Vanguards: 150 Years of Remarkable Nova Scotians

Curated by the Nova Scotia Museum

These men and women were selected for a travelling exhibition by the Nova Scotia Museum, which launched in the summer of 2017. Their choice of who to include was guided not by celebrity but by the impact, legacy, and worthy example they felt these individuals made. Their selections, and this tour, aim to reflect Nova Scotia's history, identity, and diversity.


The profiles included in this tour are only some of those included in the exhibit. For the full list of men and women chosen by the Nova Scotia Museum, visit their website or catch the exhibit when it's on display at a museum near you!


https://museum.novascotia.ca/collections-research/vanguard/gallery


This tour will grow and change as we add more profiles from the Vanguards exhibit.

Rita Joe (1932-2007)

Rita Joe's childhood was about as hard as it could be, and her life as an adult was rarely easy. Yet hardships and suffering never broke her spirit. Rita always sought to overcome what stood in her way by living with kindness, strength and…

Mary Ellen Robinson (1927-2012)

There are more than a few Nova Scotians who do not make headlines, yet still make important contributions. (Mary) Ellen Robinson (1927-2012) is a wonderful example. In countless, unpublicized ways, this Mi'kmaw Elder lived a life filled with…

Viola Desmond (1914-1965) & Dr. Carrie Best (1903-2001)

The Nova Scotia into which Carrie Best (née Prevoe) and Viola Desmond (née Davis) were born was a society with engrained prejudices about people of colour. There were restrictions on where Blacks could live or work and where they could get their hair…

Portia White (1911-1968)

In her later years, Portia May White (1911-1968) offered this explanation for her life:"First you dream, then you put on your walking shoes." In the era in which Portia grew up, few would have imagined that the sixth child of Izie and Rev. William…

Aileen Meagher (1910-1987)

Aileen Aletha Meagher (1910-1987) exemplifies versatility. She ventured down various paths in her life and stood out in each one. Aileen first came to prominence at track and field. At the time, especially at the Halifax convent school she attended,…

Chief Stephen J. Knockwood (1902-1986)

The first half of the 20th century was a challenging time for indigenous peoples across Canada, including for the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia. The federal governments of the era were generally disregarding the treaties of the 18th century and…

George Dixon (1870-1908)

Born in Africville, George Dixon (1870-1908) accomplished something no person of African descent – anywhere in North America – had ever done. Dixon became a world champion in boxing, not once but twice. George turned to boxing when he was young,…

The Prat Sisters, Annie, Minnie, and May

It was not unusual for young Nova Scotians in the late 19th century to head off to find work in the United States. It happened in many sectors, though not often in the arts. So how does one explain the Prat family in Wolfville, who produced not one…

George Brown (1839-1875)

Nova Scotia has produced many great rowers and paddlers over the past 150 years. The tradition began in our seaside province back in the 1800s and continues today, though now more commonly on lakes and rivers with canoes and kayaks. The most renowned…

James Glode (1831-1936)

If you came to Nova Scotia in the 19th century to hunt or fish – and there were quite a few who did – you hired a guide. You wanted someone who knew the woodlands and wetlands like the back of their hands. Nine times out of ten that meant a…

Peter Wilmot (1824-1932)

Over the thousands of years the Mi’kmaq have lived in what is now called Nova Scotia, they have had hundreds of chiefs. One of their many leaders was the remarkable Peter Wilmot (1824-1932). His forest expertise was legendary. As one story goes: One…

William Dawson Lawrence (1817-1886)

The 19th century in Nova Scotia was a time of legendary shipbuilders. Around the province, they conceived and constructed hundreds of wooden ships– and no one was better at the trade than Maitland-based W. D. Lawrence(1817-1886). Lawrence was born…