Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1930

Materials

COTTON, NYLON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.3

Length

275

Width

203.7

Description

RECTANGULAR NYLON AND COTTON WEAVE CARPET, BLUE AND BEIGE ARE THE DOMINANT COLOURS. CARPET HAS DOUBLE BORDER. OUTER BORDER IS REPEATING SWASTIKA PATTERN. INNER BORDER IS BEIGE BASE WITH BLUE STARS, HEARTS AND OTHER GEOMETRIC DESIGNS ON IT. CENTER OF CARPET IS RECTANGULAR AREA WHICH IS BLUE IN BASE COLOUR WITH BEIGE AND RED DESIGNS OF STARS, LEAFS, BIRDS, HEARTS AND OTHER GEOMETRIC DESIGNS.

Subjects

FLOOR COVERING

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

DONOR RELATES THAT THE CARPET WAS BROUGHT FROM JAPAN BY ONE OF HER PARENTS AND WAS IN THEIR HOME IN VANCOUVER. CARPET TRAVELLED FROM VANCOUVER TO COALDALE VIA SLOCAN CITY. RUG IS MENTIONED IN DONOR'S NOVEL "OBASAN". THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY WAS ORIGINALLY FROM VANCOUVER BUT MOVED TO COALDALE FOLLOWING THE SECOND WORLD WAR WHEN THEY WERE INTERNED AT SLOCAN CITY IN THE INTERIOR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT. THE DONOR'S FATHER, REV. CANON G.G. NAKAYAMA, WAS AN ANGLICAN MINISTER IN VANCOUVER, AND THEN ESTABLISHED THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION IN COALDALE IN 1945 WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1970. FROM AUGUST 29 TO 31, 2011 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE DONOR, JOY KOGAWA, ABOUT HER MEMORIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC OBJECTS THAT SHE DONATED IN 1997. OF THIS ARTIFACT, KOGAWA SAID: “THIS LOVELY CARPET, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING, IT WAS IN OUR HOUSE IN MARPOLE, AND I REMEMBER IT AS A CHILD… IT WAS IN THE LIVING ROOM… IT WAS BORDERED BY THIS VERY LUSH COUCH AND THE GRAMOPHONE RECORD… I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BOUGHT IN VANCOUVER WHEN [MY PARENTS MOVED INTO THEIR HOUSE IN 1937… [THEN] IN SLOCAN, IT WAS IN THE LIVING ROOM, AND OF COURSE WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY VACUUM CLEANER, SO WE COULDN’T KEEP THE THING CLEAN, SO IT WAS ONLY SWEPT… AND IN COALDALE, IN THIS ONE ROOM SHACK THAT WE HAD, IT WAS THERE, IN THE ONE ROOM… IT WAS THERE WITH US ALL OUR LIVES… I’M SURE WAS A BRIGHT, VIBRANT BLUE AT ONE POINT, ITS DARK [NOW]… BLUE WAS MY MOTHER’S FAVOURITE COLOUR… HENCE THE BLUE DRESS AND HER BLUE CLOTHES. SHE WAS A FASHION PLATE, AND SHE LOVED BEAUTIFUL THINGS.” SEE RECORD P19970041001 FOR EXPANDED BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND PERMANENT FILE FOR FURTHER HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970041886

Acquisition Date

1997-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail