May 22, 2014 – Gatineau, Que. – Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of artwork and maps related to Rupert’s Land. The acquisitions include “Poplar Point, Lake Winnipeg”, a watercolour by artist Peter Rindisbacher; a portrait of George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company; and two early maps of Canada.
These acquisitions are unique pieces of Canada’s history and are welcome additions to LAC’s existing collection of documentary heritage related to Rupert’s Land.
Rupert’s Land was originally owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company and included most of the western prairies and parts of what are now northern Quebec, northern Ontario, and Nunavut. The Hudson’s Bay Company sold Rupert’s Land to the Government of Canada in 1869 for $1.5 million.
Artist Peter Rindisbacher documented the voyage of settlers to Rupert's Land and early life in the Red River colony, a key settlement which helped to provide a foundation for the current province of Manitoba. LAC possesses the largest collection of Peter Rindisbacher works in the world, including 45 watercolours and 2 drawings.
One map was engraved by John Wigate of London in 1746 and the other was engraved by Louis Stanislas d’Arcy Delarochette and Thomas Kitchin of London in 1755. The Wigate map of the Arctic and Hudson Bay illustrates the importance of the addition of Rupert’s Land to Canada.
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