Canadian Landscape is the third series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar issued by the

Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BoC; french: Banque du Canada) is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the ''Bank of Canada Act'', it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy,OECD. OECD Economic Surveys: C ...

, first circulated in 1954. The banknotes were designed in 1952 following the accession of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

to the throne after the death of her father

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

. The banknote designs differed significantly from the preceding 1937 Series banknotes, though the denomination colours and

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all ...

printing were retained. This series was followed by the 1969 Scenes of Canada series. The 1954 Canadian Landscape banknote series became known as the "Devil's Head" series, leading to design modifications for all denominations. The second variant of the series was issued in 1956.

Design

Planning for the banknotes began on 6 February 1952 after the death of

and the accession of

to the throne. The first design, created by the

Canadian Bank Note Company The Canadian Bank Note Company (CBNC) is a Canadian security printing company. It is best known for holding the contract with the Bank of Canada to supply it with Canada's banknotes since 1935. The company's other clients include private busin ...

, was deemed too similar in style to the 1937 Series, including the "elaborate scrollwork" decorating the edges of the banknotes. To reflect a "growing sense of Canadian nationalism", the design of the banknotes was significantly different from that of the 1937 Series, retaining the bilingual text and denomination colours using a modern 1950s style that abandoned Victorian ornamentation associated with Canada's colonial past. The banknotes were marked with English text to the left of the French text. The less ornate design and arrangement of elements was said to improve the legibility of the banknotes. The banknotes featured the same border style on the obverse and reverse. All banknotes in the series measure , which are the same length as the 1937 Series banknotes but inch narrower. This change made the banknotes closer in size to the

Federal Reserve Note Federal Reserve Notes, also United States banknotes, are the currently issued banknotes of the United States dollar. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the notes under the authority of the Federal Reserve Act of 191 ...

s issued in the United States. The new notes were introduced by

Graham Towers Graham Ford Towers (29 September 1897 – 4 December 1975) was the first Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1934 to 1954. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, educated at St. Andrew's College in Toronto, he graduated from McGill Universi ...

, the

Governor of the Bank of Canada The governor of the Bank of Canada () is the chief executive officer of the Bank of Canada and acts as chair of its board of directors. The ''Bank of Canada Act'', 1985, S. 6(1), provides that the governor and deputy governor shall be appointed ...

, to the

Parliamentary Press Gallery The Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery (french: Tribune de la presse parlementaire) is an association established to oversee rules and responsibilities of Canadian journalists when at Parliament Hill. The organization was formed in 1866 by Thom ...

in June 1954, and entered circulation that September. In advertisements that ran in Canadian newspapers in September 1954, the Bank of Canada stated that design and use of two colours on the obverse were security features to deter

counterfeiting To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

Obverse

The banknotes all featured a portrait of Elizabeth II, based on a photograph taken by

Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ...

, placed on the right side of the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

, the first series to carry the portrait of Elizabeth as queen. The photograph was the same one used for the 1952 Canada 2-cent stamp, but was flipped to have Elizabeth II face left, and the diamond

tiara A tiara (from la, tiara, from grc, τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women ...

she was wearing was removed. The final image was engraved by George Gunderson, master engraver at British American Bank Note Company (BABN, now BA International), after receiving approval from Elizabeth II. The portrait's placement differed from earlier banknote series that had an oval-framed portrait in the centre of the banknote, which was more susceptible to wearing as it occurred at the crease point for a folded banknote. This was the first series to include the Canadian coat of arms, which appeared centrally in the background of the obverse. Obverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $1 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $2 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $5 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $10 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $20 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $50 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $100 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Obverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $1000 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing

Reverse

The design changes were made to portray themes more typical of Canada and lead artist

Charles Comfort Charles Fraser Comfort, LL. D. (July 22, 1900 – July 5, 1994) was a Scotland-born Canadian painter, sculptor, teacher, writer and administrator. Career and biography Early life Born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Comfort moved to Winnipeg in 1 ...

, contracted by the Bank of Canada to "develop a more contemporary design for Canada's currency", created a rendering of the

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

at the National War Memorial with an engraving of pine branches by

Eric Bergman Henry Eric Bergman (1893–1958), born Heinrich Erich Bergmann, was a Canadian artist born in Dresden, Germany. Bergman’s training was as a commercial wood engraver illustrating catalogs and business prospectuses. He later took up fine art workin ...

, a design he preferred when the reverse of all banknotes in the series were expected to have the same design. He simplified the design and replaced the

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

themes from earlier banknote issues with scenes of Canadian landscapes, as executives at the Bank of Canada considered the War Memorial "too emotionally loaded". The design also included the use of horizontal bands, but the printing companies preferred the more traditional enclosed border. In 1953, the Bank of Canada announced that the designs of the 1937 Series would be replaced with images of Canadian landscapes. The images were chosen from a set of over 3,000 photographs obtained from

Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is ...

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

, and several news agencies. The final set of images for consideration were required to satisfy several conditions: preference for rural scenes, no well-known scenes, no large buildings, and little indication of human or economic activity. The Bank of Canada acquired all

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

associated with the images, with a transfer of

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

from the owner to the Bank of Canada and the owner required to destroy any outstanding copies or negatives. The designs included a

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

prairie scene engraved for the $1 banknote by Carl Louis Irmscher of the

American Bank Note Company ABCorp is an American corporation providing contract manufacturing and related services to the authentication, payment and secure access business sectors. Its history dates back to 1795 as a secure engraver and printer, and assisting the newl ...

, the

Saint-François River The Saint-François River is a right tributary of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its source is Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards Sherbrooke, where it changes cour ...

seen from Upper Melbourne in

Richmond, Quebec Richmond, population 3,232 (2016), is a town nestled amidst rolling farmlands on the Saint-François River between Sherbrooke and Drummondville, in the heart of Estrie in Quebec, Canada. History Originally settled by colonists from New England, ...

, engraved by Harry P. Dawson for the $2 banknote, and an engraved scene of Otter Falls on the

Aishihik River The Aishihik River, also known as Canyon Creek, is a river in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Originating in Aishihik Lake, it flows south into the Dezadeash River, part of the Alsek River watershed. Otter Falls, located on the Aishihik Rive ...

in southwestern

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, at mile 996 of the

Alaska Highway based on a photograph from the Provincial Publicity Bureau of Quebec. Warrell Alfred Hauk engraved a seascape scene of Crescent Beach in Lockeport,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

based on a photograph for the $50 banknote, and Ford engraved a scene of Okanagan Lake for the $100 banknote. The original photograph was captured in 1947 by Nicholas Morant. The scene depicted on the $1000 banknote, based on a photograph by Max Sauer, is of a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

spanning the Saguenay River fjord at L'Anse-Saint-Jean in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. Reverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $1 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $2 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $5 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $10 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $20 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $50 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $100 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing Reverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1954 Series, "Devil's Head" printing.jpg, $1000 banknote, "Devil's Head" printing

Denominations

Centennial $1 banknote

On 3 January 1967, a $1 note commemorating the

centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominio ...

was introduced into circulation. The image on the reverse of this version shows the original Parliament Buildings, which were destroyed by fire in 1916, and is the same engraving used for a Dominion of Canada banknote designed and printed in the 19th century. The obverse includes a green monochrome adaptation of the stylised maple leaf Centennial

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

marked with the years 1867 and 1967. The border of the original design was modified to include the text "Le centenaire de la confederation Canadienne" and "Centennial of Canadian Confederation". Two variants of the design were printed; the first had the serial number at the top of the obverse, whereas the second and more common variant had the years 1867 and 1967 printed twice flanking the apex of the coat of arms. In 1968, the Bank of Canada stopped issuing the commemorative note and once again began circulating the $1 banknote with the Saskatchewan prairie on the reverse.

Printing

The banknotes were printed on dry paper instead of using the wet paper printing process of earlier series, and the paper consisted of 50% flax and 50% cotton. The printing process was changed from earlier banknotes, as the design now required one Intaglio (printmaking), intaglio plate and two Lithography, lithographic plates. The Canadian Bank Note Company printed the $1, $20, $50, $100, and $1000 banknotes, and the British American Bank Note Company printed the $2, $5, and $10 banknotes, and later the $1 banknote as well.

Security

The design of the banknotes featured a "soft vignette" of the portrait on the obverse, instead of the decorative frame about the portrait used for the 1935 Series and 1937 Series of banknotes. This was deemed to make counterfeiting the banknotes more difficult. By 1967, the series was heavily counterfeited, and by 1973, the $50 banknote had a counterfeit ratio of over 950 parts per million.

Devil's Head controversy and legacy

The banknotes were described as "a little less pro-British" by the ''Halifax Chronicle-Herald''. The design of the hair behind the ear of Elizabeth II "gave the illusion of a grinning demon", leading to the banknote series nickname "Devil's Head". The demon was described as having "pouchy eyes, hooked nose with flared nostrils and thick loose lips". The devil's head appearance can be seen in the #Obverse, banknote obverses illustrated above, particularly if the right-hand side of the Queen's head is enlarged. British alderman H.L. Hogg of Hartlepool stated that the perfection of the devil's face appearance in the banknote resulted from "the fiendish design of the artist...or the engraver who made the plate" and wrote a letter of complaint to Norman Robertson, the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom in March 1956. The Bank of Canada had begun addressing the problem in late 1955, and in March 1956, it announced that it had ordered the Canadian Bank Note Company and BA International to modify the engraved printing plates for all banknote denominations, resulting in printed banknotes having darkened highlights of the hair behind the ear. Banknotes printed using the new plates were issued later that year. The original banknotes of this series now command high prices amongst numismatics dealers and collectors. In 1965, after receiving authorization from the Bank of Canada, the printing companies updated their plates to print 40 banknotes per sheet of paper, instead of 32 printed per page to that point in time. The Bank of Canada also authorized engraving the signatures of the

and the deputy governor directly onto the intaglio printing plates, instead of stamping them on the banknotes using letterpress printing.

Notes

References

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External links

1954 Series
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:1954 Series (Banknotes) Banknotes of Canada 1954 in Canada