Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BIRD ORNAMENT

Date Range From

1945

Date Range To

1955

Materials

METAL, SYNTHETIC FIBER

No. Pieces

2

Description

1. 3.8 X 14.2 X 2.5. SILVER METALLIC. WINGS AND HEAD HAVE PINKISH AND YELLOWISH HUES ON THEM. BEAK IS ORANGE. TAIL IS MADE FROM STRANDS OF WHITE NYLON. BOTTOM OF BIRD HAS A SPRING COMING OUT OF IT, ATTACHED TO WHICH IS A REMNANT OF BROWN PLASTIC. 2. 5.0 X 7.7 X 2.5. RED METALLIC. BODY IS TEXTURED TO REPRESENT FEATHERS. BEAK IS BLACK. TAIL IS BROKEN OFF. OUT OF BOTTOM OF BIRD IS A SPRING, ATTACHED TO A CLIP.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

DECORATIVE ARTS

History

THESE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS WERE PURCHASED BY THE DONORS PARENTS-IN-LAW, EILEEN AND CLARENCE LEECK, IN THE LATE 40'S, EARLY 50'S IN THE VULCAN AREA. THEY THEN LATER MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. **UPDATE 9 APRIL 2020: IN 2018, GALT COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A RELEVANCY AUDIT OF THE MUSEUM’S ETHNOGRAPHIC COLLECTION WHICH INCLUDED AN EXAMINATION OF CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT RECORDS, DONATED BY DUANE KING IN 2001. PUNDYK CONTACTED THE DONOR’S SPOUSE LEONA KING ON NOVEMBER 5, 2018 TO SOLICIT COMMENTS FROM HER ON THE ENTIRE DONATION OFFER (P20010079001-005). KING ATTRIBUTED ALL OBJECTS TO EITHER HER GRANDMOTHER MYRTLE TIDBALL OR HER PARENTS CLARENCE AND EILEEN LEEK. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS ARTIFACTS, LEONA SAID, “THESE WERE SOME OF MY FAVOURITES, NEXT TO THE BUBBLE LIGHTS BUT WE DON’T HAVE THEM ANYMORE. BUT THESE LITTLE BIRDS - AND THEY WERE SO PRETTY, THE COLOURS IN THEM AND OF COURSE, THEY HAD THESE LITTLE CLIPS ON THE BOTTOM SO THAT’S HOW IT CLIPPED TO THE TREE … AND THEN, WHEN ALL THE OTHER LIGHTS WERE ON THE TREE, THEN THESE WOULD JUST REFLECT ALL THE COLOURS AND IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL… JUST THE REFLECTION OF THE COLOURS AND IN THESE PARTICULAR LIGHTS, I WOULD SURMISE THAT THESE WERE PLASTIC BUT EACH ONE A DIFFERENT COLOUR… SEEMED LIKE COLOUR WAS A BIG THING, BACK THEN. AND OF COURSE OUR CHRISTMAS TREE WAS ALWAYS DECORATED WITH THAT TINSEL? THAT SILVER TINSEL? AND YOU WOULD LAY THE STRIPS ON EACH BRANCH AND IT WOULD DANGLE AND THEN WHEN THE FURNACE WOULD COME ON, IT WOULD MAKE THEM MOVE, RIGHT? … SO IT WAS ALL ABOUT SPARKLE AND COLOUR… THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY – THINGS USED ON MY PARENTS’ – MOM AND DAD’S CHRISTMAS TREE.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN HER FAMILY HOUSEHOLD, “ACTUALLY IT WAS VERY MUCH A FAMILY AFFAIR. THE CHRISTMAS TREE GENERALLY DIDN’T GET PUT UP TILL ABOUT, WELL, PERHAPS, TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE DATE. THERE WEREN’T A LOT OF PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE; WE WEREN’T WEALTHY. I MEAN, IT WAS A SINGLE – MY DAD WAS THE ONLY ONE WORKING. MOM STAYED HOME WITH FIVE OF US CHILDREN SO ON ONE SALARY THERE WAS NEVER AN ABUNDANCE OF MONEY FOR A LOT OF THINGS. SO, A LOT OF OUR GIFTS UNDER THE TREE WERE ESSENTIALS: SOCKS, JACKETS, TOQUES, SCARVES, BOOTS, THINGS LIKE THAT. HOW SAD. BUT, WE COULD CHOOSE ONE GIFT FROM SANTA SO WE WOULD GO THROUGH THE EATON’S AND THE SEARS’ CATALOGUES AND PICK OUT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE AND THEN WE WOULD - OF COURSE HAVE TO WRITE A LETTER TO SANTA, TELL HIM WHAT WE’D WANT AND SO BEFORE, I’M ASSUMING, BEFORE OUR PARENTS WENT TO BED WAS WHEN THEY’D PUT OUT THE SANTA GIFTS. AND THEY WEREN’T WRAPPED, THEY WERE JUST SET OUT AND – WITH OUR NAME – AND SO WHEN WE GOT UP IN THE MORNING, THEY WERE AROUND THE TREE. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS REALLY EXCITING, NOT ONLY TO SEE WHAT WE GOT BUT SEE WHAT OUR SIBLINGS HAD RECEIVED AS WELL.” “…SO I WOULD TAKE – SNEAK A FLASHLIGHT INTO MY BEDROOM AND, ABOUT THREE OR FOUR IN THE MORNING… I WOULD GET MY SISTER UP AND WE WOULD SNEAK UP THE STAIRS. OF COURSE YOU KNEW WHICH STEPS WOULD CREAK AND WHICH WOULDN’T, SO YOU WOULD TRY TO MISS THEM, RIGHT? HAVE TO BE VERY QUIET. AND WE’D TAKE THE FLASHLIGHT AND WE’D GO INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND LOOK AROUND AT ALL THE PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE TO SEE WHAT WE GOT FROM SANTA AND THEN WE’D QUIETLY SLIP BACK DOWNSTAIRS TO BED AND I’M NOT SURE WHETHER I EVER GOT BACK TO SLEEP AGAIN. THEN WE WOULD GET UP IN THE MORNING AND PLAY WITH OUR GIFTS FROM SANTA WHILE MOM WOULD COOK BREAKFAST AND OFTEN MY GRANDPARENTS WOULD COME FROM CARSTAIRS TO JOIN US SO WE WOULD ALL SIT DOWN AND HAVE BREAKFAST AND THEN, GRANDMA AND MY MOM WOULD CLEAN UP AND START THE FIXINGS FOR THE TURKEY DINNER WHILE WE PLAYED AND OF COURSE THEY WOULD COME AND WE WOULD OPEN ALL OUR GIFTS, AND IT WAS A FABULOUS DAY AND I REMEMBER MY MOST FAVOURITE GIFTS WERE MY BROTHER’S. I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT HIS GIFTS WERE ALWAYS – I JUST LOVED TOYS, I LOVED SOME OF THE MECCANO SETS YOU COULD PUT TOGETHER AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THOSE ALWAYS INTERESTED ME MORE THAN DOLLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT UNLESS I GOT BOOKS.” “NOW THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE GIFT, WAS BOOKS. THEN I WOULD SIT AND READ A LOT. BUT MY FAMILY ALWAYS MADE SURE THAT WE HAD A GAME. ONE BIG GAME WAS BOUGHT THAT WE COULD ALL PLAY TOGETHER… . IT WAS ALWAYS JUST A REALLY, REALLY FUN DAY, FULL OF PLAY AND GAMES AND – GRANDMA’S GIFTS WERE ALWAYS THE BEST OF ALL. SHE WOULD ALWAYS MAKE US SOMETHING, OF COURSE, THAT WAS FINE. A TOQUE OR GLOVES BUT WE ALWAYS, IN A CARD, AN ENVELOPE, WE WOULD GET MONEY… IT WAS NEVER A LOT BUT IT WAS MONEY WHICH WAS SOMETHING WE NEVER – WE NEVER REALLY HAD MONEY… SO TO GET A DOLLAR BILL AND COURSE WHEN YOU GOT OLDER I THINK IT BECAME FIVE OR SOMETHING. THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING AND REALLY SPECIAL; OUR OWN MONEY TO DO WHATEVER WE WANTED WITH. … I BOUGHT A BOOK. I ALWAYS BOUGHT A BOOK. IN PICTURE BUTTE, THE DRUGSTORE HAD A LITTLE TWIRLY GIG AND THEY ALWAYS HAD BOOKS. THEY HAD MAGAZINES BUT THEY ALWAYS SOLD BOOKS. SO I WOULD GENERALLY GO AND BUY A BOOK.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE TO ACCESS THE INTERVIEW AND INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

Catalogue Number

P20010079005

Acquisition Date

2001-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail