Nantes was of course a major city and port then as it is today. Gabriel was most likely not a native of Nantes. His father or one of his ancestors probably moved to Nantes from Normandy or Picardie, the historical lands of the Picard clan. It was not uncommon for artisans to move around in search of work during the sixteenth century. Gabriele’s wife, Michelle, may also have come from the far north of France (Picardie) The work below is of Louis Le Nain who was a painter from Laon in Normandy, He was unparalleled in the seventeenth century for its portrayal of ordinary life. Louis Le Nain most often painted family life around meagerly furnished tables, peasant homes without much in the way of resources but supposedly rich in spiritual life. This picture is titled, “The Happy Family.” Images in this painting suggest to me how Gabriel Picard and part of his family might have looked some eighteen years before Hughes Picard emigrated to Quebec for the first time.