Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

PATENT LEATHER, PLASTIC, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Height

27.0

Length

30.0

Width

9.0

Description

BLACK, PATENT LEATHER. OPENING AT TOP HAS GREY PLASTIC TRIM. HAS A BRASS CLOSURE. INSIDE IS LINED WITH BEIGE PATENT LEATHER; HAS ONE ZIPPERED POCKET AND TWO POCKETS WITH NO CLOSURES. BAG HAS A SINGLE BLACK, PATENT LEATHER HANDLE.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

BELONGED TO MRS. DAGMAR OLSEN DOYLE SIMPSON; GIVEN TO DAGMAR BY A WEALTHY FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, MAY JOURNEK. THE QUALITY OF THE ARTICLES WOULD HAVE MADE THEM BEYOND THE BUDGE OF DAGMAR TO PURCHASE. DAGMAR OLSEN WAS BORN DECEMBER 28, 1914, RAISED ON A FAMILY FARM, AND SCHOOLED IN STAVLEY, ALBERTA. HER PARENTS, HILDA AND JOHN OLSEN, WERE IMMIGRANT PIONEERS FROM NORWAY. HER MOTHER HILDA, GOT DAGMAR HER FIRST JOB AS A TELEPHONE OPERATOR WITH THE STAVELY AGENCY AT THE AGE OF 15 YEARS. AFTER LIVING AT HOME WORKING SEVEN YEARS IN STAVELY, DAGMAR MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE AND WORKED FOR AGT UNTIL SHE MARRIED LAWRENCE DOYLE, ALSO FROM STAVELY AND PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. DAGMAR AND LAWRENCE HAD ONE DAUGHTER, BARBARA. DAGMAR LATER RETURNED TO AGT AS AN OPERATOR UNTIL HER RETIREMENT AT AGE 60, WHEN SHE MARRIED CLARE SIMPSON. CLARE AND DAGMAR LIVED IN LETHBRIDGE, SOCIALIZED, AND TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1985. DAGMAR OLSEN DOYLE SIMPSON DIED MARCH 14, 2001. SHE WAS RUMORED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN LETHBRIDGE. DONOR, BARBARA DOYLE, WAS BORN AND SCHOOLED IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE TRAINED AT ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL AS A LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST; GRADUATED 1962. SHE WORKED IN THE LAB AT ST. MICHAEL'S FOR 5 YEARS; MARRIED AND HAD 2 SONS. GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS, THEN A MASTERS OF ARTS IN ENGLISH, IN 1987. SHE TAUGHT AT UNIVERSITYS OF CALGARY AND LETHBRIDGE, THEN MOVED TO MONTREAL FROM 1990-1996. SHE RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE TO RETIRE. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING CLOTHING ITEMS DONATED BY BARBARA DOYLE. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. DAGMAR CHRISTINA SIMPSON (NEE OLSEN) PASSED AWAY ON MARCH 14, 2001 AT THE AGE OF 88. SHE MARRIED LAWRENCE PATRICK (LARRY) DOYLE ON DECEMBER 4, 1940. LAWRENCE WAS BORN IN PEI IN 1910. HE MOVED TO VULCAN IN 1920, STAVELY IN 1924, AND TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1937. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 58 ON MARCH 28, 1969. LAWRENCE WAS THE SON OF GEORGE FRANKLIN AND MINNIE MAGDALEN DOYLE. DAGMAR WAS REMARRIED ON MARCH 29, 1975 TO CLARE C. SIMPSON. CLARE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BELLEVILE, ON AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1930 TO WORK FOR AGT. HE ENLISTED IN 1939 AND WAS A POW FOR 3.5 YEARS FOLLOWING DIEPPE. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 75 ON FEBRUARY 18, 1983. THE DONOR, BARBARA DOYLE, IS THE DAUGHTER OF DAGMAR AND LAWRENCE. IN 1969, BARBARA WAS MARRIED TO PAUL TURNER AND IN 1983, SHE WAS THE WIFE OF MR. B.F. MCFADDEN. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. *UPDATE* IN 2018 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF THE COLLECTION, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY BARBARA DOYLE. ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2018, PUNDYK SAT DOWN WITH DOYLE FOR AN INTERVIEW REGARDING THAT DONATION. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: DOYLE EXPLAINED THAT HER MOTHER DAGMAR OLSEN – THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE ARTIFACTS – WAS BORN IN STAVLEY AND WAS THE THIRD OF FOUR SISTERS. GROWING UP IN A HOUSE OF DAUGHTERS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OLSEN’S LIFE. DOYLE DESCRIBED THE SISTERS BY SAYING, “BESSIE WAS THE OLDEST, AND NORAH WAS THE SECOND OLDEST, AND THEN MY MOTHER, AND THEN VICKI. AUNT VICKI WENT BIG [BY MOVING] TO TORONTO. SHE WANTED TO GET OUT OF TOWN. SHE WAS BORED. SHE WAS BORN IN STAVELY AND THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WAS GOING TO STAY THERE. SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST, SO SHE GOT THINGS THAT THE OTHERS DIDN’T GET IN THEIR LIFE. NORAH TOOK TO CALGARY. SHE WENT UP THERE AND SHE WORKED FOR A WHILE AT PACKING COOKIES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BESSIE WAS [WORKING] WITH MRS. JOURNEK, A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, AND THEN IN CALGARY THAT WAY TOO.” “[MRS. JOURNEK] WAS A FARM WIFE, BUT SHE DIDN’T HAVE ANY CHILDREN, SO SHE [FIGURATIVELY] ADOPTED THE [OLSEN] GIRLS. MRS. JOURNEK WAS GOOD WITH ALL OF THE SISTERS THERE; SHE GAVE THEM CLOTHES AND STUFF,” DOYLE EXPLAINED, “WHEN BESSIE – [THE OLDEST SISTER] - CAME OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, SHE WENT TO WORK FOR MRS. JOURNEK ON THE [JOURNEK] FARM. [THE COUPLE] KNEW EVERYONE IN STAVELY, SO SHE JUST ASKED IF BESSIE WANTED TO COME LIVE WITH HER AND BE HER COMPANION, AND DOING ALL THE FARM STUFF THEY HAVE TO DO.” CONTINUING, DOYLE SAID, “I THINK SHE CAME FROM THE UNITED STATES [AND WAS] THE SAME AGE AS MY GRANDMOTHER. THEY WERE WEALTHY [AND] THEY HAD A BIG FARM. [WHEN] THEY WOULD GO AWAY ON HOLIDAYS, SHE WOULD BUY CLOTHES, AND [AND SOMETIMES] SHE WOULD BUY CLOTHES FOR MUM. I THINK MY MOTHER WAS MRS. JOURNEK’S FAVOURITE, SO SHE GOT A LOT OF CLOTHES THERE FOR HER.” AS RECORDED UPON INITIAL DONATION, THIS PURSE WAS ONE OF THE GIFTS FROM MRS. JOURNEK. DOYLE EXPLAINED, “I REMEMBER THE PURSE, BUT [MY MOTHER] HAD QUITE A FEW. SHE DIDN’T VERY OFTEN GIVE THINGS AWAY. I THINK THEY WERE ALL MATCHING [THEIR PURSES WITH THEIR DRESSES] AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW THAT WAS THE FASHION THAT EVERYBODY WAS DOING. I DON’T KNOW IF SHE EVEN USED THEM VERY MUCH.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P20010070001 FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

Catalogue Number

P20010070017

Acquisition Date

2001-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail