Pauline LeGoff Boutal (1894-1992)

Artist, theatrical designer.

Born in Britanny, she immigrated to Manitoba with her family in 1907, settling first on Lake Manitoba and later in Winnipeg. Her family members were active workers in stained glass, and she learned to draw in childhood. In 1918 she joined Brigden’s as a fashion artist, and she remained there until 1941, in charge of designs for the Eaton’s catalogue. In those days, she later recalled, “all the clothes and other items for sale in the catalogue were drawn by artists.”

She joined Le Cercle Molière with her husband in 1925, and the Boutals soon became responsible for most of the design work of the group. She replaced her husband as artistic director upon his death in 1941, the same year she resigned from Brigden’s. She was later awarded a Golden Boy Award (1963), a Manitoba Centennial Medal from the Manitoba Historical Society (1970), the Order of Canada (1973), and an honorary degree by the University of Manitoba (1978).

More information:

Pauline LeGoff Boutal, Manitobans Who Made A Difference, Manitoba Historic Resources

Sources:

“12 Manitobans receive awards for service to province”, Winnipeg Free Press, 12 May 1962, page 19.

Profile revised: 20 November 2009

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