File 26 - Design of Royal Arms of Canada

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Design of Royal Arms of Canada

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File

Reference code

CA CAC 1-1-26

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • August 1921 (Creation)
    Creator
    Nobbs, Percy E. (Percy Erskine), 1875-1964

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Physical description

5 drawings : 1 ink on linen, 2 ink on paper, 1 pencil on paper, 1 sepia

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Name of creator

(1875-1964)

Biographical history

Nobbs was born in Haddington, Scotland, in 1875. Shortly thereafter his family moved to St. Petersburg where he studied at the School of Design. He received a Master's degree from Edinburgh University in 1896 and subsequently became a pupil of Robert Lorimer, a Scottish architect and leader of the Arts and Crafts movement. In 1900 Nobbs successfully completed examinations at the Royal Institute of British Architects and won the Tite Prize, which enabled him to travel to Italy where he sketched and measured buildings. Between 1901 and 1902 Nobbs practiced architecture in London and won a number of architectural competitions. Nobbs commenced his long association with McGill University in 1903 when he began teaching at the School of Architecture; in the same year he set up his architectural practice in Montreal. One of his earliest works in Canada was the McGill University Union building. In 1909 he began his partnership with George Taylor Hyde which was to last until Hyde's death in 1944. In 1939 Nobbs retired from teaching architecture at McGill. Throughout his career Nobbs executed a variety of projects including buildings for McGill University, city and country houses, and war memorials.

For further information see the CAC's publication, Percy Erskine Nobbs and His Associates: A Guide to the Archive = Percy Erskine Nobbs et ses associés: Guide du fonds (Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1986.) Also see Susan Wagg, Percy Erskine Nobbs : Architecte, Artiste, Artisan = Percy Erskine Nobbs: Architect, Artist, Craftsman (Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1982.)

Nobbs est né à Haddington (Écosse) en 1875. Peu après sa naissance, sa famille s'installe à St-Pétersbourg, où il étudie à l'École de design. Il obtient une maîtrise de l'Université d'Édimbourg en 1896 et devient par la suite le disciple de Robert Lorimer, architecte écossais et chef de file du mouvement Arts and Crafts. En 1900, Nobbs est reçu aux examens du Royal Institute of British Architects et remporte le Prix Tite, grâce auquel il se rend en Italie où il fait des relevés et des croquis d'immeubles. De 1901 à 1902, Nobbs exerce l'architecture à Londres et remporte plusieurs -prix. Sa longue association avec l'Université McGill s'amorce en 1903, année où Nobbs commence à enseigner à l'École d'architecture; la même année, il ouvre son cabinet d'architectes à Montréal. L'immeuble du University Union de McGill est l'une de ses premières réalisations au Canada. En 1909, il s'associe à George Taylor Hyde, association qui allait se maintenir jusqu'au décès de Hyde en 1944. En 1939, Nobbs se retire de l'enseignement de l'architecture à McGill. Tout au long de sa carrière, Nobbs a réalisé un grand nombre de projets et notamment des immeubles pour l'Université McGill, des résidences principales et secondaires et des monuments aux morts.

Pour plus de renseignements, voir la publication de la CAC : Percy Erskine Nobbs and His Associates : A Guide to the Archive = Percy Erskine Nobbs et ses associés : Guide du fonds. Montréal : Collection d'architecture canadienne, Bibliothèque Blackader-Lauterman d'architecture et d'art, Université McGill, 1986. Voir aussi Susan Wagg. Percy Erskine Nobbs : Architecte, Artiste, Artisan = Percy Erskine Nobbs : Architect, Artist, Craftsman. Kingston : McGill-Queen's University Press, 1982.

Custodial history

Scope and content

File consists of drawings for coat of arms. Includes 4 development drawings (Royal Arms of Canada, Coat of Arms of Canada) and 1 working drawing (Royal Arms of Canada).

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General note

This coat of arms, officially designated on November 21, 1921, was designed to replace the cumbersome accretion that had become the prior coat. Previously, the coat of arms had consisted of an accumulation of the flags of the respective provinces. However, as the number of flags increased, the coat became increasingly cumbersome and was redesigned to reflect the founding peoples of the country as Nobbs saw it. Therefore the coat is emblazoned with the traditional heraldry of the English, the Scottish, the Irish and the French. Below these four emblems three maple leafs are found, united by one stem to symbolize a united Canada. The inscription on the coat reads A MARE USQUE AD MARE , a quotation from Psalm 72, verse 8 which inspired the founders of the Dominion of Canada: “he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.”

Alternative identifier(s)

Nobbs database project ID

26

Nobbs database op number

0130

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