Design for coin, bobcat / Study for 25 cent coin, c.1965 / 1965

These two preparatory sketches of the Canadian bobcat show Colville experimenting with the positioning of its limbs and tail. In the drawing on the left, the bobcat’s legs appear slimmer and less firmly planted on the ground, making it appear more agile compared to the study on the right. The crepuscular bobcat is not as commonly seen as the other animals Colville selected for his final designs, yet he was drawn to it as a symbol of the rugged and expansive Canadian landscape. The creatures on the centennial coins represent a mix of predators and prey—bobcats, for instance, hunt rabbits—highlighting Colville’s clear-eyed, unsentimental approach to the world.