The Duke and Duchess of York braving the timber slide at Ottawa during their 1901 tour of the British Empire. Seated on the crib are the future King George V (who preferred being at home tending his stamp collection), and his wife, the future Queen Mary, after whom the ocean liner, The Queen Mary, was named. By braving the slide, the Royal couple passed a Canadian test for “pluck”. The couple’s eldest son would become Edward VIII in 1936, abdicating before the year was out.

Alfred George Pittaway Photographic Studio, 58 Sparks Street, Ottawa. View full size.