Willard Morse Mitchell, The Beautiful and Historic Saguenay River, P.Q., depicts a quiet, expansive reach of the Saguenay River animated by a lone fisherman standing mid-stream as he casts his line into gently moving water. The foreground is scattered with rounded rocks, painted in warm ochres, browns, and deep greens that break the surface of the blue river and create soft, shifting reflections.

Along the left side, a steep, forested bank rises sharply from the shore, its dense foliage built up through layered washes of green, olive, and muted rust, suggesting rugged terrain and mature woodland. In the distance, low hills dissolve into cool blue tones, reinforcing depth and the sense of a wide, open river valley. The pale sky is lightly worked, punctuated by small birds in flight that add scale and quiet movement. Mitchell’s loose, confident handling and transparent colour create a calm, contemplative mood, presenting the Saguenay as both a working landscape and a place of enduring natural beauty.