27 CM NOTCHED CYLINDRICAL BLOCK, TAPERED AT TOP 4 CM TIN SHEET IS NAILED AROUND ITS DIAMETER. INTO TOP IS RECESSED 59 CM OAK DOWEL, ATTACHED TO ITS HEAD IS OAK HANDLE. CRACKED AND WEATHERED.
USED IN ROUND WASH TUB, LIKE A PLUNGER OR AGITATOR. USED BY DONOR'S GRANDMOTHER.
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PARTIAL LABEL COPY BELOW WAS DEVELOPED BY COLLECTIONS INTERN DAVID SMITH IN OCTOBER 2011 FOR AN ISSUE OF LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE’S WHAT’S IT FEATURE.
“THIS LAUNDRY AGITATOR PREDATES THOSE INVENTIONS TO A TIME WHEN LAUNDRY WAS DONE BY HAND. HISTORICALLY AGITATORS HAVE BEEN CALLED BY MANY DIFFERENT NAMES, BUT TODAY THEY ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS WASHING DOLLIES. LAUNDRY AGITATORS TAKE MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES BUT PERFORM THE SAME FUNCTION. THEY WERE USED TO BOTH POUND THE WET CLOTHES AND TO STIR THE WATER IN LARGE WOODEN OR METAL TUBS. COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED AGITATORS OFTEN HAVE A METAL CONE (WITH HOLES PUNCTURED FOR THE WATER TO CIRCULATE), WHICH IS ATTACHED TO A WOODEN HANDLE. AS THIS AGITATOR IS HAND CRAFTED IT LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN MANY MASS PRODUCED OBJECTS WITH THE SAME FUNCTION.”
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IN OCTOBER, COLLECTIONS MADE CONTACT WITH J.D. BRINDLEY’S CALGARY-BASED NIECE, JOAN NYHOFF. SHE INFORMED COLLECTIONS THAT HER MOTHER (DONOR J.D. BRINDLEY’S SISTER), NORAH HUTTON, WAS LIVING (95 YS/O) AND RESIDING IN CALGARY. ON 24 OCTOBER, NYHOFF SENT AN EMAIL TO TECH KEVIN MACLEAN, STATING THAT HER MOTHER RECOGNIZED THE DOLLIE, (SEEN ONLINE DUE TO ITS FEATURE IN THE ONLINE VERSION OF LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE) AND SAID, “IT BELONGED TO HER MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, JOHN AND MARY TURNER”. ACCORDING TO NYHOFF, HER MOTHER “ONLY REMEMBERS IT BEING USED BY HER (ALICE)” AND THAT IT WAS “BROUGHT TO LETHBRIDGE FROM ENGLAND”.
MARY TURNER PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON 24 APRIL, 1942 AT AGE 72. HER HUSBAND JOHN PASSED AWAY IN MEDICINE HAT ON 6 DECEMBER 1953 AT AGE 79. PRIOR TO MOVING TO MEDICINE HAT, JOHN WORKED AT THE LETHBRIDGE PROVINCIAL JAIL. ACCORDING TO NYHOFF, JOHN AND MARY TURNER CAME TO LETHBRIDGE FROM ENGLAND IN 1927, FOLLOWING THEIR DAUGHTER ALICE BRINDLEY AND SON-IN-LAW JOHN (JACK) BRINDLEY.
PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR RELATED OBITUARIES, NYHOFF’S EMAIL AND THE SMITH’S LETHBRIDGE LIVING WHAT’S IT DOLLIE COPY.
BURLAP & STEEL WIRE BAG. BAG IS BURLAP PRINTED WITH ILLUSTRATION & "PEGS" ACROSS TOP. STEEL WIRE FOR HANGING, FIXED TO BAG WITH 2 GROMMETS. WEAVING HAS COME UNDONE IN A SECTION APPROXIMATELY 2X4 CM LARGE, ON FRONT OF BAG. BAG IS STRETCHED OUT OF SHAPE, FROM HANGING.
PLYWOOD CUTOUT IN SHAPE OF GIRL IN BONNET FROM WAIST UP. WAIST DOWN IS A FLOWERED PRINT SKIRT WHICH SERVES AS BAG. ON BACK OF CUTOUT IS STAPLED A TWILL RIBBON FOR HANGING. DRAWSTRING AT WAIST CLOSES BAG. LIKELY ENTIRE OBJECT IS HAND CRAFTED. GIRL IS PAINTED PINK AND BLUE; SKIRT IS BLUE, PINK, GREEN, WHITE, AND BURGUNDY.
ACQUIRED BY DONOR'S FATHER, EARL B. SLOAN IN 1915. PROBABLY FOR USE AS A LAUNDRY BASKET. SEE P19738532000-GA.
EARLE B. SLOAN, DONOR'S FATHER, CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1899 AGE 11. MARRIED JESSIE CAMPBELL IN 1913. WORKED AT GALT NO. 3 MINE OFFICE & AT ELLISON MILLING. IN 1927 WENT TO CALGARY AS A FEDERAL TAX OFFICER.
HANDLE IS BLACK PAINTED WOOD. HINGED BASKET OF STEEL WIRE. STEEL FERRULE SECURES STEEL TWISTED SHANK AND HINGED STEEL WIRE BASKET. BASKET LID SECURES WITH ADJUSTABLE STEEL SPRING ON SHANK.
HANDLE MADE OF WOOD, REMAINING SECTION IS METAL WIRE. PAINT ON HANDLE IS WEARING THIN. SMALL SPLATTERS OF WHITE PAINT JUST ABOVE HANDLE ON METAL. SLIGHT CORROSION.
WRINGER IS MISSING. BENCH HOLDS TWO WASHTUBS, CAN BE FOLDED UP. HAS A DRIP-BOARD THAT CAN BE ADJUSTED TO CONDUCT WATER TO EITHER TUB. COLLAPSIBLE LEGS. 2 CATCHES ON EITHER SIDE OF BENCH. DIMENSIONS WHEN FOLDED UP: 97.8 CM HT. X2 6.7 CM LTH. X 45.1 CM WTH. STAND IS ALSO COLLAPSABLE. ALL CORNERS ARE SUPPORTED BY FLAT STEEL HINGES. 4 HOOK AND EYE LATCHES ON ENTIRE BENCH. CENTRAL LEGS OF BENCH ARE CONSTRUCTED IN A TRIANGLE IN ORDER TO GIVE SUPPORT WHILE FOLDED UP. STEEL DOWEL IS BUILT INTO CENTRAL CONSTRUCTION. WOOD IS STAINED.