E. Pauline Johnson, 1861

This new postage stamp honours the centennial of the birth of Miss E. Pauline Johnson, Indian poetess. The stamp shows a profile of the late poetess, wearing a high ruffled collar of Victorian apparel superimposed on a background of forests, plains and mountains. In the background, a full-length likeness of Miss Johnson in tribal costume is shown to emphasize her two personalities of Indian princess and Victorian lady. In the foreground lower left corner, "1861", the year of her birth, appears on the pages of an open book representing her contribution to Canadian literature. In announcing this stamp, the Postmaster General said that in commemorating Pauline Johnson, we pay tribute to all Canadian Indians for their contributions of our Canadian way of life. It is generally agreed that Miss Johnson, a Mohawk, was born on the 10th March, 1861, at Chiefswood, near Brantford, Ont. She was the daughter of Chief George Henry Martin Johnson and of Emily Howells of Bristol, England. She was educated at Brantford Model School and at a very early age she contributed verse to periodicals. In 1895, she published "White Wampum" and in 1903, she added "Canadian Born" to the world of Canadian writings. In 1912, she gathered a collection of her poems and added a biographical sketch which she published under the title of "Flint and Feather". This was followed by her first novel in 1913, "The Shagganappi". Although her contributions were numerous, she is perhaps better known for her volume of prose tales which she called "Legends of Vancouver" published in 1911.