This image depicts a soldier returning to Upper Fort Garry, the central administrative hub for the Hudson’s Bay Company during the middle of the nineteenth century, accompanied by presumably his wife in a horse-drawn sleigh. In 1846, some 300 British soldiers of the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot arrived at Fort Garry, accompanied by a detachment of Royal Engineers and another of artillery, which caused a shift from the fort’s purely administrative role. The soldiers were sent by the British government to deter any American incursions across the border, but also—equally—to help the HBC intimidate and control any traders who would challenge the Company’s monopoly. The image prominently features the new military realities: a grey-coated guard stands at the gate armed with a rifle, while within the fort itself soldiers can be seen chatting with voyageurs, loading dogsleds and standing guard on the ramparts.

The timing of this particular image cannot be discounted: produced for the 1946 calendar, a hundred years after the fort’s occupation, this was the first Company calendar to be published after the end of the Second World War.

For more information on the Hudson's Bay Company Calendar Paintings in PDF format, please click here.