The local Abbé was impressed with his talents and set up a subscription committee to raise funds for him to study in Europe.

He participated in numerous exhibitions there (including the Salon in 1876) and his painting of "The Good Samaritan" was purchased by Patrice MacMahon on behalf of the French Government in 1878.

He married Louise Schlachter in 1885, returned to Canada in 1886 on the promise of a large commission and settled in Quebec City.

In 1903, he travelled to Europe with his family, visiting his wife's parents in Germany, and Italy, where he honed his skills studying with Francesco Gai [it].

[1] In 1910, he was selected by a committee (consisting of Thomas Chapais, Eugène-Étienne Taché and Ernest Myrand [fr]) to compose two large historical paintings for the Parliament Building ("Sovereign Council" and the "Debate on Languages"), executed between 1910 and 1913, with an occasional break to do research.