Yesterday, Canada Post issued its fifth and final set of Canadian Photography stamps featuring five renowned photographers and their work as an overview of the art form over the past 150 years.
The five Permanent domestic stamps feature some of the photographers’ most iconic photographs, which were carefully selected with the help of major curators and art professionals across the country.
“It was a great privilege and a real pleasure to work on this series from start to finish,” said designer Stéphane Huot. “I discovered great artists and photographers who made a real impact on the history of Canadian photography. It is definitely one of my proudest philatelic achievements.”
Claire Beaugrand-Champagne’s 1972 photograph ‘Ti-Noir Lajeunesse, The Blind Violinist,Disraeli, Quebec.’
FIVE ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHERS
The set includes Claire Beaugrand-Champagne’s 1972 photograph Ti-Noir Lajeunesse, The Blind Violinist,Disraeli, Quebec. She was Quebec’s first female press photographer and earned recognition for her documentary images of people who have served as powerful reflections of society.
Another stamp depicts Robert Bourdeau’s 1989 photograph Ontario, Canada. Bourdeau built a reputation for producing images taken with large-format cameras. His photographs are found in major collections in Canada and the U.S. His work focuses on the revealing details of subjects ranging from traditional landscapes to architecture and still life.
Gilbert Duclos’ 1994 photograph ‘Enlacées, Montréal.’
Gilbert Duclos’ 1994 photograph Enlacées, Montréal. Duclos focused his lens on scenes that reflect his passion for street humanism. Throughout his career as a professional photographer, his photographic series have depicted many of the Western world’s cities. His work has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. His portrait of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson was on a stamp Canada Post issued in 2005.
Samuel McLaughlin’s circa 1862 photograph Construction of the Parliament Buildings, Centre Block. McLaughlin became the Province of Canada’s first official photographer in 1861. He also published Canada’s first photographic collection, The Photographic Portfolio (1858-60), which offered an impressive documentation of several Canadian public work projects, including the construction of the Parliament buildings.
Samuel McLaughlin’s circa 1862 photograph ‘Construction of the Parliament Buildings, Centre Block.’
William James Topley’s circa 1883 photograph Sir John A. Macdonald. Topley has left us with a visual record of the first 50 years after Confederation, which include captivating portraits of Canada’s early political leaders. He learned the art of photography early from his mother, joined the William Notman Studio in Montréal for three years and later took over a branch office in Ottawa.
SPECIFICATIONS
William James Topley’s circa 1883 photograph ‘Sir John A. Macdonald.’
Available in booklets of 10 stamps, the new domestic-rate stamps measure 36 mm by 30 mm and feature lithography in a four-colour process and two special inks. Two souvenir sheets (one with three domestic-rate stamps and another with two stamps) measure 150 mm by 75 mm and are printed in a four-colour process and three special inks. They were printed by Canadian Bank Note.
An official first-day cover was also cancelled in Montréal.
As with all issues in 2017, the stamps contain a special Canada 150 feature. In this issue, the Canada 150 logo repeats across the bottom and top of the stamps in taggant, which is visible only in black light.