Behind Bonsecours Market, Montreal

In this genre scene of a busy street behind the Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal, Raphael realistically documents the romantic aspects of Canadian life. The artist himself appears in the centre of the canvas, holding his portfolio and a silver candelabra, a family keepsake. This rare, early urban work shows the influence of the Biedermeier style, which marked a transitional period from Neo-classicism to Romanticism in Germany and Austria.