May 25, 2026

Angus Trudeau’s Nautical Passion

A nautical piece of Manitoulin Island history is now on view at the AGO

An image of Angus Trudeau's boat model red sailboat. It has a white hull with green trimmings and red sails.

Angus Trudeau. Red Sailboat, unknown. Wood, plastic, acrylic paint, Overall: 86.4 × 139.7 × 33 cm, 9.1 kg. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Barbara Hinds, 2018. © Estate of Angus Trudeau, courtesy Gallery Gevik. Photo: AGO. 2018/3746

Derived from the design of First Nations canoes, Makinaw boats were popular fishing vessels used in Odawa Mnis (Manitoulin Island) before the Second World War. From 1845 to 1939, these boats were built by five generations of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi (Anishnaabe) makers. Makinaw boats were used for long-line, bottom-net, and pond-net fishing, as well as for transporting people and goods across the lakes. Inheriting the flat bottom of its canoe predecessor and the innovation of a retractable rudder, this fishing vessel expertly navigated the shallow shores around the island.

Odawa artist Angus Trudeau (1908-1984) grew up watching Makinaw boats fill the North Channel of Manitoulin Island. In the later years of his life, he began creating detailed, hand-carved models of these boats, one of which has found its home at the AGO. Displayed on a mirrored plinth in gallery 230, Red Sailboat (around late 1970s – early 1980s) offers visitors a chance to take in the meticulous details of Trudeau’s rendering of Manitoulin history.

Much of Trudeau’s life was spent around boats. Born and raised in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, he worked as a sailor, pulp woodcutter, and cook aboard commercial ships that crossed Gichi-aazhoogami-gichigami (Lake Huron). He was a self-taught artist who began his practice after retiring. He created paintings, collages, assemblages, and models in a style distinctive from the Woodland School of painting, which was popular on the island at the time. Trudeau’s interest in the history of boats was heavily reflected in his practice. Red Sailboat is one of Trudeau’s many boat models, though the exact number remains unknown.

A detail shot of Angus Trudeau's boat model Red Sailboat. It shows tiny axes, a musket, and pails inside the boat.

Angus Trudeau. Red Sailboat (detail), unknown. Wood, plastic, acrylic paint, Overall: 86.4 × 139.7 × 33 cm, 9.1 kg. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Barbara Hinds, 2018. © Estate of Angus Trudeau, courtesy Gallery Gevik. Photo: AGO. 2018/3746

Red Sailboat exemplifies Trudeau’s attention to detail and expert craftsmanship. The red sails on this model — which were dyed using red ochre in real life — are complete with the white ties used to roll them up. Much like on a real Makinaw boat, the rudder is also retractable. The model is also equipped with the necessary tools for a successful journey: a pair of oars, an anchor, an axe, a musket, and fishing rods, all hand-carved by Trudeau. Red Sailboat is complete with a true-to-scale seagull, seen in his other boat models, gingerly sitting atop the front mast. Trudeau often upcycled everyday found items for his models, including scrap wood, thumb tacks and matchsticks.

A detail shot of Angus Trudeau's boat model Red Sailboat. It shows fishing lures and a green box inside the boat.

Angus Trudeau. Red Sailboat (detail), unknown. Wood, plastic, acrylic paint, Overall: 86.4 × 139.7 × 33 cm, 9.1 kg. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Barbara Hinds, 2018. © Estate of Angus Trudeau, courtesy Gallery Gevik. Photo: AGO. 2018/3746

On view adjacent to Red Sailboat is Trudeau’s painting City of Midland Wikwemikong 1908 (1978). The painting is named after the steamer boat, City of Midland, which Trudeau depicts travelling across the water near what was likely a fishing hut used to process catches. The presence of a tailwind is discernible from the direction of the smoke billowing from the boat’s stack, and a flock of birds circle the stern. A true-to-life portrayal of this harbour in 1908, Trudeau includes the “Holy Cross Mission” residential school, which burned down decades before he painted the work. To create accurate historical depictions of Manitoulin Island, Trudeau avidly collected archival newspapers, postcards, and tourist ephemera to reference and incorporate into his work.

An image of Angus Trudeau's painting City of Midland Wikwemikong 1908, which depicts a a view of a bay in Wiikwemikong in 1908

Angus Trudeau. City of Midland Wikwemikong 1908, 1978. Oil, graphite and ink, sight: 73.4 x 101 cm. Gift of Norcen Energy Resources Limited, 1986. © Estate of Angus Trudeau, courtesy Gallery Gevik. 86/59

As demonstrated in Red Sailboat and City of Midland Wikwemikong 1908, Trudeau’s practice was dedicated to documenting Manitoulin life and history through a personal and Indigenous lens. His vivid paintings and detailed models add to the historical record of Manitoulin Island while remaining deeply imbued with his nautical passion. Trudeau’s work was exhibited with great success at The Issacs Gallery in Toronto, and he spent his later years showcasing his work and serving as an admired mentor to the younger generation of artists on Manitoulin Island.

Experience Manitoulin through Angus Trudeau’s eyes by visiting Red Sailboat and City of Midland Wikwemikong 1908, on view now in Irving & Sylvia Ungerman Gallery (gallery 230), located on Level 2 of the AGO.