Photograph after a watercolour of the Centre Block (or Édifice du centre), the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, with people on foot or on carriages in the grounds. The circular building on the right-hand side is the Library of Parliament. This is likely to be one of the sketches presented to illustrate a proposal for the Centre Block, construction of which started in December 1859, following the designs of Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones.

The 18-years-old Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) visited Ottawa in 1860 during a four-month tour throughout Canada and the United States of America and, on 1 September 1860, laid the cornerstone of the growing Centre Block. It is likely that he acquired this photograph at the time of his visit to the city.