The well-furnished Canadian home was a treasure house of detail, with objects "to fill a space and gratify the eye", as a Toronto china seller described his ornamental wares. Among the most popular ornaments were busts and statuettes in a Staffordshire porcelain called Parian. The Parian of W.T. Copeland (illustration 9) was frequently mentioned in Canadian advertisements. At mid-century, his firm was producing models of the Veiled Bride, copied from an original sculpture by Raffaelle Monti, an Italian working in England, who was noted for the way in which he effected a veiled look in marble.
The second bust, by an unidentified British potter, was advertised in the Saint John Daily Sun (October 6, 1882). It depicts Ned Hanlan, the Canadian who became champion oarsman of the world in 1880 when he defeated the Australian, Edward Trickett, in a much-publicized race in England. Canadians were in a fever of excitement over Hanlan's victory. Long before daylight on the morning of the race, there were crowds around newspaper and telegraph offices awaiting the outcome. The moment Hanlan's triumph was known in his native Toronto, business offices closed, flags were run up and bells began to ring. Many "moderns" were portrayed in Parian, but the more usual subjects were statesmen, authors, and military commanders.
Courtesy: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada (S81-11) Private Collection
