Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MUSKRAT FUR COAT

Date Range From

1970

Date Range To

1994

Materials

FUR, LEATHER

No. Pieces

1

Length

85.5

Width

48

Description

DOUBLE BREASTED 3/4 LENGTH FUR COAT WITH LEATHER PIECES. SIX BRWN LEATHER COVERED BUTTONS. STRIPS OF BRWN LEATHER ARE FEATURED ALONG INNER ARM AND SIDES OF COAT. LEATHER WAIST BELT WRAPS AROUND COAT. FULL FOLDED COLLAR IN DIFFERENT FUR THEN REST OF COAT. EMBROIDERED MAROON LINING WITH LABEL "LETHBRIDGE FURRIERS", MONOGRAMMED "ILM".

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

FUR COAT WAS GIFTED TO THE DONOR SOMETIME IN 1994. THE COAT WAS GIVEN AWAY AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME THAT ISABEL WILKINS, THE COAT'S ORIGINAL OWNER, DONATED HER DOCTORAL ROBES TO THE GALT. WILKINS GAVE THE COAT TO THE DONOR WITH THE DESIRE THAT SHE WOULD WEAR IT. THE DONOR, HOWEVER, NEVER DID. AT THE TIME OF THE COAT'S GIFTING, BOTH THE DONOR AND WILKINS RESIDED IN BC. THE TWO WERE LIFE LONG FRIENDS. DONOR STATED THAT SHE DONATED THE FUR COAT "TO HONOR DR. ISABEL WILKINS, A FINE TEACHER". WILKINS WAS BORN IN CALGARY IN 1907 AND GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL THERE. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, SHE ATTENDED CALGARY NORMAL SCHOOL WITH THE INTENT TO BECOME A TEACHER. AFTER TWO YEARS SHE HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO GO TO UNIVERSITY IN EDMONTON. IN 1930, SHE GRADUATED AS B.A. GOLD MEDALIST AND THEN BEGAN WORK AT THE LETHBRIDGE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE WHERE SHE TAUGHT AN ESTIMATED 7,000-10,000 STUDENTS UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1971. SHE MARRIED DR. FRANK WILKINS, A PIONEER LETHBRIDGE OPTOMETRIST. IN 1942, SHE OBTAINED AN M.A. THROUGH SUMMER SESSIONS AT MCGILL AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. HER THESIS WAS "A COMPARISON OF SIR WALTER SCOTT AND PROSPER MERIMEE IN THE FIELD OF THE HISTORIC NOVEL". IN 1947, THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF LAVAL, SHE COMPLETED HER PH.D. "MAGNA CUM LAUDE". THIS THESIS WAS "AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF CANADA DURING THE DOZEN YEARS PRIOR TO THE END OF THE FRENCH REGIME, BASED ON A RECENTLY-DISCOVERED SERIES OF PRIVATE LETTERS WRITTEN AT THAT TIME, IN THE FORM OF A DIARY ('LA CORRESPONDENCE DE MADAME BEGON')." SHE DID POST-DOCTORAL WORK AT SORBONNE FROM 1964-1965. WILKINS RETIRED TO BC FROM LETHBRIDGE IN THE 80S AND DIED IN RICHMOND IN 1998. SHE WAS BURIED IN CALGARY AT THE UNION CEMETERY. A CONVERSATION WITH LESLIE CALMAN, WHOSE FATHER OWNED THE CANADIAN FURRIERS IN LETHBRIDGE, TOOK PLACE ON ON AUGUST 10, 2007 ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FURRIERS. CALMAN STATED THAT THE COAT WAS MADE FROM MUSKRAT FUR AND THAT THE STYLE OF THE COAT INDICATED THAT IT WAS LIKELY FROM THE EARLY TO MID 70S. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE OWNER OF THE LETHBRIDGE FURRIERS WAS A MAN NAMED BILL BORKETT WHO OWNED THE STORE UP UNTIL HIS DEATH IN THE 80'S. CALMAN CLAIMED THAT AFTER THE STORE CLOSED IT WAS BOUGHT BY HIS UNCLE AND TURNED INTO THE NEW YORK FUR STORE. CALMAN ESTIMATED THAT THE COAT WAS POSSIBLY PURCHASED FOR $1200.00 TO $1500.00 IN THE 70'S. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND PHOTOS, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE AND BRUCE HAIG'S "WHO'S WHO IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA 1988-1989." P.849.

Catalogue Number

P20070004000

Acquisition Date

2007-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail