This small wooden rowboat with anchor and oar is made of wood, metal, and lead, and bears a mark indicating that it was manufactured in Ruisseau-à-Rebours. The boat consists of three small pieces, each with its own number: Boat: 1987.1.1171 A. Anchor: 1987.1.1171 B. Oar: 1987.1.1171 C.

The object reflects a skill traditionally associated with or practiced by the people of Gaspé. More specifically, the object bears witness to the development of tourism in the Gaspé Peninsula and the manufacture of objects intended for sale, most often depicting symbols of economic and social life in the Gaspé Peninsula. The object refers to a style of popular art frequently found along Route 132, namely the construction of small boats.

The rowboat, designed as a toy or decorative art object, is of interest for its value in illustrating a means of transportation first built and used by the Mi'kmaq, then by the residents of Baie-des-Chaleurs, and especially the Acadians. It bears witness to the cultural exchanges between these two groups, as well as to the canoe as a preferred means of transportation.

The object was also made in the Gaspé Peninsula, specifically in Rivière-à-Rebours.

Model makers and folk artists have been featured in several articles, including a special issue of Magazine Gaspésie from April-July 2021 (https://magazinegaspesie.ca/produit/no-200-quand-lart-fait-pop/).

The manufacture of small boats was common in several villages in the Haute-Gaspésie and Baie-des-Chaleurs regions of the Gaspé Peninsula from the late 19th century to the 1960s. Most of these vendors offered these miniatures to tourists passing through the region, often from roadside kiosks. Many artists made a name for themselves in the Upper Gaspé Peninsula. According to Adrien Levasseur, these art forms allowed fishermen to earn a small income during the summer. Often, it was children who sold these boats.

While the craftsman who made this boat is unknown, we can highlight a few "gosseux" (small boat builders) who lived near Ruisseau-à-Rebours:

- Ernest Bélanger (1902-1992), from Anse-Pleureuse;
- Jean-Guy Boucher (1940-), from Anse-Pleureuse;
- Arthur Bernier (1907-2006) and his son Émilien Bernier (1945-2015), from Cloridorme;
- Réjean Bernier (1939-), from Cloridorme;
- François Mercier (1914-1995), from Mont-Saint-Pierre;
- Albini Lebreux (1946-), from Cloridorme;
- Yvon Côté (1914-1995), from Grande-Vallée;
- Ernest Boucher (1913-1988), from Madeleine-Centre (married to Madeleine Lizotte, a folk artist, but who did not make miniature boats);
- The Brousseau family from Petite-Vallée (originally from Saint-Thomas-de-Cloridorme).

For more information: https://www.artpopulaire.com/fr/les-gosseux/index-region/gaspesie-ile-de-la-madeleine/