Image: Montréal vers 1830. Depuis lîle Sainte-Hélène. (6965308117)

Description: McCord Museum Archives / Richard-Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845), watercolor (detail). During the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, exporting to England became a lucrative activity. We will then see the "caves" descend the river to the Molson wharf. These are large rafts formed of logs attached to each other on which the loggers install a hut or "cage". John Molson, this enterprising Irishman, built the first steamship in the country in 1809. Several others will be manufactured at the Logan site, which borders the brewery. It was not until 1824 that one of these vapors succeeded in defeating the Sainte-Marie current. The Molson fleet provides regular passenger and mail service between Quebec and Montreal and will also be used, during the American invasion of 1812, to transport troops. This naive watercolor reflects the activity that reigned on the river, in front of Montreal, at that time, including "caves" and a steamboat. An anachronism is to be noted here; the towers of the Notre-Dame basilica will not be completed until 1840 and this drawing is however dated 1830. The sense of proportion is also falsely interpreted, in the foreground. In 1830, the Bonsecours Market was not yet built. The building immediately to the left of the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours chapel is the residence of Sir John Johnson
Title: Montréal vers 1830. Depuis lîle Sainte-Hélène. (6965308117)
Credit: Montréal vers 1830. Depuis l'île Sainte-Hélène. Uploaded by palnatoke
Author: Philippe Du Berger
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes