Léon Coupey: My Dearest Kate
to
West Vancouver Art Museum 680 17 Street, West Vancouver, British Columbia V7V 3T2
Léon Coupey To Madame Léon Coupey (Paris), 1905
ink on card, 3 ½" x 5 ½,". Collection Pierre Coupey, Vancouver. Set 2.4.
Léon Coupey: My Dearest Kate
This exhibition showcases a selection of postcards sent by Léon Maurice Coupey (1864-1925), the majority of which were addressed to “his beloved Katie,” (Kate Barlow Hunt Coupey, 1873-1943), during their courtship and through their early married life.
A lawyer by profession, Léon was an inventive and talented artist who decorated his postcards with calligraphy, landscapes, caricatures, and self-portraits.
These cards present not only a snapshot into this relationship, but also of Europe at the turn of the 20th century. They were married in London in 1904 and had four children. Many of the cards are held in the care of West Vancouver artist, Pierre Coupey, who is Léon and Kate’s grandson.