Confederation - Ottawa, Ontario - Epic Beings and Creatures on Waymarking.com

The word 'allegory,' derived from the Greek alios, meaning 'other,' and agoreuo,
'to speak,' is defined as "a narrative in which abstract ideas are personified." While the female and male allegorical figures on the Parliament Hill monuments do personify abstract ideas, the male and female figures are not equal in what they may be seen to represent.

Although female allegorical figures had appeared on Parliament Hill monuments
as early as 1895, it was not until 1901 that a representation of a real female joined the
growing pantheon of heroic figures flanking the Parliament Buildings.

A statue to honour Queen Victoria on the occasion of her diamond jubilee (the sixtieth year of her reign) was proposed by Cabinet in 1897 at the same time as the monument to Alexander Mackenzie.

The completed monument consists of three large bronze figures mounted on a grey granite pedestal that was designed by Canadian architect Jean-Omer Marchand (1873-1936), as was the pedestal for the Mackenzie monument. The standing figure of Victoria is dressed in flowing robes of state (fig. 5). The queen holds a sceptre on her right arm and wears a crown on her head. In her left hand, which extends downward, she displays a parchment on which is written in English, "Constitutional Liberty." Standing below the Queen on a lower level of the pedestal is a female allegory representing Canada. The latter is a youthful figure, like that of Confederation on the Macdonald monument, but whereas Confederation sits, Canada stands.

In terms of the Parliament Hill figures, it is perhaps most productive to examine the differences in how the two genders are represented in allegorical form. All three female figures mentioned so far - Confederation on the Macdonald monument, Canada on the Victoria monument, and Probity on the Mackenzie monument - are youthful women who are not dressed in contemporary clothing. Rather, they are revealingly draped in classical costumes and all are accompanied by attributes such as crowns, flags, and scrolls.

Reference: (visit link)

John A. Macdonald: (visit link)

Time Period: Ancient Approximate Date of Epic Period: 1/1/1895 Epic Type: Mythical Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art

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