Historic Portraits of First Nations Ambassadors’ Visit With Queen Anne Commemorated on New Stamps

Ottawa, Ontario – April 19, 2010 – Canada Post today issued a four-stamp set Four Indian Kings to commemorate historic portraits of four Aboriginal representatives who travelled to Europe with colonial leaders to meet Queen Anne in 1710. The portraits are among the earliest surviving full-length oil portraits of North American First Nations people painted from life and considered a record of early cultural and political diplomacy between the First Nations and the British Empire.Queen Anne commissioned court painter John Verelst to create a portrait of each of her visitors—representatives from the Iroquois and Algonquian nations. The portraits were held in the British Royal Collection for more than a century before being acquired by the Government of Canada in 1977.

“The Four Indian Kings are among the most significant documents held by Library and Archives Canada,” notes Dr. Daniel J. Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. “Among the earliest surviving full-length depictions of North American Aboriginals painted from life, the portraits present a vivid record of the authoritative Aboriginal presence at the meeting with the British Queen in London on April 19, 1710.”

“These portraits represent an historic visit made over 300 years ago that shaped the course of our history,” said Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services at Canada Post. “We’re honoured to commemorate the earliest portraits of North American First Nations people.”

The set of four stamps featuring Verelst’s paintings was designed by David Sacha and Karen Satok of Sputnik Design Partners. All pieces of the issue feature the same close-up of Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, who was called the Emperor of the Six Nations and was the most prominent member of the historic delegation.

About the stamp

Each stamp measures 32 mm x 40 mm (vertical). Lowe-Martin printed the stamps, which are available in panes of 16 and have 13+ perforations. A total of 1,500,000 stamps will be printed. The gum type is P.V.A. and stamps are printed on Tullis Russell paper using lithography in nine colours. They are general tagged on four sides. The overprint on the on the souvenir sheet bears the logo for the London 2010 Festival of stamps. The official first day cover will be cancelled in Ottawa, Ontario.

Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the News section of the Canada Post website. Images of these new stamps are also available on-line. Stamps and other products will be available at participating post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at www.canadapost.ca/collection or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free: 1 800 565-4362, and from other countries, call: 902 863-6550.

For more information, please contact

Canada Post
Media Relations
613-734-8888
medias@canadapost.ca