ARTIST: Mel Crawford (Canadian, Connecticut, 1925 - 2015)
TITLE: Robert Stanley Weir
MEDIUM: oil on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 15 x 12 inches / 38 x 30 cm
BOARD SIZE: 17 x 15 inches / 43 x 38 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the Canada 17c "O Canada" stamp issued June 6, 1980. From the time it was first heard on June 24, 1880, O Canada remained a favorite throughout French Canada. In 1908, when a Montreal lawyer, Robert Stanley Weir, wrote the accepted English words for O Canada, this ver- sion became a favorite among the country's English speaking citizens. Weir's poetic words were a tribute to Quebec's Tercentenary and, by 1921, they had been officially adopted by the Association of Canadian Clubs and other national bodies that often opened their regular meetings with the patriotic song. In 1927, and again in 1939, Weir's version of O Canada was officially published to celebrate important national occasions. By this time, it had found its way into the hearts of a younger generation of Canadi- ans when it was printed in front of grammar school books throughout the Canadian provinces. Today, both the French and English words for O Canada are widely accepted as appropriate versions of the unofficial Canadian national anthem, and the moving melody is often heard all across Canada's vast domain.
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BIOGRAPHY:
Mel Crawford was a Canadian-American children's book illustrator and comics artist. He drew horror and fantasy comics for Western Publishing, but is best known for adapting various child-oriented media into beautiful children's books. Crawford was so good in adapting the graphic style of other artists that he became a much sought-after illustrator. He worked for various different film and TV companies and made books starring some of the most popular fictional characters of the 20 century, from Disney and Hanna-Barbera to Jim Henson Productions.