In the grand scheme of world history, Canada as we recognise it today is a relatively young nation. Though officially founded in 1867, the country’s heritage is far older, spanning thousands of years and rooted in Indigenous culture. We may not be able to capture all of this in photographs from the beginning, but we can at least zoom into how events from and aspects of Canadian history from 1840 onwards have been caught on camera.

Click through the gallery to discover a selection of some of the oldest photos ever to be taken of Canada, all of which are over a century old...