About the note
King George VI does not appear on the two highest denomination notes of this series. The $1,000 note shows Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier wearing a Prince Albert coat, which was a popular style at the turn of the 20th century. Edwin Gunn of the American Bank Note Company (ABN) engraved this image, based on a photograph of Laurier that came from the Public Archives of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada). The photographer is not known.
The colour of this note was changed from light green to pink for 1937, the colour the $1,000 would remain until its last appearance in the 1990s. The allegorical vignette on the back represents protection — a bank security theme. The image was engraved by William Jung, based on a painting by Alonzo Foringer, both of ABN. This was an image owned by ABN that had previously appeared in 1917 on an issue of Russian bonds.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir Wilfrid Laurier
- Date of issue: July 19, 1937
- Last day of issue: December 31, 1954
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governor James A. C. Osborne
- 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: not legal tender
