Jean-Paul Ladouceur (1921-92)

For an artist of the late 1950s, having the privilege of illustrating the Scouts and Guides calendar was a prestigious mark of appreciation. Scouting was a popular movement for the "baby boomer" generation. Its social ideals complemented those of school education. The yearly calendars were widely distributed.

Each year for four years, Ladouceur painted different groups of boys an girls involved in scouting. He had to depict different challenges young scouts and guides were expected to face at the moment or in their future careers. One year the calendar's theme was about future aspirations, next, Scouting in the Canadian provinces, another, a parallel between boy scouts and great canadian explorers, and each calendar tried to portray every age group from Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Guides and Raiders.

Every year, Ladouceur reworked his graphic treatment so that each calendar possessed a unique signature.

Reinventing himself each year