Rose Eleanor Milne, who carved her mark on Parliament Hill during three decades as the dominion sculptor and is best known for her work on the stone frieze in the lobby of the House of Commons, died last month at her home. She was 89.
Eleanor Milne was a stone whisperer, an artist who could coax from the Indiana limestone of Parliament Hill all manner of images to illustrate the nation’s history, its education and transportation systems, its politics, religion and constitution.
“The building and I were discussing things,” she once said of her three decades as Dominion Sculptor.
During her long career, Milne left a powerful mark on the nation’s signature building, Centre Block, with her stone chisels and her design bravura.
A pioneer in a field dominated by men, Milne’s most important public works include the stone frieze in the lobby of the House of Commons — it’s known as the History of Canada Series — and the chamber’s magnificent floral-themed stained glass windows, which she designed on the floor of her parents’ home.
Rose Eleanor Milne died last month in her Glebe home three days after celebrating her birthday. She was 89.
As soon as Milne could hold a pencil, she was encouraged to explore art by her mother, who was an oil painter. She recognized her daughter’s affinity for art and enrolled her in Saturday morning art school.
Born in Saint John, N.B., Milne’s family moved to Montreal in 1936 when she was 11.
Prior to attending Convent of the Sacred Heart boarding school, several teachers were convinced that Milne was just a lazy student and once forced her to wear a dunce cap. At the time, neither the teachers, nor Milne and her family knew she suffered from dyslexia, which made learning to read a challenge.
But at the boarding school, Milne met a nun who was determined to help the girl overcome her learning disability. Despite early setbacks, her dyslexia may have been a blessing in her job as she had the ability to see things differently.
In the 1940s, Milne’s passion for art blossomed when she enrolled at the Montreal Museum School of Fine Arts, where she was taught by Arthur Lismer, the Group of Seven artist who headed the school. She also studied anatomy at McGill University’s medical school, alongside first-year students.
In 1945, she travelled to London, England to study engraving and book illustration, before returning to Montreal to attend the prestigious École des Beaux-arts de Montréal.
Milne continued to hone her skills in sculpture at Syracuse University in New York in the 1950s, under the tutelage of sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, who shared his love of medieval art and gothic style with her.
After completing school, Milne learned about an opening as Canada’s national stone carver.
Given the fact that the post had been, up until then, a male bastion, she was fairly certain they wouldn’t hire her but she applied nevertheless and surprised even herself when she beat roughly 20 other applicants to secure the job, becoming the first woman appointed to the position in 1962.
During her 30-year tenure, she completed 12 stained glass windows featuring the floral emblems of the country’s provinces and territories, oversaw the restoration of the linen ceiling in the House of Commons as well as a 120-foot long limestone sculpture of Canada’s history up until the First World War.
In a tribute in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Lois Brown (Newmarket-Aurora) Milne’s work was said to have “altered the very fabric of this building using a mallet, a chisel and a brilliant artistic mind.”
Brown paraphrased architect Sir Christopher Wren to proclaim: “If you seek her monument, look around you” in Parliament.
“Nearly everyone who is interested at all is overcome with awe with the amount and different types of works she could do wonderfully,” said her sister, Barbara Lambert. She said that Milne’s pieces were full of meaning, integrity and spiritual depth.
In 1988, Milne was presented with the Order of Canada recognizing her artistry as an expert in restoration, gold-leaf work, stained glass windows, bronze casting, wood carving and engraving.
Milne retired in 1993. She continued to take commissions and delved into digital art made using her Wacom tablet and stylus.
Lambert remembers watching her sister’s health deteriorate, but said she began to accept that she had lived a full life, was at peace with herself, her friends and her connection with God.
Milne is survived by her sister and 10 nephews and nieces.