5042984 The Expedition Encamped below the Falls of the Niagara on 20th January 1679, 1847-48 (oil on canvas) by Catlin, George (1796-1872); 37.8x56.2 cm; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA; (add.info.: De Tonty and his companions, encamped on the shore of Lake Ontario, seven miles below the Fall of Niagara, 20th January 1679. Henri de Tonti (1649/50-1704) Italian lieutenant to Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-87) French explorer and fur trader in North America The expedition looked for somewhere to build a ship where the Iroquois had a well-established portage route bypassing rapids (later called Niagara Falls)).