Joseph Légaré (March 10, 1795 – June 21, 1855) was a painter and glazier, artist, seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.

[1] The financial success of his father as a business man was augmented by extra loans he made and properties rented out.

In 1842 he helped found the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society[1] at Quebec and gathered signatures for a petition in support of the Ninety-Two Resolutions.

On the municipal and provincial levels, Légaré's political engagement did not preclude an active role within the cultural life of his time.

[1] The "Desjardins Collection" had an enormous influence on his career and he purchased thirty of the works using a loan provided by his father in July 1819.

[1] However, some of his more memorable works include: First Monastery of the Ursulines at Quebec, Memorials of the Jesuits of New France, The Martyrdom of Brothers Brebeuf and Lalement and The Battle of Sainte-Foy.