Jennifer Robitaille explores the space between history and legend, inviting us to reflect on how Canada’s national identity is built through the stories we continue to tell.
Sam Steele – Northwest Mounted Police – Lone Patrol, an acrylic work on canvas, draws on one of Canada’s historical figures — a symbol of endurance, duty, and service across vast landscapes.
Steele's name is woven into the story of the North-West Mounted Police and the shaping of Canada's western frontier. Through the telling and retelling of Canada’s stories, some figures become larger than life — they pass from history into legend.
As one of the most celebrated officers of the North-West Mounted Police, Steele came to embody ideals that have long occupied a place in Canada's national imagination: duty, endurance, self-reliance, and service across vast and often unforgiving landscapes. His career touched many of the defining events of Canada's westward expansion, from the early years of the NWMP to the Klondike Gold Rush, where the Mounted Police became an enduring symbol of law, order, and Canadian sovereignty.
Jennifer Robitaille's work invites us to consider not simply the man himself, but the mythology that grew around him. The image of the lone patrol occupies a powerful place in Canadian cultural memory — a solitary figure moving through immense spaces, carrying responsibility far beyond his own presence. It speaks to perseverance, vigilance, and the often-isolated nature of public service.
