A treasure from the archives: the NBC seal
Adopted by the board of directors at their May 14, 1910 meeting, the design of the seal of the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) was created by historian Sir Arthur George Doughty, who headed the Public Archives of Canada (today Library and Archives Canada). Sir A. G. Doughty sat as a commissioner on the board from 1925 to his death in 1936.
A seal is a stamped design, generally round, that serves to guarantee the authenticity of a document. The NBC collection includes a press used to emboss the engraved seal on paper. According to the internal regulations, adopted in 1915, official documents had to be stamped by a seal and authenticated by the secretary’s signature.
The design created by Sir A. G. Doughty has also served as a logo, or rather coat of arms, for many years. It notably appears on NBC vehicles. We can use heraldry (i.e., the study of shields and coats of arms) to understand the symbols on the NBC seal. For example, the British crown, at the top, undoubtedly means that Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The rose for England and the fleur-de-lis for France show that the two nations, once at war with each other, live henceforth in harmony. On the ribbon, called the “scroll,” the NBC chose to inscribe the word Paix (Peace).
In the background, we see signs of fortifications, possibly to evoke Quebec City. Similarly, the cannons and cannonballs represent the battlefields. As for the flowers, they might symbolize peace or the beauty of the park being created. Around the design, a ring bears the name of the organization and the date of its founding.
