History Of Canada Frieze
One of Eleanor Milne's first assignments as Dominion Sculptor was to carve a comprehensive history of Canada. After eight months of research in the Parliamentary Library, Milne felt prepared to undertake such a monumental task. She decided to create the 120 foot House of Commons lobby frieze on three levels featuring action, boundaries and philosophical statements. This threefold approach allowed her to employ obvious symbols for the public to read without abandoning larger philosophical statements on Canada's history. Milne's use of a deep relief carving technique was quite different from the other carving styles represented in the Parliament buildings. The panels are divided by raised stones representing philosophical concepts which link historical episodes in the frieze. An example is the family carved in the centre of panel 5 on the south wall (#5/2 below). On the west wall, Milne carved an allegorical figure for Education which can also be seen below (#6/2). Panel 10 on the north wall features an allegorical figure for Freedom of Choice.

Some of the ways chosen by Milne to depict Canada's history were considered quite radical. The monarchs featured on the frieze were treated with some irreverence, while Milne created controversy at the time of the work by showing Canada's first people as equal to European settlers. She says, "The depiction of the Native population and [non-native] people being friends with the Natives on an equal level was important to me . . . this was a major point of contention" (Personal interview with S. Alfoldy, Fall 1998).

Eleanor Milne's History of Canada frieze represents the best, and does not neglect some of the worst, passages in Canadian history. The entire work is imbued with Milne's thoughtful spiritual meditations on what Canadians may learn from their own stories. She is currently working on a book describing the History of Canada frieze in detail, which will enable the public to have a much deeper understanding of the meanings imbedded in her visual narratives.

 

The images of the History of Canada frieze shown here are all from the Hayward Collection of slides on-line database at Concordia University. They are numbered beginning with the first panel in the series. Italicized sentences are information taken from Sandra Alfoldy's interviews with Eleanor Milne for this website. Sentences in quotes are from newspaper or magazine articles.

 
East Wall: Panel #1
Inuit father teaching his son to hunt 1. Inuit father teaching his son to hunt.
First people coming to North America 2. First people coming to North America from Asia 25,000 years ago.
Natives fishing and hunting 3. Natives fishing and hunting.
East wall: Panel #2
Vikings arrive in Canada and meet the Natives 1. Vikings arrive in Canada and meet the Natives.
Cabot's expedition 2. Cabot's expedition.
  3. Cabot's ship sailing the Grand Banks and making them public knowledge.
South Wall: Panel #3
Cartier exploring the St. Lawrence River 1. Cartier exploring the St. Lawrence River.
Other explorers following the lead of Cartier and Champlain 2. Other explorers following the lead of Cartier and Champlain. When one action happened, it affected others. For example, native populations were affected when Cartier arrived and mapped the St. Lawrence because the natives knew where the St. Lawrence was, then this meant that other merchants could come.
Champlain exploring to the Great Lakes 3. Champlain exploring to the Great Lakes and making friends with the Natives. Showing the First Nations' importance and welcome to the early European arrivals in Canada was important to Milne. Her father built ships in the North and interacted with the Native population. She realized their essential role in Canada's history when others didn't.
"Champlain made the first European inroads into the Canadian wilderness, he is shown squatting on the ground talking to his best friend in the new world, a native" (Pete McMartin, "The Dominion's Sculptor," The Ottawa Citizen 2 May1993).
South Wall: Panel #4
The expulsion of the Acadians 1. Battle of the Plains of Abraham (British defeat the French).
Life continuing despite the fighting. 2. Life continuing despite the fighting.
Treaty of Paris. Great Britain takes control of Canada. 3. Treaty of Paris. Great Britain takes control of Canada.
South Wall: Panel #5
Great Britain setting the borders of its colony, Québec 1. Great Britain setting the borders of its colony, Québec.
"unregal monarchs, all seated, legs carelessly splayed open, leaving the onlooker with a full frontal view of the monarchs crotches - the body language of corrupt, uncaring despotism" (Pete McMartin).
Families grow and settle in Canada 2. Families grow and settle in Canada. Families come and establish Canada. The desire to raise families in peace meant it was necessary to fight for boundaries, because without boundaries they could not have done that.
Battle of the Plains of Abraham 3. Battle of Queenston heights to establish the border between Canada and the U.S
West Wall: Panel #6
Natives learn Christianity 1. Natives learn Christianity.
"She made the Indians receiving Christianity in the work appear stiff to indicate their resistance to this new white man's deity" (Kit Irving, "Story in Stone: her art traces history on parliament hill," Ottawa Journal 16 November 1974).
Allegorical figure of Education

2. Allegorical figure of Education surrounded by children reaching for the fruits of knowledge.

The establishment of schools 3. The establishment of schools.
West Wall: Panel #7
Settling of the Red River Valley 1. Settling of the Red River Valley (after battle with Métis).
  2. David Thompson.
  3. Expansion of the railway to the Rockies.
North Wall: Panel #8
  1. Natives and fur traders
  2. Fur traders and voyageurs opening up Canada's financial world
  3. Voyageurs bringing freight into remote areas
North Wall: Panel #9
Exploration of the North Pole 1. Exploration of the North Pole
Mountie with Husky 2. RCMP keep order in the north.
Gold found in the Yukon 3. Gold found in the Yukon. The Yukon was relatively safe from murder unlike the U.S. This was because we had established the North West Mounted Police
North Wall: Panel #10
  1. The expulsion of the Acadians.
"You have to understand that here in Canada, people were hustled into buildings and burned alive because others didn't like them. You have to know that others similarly disliked, were set to sea in boats that barely floated and later became the Cajuns of the deep south - a name derived from the Acadians which they were. That sort of thing is up there on the frieze" ("Nation's history hewn in stone," Winnipeg Tribune 21 June 1975).
 

2. Allegorical figure representing freedom of choice. Doves of Peace being freed from their chains.
"The whole thing is really a statement of the value of living in Canada. And the central figure is an allegorical statement that we choose our own freedom. The future is always uncertain, but we have to be vigilent about it to preserve our freedoms - we have to fight to preserve our freedoms. We, the people, make our own history" (Pete McMartin). Philosophical statement: if you bring oppression with you everyone suffers, people who think positively survive.

  3. Loyalists leaving the U.S.A.

 

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