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The Old Flag, The Old Policy, The Old Leader election poster

Conservative Party of Canada · 1891

A Conservative Party campaign poster from the 1891 Canadian election, promoting Macdonald with his nationalist slogan.

This 1891 campaign poster used Macdonald's image and loyalty to Britain to win his final election.

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Colour lithograph poster titled 'The Old Flag, The Old Policy, The Old Leader'. A man in a dark frock coat and high collar holds a red Union Jack-style flag aloft. Beside him, a farmer in a wide-brimmed hat and a worker in an apron and cap stand. Background shows farmland, a factory with smokestacks, and a steam train.
Conservative Party of Canada, "The Old Flag, The Old Policy, The Old Leader" election poster, 1891.

About this source

What it is

This is a colour lithograph campaign poster from the 1891 Canadian federal election, produced by the Conservative Party of Canada. It carries the slogan "The Old Flag, The Old Policy, The Old Leader" and shows a man holding a Union Jack-style flag beside a farmer and a factory worker, with farmland, a factory, and a train in the background. It is held by Library and Archives Canada.

Why it matters

The 1891 election pitted Macdonald's Conservatives against the Liberal Party, which campaigned for freer trade with the United States. Macdonald won by appealing to loyalty to Britain and national pride, as this poster shows, combining imagery of flag, farm, and industry to argue that his policies protected Canadian prosperity and ties to the Empire. It was his last election campaign before his death.

Look closer

  • What symbols did the poster's designers choose, and what messages were they trying to send?
  • Why might appeals to the flag and loyalty to Britain have been an effective campaign strategy in 1891?
  • What does the poster leave out about the opposing side's arguments for freer trade?

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