This very attractive, mid 19th century Portrait of Le Moyne D'Iberville measures approx. 6” by 8 1/4” (sheet size) including margins of from 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" on each edge. The Image is a bust portrait Le Moyne D'Iberville in oval. It carries the mark of the engraver - Laguillermie - and the publisher - Charles Chardon of Paris.

    Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of the order of Saint-Louis, adventurer, privateer, trader, and founder of the French colony of Louisiana of New France. He was born at Montreal, Canada in 1661and, with his brothers led the Canadian woodsmen on a 1686 expedition to Hudson Bay in an effort to drive out the English Trading Company from Canada.

    Returning to Quebec, he was caught up in King William's War and sent south to attack the British colonies (see below). In July 1690, he left Quebec with three ships in the hope of capturing York Factory. Finding himself outgunned by a larger English ship, he fled south and captured the new HBC base at Fort Severn. In 1692 and 1693, he again planned to attack York Factory, but both times the needed ships were diverted. It was 1694 before he could effect the capture of York Factory. His work was undone when the English recaptured Fort Albany in 1693 and York Factory in 1695. 1695 and 1696 were spent in coastal raiding. In 1697 he captured York Factory a second time after winning his most heroic battle. It was too late in the season to capture Fort Albany, so he left Hudson Bay, never to return. York Factory remained French until 1713.

    In 1690, he was second in command to his brother Jacques in a raid south to New York that culminated in the Schenectady Massacre. In 1692, he convoyed supply ships from France and harassed English coastal settlements, taking three prizes. In 1694, he returned to Hudson Bay and captured York Factory for the first time. In the spring of 1696, he sailed from France with three ships. Sending one to Quebec, he led the other two to the aid of the governor of Acadia, Joseph Robineau de Villebon, whom the English were blockading at the mouth of the Saint John River. He captured one enemy ship and drove the other two away. He then went 200 miles west and captured the most northerly settlement in New England (Siege of Pemaquid (1696), 14 August). He then sailed east to Placentia, the French capital of Newfoundland, and began the Avalon Peninsula Campaign on 1 November. On this expedition he captured Saint John's and ruined most of the English fishing villages. During four months of raids, Iberville was responsible for the destruction of 36 settlements. The Newfoundland campaign was one of the cruelest and most destructive of Iberville's career. Before he could consolidate his hold on Newfoundland, he was diverted north to capture York Factory for a second time during the summer of 1697. Soon after his departure, the English arrived in Newfoundland with 2,000 troops and restored their position. Hostilities ended with the Treaty of Ryswick in September 1697.

    In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was the first European to travel from the Great Lakes down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. From the 1690s, the French began dreaming of building a great empire by linking the Saint Lawrence and Mississippi basins and bottling up the English on the east coast. This presented diplomatic problems because the Gulf coast was claimed, but not occupied, by Spain. Pontchartrain, the minister for naval affairs and colonies gave D'Iberville the task of locating the true mouth of the Mississippi which La Salle had failed to find on his last voyage and to build a fort which would block the river to other nations. Iberville left Brest with four ships in October 1698. He sailed along the Florida coast and past the new base the Spanish were building at Pensacola. In March 1699, he entered the Birdfoot Delta. It was only after meeting some Indians who recalled La Salle that he was sure that this was the Mississippi.

    Having achieved his first aim and finding no good sites in the delta, he built a temporary fort at Biloxi, left a garrison of 81 men, and returned to France. On his second voyage he reached Biloxi on January 1700 and built a "Fort Maurepas" (sic) 40 miles up the Mississippi River. On his return journey, he is said to have stopped at New York and sold 9,000 furs that coureurs des bois had given him in preference to hauling them back to Montreal. (This story illustrates the benefits of the New Orleans area as a port, the size of the French presence on the Mississippi at this early date and Iberville's rather questionable business practices). On his third voyage in February 1701, he built a second fort at Mobile. Here, Henri Tonty aided him in establishing good relations with the Indians. He left Louisiana for the last time in April 1702. His brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville founded New Orleans in 1719.

    D'Iberville was perhaps the first great soldier born in Canada. Students of the art of war may see his career as an example of the importance of following up after a victory, for he won all his battles but never was able to consolidate what he had won.

    These wonderful Engraved Portrait of Le Moyne D'Iberville came to us as a part of a simply amazing archive of 17th, 18th and a few 19th century maps, views and portraits related to the French and British colonies in North America. The Archive was put together in the mid 19th century by a Canadian collector and contains many items of great rarity and beauty. All of the items in this archive are exceptionally well preserved with most exhibiting no wear or damage of any kind. There are over 160 items in this archive and we have been offering these rarities over the past few months as part of our regular, weekly eBay auctions.

     This wonderful Engraved Portrait is 100%, unconditionally guaranteed to be an original, ca1850 printing and not a restrike, reprint or reproduction. It is in very good to excellent condition - clean and crisp in the image area with some light soiling in the margins. There are no tears, edge chipping, physical damage or repairs of any kind. Overall this is a well preserved and very attractive example of this important Canada / United States / Louisiana related portrait.

     A very rare and beautiful, ca1850, Engraved Portrait of the celebrated Canadian Military Officer, explorer and founder of the French Colony of Louisiana Le Moyne D'Iberville and a fantastic addition to any collection!!

     Be sure to check out this sellers other auctions for other portraits and Views from this amazing Archive which are also being offered for sale this week on eBay!!

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