Hervey Smyth was a British captain who fought in the Conquest of 1759. He made many sketches of Québec City. These drawings were used by other artists to create their own depictions of the city. This engraving, by an unknown artist, is one such example. Similar to many of the period’s engravings, it shows a British ship moving toward Québec City.

1760 - 1760

Québec City through the eyes of British captain Hervey Smyth

Hervey Smyth was a British army captain who fought in the Conquest of New France. In 1759, he was seriously wounded during the attack on the Plains of Abraham and so was immediately returned to Great Britain. He brought sketches with him that he had drawn in his spare time during the military offence. While in Great Britain, Smyth produced magnificent works, mainly between 1760 and 1780, from his sketches of Québec City. Can you locate the places he visited?

View of Québec City, capital of Canada, as published in Universal Magazine

Wooding, after Hervey Smyth Hervey Smyth was a British captain who fought in the Conquest of 1759. He made many sketches of Québec City. These drawings were used by other artists to create their own depictions of the city. This engraving, by an unknown artist, is one such example. Similar to many of the period’s engravings, it shows a British ship moving toward Québec City.

Chronoscope What do you notice in the image? (unilingual French for a limited time)

Depicted period: 1760

Source: Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Date: 1782

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