Laura Secord illustration on tobacco silk

Laura Secord Tobacco Silk - 2013.0052

"Laura Secord Warns Fitzgibbon of Projected American Attack – 1813." 12.5 cm in length and 7 cm in width. Made of tobacco silk.

Tobacco producers offered a series of prints on silk as a promotion for their products as well as a way to commemorate history and historical figures. In this scene by an unknown artist, we see Laura Secord, a Niagara-on-the-Lake resident who had learned of American officers planning an attack. She took off on an arduous journey, following ancient Indigenous trails and roadways, to reach the British army headquarters at DeCew House in present-day Thorold, ON. One of the Six Nations warriors recalled seeing her coming through the woods and first suspected her to be a spy. However, once the warriors were convinced of her sincerity, they escorted her to the British camp, which had already been made aware of the American movements. At the ensuing Battle of Beaver Dams, Kahnawake and Six Nations warriors defeated the American forces who promptly surrendered to allied British leadership.

[ Back to Extending the Rafters ]