English: The Entrance of the Rideau Canal, Ottawa, watercolour
« In 1833, Lieutenant Henry Pooley painted a watercolour titled "The Entrance of the Rideau Canal, Ottawa". As an engineer, drawing was a highly disciplined and exact art, necessary in his profession. Pooley applied that same rigour to his depiction of landscapes. He chose to cross the Ottawa River and view the entrance to the canal from the north side of the river. He also painted the mouth of the canal from Barrack's Hill, what is today Parliament Hill. However, the spot he chose on the north shore was occupied by a small Native encampment. It is virtually the identical location where the Canadian Museum of Civilization now stands. In fact, if one stands beside the Museum's fountain at the top of the stairs between the two wings of the Museum, the vantage is identical to the one Pooley painted, although the view is somewhat blocked by trees near the modern shore. » – historymuseum.ca