COTÉ, ADELARD
(1889–1974)
was a Maine woodcarver whose small painted figures reflect the rural life of his French-Canadian community in the vicinity of Biddeford, Maine. Born in Saint-Sophie,Quebec, Coté left school after only four years to help on his father’s farm. A love of animals led Coté to become a blacksmith. As a young man, he immigrated toMaine in search of better paying work. He worked as a blacksmith for the Pepperell Manufacturing Company, where he shod draft horses, and worked for a time in alight bulb factory before establishing his own blacksmith shop. When the demand for blacksmiths decreased with the increasing availability of cars, Coté took upfarming. A frugal and hard working man, Coté first learned woodworking to construct furniture for his home. He could boast that he had made every piece of furniturein his parlor except the piano. During the 1940s Coté began to carve for his own pleasure. His affectionate carvings of horses, oxen, cows, and people taking their restin small rocking chairs won prizes at the Fryeburg Fair in Maine, as did Coté’s full-size rocking chairs.
See also
Chairs; Sculpture, Folk
.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Beaupré, Normand.
L’Enclume et le Couteau: The Life and Work of Adelard Coté, Folk Artist.
Manchester, N.H., 1982.
