Keys to History

Evangeline became well-established as a popular figure, not only among Acadians, but among Canadians in general, both French-speaking and English-speaking. In 1883 our heroine appeared on the cover of the magazine Canadian Illustrated News.

The weekly was Canada's leading national magazine from its founding in 1869 in Montreal by George Desbarats until it folded in 1883. The Canadian Illustrated News reported on current affairs in the areas of literature, science, the arts, agriculture, mechanics, fashion and entertainment.

The magazine was noted for its many illustrations of well-known people, important buildings and Canadian landscapes. It was the first news publication to use the process of photographic reproduction by means of a screen, in which the image is reduced to tiny dots. This half-tone process was subsequently adopted throughout the journalism world.