Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WRISTWATCH

Date Range From

1979

Date Range To

2003

Materials

LEATHER, STEEL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Length

20.5

Width

2.5

Description

WOMAN'S WRISTWATCH WITH BLK LEATHER STRAP. WATCH FEATURES A GLD AND WHT FACE DEPICTING THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE SYMBOL AND READS "LETHBRIDGE". HANDS ARE STUCK ON THE TIME 8:14. BACK OF WATCH STAMPED " THIS IS A CREATION OF IMAGE WATCHES INC."

Subjects

TIMEKEEPING T&E

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

DONOR GAVE WATCH TO HER AUNT HAS A GIFT. DONOR RECALLED THAT SHE WAS WORKING FOR AT CITY HALL HAS A CITY CLERK AND BOUGHT THE WATCH AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE FOR HER 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, “THIS WAS THE NEW LOGO FOR THE CITY AND I DIDN’T - DISLIKED IT BUT THEY WENT FROM THE CREST TO A DIFFERENT LOGO AND THEN THIS WAS - WE WERE GOING TO RE-BRAND SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE 80S, EARLY 80S, AND I THINK IT WAS THE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT WHO WERE VERY PROGRESSIVE. THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD GET THESE WATCHES AND THAT PEOPLE COULD BUY THEM AT COST FROM THEM SO I BOUGHT THEM FOR EVERYBODY THAT YEAR, AND AUNTIE WAS ONE OF THE RECIPIENTS BUT OF COURSE SHE KEPT EVERYTHING SO NICELY THAT IT PROBABLY STILL WORKS… RIGHT AND SHE WORE IT A LOT ACTUALLY… “AND THEN OF COURSE THEY DON’T USE THAT LOGO ANYMORE. WE USED TO CALL IT A BEAVER BUT… IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE WHEAT AND SUNSHINE AND, SOMETHING TO DO WITH CROPS AND THE SUN.” 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

P20030049019

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail