Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HEARTS CARD GAME

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

CARDBOARD

No. Pieces

46

Height

2

Length

9

Width

6

Description

FULL DECK OF HEARTS CARDS IN BOX. BOX IS ORANGE WITH WHT DOTES. TWO PNK AND ORANGE HEARTS ARE DISPLAYED NEXT TO DEPICTED CHICKEN. BOX READS "HEARTS CARD GAME", "WHITMAN". BACK OF BOX LIST CARD GAMES THAT CAN BE PLAYED WITH DECK. BOX CONTAINS 45 CARDS DEPICTING DIFFERENT ANIMALS WITH NUMBERS.

Subjects

GAME

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DONOR RECALLED HER AUNT ALWAYS HAVING TOYS IN HER HOME IN CASE CHILDREN WERE THERE TO VISIT. DONOR RECALLED PLAYING WITH TOYS WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD AND CLAIMED THAT HER OWN CHILDREN PLAYED WITH THESE TOYS AT SOME POINT. DONOR SAID THE TOYS WERE NOT USED THAT OFTEN BECAUSE DONOR'S AUNT NEVER HAD HER OWN CHILDREN AND DUE TO HER BEING AN "OLD SPINSTER" NOT MANY CHILDREN VISITED HER. 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, “YES I DID PLAY WITH THOSE TOYS. NOPE, THEY WEREN’T USED VERY OFTEN AND SO MY GRANDMOTHER ONLY HAD, FOUR GRANDCHILDREN… SO AUNTIE BROUGHT THESE FROM WITH HER OF COURSE FROM WINNIPEG WHEN SHE MOVED AND MY CHILDREN REMEMBER THEM TOO. I ASKED KAREN ABOUT THE TINKER TOYS AND SHE SAID “OH YES I REMEMBER THAT AND THE KALEIDOSCOPE” SO BECAUSE THEY WERE USED SO LITTLE THERE AND SHE WOULD NOT ALLOW YOU TO BE ROUGH WITH ANYTHING, SHE WOULD NOT HEAR OF IT, SHE WOULD TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU. SO YOU HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL WITH EVERYTHING AND SO THAT’S WHY THEY LOOK LIKE THEY DO, LIKE THEY’VE NEVER BEEN USED... I WAS THE ONLY GRANDCHILD THAT CAME ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO I GOT TO PLAY WITH THEM MORE AND THEN MY CHILDREN GOT TO PLAY WITH THEM MORE IF WE WENT OVER TO AUNTIE’S HOUSE… SO YEAH THAT’S WHERE I LEARNED TO PLAY DOMINOS AND I DO PLAY GAMES QUITE A LOT BUT I DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE TINKER TOYS SO MUCH, BUT THE KALEIDOSCOPE WAS NEAT. BUT KAREN REMEMBERS, MY DAUGHTER, REMEMBERS THE TINKER TOYS QUITE WELL.” 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

P20030049014

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail