On March 8 Canada Post released a new stamp that pays tribute to the women who fought and won the right to vote 100 years ago in this country. While the suffrage movement began to form nearly four decades earlier, the struggle to secure the vote did not significantly advance until the First World War, when women worked in hospitals, factories and offices, and often raised families alone, spurring demands for equality. In 1916, the women of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta became the first in Canada to win the right to cast provincial ballots. Designed by Winnipeg-based Tétro, the commemorative stamp is illustrated in the black and gold colours that symbolized the North American movement and incorporates the Venus symbol of femininity as the letters ‘O’ and ‘T’ in the word Vote. Vertical text in English and French at the right highlights the women’s suffrage theme and indicates the dates of its centennial. The official first-day cover features one of the most important figures of the women’s suffrage movement, Nellie McClung. Her portrait is set over an image of the 1915 petition to the Government of Manitoba that helped secure full political rights for women in that province. At the bottom is a black and gold banner reading ‘Votes for Women,’ one of several artifacts currently on display in a women’s suffrage exhibit at Winnipeg’s Manitoba Museum. Continue reading →
I’m a big fan of collecting, but not a big fan of structure. For instance, when I look at stamp exhibits I’m more interested in the story than the details of the exhibit. I have to remind myself that judges look at more than just a good read, but have to take so much more into consideration. From the perspective of exhibiting that makes a lot of sense. It is a scored event that moves from the local to the international levels, so consistency among judges is the only way a serious exhibitor can move ahead.
Subscribe to 26 issues for just $45.75/year
Subscribe today to receive Canada's premier coin publication. Canadian Coin News is available in both paper and digital forms.