About the note
Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, appears on the face of this note. The engraving, by Thomas Hipschen of the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is based on the same source image used for the Scenes of Canada $10 note. Although the photographer is unknown, the image was sourced from the Public Archives of Canada, now Library and Archives Canada. Beside Macdonald is a view of the original 1862 Centre Block on Parliament Hill, seen from the west as it appeared before it was destroyed by fire in 1916.
Like all the notes of this series, the $10 note features a bird on the reverse. The original osprey image was created by renowned nature artist John Crosby and prepared for lithography by Yves Baril of the Canadian Bank Note Company, who reproduced it in gouache and coloured pencil. This is the first series with backs entirely lithographed. The birds chosen for the series were selected for their pan‑Canadian habitats. The osprey is a raptor found near both fresh and salt water across most of Canada, though it is less common in the plains. As shown in this vignette, an osprey carries its prey facing forward to reduce wind resistance.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald
- Date of issue: June 27, 1989
- Last day of issue: January 16, 2001
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors Gordon G. Thiessen, Bernard Bonin and Malcolm D. Knight
- Governors John W. Crow and Gordon G. Thiessen
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: De La Rue Company Ltd.
- Printer: British American Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
