Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CHILD'S MINIATURE CUPBOARD

Date Range From

1905

Date Range To

1939

Materials

WOOD, GLASS, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Height

92.2

Length

65.8

Width

34.5

Description

1. MADE OF WOOD; PAINTED WHITE. CUPBOARD HAS 2 LEVELS, THE BOTTOM LEVEL IS WIDER THAN THE TOP. TOP LEVEL HAS TWO DOORS THAT OPEN OUTWARD ON BRASS HINGES. EACH DOOR HAS A GLASS WINDOW (1 OF THE WINDOWS HAS TWO CHRISTMAS STICKERS ON IT), AND A SLIDING LATCH CLOSURE. INSIDE THE CUPBOARD HAS NO FINISH. THE TOP LEVEL HAS ONE SHELF. BELOW TOP LEVEL IS A LEDGE, WITH LAMINATE ON IT (HAS A MARBLIZED EFFECT ON IT). A LARGE CHUNK OF THE LAMINATE IS GONE OFF OF ONE SIDE OF LEDGE. BELOW LEDGE IS AN UNFINISHED WOODEN DRAWER (DRAWER IS NOT ORIGINAL TO PIECE). BELOW DRAWER ARE TWO DOORS, BOTH ON BRASS HINGES AND WITH A SLIDING LATCH CLOSURE. THE INSIDE OF DOORS ARE FINISHED WITH DARK BROWN VARNISH. PAINT IS CHIPPING AND CUPBOARD IS DIRTY. 2. FOUND INSIDE DRAWER WERE TWO EMPTY, WOODEN SPOOLS. ONE HAS A LABEL ON ONE END THAT READS "SUPER SHEEN MERCERISED COTTON COLOR 839 BOILFAST". THE OTHER SPOOL IS SLIGHTLY LARGER, WITH NO LABELS, AND A CHIP OUT OF ONE END.

Subjects

FURNITURE

TOY

Historical Association

FURNISHINGS

LEISURE

History

ON 19 AUGUST 2009, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN RE-INTERVIEWED DONOR AND ARIZONA RESIDENT JUNE MANCHAK AFTER SHE CONTACTED THE GALT TO SEE HER DONATIONS. ACCORDING TO MANCHAK, THE CHILDREN’S-SIZED TABLE (P20000052001) AND CUPBOARD (P20000052002) WERE MADE BY HER FATHER GEORGE KEARL FOR HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER (DONOR’S SISTER) ARMINTO LUCILLE KEARL. ARMINTO WAS BORN IN 1909 IN AETNA, ALBERTA. THE WOODEN FURNITURE TOYS WERE PLAYED WITH BY ARMINTO AND HER FOUR YOUNGER SISTERS, INCLUDING THE DONOR WHO WAS BORN IN CARDSTON IN 1932. IN 2009, THE DONOR RECALLED PLAYING WITH THE ITEMS IN THE LATE 30S IN AN ABANDONED MODEL ‘A’ CAR ON HER FAMILY’S PROPERTY. THE CAR, SHE SAID, HAD ITS FRONT SEATS TAKEN OUT, PROVIDING HER “PLAYHOUSE” WITH A WIDE FLAT FLOOR. ADDITIONALLY, HER BROTHER RIGGED THE CAR’S DISPLACED FUEL TANK ON THE CAR’S HOOD IN ORDER THAT HIS SISTER HAD A SOURCE OF WATER. COPPER TUBING CARRIED WATER VIA GRAVITY INTO THE CAR AND A SPIGOT CONTROLLED THE FLOW. THE CAR, LIKE A HOUSE, HAD WINDOWS AND DOORS WHICH COULD BE OPENED AND CLOSED AND THE BACK SEAT FOLDED UP IN ORDER THAT STUFF COULD BE STORED AWAY. AND, “OF COURSE I HAD MY DOLLS IN THERE WITH ME TOO”, MANCHAK SAID. SHE MADE MUD PIES AND DECORATED THE TOPS WITH MUSTARD OR STINKWEED SEEDS. SHE COLOURED WATER WITH CREPE PAPER AND POURED THE WATER INTO CLEAR GLASS BOTTLES. AT SOME POINT, THE DONOR’S FATHER APPROACHED HER WITH A REQUEST TO SELL THE CAR – HER PLAYHOUSE – WHICH, SHE SAID, PAINED HIM TO DO ON ACCOUNT THAT HE KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO HER. THE SALE WAS NECESSARY ON ACCOUNT THAT THE FAMILY NEEDED THE MONEY. SHE ALSO REMEMBERED THE FURNITURE SET BEING PLAYED WITH OUTSIDE WITHIN ABANDONED HOUSE FOUNDATIONS OF A NEIGHBORING YARD. SHE STATED THAT THE SET WAS RELOCATED INTO THE FAMILY HOME DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. MANCHAK'S RECALL (C. 2013) OF THE MINIATURE FURNITURE’S FINAL PLACE OF USE WAS “IN THE BASEMENT, THE LAST LOCATION WHERE [SHE] HAD A PLAYHOUSE”. MUCH OF THE DONOR’S CHILDHOOD PLAY WAS DONE ALONE ON ACCOUNT THAT HER CLOSEST AGED SIBLING WAS HER OLDER BROTHER (4YRS HER SENIOR) AND HER CLOSEST AGED SISTER WAS SEVEN YEARS HER SENIOR AND CHRONICALLY ILL. THE FURNITURE SET REMAINED AT THE FAMILY HOME FOR DECADES, INCLUDING THE PERIOD WHEN ARMINTO, THE ELDEST SISTER, ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY DUE TO HER PARENTS’ PASSING (DATE UNKNOWN). THEREAFTER, THE SET WAS MOVED BY THE SISTER TO AN ADJACENT HOME WHICH SHE HAD BUILT. IN 1998, ARMINTO PASSED AWAY AND THE DONOR INHERITED THE SET, DECIDING IT WAS BEST OFF IF DONATED TO A MUSEUM. OBJECTS RELATED TO THE FAMILY ARE ALSO SAID TO BE IN THE POSSESSION OF THE GLENBOW, HERITAGE PARK AND THE CARDSTON MUSEUM. FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAMILY AND ITS MONTANA, UTAH AND S. ALBERTA ORIGINS, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE. ********** UPDATE: ON 17 JUNE 2013, DONOR JUNE MANCHAK RE-VISITED THE GALT MUSEUM IN ORDER TO ADVANCE A NEW DONATION OFFER. AT THAT TIME, SHE REQUESTED ACCESS TO THIS OBJECT’S HISTORICAL RECORD. MRS. MANCHAK THEREAFTER REQUESTED FOUR MINOR CHANGES BE MADE AS PER HER LETTER ON RECORD.

Catalogue Number

P20000052001

Acquisition Date

2000-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail