Owner Comments:
The following is the text of the COA that came with this coin describing the history of Miss Canada, followed by a description of the allegory.
Lady of the North Land: Celebrating a Canadian Allegory
France has Marianne, England celebrates Britannia, America holds dear its Lady Liberty. For centuries, nations have adopted female personification to allegorically represent an idealized national image linked to classical iconography. In the years following Confederation, through the First World War and in various forms until the middle of the 20th century, Canada too had a well-known feminine national allegory, Miss Canada, whose emergence and evolution in Canada’s formative era reflects the fascinating and often complex story of Canadian nationalism.
In her earliest years, this Canadian allegorical figure was portrayed as the daughter of England’s feminine allegory, Britannia. In the classical robes of ancient Greece and Rome, Miss Canada was youthful and obedient to her august elder. The image was used in many ways, from political cartoons to product advertising. But as Canada’s international relationships changed over time—particularly its links with both England and the United States—so did the treatment and use of the Miss Canada allegory. By the outset of the First World War, she was so well known as to form part of the mythological vernacular of the country, having also appeared in literature by this time.
The First World War was a time of massive upheaval around the world but also within Canada itself. As the young country struggled to define its values, it engaged in a fluid and often disorienting dance between past and present. Although Canada was still a Dominion of the British Empire, nationalism was gaining momentum. At the same time, the tension between Canada’s original European settlement groups—the French and the English—was ongoing, fueled by contemporary events and public policy. Women were fighting for the vote. Discovery and “progress” on multiple fronts were changing the way people lived and worked. In short, “Canada,” still largely amorphous, struggled to define itself at a time when its western cultural context was itself undergoing massive change.
Inevitably, this cultural journey was reflected in the figure of the Canadian allegory. On one hand, there was reversion to the original “dedicated daughter of Britannia” allegory as it was propagandized by the government to maintain support for the war effort once Canadian soldiers began dying in large numbers. On the other hand, with society marching to the beat of progress, the figure herself necessarily had to modernize, her role as admiring daughter at the feet of Mother Britannia giving way to a stronger and more modern woman.
As national identity crystallized following Canada’s contribution to the war effort and full political independence after the war, the once-ubiquitous Canadian female allegory slowly disappeared from popular culture. Today, such an allegory must necessarily reflect an entirely different set of ideals, containing the contrasting but congruent values of diversity and interconnection that make this country unique.
Masterpieces of the Minter's Art: The Lady of the Great White North!
This coin re-introduces Miss Canada to the world! The vignette by Canadian artist Laurie McGaw features an iconic rendering of a new Canada allegory! Seated on the “throne” of the Canadian Shield, this classically dressed, seated female portrays elegance and beauty. Appropriate, Miss Canada sports a crown of maple leaves - an iconic image associated with Canada for more than two centuries. She raises her right hand with open palm in a gesture of peace and welcome. In her left arm she holds a staff bearing a large maple leaf. Her bare right foot is visible beneath the hem of her long gown, putting Miss Canada in direct contact with the natural world within which she is positioned. In the landscape surrounding her we see the incredible natural variety of Canada. In the distant background rise vast mountains and a pure glacial river. The middle ground is occupied by a large waterway bounded by a wild forested shoreline. An eagle, an important element of Native American spiritualism, flies above her. In the water below the eagle, a jumping fish represents the vigor and power of Canada’s natural world. The base of the image is festooned with a garland composed of more than twenty-five species of Canadian leaves, symbolizing Canada’s natural diversity and multicultural makeup.
Specifications:
- Face Value: 3 dollars
- Mintage: 15,000
- Composition: bronze (95% Copper 5% Tin)
- Weight (g): 19.2
- Diameter (mm): 35.75
- Edge: Plain
- Finish: Proof
- Certificate: Serialized (#14711 / 15000)
- Artist: Laurie McGaw
The picture substituting for this coin's reverse is an 1886 political cartoon satirizing Canadian/US relations. In it Jonathon represents the United Sates, Miss Canada as Britannia's daughter, represents Canada, and Britannia represents Great Britain. The following is the text of the cartoon:
Mrs. Britannia.—“Is it possible, my dear, that you have ever given your cousin Jonathan any encouragement?”
Miss Canada.—“Encouragement! Certainly not, Mamma. I have told him that we can never be united.”