CA-K999Culture & sport

John Murray Gibbon and the Canadian mosaic

John Murray Gibbon, photograph by Olive Edis. John Murray Gibbon - Olive Edis photograph · Olive Edis · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

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John Murray Gibbon, born in Ceylon and educated in Scotland and Germany, turned from painting to journalism. As the Canadian Pacific Railway’s publicity agent from 1913 to 1945, he combined advertising with promoting a Canadian identity and popularized the image of Canadian society as a mosaic. He organized folk festivals, helped start the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies at Banff, and in 1921 helped found the Canadian Authors’ Association.

Scope & context

Gibbon as described in his designation.

Sources behind this record

John Murray Gibbon National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada (Directory of Federal Heritage Designations)

Importance; plaque text