Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TALON

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

2003

Materials

TALON CLAW, METAL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.5

Length

7.5

Width

3.5

Description

TALON CLAW BROOCH WITH YELLW PLASTIC STONE. TALON IS MOUNTED IN METAL THAT FEATURES A MOOSE HEAD WITH ANTLERS. ANTLERS ARE ATTACHED TO IMITATION STONE.

Subjects

ADORNMENT

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

BROOCH BELONGED TO DONOR'S AUNT, IRIS STEWART. DONOR CLAIMED IT WAS A SCOTTISH BROOCH LINKED TO HER AUNTS SCOTTISH BACKGROUND AND FOUND IT IN HER JEWELRY BOX AFTER HER AUNT PASSED AWAY. MS STEWART WAS KNOWN TO HAVE A GREAT INTEREST IN HER GENEALOGY SPENDING MANY HOURS IN RESEARCHING IT AT THE GALT ARCHIVES. DONOR BELIEVED THIS BROOCH WAS TO BE WORN ON A PLAID SKIRT OR SHAWL. SEE P20030049001 FOR COMPLETE HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2018, 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 SHE IS A STEWART… AND, SHE WAS VERY PROUD OF THEIR SCOTTISH BACKGROUND. ALTHOUGH SHE WAS BORN IN INDIAN HEAD SHE DID GENEALOGY AND SHE TRACED IT BACK AND - MAYBE IT WAS HER GRANDFATHER OR GREAT GRANDFATHER CAME OVER FROM SCOTLAND BUT SHE MAY HAVE WORN THAT ON A FUR COAT, I BELIEVE… SHE WEARS THE STEWART TARTAN AS WELL. SHE MIGHT OF [GOTTEN THIS IN SCOTLAND], YES SHE DID GO OVER THERE. I DON’T KNOW [IF SHE WORE IT REGULARLY IN LETHBRIDGE] BECAUSE ONCE SHE MOVED FROM WINNIPEG TO HERE WHICH WAS IN THE, MAYBE LATE 60S, SHE - EARLY 70S - AROUND 70 - SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO WEAR THAT FUR COAT BECAUSE OUR WINTERS WEREN’T LIKE THIS LIKE WE HAVE TODAY.” 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, “I WAS LIKE HER DAUGHTER SHE DIDN’T HAVE, BUT SHE WAS TOUGH TO WORK WITH BUT WHEN MY FIRST HUSBAND LEFT ME - SHE WAS THERE YOU KNOW AND HELPED OUT AND SHE WAS ALWAYS GOOD HELPING WITH MY GARDEN AND HELPED ME WITH BUILDING SOMETHING IF I NEEDED SOMETHING BUILDING OR FIXING SHE WAS RIGHT THERE. MY FIRST HUSBAND HAD LEFT US WITH, HE’D RIPPED THE BASEMENT APART, IT HAD BEEN FINISHED AND HE LEFT HE WAS GOING TO DRYWALL IT… SO BETWEEN SHE AND I, AND MY FATHER OCCASIONALLY… WE GOT THAT DRYWALL UP THE THREE OF US... SHE WOULD TRY ANYTHING AND HOW WAS SHE DID IT… SHE WAS TINY SO, ANYWAY WE GOT IT DONE THOUGH. WE DID GET IT DONE.” “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

P20030049020

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail