Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HAND BROOM

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

2003

Materials

STRAW, STEEL, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.5

Length

23

Width

9

Description

HAND HELD STRAW BRISTLE BROOM. STRAW GATHERED AT TOP WITH WIRE AND A STEEL CAP WHICH CREATES A HANDLE. A PIECE OF GRN YARN IS TIED AROUND TOP OF BROOM IN LOOP. STRAW HELD TOGETHER BY PNK YARN TIED IN BUNCHES. STRAW BRISTLES FLARE AT BASE WHICH IS SLIGHTLY DISCOLOURED.

Subjects

MAINTENANCE 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, “SHE KEPT IT IN HER CAR BECAUSE WE MIGHT HAVE TO SWEEP SOMETHING OUT. THAT’S WHERE IT WAS. IT WAS RIGHT IN THE CAR BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT ALL NEAT AND CLEAN. AND IT’S OLD. IT’S PROBABLY BEEN IN HER CAR, SHE DIDN’T DRIVE ACTUALLY UNTIL HER MOTHER GOT SICK. SO IN THE EARLIER SIXTIES SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE, GET AROUND FASTER BECAUSE SHE USED TRANSIT. SO SHE TOOK UP DRIVING AND SHE ACTUALLY DROVE TO LETHBRIDGE FROM WINNIPEG YOU KNOW IN HER CAR THAT SHE PURCHASED AND NOW IT WAS GETTING OLD BUT SHE PURCHASED IT IN THE SIXTIES SO THAT SHE COULD DRIVE HER MOM AND SHE USED THAT CAR UP UNTIL THE TIME MY DAD GAVE HER, HIS OLD BOAT I CALLED IT WHICH WAS AN IMPERIAL TWO DOOR GREAT BIG THING. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN [HER] TRYING TO DRIVE AND SHE SAT ON ALL THESE CUSHIONS BECAUSE SHE WAS TOO TINY BUT THE WHISK WAS ALWAYS IN THE CAR… IT MOVED FROM RED CAR, THE OLD FIRST CAR, TO MY DAD’S CAR.” 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

P20030049034

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail