Duncan MacPherson the Artist

Duncan Ian Macpherson is considered one of Canada’s best political cartoonists. He received the highest honors bestowed for an editorial cartoonist; the ORDER OF CANADA, the Royal Academy Medal, The CANADA COUNCIL’s Molson Prize and six National Newspaper awards for his work at the Toronto Star. He thrived in the 50’s and 60’s and managed to expand his career till his death in 1993. He is representative of English Canada oblivious to the turmoil breeding in the late 60’s in Quebec in the form of the Quiet Revolution.

In 1969 he released a book simply called, MacPherson’s Canada. The book is a study of Canada through illustrations and watercolors created by the artist. MacPherson and his ilk of editorial cartoonists do not enjoy the fruits of fame as other cartoonists long after their deaths who still have a following through syndication. Editorial cartoonists are visual reporters of parody of current events and unfortunately MacPherson’s art has become irrelevant with time. His book is an oddity to the innocence of a nation just finding an identity in 1969. For a brief time Canada seemed to do no wrong and the future was a bright one as the testimonial drawings of MacPherson’s Canada. Some fabric of that world exists in parts of Canada were time is frozen is rural solitude. Divided we are still but stronger and wiser. Canada has grown and matured for the better.

“Canada has no identity and never has had an identity…. It is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity. You can be a French Canadian or you can be an English Canadian, but you cannot be a ‘Canadian’.”

Tony M.

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