First Series $5 Note

The front of the $5 note features a portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales, the first son of King George V and Queen Mary. He inherited the throne upon his father’s death in 1936 and abdicated that same year in favour of his younger brother, the Duke of York, who became King George VI. Edward is shown wearing the khaki uniform of a colonel. The portrait was based on a photograph credited to the famous British photographer, Vandyke, and owned by the Canadian Department of External Affairs. British American Bank Note Company designed and printed the note, and its master engraver, Harry P. Dawson, engraved the portrait. Dawson also engraved the allegorical figure representing electric power that appears on the back of the note.