Artifact: Eleanor Collins
Artifact
Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
Look at the image of Eleanor Collins. What does it appear on? Why is being commemorated this way significant? What do you notice about the image? How is it representative of her legacy?
THINK
In pairs, discuss why Collins’s TV show would have been groundbreaking in the 1950s. What other historical context can you apply to events that were happening in North America at the time? Consider the social and political aspects.
DO
See if you can find a video clip online of Eleanor Collins performing.
Details
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
- She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show.
- In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919 to parents of mixed Black and Creole heritage from Oklahoma who had settled in Western Canada.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician.
She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show. Through this groundbreaking work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919. Her parents were of mixed Black and Creole heritage and were among the more than 1,000 homesteaders from Oklahoma who settled in Western Canada in the early 1900s.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician. After marrying and starting a family, she began to perform more frequently in the 1950s. She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954 and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a weekly national television show, 1955’s The Eleanor Show. She appeared on numerous CBC shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s and often performed live in Vancouver clubs.
Through her groundbreaking television work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
- This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
- She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show.
- In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919 to parents of mixed Black and Creole heritage from Oklahoma who had settled in Western Canada.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician.
She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show. Through this groundbreaking work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919. Her parents were of mixed Black and Creole heritage and were among the more than 1,000 homesteaders from Oklahoma who settled in Western Canada in the early 1900s.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician. After marrying and starting a family, she began to perform more frequently in the 1950s. She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954 and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a weekly national television show, 1955’s The Eleanor Show. She appeared on numerous CBC shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s and often performed live in Vancouver clubs.
Through her groundbreaking television work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
Summary
- This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
- She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show.
- In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
Essential
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919 to parents of mixed Black and Creole heritage from Oklahoma who had settled in Western Canada.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician.
She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954, and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national weekly television show: The Eleanor Show. Through this groundbreaking work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.
In-Depth
This Canada Post commemorative stamp, released in 2022, depicts Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz.”
Collins was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919. Her parents were of mixed Black and Creole heritage and were among the more than 1,000 homesteaders from Oklahoma who settled in Western Canada in the early 1900s.
Collins moved to Vancouver in the 1930s and established herself as a musician. After marrying and starting a family, she began to perform more frequently in the 1950s. She made her television debut on the CBC in 1954 and became one of the first Black artists in North America to host a weekly national television show, 1955’s The Eleanor Show. She appeared on numerous CBC shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s and often performed live in Vancouver clubs.
Through her groundbreaking television work, she broke down barriers and paved the way for a more racially diverse entertainment industry.
In 1992, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was named a member of the Order of Canada for her services to music and as a role model for race relations.