This fabulous heritage item comes from the estate of celebrated Canadian antique expert John Russell of Montreal and Gananoque, Ontario. He must have considered it special because, of the millions of items that passed through his hands over the decades, he kept this for his private pleasure. The matte of crumpled gold foil, around a gathered blue ribbon, is simply glorious.
Though it sometimes caught her off guard, the Princess never took it lying down. Criticism of Sir Joseph, that is.
 Great Canadian Heritage Treasure |
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| Princess Louise, Marquise of Lorne |
| Orig. photo CDV - Size - 4.25 x 6.5" Found - Grimsby, ON Photo 1878, by Topley, Ottawa, Canada |
A Reluctant Canadian? In 1880, Princess Louise suffered serious injury in a sleighing accident on the way to Parliament, being dragged for several hundred yards by bolting horses. She returned to England to recuperate. Threats of kidnapping by Irish Fenians also made her move to Bermuda for safety for a time in 1882.
In the end she spent half of her husband's five year term, outside Canada. Was this because of cruel experiences in Canada, or were there cracks in this ideal marriage? Read on...
There was talk that Princes Louise didn't like Canada or Canadians, and the feeling did create some tensions, much of it promoted by the press which felt she should have given them much more to write about. But she came back and they soldiered on till they returned to England in 1883.
The Marquis died in 1914; a devoted Louise nursed him through the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. She became somewhat reclusive, almost mirroring her mother's life after the death of Prince Albert. She died at 91 in 1939. She was the longest lived, and most accomplished of Queen Victoria's daughters.
A Cultured Couple: The Marquis was a writer and a poet; Princess Louise preferred to draw and sculpt.
In 1880 the Marquis and Louise were instrumental in founding the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. They picked the works to feature in the first exhibition; these later became the nucleus of the National Gallery of Canada collection.
In 1882, the North West Territories were subdivided and it was proposed that the new districts be renamed Athabasca, Assiniboine, Saskatchewan, and Louise? in honour of the Princess. She demurred, and requested that her other name Alberta, which she had been given by her father Prince Albert, be used instead.
In 1884, the "Gem of the Rockies," Lake Louise, was named after her. It became the most popular tourist destination in the Canadian Rockies. Most of Canada's leading artists took a crack at trying to capture its beauty.
In 1889 Mount Alberta was dedicated to her, and in 1916 the town site of Lake Louise was named in her honour as well.
In 1905 the province of Alberta was formed taking over the name of the old district that honoured both her and her father.
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The Marquis of Lorne - 1845-1914 |
| Great Canadian Heritage Treasure |
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| Marquis of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada |
| Orig. photo CDV - Size - 4.25 x 6.5" Found - Grimsby, ON Photo 1878, by Topley, Ottawa, Canada |
| Great Canadian Heritage Treasure |
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| Lady Agnes Macdonald, Wife of Sir John A Macdonald |
| Orig. photo CDV - Size - 4.25 x 6.5" Found - Grimsby, ON Photo 1878, by Topley, Ottawa, Canada |
| After the Marquis and Princess Louise arrived in Canada they gave a grand ball (Feb. 1879) that was talked about for years afterwards, to mark the occasion. Sir John A danced with Princess Louise and his wife Agnes with the Marquis. Above is a rare CDV of Sir John A's second wife Agnes, autographed by her probably for a close friend, just a few months before she danced with the newly arrived Governor-General. |