Edwin H. Gunn was born in New York in 1876. In 1891, when he was only fifteen years old, he became a trainee apprentice at the American Bank Note Company (ABNC). He would stay with the company for the rest of his life, becoming their master engraver. His work, both on stamps and banknotes, for Canada and Panama, especially, has been praised.
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| Courtesy of National Archives of Canada (c) Canada Post Corporation |
In 1907, Gunn engraved a non-postal charity label for the Slovak League of America.
For the 1908 Canadian set to mark the tercentenary of Quebec, Gunn engraved the vignette of the 0.5c stamp, portraying the then prince and princess of Wales, the future King George V and Queen Mary. The original dies Gunn engraved show that at first, the Prince was supposed to be shown in civilian dreess. The decision was later made to portray him in miltary dress which is how he ended up on the evenutal stamp.
In 1923, Gunn, whilst remaining a master engraver, also became the Head of the Engraving Division at the ABNC. He would hold that position until he passed away on 10 October 1940.