Historical painting of an explorer with a map by a river, with Indigenous people in canoes.

A 17th-century French explorer, Louis Jolliet, stands on the shore of a vast river or lake in North America. He wears traditional explorer clothing from the 1600s—leather boots, a long coat, and a tricorn hat. He holds a detailed map and compass in his hands, pointing toward the water, with canoes and Indigenous guides nearby. The landscape shows forested hills, a clear blue sky, and water stretching into the horizon. This scene represents Jolliet participating in a French-funded expedition to find a water passage to Asia. See more