Arrival of Radisson in an Indian camp 1660

What it is

This is a black-and-white pen-and-ink drawing by Canadian illustrator Charles William Jefferys, made for a picture history of Canada published in 1942. It shows a winter scene: on one side tipis, people and wolves; on the other, a bearded European man in a fur-trimmed coat raising his arm toward the group.

Why it matters

The drawing was not made at the time of the events it shows. It is a much later reconstruction, created to teach Canadian history, and reveals how 20th-century Canadians pictured Radisson's journeys and his meetings with Indigenous peoples in the west.

Look closer

• What details suggest this was drawn long after the events happened?
• How are the European figure and the Indigenous people each shown — what does their pose or placement suggest?
• Why might an illustrator in 1942 want to create this kind of image for a history textbook?