Prince Rupert, ca. 1646-1660
Artist: Van Dyck, Anthony (1599-1641)
Engraver: Snyers, Hendrik (ca. 1612-after 1648)
Medium: engraving (third state) on paper
Dimensions: 28 x 25 cm (sheet)
Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1619-1682) was the German nephew of Charles I of England. In 1668, after a long and tumultuous military career, he helped finance the Canadian expeditions of two Frenchmen, Radisson and Des Groseillers. As a result of their expeditions, the Hudson's Bay Company was established in 1670 and Prince Rupert became its first governor. The company laid claim to the largely unexplored region around Hudson Bay and the area westward, which would eventually be named Rupert's Land. Several places in Canada still bear Prince Rupert's name, and the Hudson's Company currently operates a number of major retail department stores across Canada.
The print is based on a portrait by van Dyck, the celebrated Dutch artist, painted when Rupert first visited England in 1636-1637 at the age of sixteen.
National Archives of Canada, negative no. C-027585