EMANUEL HAHN (1881-1957)

Emanuel Hahn, who headed the Sculpture Department at the Ontario College of Art (OCA, now OCAD University) for almost 30 years, was a celebrated Canadian sculptor who designed some of the country’s most recognizable and iconic coins. He also designed several significant war memorials and civic monuments, including the Saint-Lambert Quebec Cenotaph.

In 1935, he designed the first-ever, $1 silver coin to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The Voyageur coin featured a voyageur (coureur de bois) and a First Nations man paddling a canoe. His design was used as the standard pattern for the Canadian silver dollar until the introduction of the loonie in 1987.

Following the success of the Voyageur silver dollar, Hahn was among several artists invited to submit designs for new Canadian coins to be released in conjunction with the accession of King George VI in 1937.

Hahn’s proposal for a caribou on the 25-cent coin and the Nova Scotia racing schooner “Bluenose” on the 10-cent coin were among the accepted designs. These coins remain iconic parts of Canadian currency today. Hahn also proposed the adoption of a polar bear on the back of a new dollar coin. Although this idea was rejected, the polar bear would later make an appearance on the two-dollar coin (toonie) adopted in 1996.  

Hahn studied modelling and commercial design at the Toronto Technical School and OCA and was appointed as the modelling instructor at OCA in 1912. He became the head of the Department of Sculpture in 1922, a position he retained until his retirement in 1951. He also co-founded and was the first president of the Sculptors’ Society of Canada.

Learn more about Emanuel Hahn.

Learn more about the coins designed by Emanuel Hahn.

Image credit: W.R. MacAskill, Nova Scotia Archives. ‘Bluenose’ is an official mark adopted and used by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage pursuant to the Trademarks Act (Canada). It is used by the Royal Canadian Mint with the Department’s permission.