time. I hadn’t bought it yet at the time of the photo, but I had already started talking to its owner.

“With this house, I was above all buying a landscape, an environment and a piece of heritage. It’s a personal memory, but it’s also one of my very first photos!” he indicates.

Weir fishing on Île Verte, in 1976

“A phenomenon that has almost disappeared today: weir fishing on Île Verte! When I passed over this part of the country in the 1970s, it was extraordinary to see seven or eight weir fishing installations,” he recalls.

“But there are none now. It’s a photo of a vanished landscape, but one that shows once-important fishing activity, he says. It was linked to the insularity of the place, but also to the traditional activities of the time. It’s a heritage that we received from the First Nations.”

In the Bellechasse region, in 1976

“This gentleman in the middle of a field is also a landscape that we will no longer see: that of a man who is probably going to the stake with his horse, his sleigh and his equipment,” says the man who was crowned Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2022.

“Seeing this image, someone already said to me one day: “So this photo is really old”. I replied: “well yes, it was me who took it”. There, I looked old! [rires]»

Fishermen from the Magdalen Islands, in 1977

“While flying over this Îles-de-la-Madeleine wharf, I saw these sailors and fishermen transporting cod,” remembers Mr. Lahoud. At the time, there was clearly still an abundance of fish in our waters. However, such large cod no longer exist at all these days!”

“This photo is a testimony to an era that is perhaps not over, because we can hope that such quantities of fish will perhaps return one day. That said, we agree that there are fewer and fewer of them, unfortunately,” he laments.

Survive with black and white

Color photography already existed in 1975. Despite everything, Pierre Lahoud is delighted to have taken his first photos in black and white. For what?

“Color photos were already available back then, of course. That said, fortunately we took these images in black and white, since the color photos have aged really badly since then, he explains. Maybe because of the conservation techniques, I don’t really know. Only the color slides retained a certain quality. For printed photos, the black and white of the time remained clearly superior!”

Comments collected by Francis Higgins

Info: pierrelahoud.co­m

Which regions of Quebec photographed by Pierre Lahoud would you like to see? For fun, share your suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of this article. With a little luck, your wishes might come true…