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By William Benoit
Peter Rindisbacher was 15 years old when he immigrated to Selkirk’s Red River settlement in 1821. Already an accomplished artist when he arrived in North America, he produced a series of watercolours documenting the voyage to Rupert’s Land and life in the settlement. His watercolours from the Red River area are among the earliest images of western Canada. Peter Rindisbacher is considered the first pioneer artist of the Canadian and the American West.
Library and Archives Canada is possibly the largest holder of Rindisbacher’s works. Viewing the Rindisbacher watercolours in sequence allows Canadians to appreciate the difficulty of the journey to the Red River.
Departure from Dordrecht under Captain James Falbister, May 30, 1821. The English colonist transport ship Wellington of 415 tons. (MIKAN 2835769)
On May 30, 1821, Rindisbacher and his family left Dordrecht in the Netherlands with a contingent of mostly Swiss emigrants aboard the Lord Wellington, bound for York Factory, in what is now Manitoba, on Hudson Bay. During the sea voyage, Rindisbacher sketched icebergs, the Inuit and other ships. The route would take the settlers past the Orkney Islands and Greenland.
Departure from Dordrecht under Captain James Falbister, May 30, 1821. The English colonist transport ship Wellington of 415 tons (MIKAN 2835770)
Discovery of the first ice in the neighbourhood of Greenland, June 26, 1821 (MIKAN 2835771)
The colonists are on the ice within sight of a mass of ice of 5700 [metres], June 30, 1821 (MIKAN 2835773)
Fortunate meeting of the Prince of Wales and Eddystone and the ships [HMS] Hecla and [HMS] Fury, under the command of Captain W.E. Parry, July 16, 1821. Lat. 61.20.N, Long. 66.30. W (MIKAN 2835775)
The Eskimos [Inuit] of Labrador force their way onto the ships, July 23, 1821 (MIKAN 2835777)
An Eskimo [Inuit] family, drawn from nature (MIKAN 2835780)
The ship Prince of Wales runs aground on an iceberg during the night of July 24, 1821. Lat. 61.42 N. Long. 65.12(?) W (MIKAN 2835778)
Great danger of the Wellington being crushed by an iceberg at Lat. 61.42.N. July 25, 1821 (MIKAN 2835782)
The party arrived at York Factory on August 17. York Factory (1788–1957) was on the Hayes River about eight kilometres upstream from Hudson Bay. In Rindisbacher’s time, York Factory was an octagonal stone fort. Construction of the fort began in 1788. It was razed in 1831 and replaced by all wooden structures, as the stone fort could not withstand the freezing and thawing of the permafrost.
Great danger of the Wellington Anchorage after arrival at Fort York [York Factory], Hudson Bay, August 17, 1821, after a voyage of 79 days (MIKAN 2835783)
Great danger of the Wellington A family of Cree hunters at York Fort [York Factory], drawn from nature (MIKAN 2835784)
Departure of the second colonist transport from Fort York [York Factory] to Rockfort [Rock Depot], Sept. 6, 1821 (MIKAN 2835785)
Difficult voyage south on the Hill (?) [Hayes] River to Rock Fort [Rock Depot] in September 1821 (MIKAN 2835786)
Arrival and Stay at Rockfort [Rock Depot], September 21, 1821 (MIKAN 2835787)
Portage near Norway House [1821] (MIKAN 2835788)
Arrival at Norway House on the great Lake Winipesi [Winnipeg], October 14, and departure thence, October 16, 1821 (MIKAN 2835789)
Shipwreck and halt on the great Winipesi Lake [Lake Winnipeg], October 23, 1821 (MIKAN 2835790)
Cold night camp on the inhospitable shores of Lake Winipesi [Winnipeg] in October 1821 (MIKAN 2835791)
Arrival at the mouth of the Red River in North America, 47 N., and welcome from the Sautaux [Saulteaux] Indians, November 1, 1821, after a river and sea voyage of 4836 miles (MIKAN 2835792)
Winter fishing on ice of Assynoibain [Assiniboine] & Red River [1821] (MIKAN 2835803)
In the spring of 1826, the Rindisbachers left Red River and settled in the Gratiot’s Grove Settlement in northwest Illinois. Peter Rindisbacher died on August 12, 1834, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 28.
Library and Archives Canada Blog 
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Impressive story another, interesting dutch travel story which always makes me a little proud to read being a dutchman and a traveler as well. Thx for sharing really enjoyed reading this
Peter Rindisbacher was a genius at 15 and nature took him back at 28! What he has left behind is remarkable. These pictures are so absorbing. I so wish I could experience the life in those pictures! May be see Peter water-coloring them. Thanks for sharing this. I am getting all poetic now.
These stories are really impressive .There is reall a lot to be educated on .thanks for sharing
I love seeing stuff about Canada as someone born here and still living her. Living in the prairies a lot of us still remember a lot of the old history because unlike the rest of Canada we’ve been untouched in so many ways. Especially the old towns and villages.
Thanks for posting!
It’s not historical but on my blog I reblogged a photographers work of the Rocky Mountains, he had come each year as a pilgrim and stayed in the area and taken tons of photos.
impressive story 🙂
Thank u for sharing the historical glimpses: efforts done by the artist. Well done for reviving the pics and making the artist and his passionate works known to this era of readers 🙂
This is making me feel i could be 15 years again
amazing place
nice pictures
Great pictures, love the post.
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I feel I’m a failure already! Twenty eight years and his accomplishments and legacy speak for themselves! Twenty eight years and not even my capital city has heard of me….. Remarkable artist by all standards!
Nice Pic,this pic amaze me.
Great educational value here, I’m always impressed by what we can sort our time with and what we’ve learned
Feel chilly just looking at the pictures! Brave pioneers!
Reblogged this on travel.with.kendziorski and commented:
I’m just testing out the reblog feature.
Woooow we can never forget it.
Great story, must have been hard living in those days.
What an amazing journey to make at such a young age. Incredible paintings, thank you so much for sharing them.
So very valuable in many ways!
Interesting and clearly articulated facts about this fascinating journey. Lively pictured illustrate the story and make it easier to read for everyone. Good job!
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Reblogged this on worldsofwright and commented:
Amazing!!!
Well done! I’m from the East Coast, so it’s great to see some of Rindisbacher’s iconic art depicting “out West.”
Incredible. & Impressive . Thanks or this one
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Very proud of my great uncle Peter. I enjoyed sharing this story of our heritage with my 11 year old son who also loves art. I told him it’s in his genes!
Thank you! We have many other Peter Rindisbacher illustrations in the collection. This blog post focused on the journey to Red River. There’s also an excellent podcast on the topic, which can be found here: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/peter-rindisbacher-beauty-commission.aspx
We love hearing how the collection can reconnect families 200 years after the fact!
My great, great, great, great, great grandmother Marianne Monnier was on the ship the “Lord Wellington”. She was the young woman who was nearly crushed to death by the ice as she walked to visit the other ships.