[[wikipedia:File:Colonne de la liberte (Quebec).png|thumb|left|120px|Illustration of the Assembly of the Six Counties, drawn for The Montreal Star.|]] Born in Québec City, he moved with his family to Montreal in 1869, where he apprenticed for an engraving firm. Commissioner George Arthur French of the North-West Mounted Police appreciated the value of good public relations. He knew the Canadian public was interested in the new police force and thought that providing a visual record of the force would help maintain that interest. Since in 1873 photographs could not be reproduced in newspapers, French wrote to the manager of the Canadian Illustrated News inviting them to send an artist-journalist to accompany the expedition. The idea appealed to the newspaper as they would get an exclusive s