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I am Marlene Hilton Moore, the artist who created the sculptures of 14 great Canadians
for the Valiants Memorial. The figure of Laura Secord was the first sculpture I created.
To depict the image of this great Canadian heroine, I did substantial research with historians,
as well as with the curators of various museums. I discovered a woman of extraordinary courage
and determination. Born in Massachusetts, Laura Ingersoll was 20 years old when she
and her family emigrated to Queenston in Upper Canada. It was there that she met and married
her husband, James Secord, a prosperous young merchant who later fought in the War of 1812.
He was wounded early in the War, and was rescued from the battlefield by none other than his
brave wife. Months later, the Secord’s house was requisitioned by American troops. It was
during this time — on June 21, 1813, to be exact — that Laura overheard a conversation
between the American officers about their plans for a surprise attack on the British
outpost of Beaver Dams. The next day, Laura set out at dawn, on foot, to travel the more
than 30 kilometres through dense bush to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon at Beaver Dams
of the impending danger. In doing this, she changed the course of the war and Canadian
history. Inspired by her patriotic deed, I sculpted her as she would have appeared in
June 1813, when she was 37 years old. Historians specializing in the history of clothing were
able to shed light on what Laura Secord would have worn during her courageous journey through
the woods. Because she was the wife of a businessman, she had a certain status in her community.
She was not upper class, but neither was she working class. According to the styles and
customs of the early 19th century middle classes, on this morning in June, she would have worn
a long cotton day dress with long sleeves, a cotton or linen chemisette, a wool shawl
to keep warm in the cool morning air, ankle boots and a straw hat attached with a ribbon.
I developed a unique process for sculpting the Valiants figures, using clothing and artifacts
placed on cast models as an armature. The portrait and hands were sculpted in clay,
attached to the body, and all was prepared in wax to cast in bronze. I selected a stance
in which Laura Secord is gently raising her skirt, suggesting her trek through the bush.
I hired a model to take this stance for casting. The clothing was carefully draped over the
cast to depict the correct decorum of the era. For her portrait, I was inspired by the
only photo of her, taken when she was about 85 years old. I studied the structure of her
face and was able to rejuvenate it by approximately 50 years. By sculpting her specific features
in clay, I gradually brought her portrait to life: her prominent eyes and heavy eyelids;
her straight nose and the well-defined V of her upper lip. Her hair, in the style of the
time period, is curled on her forehead and in front of her ears. I wanted to represent
the distinctive characteristics of the women from her era. I also wanted to show her pioneer
strength. Her gaze is direct, but cautious, reflecting the danger she faced in making
her brave trek. The final sculpture has immortalized Laura Secord, along with her important contribution
to Canada’s history.