Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1970

Materials

CERAMIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

6.4

Diameter

4.9

Description

SMALL EGG CUP. IVORY IN COLOR. PAINTED ON ONE SIDE IS A RABBIT, WEARING JACKET, TROUSERS, AND SHOES, SITTING ON A BOX PLAYING A TRUMPET. PAINTED ON OPPOSITE SIDE IS A RABBIT, WEARING AN ORANGE JACKET, WALKING, AND CARRYING A GREEN HAT. SIDE OF CUP IS SIGNED "BARBARA VERNON". PAINTED ON UNDERSIDE OF CUP ARE THREE BUNNIES, IN JACKETS, 'HOLDING UP' A LOGO THAT READS "MADE IN ENGLAND ROYAL DOULTON ENGLAND". BELOW BUNNIES READS "BUNNYKINS".

Subjects

FOOD SERVICE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

ITEMS COLLECTED BY DONOR AND HER HUSBAND, DR. HAIG OVER MANY YEARS. NO SPECIFIC HISTORY KNOWN. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ARTIFACTS, WHICH INCLUDED A CUTICLE KNIFE DONATED BY BETTY HAIG. AS PART OF THE SURVEY PROCESS, PUNDYK CONNECTED WITH HAIG’S STEPDAUGHTER, JANICE HAIG. NONE OF THE ARTIFACTS DONATED TO THE MUSEUM BY BETTY HAIG WERE FAMILIAR TO HER, SHE STATED IN AN EMAIL. HAIG EXPLAINS, “MY MOTHER, [MAE HAIG (SYMONDS)] DIED IN 1966, AND AT THAT POINT I WAS MARRIED AND LIVING IN ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND. A YEAR LATER, MY FATHER MARRIED BETTY HOYT [THE DONOR]. I THINK THOSE DONATED ITEMS MUST HAVE COME FROM THE HOYT FAMILY.” “I FORWARDED YOUR LETTER WITH [THE ARTIFACT] IMAGES TO MY NIECE, JUDY HAIG,” HAIG SAID IN THE EMAIL, “SHE SPENT MUCH OF HER GROWING UP VISITING THE HOUSE IN LETHBRIDGE. THE ONLY THING SHE RECOGNIZES WAS THE BUNNY EGG CUP, WHICH SHE SAID HAD BEEN HERS.” ARCHIVAL RESEARCH FOUND THE DONOR’S FULL NAME TO BE REBECCA “BETTY” ELIZABETH HAIG (NEE HOYT). HER LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY (PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 7, 2004) STATES SHE WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 31, 1917 IN LETHBRIDGE. BETTY WAS BORN TO THE PROMINENT HOYT FAMILY, KNOWN IN THE CITY FOR THEIR HARDWARE STORE, HOYT HARDWARE LIMITED. BETTY’S FATHER, BERTON BEECHER HOYT, WAS BORN IN NEW BRUNSWICK ON FEBRUARY 17, 1896 AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1902 TO WORK FOR THE ALBERTA RAILWAY AND IRRIGATION COMPANY AS STOREKEEPER, ACCORDING TO HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. HE LATER MOVED INTO MANAGEMENT OF THE LOCAL WHOLESALE STORE, WESTERN CANADA HARDWARE. HOYT’S HARDWARE STORE WAS FOUNDED BY B. B. HOYT IN 1927 WITH THE MERGER OF WESTERN CANADA AGENCY LIMITED AND HEWITT AND BLACK LTD. HIS STORE WAS NOTABLE FOR ITS ECCENTRIC WINDOW DISPLAYS, BILLBOARDS, AND CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WITH THEIR HOYT’S TOYLAND AND SANTA CLAUS PARADES THAT RAN FOR 20 YEARS. HOYT MARRIED ALMA JANE ROBISON AND THE COUPLE WOULD HAVE SIX CHILDREN: WESLEY, MARGARET, BETTY (THE DONOR), ISABELLE, GEORGE, AND ALICE. B. B. HOYT PASSED AWAY IN THE CITY AT THE AGE OF 59 IN 1935. BETTY HAIG LIVED IN THE CITY FOR MOST OF HER LIFE. UPON GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL FROM THE LETHBRIDGE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE, SHE WENT ON TO STUDY BUSINESS AT GARBUTT BUSINESS COLLEGE IN THE CITY. AFTER WORKING FOR A NUMBER YEARS AS A STENOGRAPHER, SHE WENT TO EDMONTON TO STUDY NURSING AT THE ROYAL ALEXANDER HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM IN 1946. ACCORDING TO THE OBITUARY, HAIG BEGAN HER NURSING CAREER AT ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL, AND THEN WENT ON TO WORK AT THE HAIG CLINIC. AFTER RETIRING FROM THE CLINIC IN 1967, SHE MARRIED DR. WILLARD HAIG. DR. WILLARD REDDON HAIG WAS BORN IN DEVIL’S LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA ON JULY 19, 1899. HIS FAMILY MOVED TO CLARESHOLM IN 1902, WHERE HE WOULD REMAIN UNTIL 1920 WHEN HE WENT ON TO ATTENDED MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. HE TRANSFERRED TO MCGILL UNIVERSITY IN 1924 AND GRADUATED FROM THERE IN 1926. HE MARRIED MAE SYMONDS OF LETHBRIDGE IN AUGUST 1930. THE COUPLE HAD TWO CHILDREN: DOUGLAS AND JANICE. DR. HAIG TRANSFERRED FROM FORT MACLEOD TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1934 WHEN HE JOINED HIS BROTHER’S PRACTICE. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIVE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE HAIG CLINIC, ESTABLISHED IN 1939 AND STILL ACTIVE IN THE CITY AT THE TIME OF THE 2018 ARTIFACT SURVEY. HE RETIRED FROM THE PARTNERSHIP IN 1965, BUT CONTINUED TO ASSIST AT SURGERY UNTIL 1974 (LETHBRIDGE HERALD, APRIL 5, 1989). DR. WILLARD HAIG PASSED AWAY IN THE CITY IN 1989 AT THE AGE OF 89 YEARS. ON FEBRUARY 4, 2004, BETTY HAIG PASSED AWAY AT 86 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19890012001 FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES REFERENCED FOR THE ABOVE DOCUMENTATION.

Catalogue Number

P19890012003

Acquisition Date

1989-05

Collection

Museum

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