Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

2000

Materials

LEATHER, STELL, PLASTIC, CARDBOARD

No. Pieces

8

Height

8.5

Length

18.5

Width

14.5

Description

1. PRPL BOX STAMPED WITH GLD TEXT ON LID. ABOVE DIMENSIONS. TEXT READS " CARL SCHWEITZER BINOCULARS COATED LENS - TRIPLE TESTED". (2 PCE) 2. BRWN LEATHER CASE. LID IS ATTACHED TO BACK OF CASE WITH A PIECE OF LEATHER. FRONT OF LID HAS A STEEL CLOSURE THAT IS SUSPENDED FROM A PIECE OF ELASTICIZED LEATHER. CASE HAS A LEATHER STRAP THAT GOES AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE CASE AND IS ATTACHED TO SIDES. INTERIOR OF CASE IS DARK PRPL VELVET (1 PCE) 3. BINOCULARS ARE BLK PLASTIC AND STEEL. EYE PIECES AND LENSES ARE COVERED WITH WHT PLASTIC COVERS. NEAR EYEPIECES OF BINOCULARS READS "CARL SCHWEITZER TRIPLE TESTED PRECISION OPTICS", "8 X 30 FIELD 73 NO 40709". BOTTOM OF LEFT LENS A RD EMBOSSED LABEL READS IRIS..STEWART.". BINOCULARS FEATURE LEATHER NECK STRAP. (5 PCE)

Subjects

OPTICAL T&E

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

ITEM BELONGED TO DONOR'S AUNT. SEE P20030049001 FOR COMPLETE HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2019, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS INCLUDING SOME DONATIONS MADE BY JEAN JOHNSTONE (NEE POTTS). AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ORIGINAL DONOR JEAN JOHNSTONE WAS CONDUCTED. WHEN ASKED IF SHE REMEMBERED THE ARTIFACT SHE STATED, “WELL SHE TOOK THOSE TO THE FOOTBALL GAMES. SHE WAS A BIG, BIG BLUE BOMBER FAN, AND SHE TRAVELLED WITH THEM WHEREVER THEY WENT. LIKE SHE - THAT WOULD BE HER HOLIDAY TO GO TO THE GREY CUP NO MATTER WHERE IT WAS AND SHE WENT AS SHE SAID SHE WENT TO THE - WHAT WAS IT, THE FOG BOWL. I THINK IT WAS MONTREAL AND SHE FOLLOWED THEM TO MONTREAL AND IT WAS FOGGED IN BUT YES SHE WOULD TAKE THOSE. AND IF WE TRAVELLED LIKE WHEN WE WENT ON HOLIDAYS SHE’S ALWAYS BRING THEM TO SEE IF WE COULD SEE ANIMALS AND DIFFERENT THINGS SO THEY WERE ALWAYS THERE. WHETHER THEY, THEY WERE PROBABLY VERY GOOD ONES BUT SHE, YAH I DON’T KNOW WHEN SHE PURCHASED THEM BUT A LONG TIME AGO. THEY WERE IN PRISTINE CONDITION IN THEIR LITTLE CASE.” JEAN DESCRIBES HER AUNT IRIS COMING TO LIVE IN LETHBRIDGE, “WELL AUNTIE, WHEN MY MOTHER DIED IN 1967… [AUNTIE] WAS LIVING WITH HER FATHER AND MOTHER, LOOKING AFTER THEM IN WINNIPEG. AND HER DAD… WAS WALKING TO WORK AND A YOUNG GUY IN A CAR… HIT HIM AND HE NEVER REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AND HE DIED. THAT WAS 1968… A MONTH LATER, MY GRANDMOTHER DIED - SHE JUST GAVE UP SO SHE DIED. AND THEN THIS IRIS STEWART, MY AUNT WHO HAD NEVER MARRIED, DECIDED THAT SHE WOULD COME AND LOOK AFTER US IN THE WEST AND MY FATHER BEING A WIDOWER, SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE HER PLACE AND IT WAS MOST DIFFICULT. AUNTIE IRIS - MY BROTHER USED TO SAY HAD PRICKLES AND THEY WERE LIKE GREAT BIG PRICKLES ON A CACTUS. SHE JUST - BECAUSE SHE’D HAD NO SOFTNESS IN HER LIFE AND HER PARENTS WERE VERY STOIC, YOU KNOW THEY WERE BORN IN THE LATE 1800S. SHE WAS REALLY DIFFICULT. EVERYTHING WAS VERY - SHE KEPT EVERYTHING VERY PRISTINE AND I IN FACT HAVE MORE THINGS OF HERS I FOUND… SO WHEN SHE DIED I WAS IT. I WAS LOOKING AFTER HER WHEN SHE WAS ILL AND IN HER LATER YEARS AND SHE DIED A MONTH AFTER MY SON WAS MARRIED ACTUALLY…” ON MEMORIES OF HER AUNT IN LETHBRIDGE, “SHE WAS A CURLER, AND WHEN SHE WAS IN WINNIPEG SHE WENT TO EVERY BLUE BOMBER’S FOOTBALL GAME, AND SHE CURLED AND SHE WAS THE HEAD OF CGIT AND SHE WENT TO CHURCH AND SHE DID ALL SORTS OF THINGS AT MCKILLOP CHURCH. SHE BELONGED TO MCKILLOP HERE AND WAS QUITE INVOLVED. I THINK SHE WAS ON ONE OF THEIR BOARDS - WHAT ELSE DID SHE DO? SHE DID CRAFTS, SHE WAS JUST AUNTIE. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN I SAY AUNTIE EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE MET HER THEY KNEW WHO AUNTIE WAS.” “SHE DIDN’T GIVE AWAY ANYTHING LIKE EMOTIONS OR DID SHE LIKE SOMETHING… I THINK SHE LIKED THE WEATHER A LITTLE BIT BETTER [HERE] BECAUSE IT WASN’T WINNIPEG WINTERS YOU KNOW. AND SHE LIKED THE FACT THAT SHE COULD WATCH MY KIDS GROW UP… BUT WAS SHE EASY ON MY KIDS, NO, NO SHE WASN’T. AND MY DAUGHTER SAID “WHY DIDN’T YOU STICK UP FOR ME MOM?” WELL YOU KNOW YOU HAD TO RESPECT HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A GOOD PERSON. IT WAS JUST HER UPBRINGING THAT YOU HAD TO UNDERSTAND AND MY DAUGHTERS AND MY SON DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THAT. HOW SHE WAS BROUGHT UP AND WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT LITTLE BRAIN OF HERS.” THE INTERVIEW AND A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND IN PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20030049009

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail