Etched in the walls of Canada’s Parliament Buildings is a detailed depiction of the country’s history and people, told through the work of Canada’s Dominion Sculptors.
Only five people have ever held the position – a unique role that exists only in Canada.
“The Dominion Sculptor has been around since the beginning of the construction of the Centre Block building,” Phil White, Canada’s fifth and current Dominion Sculptor, told CTV’s Your Morning.
“The architect John Pearson had this idea that he would leave thousands of uncarved stone blocks sticking out of the walls to be carved and sculpted by future generations of Canadians to depict Canada’s history as it evolved.”
It was on these uncarved stone blocks that Eleanor Milne, Canada’s first female Dominion Sculptor, inscribed her legacy.
Appointed Dominion Sculptor in 1962, Milne held the position for more than three decades before retiring in 1993. She later passed away in 2014.
“She came along at a very interesting time, a time in which it wasn’t very common to see a woman in charge of a large group of men like that, and very traditional men, too,” White said.
Her most famous work, entitled the History of Canada, is a frieze that spans more than 30 metres in the House of Commons foyer. The carving’s storyline is bookended by the arrival of Indigenous people and Canadian Confederation.
“She was basically handed over some of the most interesting uncarved stone blocks in the building,” White said. “So her legacy, really, began with the idea of creating a series of sculptures … and that’s probably the work that she’s best known for.”
Milne’s stained glass design work, which illustrates the provincial flowers of Canada, is also among her most famous. The series of windows overlook the House of Commons Chamber.
Meanwhile, roughly 200 empty spaces remain around Canada’s Parliament buildings, awaiting the work of a Dominion Sculptor.
