Jean-Adolphe Bocquin, Taking Possession of Louisiana and the Mississippi River, in the name of Louis XIVth, 1870

After an expedition along the Mississippi, French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle (1643–1687) captured the river mouth in 1682. The aim was to build a fortified harbor before France’s English and Spanish rivals. In honor of the French crown, the areas crossed were called “La Louisiane.” The fictional representation shows La Salle in a central position reading a proclamation. He is surrounded by a group of people, including French soldiers, some civilians, a priest, and warriors and chiefs of the American Indian tribes. In the background is a river and a dwelling.

Taking Possession of Louisiana and the Mississippi River, in the Name of Louis XIVth, by Cavelier de La Salle [From Rouen] on April 9, 1682, lithographie, 59,3 cm x 75,5 cm, 1870, artist: Jean-Adolphe Bocquin (1826–1880); source: Library of Congress, https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.15512, public domain.