About the note
King George VI does not appear on the two highest denomination notes of this series. The $100 note features an image of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. It is the same image seen on the $500 note from the First series, a denomination not offered in the 1937 issue. The portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald was engraved by Will Ford of the American Bank Note Company (ABN) after an 1883 photograph by William James Topley of Ottawa.
The brown colour of the 1935 $100 note was altered for 1937 and more closely resembles the shade of the current $100 note. The allegorical vignette on the back represents the theme of commerce and industry. The adult figure sits with his foot on the head of a hammer, and behind him is an image of busy factories and docks. The whole background image is enveloped in smoke, itself an allegory of flourishing industry and its accompanying commerce. The man and boy in the vignette were created by engraver William Adolf. Elie Loizeaux, Sydney L. Smith and Warrell A. Hauck—all of ABN—engraved the complete vignette by combining Adolf’s image with the background from another engraving.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald
- Date of issue: July 19, 1937
- Last day of issue: December 31, 1954
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors James A. C. Osborne, Donald Gordon and James E. Coyne
- Governor Graham F. Towers
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7.2 cm
- Design: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd., British American Bank Note Company Ltd., American Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
