Canadian stamp stories

On December 6, 1917, the cargo ship Imo collided with Mont-Blanc, a French vessel loaded with explosives. The massive blast that followed resulted in nearly 2,000 deaths and widespread damage. Issued one month before the 100^th anniversary of the disaster, this stamp commemorates the tragedy and the resilience of Haligonians, who rebuilt their city from ashes.

Designers Larry Burke and Anna Stredulinsky of Halifax’s Burke & Burke combined illustrations by Mike Little with the front page of the Halifax Herald from the day after the tragedy.

“The post-disaster front page portrayed the enormity, the devastation, the human tragedy of the day,” says Burke. “Little’s illustration of the moment just before the explosion completes the story of a disaster that instantly shattered our city.”

“My street was completely demolished in the explosion, and one person – whom I was surprised to discover shared my last name – perished in a nearby home,” explains Little. “Those discoveries made this stamp issue deeply personal.”