Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Canadian Stamp Subjects: Fathers of Confederation

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"Fathers of Confederation" was a large (8 X 13 feet) oil painting commissioned by the Canadian government in 1883. The painting featured the men involved in the creation of Canada in 1867 and was painted by the artist Robert Harris.

Many of Canada's most influential early citizens appear in the painting such as Sir John Macdonald and Thomas D'Arcy McGee - both of whom have been honored individually on Canadian postage stamps as well.

The painting has been reproduced on two different Canadian stamps, Scott #135:




And Scott #142:




Both feature beautiful renditions of Harris' painting. However, if you look closely, you'll notice that eight people are missing in the Scott #135 version but they reappear in #142. Sadly, the original painting was destroyed by fire when the Canadian Parliament building burned in 1916. However, Toronto artist Rex Woods later produce a copy for the centennial celebration in 1967 which still exists today and is displayed in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - the location of the original conference commemorated by the painting.

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