Sketching King Edward from the Hudson’s Bay
The Hudson’s Bay is a genuine bit of Canadiana. It’s just a department store now, but it goes all the way back to the founding of the nation. People came here in the 1600’s for fur hats and canoes. And you can still buy them at any Bay store. Our downtown Bay has a window overlooking Phillips Square. A small park featuring a statue of King Edward. By the time Edward Prince of Wales visited Montreal, the Grovernor and Company, Adventurers of England, Hudson’s Bay Trading Company had been making fur hats for 200 years. Well on their way to becoming our favorite national retail chain.
The figures around the base of the statue represent the four founding nations of Quebec (French, Scots, Irish, and English), and includes a allegorical figure of Peace holding aloft olive branch. She also has a sword hidden in the folds of her robe – because, you know, sometimes those founding nations didn’t quite get along.
Citizen Sketcher 
Nicely done. Did you set up all your gear in The Bay? What did they think of that?
Oh yes, I had my little tripod easel and a stretched sheet. I’d seen this spot earlier – there’s a big half circle window on the second floor behind a display of mannequins. Fairly out of the way. The sales ladies didn’t mind, they came by a few times to see the work in progress. Even brought over some other people to see. There’s another good spot on the sixth floor looking down on the roof of the church next door – I want to come back and try that one. Couldn’t do it that day – in the mid afternoon the light makes the dirty windows nigh opaque.
Very nice! How large is this sketch? It looks better and better as I enlarge it on my computer screen
It’s about a half sheet? so 16×20″…