Montréal, Newfoundland en Québec 1869 - 1882

This print by Gerhardus Philippus Zalsman depicts Montreal, Newfoundland, and Quebec. Here, symbols of settlement and faith intermingle with the natural landscape. Consider the motif of the church. Elevated above the settlement in both the Newfoundland and Quebec scenes, the church echoes the ancient Roman emphasis on temples placed on high ground, signalling dominance and divine favour. This architectural positioning transcends mere geography, speaking to the psychological need to impose order on the unknown, to sanctify the new territories with familiar spiritual structures. It’s a visual echo of the past resonating in a new world, where the act of building and worshipping becomes a form of cultural and spiritual conquest. The way these motifs are used reveals a subconscious attempt to reconcile the foreign with the familiar, imbuing the landscape with a sense of belonging and divine approval. This print is not simply a depiction of places, but a complex layering of cultural memory and psychological projection.