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The Citadel of Québec is a complex of fortified military buildings on Cape Diamant, a promontory in the city centre. The Citadel offered a bird’s-eye view over the streets of the Lower Town and allowed the military to keep an eye on port activity. Watercolourist Cockburn produced this superb piece showing the horizon from this perspective.
1830 - 1832

A stroll through the streets of Québec City in the early 19th century

Imagine walking through the streets of Québec City at the turn of the19th century... That is exactly the perspective you will have as you discover the artwork in this album of scenes of the era’s city life! Most of the pieces were created by British servicemen trained at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, England, where certain members of the British army learned advanced artistic techniques. Servicemen skilled in art could then put down on paper images of the places where the British army was operating. Rediscover Québec City through their eyes!

View of Québec City from the glacis of the Citadel

James Pattison Cockburn The Citadel of Québec is a complex of fortified military buildings on Cape Diamant, a promontory in the city centre. The Citadel offered a bird’s-eye view over the streets of the Lower Town and allowed the military to keep an eye on port activity. Watercolourist Cockburn produced this superb piece showing the horizon from this perspective.
Chronoscope What do you notice in this image? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Library and Archives Canada Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Acc. No. 1989-258-4 - Date: 1830