Skip to main content

Secondary sourceSculpture1898

Statue of Samuel de Champlain

Paul Chevré · 1898

A bronze monument by Paul Chevré in Quebec City honouring Champlain as the founder of New France.

This monument commemorates Champlain's historical legacy as founder figure, built centuries after his lifetime.

Ask Samuel de Champlain about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
A tall bronze statue of a man in period dress stands atop a tall stone monument in a plaza. Below, a bronze relief group of figures sits on the pedestal, with a trumpeter. Tourists and people sit around the base, with a green kiosk to the right.
Paul Chevré, Statue of Samuel de Champlain, 1898. Terrasse Dufferin, Quebec City.

About this source

What it is

This bronze statue was made by sculptor Paul Chevré in 1898 and stands on a tall stone pedestal on Dufferin Terrace in Quebec City. The pedestal includes a bronze relief of figures, including a trumpeter, and the monument remains a popular public landmark today.

Why it matters

Created nearly 300 years after Champlain's explorations, the statue reflects the way 19th-century Quebec viewed him as the symbolic 'Father of New France'. It tells us more about how Champlain's legacy was celebrated in the 1800s than about Champlain as a real person living in the early 1600s.

Look closer

  • Why might a city choose to build a large monument to someone centuries after they lived?
  • What story about Champlain's role in history is this statue trying to tell?
  • What might be missing from this heroic portrayal of Champlain?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel de Champlain on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Samuel de Champlain sources

Meet the AI Samuel de Champlain →
Front cover of a dark red leather-bound book with a small gold-tooled emblem of a lion or griffin-like creature above the initials 'E' and 'T' in gold lettering, centered on the cover.Book

Primary source

Les Voyages du sieur de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain · 1613

Sepia-toned engraved map titled 'Carte geographique de la Nouvelle Franse' showing the Atlantic coast, rivers, lakes, and decorative borders with compass roses, sailing ships, sea creatures, Native American figures, and a coat of arms.Document

Primary source

Carte geographique de la Nouvelle Franse

Samuel de Champlain · 1612

Front cover of a dark brown leather-bound book with gold-tooled decorative corner ornaments and a thin gold border frame on each panel, with a patterned gold-tooled spine band across the middle. The cover is closed and shows no visible title.Book

Primary source

Des Sauvages, ou voyage de Samuel Champlain

Samuel de Champlain · 1603

Hand-drawn manuscript map on vellum showing a coastline with green-washed shorelines, pictorial hill relief, place names in handwriting, a compass rose, a decorative cartouche and a scale bar. Ink lines and wash on aged parchment.Document

Primary source

Descripsion des costs, pts., rades, Illes de la Nouuele France

Samuel de Champlain · 1607

First page of a handwritten French manuscript, Samuel de Champlain's testament, dated 1635. Cursive brown ink on aged yellowed paper with water stains, a stamp reading Archives Nationales, and a handwritten signature at the left margin. The text begins 'Au nom du Pere et du fils et du Saint Esprit'.Document

Primary source

Testament de Samuel Champlain

Samuel de Champlain · 17 November 1635

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Samuel de Champlain now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions