photogravure

Artwork

Accession Number
983.950a-b
Description
A sepia-toned lithograph in oak frame with a wide grey textured metallic paperboard mat, the subject Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald seated in an upholstered armchair, his costume a Windsor uniform with a wide sash, his ostrich-plumed bicorn hat resting on a table beside him.
Narrative
This is a photogravure copy of an 1889 oil painting by Henry Sandham (Canadian, 1842-1910) which now hangs in Canada's  Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario.  That painting was unveiled in 1890 to mark the subject's 75th birthday.

Sir John Alexander Macdonald (1815-1891) was Canada's first Prime Minister. He served in that capacity from 1867 to 1873, and also from 1878 to 1891.

Macdonald was the Member of Parliament for Victoria, British Columbia from 1878 to 1882, but never actually visited the city until 1886 when he drove the last spike in Robert Dunsmuir’s Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railroad near Shawnigan Lake.
History of Use
This object is on permanent loan to The Castle Society from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. It has been on display in Craigdarroch since 1972.
Date
circa 1890
Dimensions
87.5 x 106 cm
Artwork Title
The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, Prime Minister 1867-1873; 1878-1891
Medium
Photographic
Support
Paper
Technique
Printed; Engraved
Country of Origin
Canada