The first Canadian stamp, which you see above, shows a beaver. In the early days of Canada, trapping beaver and selling their fur was an important industry. The "beaver" stamp was designed by Sir Sandford Fleming. He played an important role in the building of Canada's first major railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway. He also invented the time zone system we use today around the globe.
The cover above is addressed to Sandford Fleming before he was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1897. It was sent from Toronto to Ottawa in 1874 using a stamp showing a portrait of Queen Victoria. This particular stamp is known as a "Small Queen" stamp, because it replaced a similar but larger stamp, called a "Large Queen".