Old Rivals

 The French had a centuries old rivalry with the English in the Old World. As New France was established, the British were busy with their own plans, establishing colonies along the Atlantic seaboard and getting involved in the fur trade in North America.

Some artifacts of the era are seen here.

The fur trade became lucrative, especially so in the trade of beaver fur.

The French and British set up their own networks for trading in the vastness of the interior, working with First Nations peoples.

For the British, the Hudson's Bay Company would be established as pivotal to the trade, with company forts built along the shores of the vast inland bay in northern waters.

A copy of the company's charter can be viewed on a digital screen.

The company still exists today, as a department store chain. Some of its contemporary products are displayed here. The colour stripe motif is well known to Canadians.

What is now the Maritimes became a source of tension and military jockeying for control, as the French speaking populace, called Acadians, found their region to be the object of interest for the British, who would come in and take control.

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia is a painting from the circle of Samuel Scott, around 1751.

When the British took control of the region, the Acadians tried to stay neutral. In time, they would be expelled from the region for some years.

Four paintings hang together. Collectively they are The Four Kings Of Canada, a set of paintings by John Verelst in 1710 when these four indigenous chiefs came to London to meet with Queen Anne.