Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SUNBEAM TOASTER

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

2003

Materials

STEEL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

18.5

Length

33

Width

29

Description

CHROME BODY SUNBEAM TOASTER WITH INCISED DECO DESIGN AND BLK BAKELITE BASE. DECO DESIGN FEATURED ON BOTH SIDES OF TOASTER. WIDE TOAST SLOTS WHICH DISPLAY TEXT " ONE SLICE" NEAR ONE SLOT. ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TOASTER FEATURING PLASTIC HANDLES ON BOTH SIDES STAMPED "SUNBEAM".

Subjects

FOOD PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

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, “ISN’T IT IN GOOD CONDITION, MY, MY. IT’S A GE I THINK AND SHE USED IT A LOT BUT SHE - BUT IT’S PROBABLY YOU KNOW SHE BROUGHT IT WITH HER. IT’S NOT BOUGHT - I DOUBT VERY MUCH IT WAS PURCHASED HERE. IT’S JUST BEEN COMING ALONG WITH HER BECAUSE WE DON’T THROW ANYTHING OUT AND IT SEEMS TO ME IT WAS ONE OF THOSE AUTOMATIC ONES SO THE WEIGHT OF THE TOAST TOOK IT DOWN. SO IT GOT SO IT DIDN’T WORK VERY WELL SO SHE’D GO PLUNK TO TRY AND GET THAT TOAST IN THERE AND PLUNK TRYING TO MAKE THE TOAST GO DOWN… BECAUSE IT GETS CLOGGED AND THEN IT WON’T DROP YOU KNOW WITH THE, YOU PLUNK IT IN THERE IT WON’T DROP.” ON HER AUNTS COOKING, “OH YEAH SHE WAS A TERRIBLE COOK, TERRIBLE COOK. SHE WOULD TRY BUT HER MOTHER WAS ONE OF THOSE OLD FASHIONED COOKS THAT, COOKED EVERYTHING TO DEATH, YOU KNOW IT WAS DRIED OUT… OH MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD JUST COOK EVERYTHING TO DEATH AND SO THAT’S HOW IRIS LEARNED AND SO - WE WENT ONCE AND ANDREW KEPT SAYING “WELL WHY DOES SHE COME TO US WHY DON’T WE GO TO HER HOUSE?” AND SO ONE DAY I SAID “OKAY WE’RE GOING” AND HE SAID “THAT’S IT, NOT GOING AGAIN EVER, EVER”. YOU CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT SHE PUT ON FOR US, ANDREW AND I… I ATE THERE MORE BUT IT WAS THE ONLY TIME ANDREW CAME WITH ME AND HE NEVER OF COURSE DID - HE WASN’T IN THIS COUNTRY WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER WAS ALIVE OR HE WOULD HAVE SAID THE SAME THING. IT WAS BAD. HER MOTHER MAYBE CAME FROM BEING NO FOOD, I DON’T KNOW LIKE MAKING THE BEST… YES AND I BROUGHT THE CHICKEN WINGS BECAUSE I HAD THEM LEFT OVER I REMEMBER AND I TOOK THEM JUST AS A PRE, LIKE TO HAVE WITH DRINKS. AND ANDREW SAID THAT WAS THE ONLY DECENT THING OF THE WHOLE DAY, THE CHICKEN WINGS AND HE DOESN’T LIKE CHICKEN WINGS SO - OH MY WORD.” 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

P20030049024

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail