Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS DISPLAY

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1957

Materials

MASONITE, WOOD, PAINT

No. Pieces

4

Height

145

Length

112

Width

5

Description

.1 - PIECE OF MASONITE BOARD CUT INTO THE SHAPE OF A HUMAN FIGURE. PAINTED IN RED, WHITE, BLACK AND GREEN TO DEPICT A SMILING MAN WITH A WHITE BEARD, WEARING A RED HAT AND SUIT WITH A BLACK BELT AND BOOTS. BACK OF BOARD IS REINFORCED WITH TWO VERTICAL SLATS OF WOOD. SOME SCRATCHES AND GENERAL GRIME ON THE PAINTED SIDE, WITH NAIL HEADS POKING OUT IN AREAS WHERE BACKING SLATS ARE FASTENED. END TIP OF HAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY BROKEN OFF AND REPAIRED WITH GLUE AND REINFORCING PIECES OF WOOD ON BACK. .2 - PIECE OF MASONITE BOARD CUT INTO THE SHAPE OF A DEER. PAINTED IN GOLD, RED, BLACK AND WHITE TO DEPICT A REINDEER WITH A RED NOSE, WEARING A RED HARNESS WITH BELLS ON IT. BOARD IS REINFORCED AT BACK WITH PIECES OF 1X4 CUT TO SIZE. FIGURE IS MOUNTED TO A SECTION OF 2X2 AT ITS FEET, PAINTED WHITE. A PIECE OF 1X3 IS HINGED TO THE BACK OF THE FIGURE TO BE USED TO PROP THE OBJECT UPRIGHT. A BOW MADE OF RED DUCT TAPE IS FASTENED AT THE DEER'S THROAT. SCRATCHES AND GENERAL GRIME ON THE IMAGE SIDE; WOODEN PIECE REINFORCING TAIL AT BACK IS LOOSE. FRAGMENTS OF ROPE TIED TO TWO NAIL HEADS ON BACK. 93H X 33L X 7W .3 - PIECE OF MASONITE BOARD CUT INTO THE SHAPE OF A DEER WITH ANTLERS. PAINTED IN GOLD, RED, BLACK AND WHITE TO DEPICT A REINDEER WEARING A RED HARNESS WITH BELLS ON IT. BOARD IS REINFORCED AT BACK WITH PIECES OF 1X4 CUT TO SIZE. FIGURE IS MOUNTED TO A SECTION OF 2X2 AT ITS FEET, PAINTED WHITE. A PIECE OF 1X3 IS HINGED TO THE BACK OF THE FIGURE TO BE USED TO PROP THE OBJECT UPRIGHT. SCRATCHES AND MINIMAL WEAR ON THE IMAGE SIDE. LENGTH OF ROPE TIED TO NAIL HEAD ON BACK. 118.5H X 86L X 8W .4 - TWO SECTIONS OF WHITE ROPE, ONE BRAIDED AND ONE TWISTED, TIED TOGETHER TO FORM A SINGLE PIECE MEANT TO BE STRUNG AS REINS BETWEEN DEER FIGURES AND SANTA FIGURE. ENDS ARE KNOTTED OFF AND FRAYING. SIX METAL BELLS ARE TIED TO THE ROPE AT INTERVALS WITH BEIGE STRING. GENERAL GRIME AND DISCOLOURATION THROUGHOUT. 1054L X I.5DIA *NOTE* SLEIGH AND SEVEN OTHER REINDEER ACQUIRED AS EQUIPMENT.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

ART

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

DECORATIVE ARTS

History

THIS OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS DECORATION SET, INCLUDING SANTA CLAUS, RUDOPLH, EIGHT REINDEER AND SANTA'S SLEIGH, WAS BUILT BY STEVE LEONARD, THE FATHER OF THE DONOR DON LEONARD, FOR THE FAMILY’S YEARLY OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS DISPLAY AT THEIR LETHBRIDGE HOME AT 828 12 ST NORTH. IN OCTOBER 2013, GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DON LEONARD ABOUT HIS FATHER’S DECORATIONS AND THEIR MEANING FOR HIS FAMILY. LEONARD SAID: “[THE SET] WAS MADE IN THE MIDDLE 50S I BELIEVE BY MY DAD. IT’S WON SEVERAL AWARDS FOR BEST CHRISTMAS DISPLAY, BEST LIGHT DISPLAYS IN LETHBRIDGE, AND IT WAS A LOT OF HEART AND LOVE PUTTING INTO THAT DISPLAY AND MY PARENTS LOVED TO DO THE CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS EVERY YEAR THEY COULD. THEY COULDN’T WAIT TO GET THEM UP AND THAT IT’S REALLY A PART OF ME AND I COULDN’T THROW IT OUT AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. I HAVE MY OWN DISPLAY… IN THE U.S. THAT THEY BUILT FOR ME, IDENTICAL TO IT, SO YOU CAN SEE THE LOVE THEY HAD IN MAKING THESE DISPLAYS… I CAN ACTUALLY REMEMBER MY DAD DRESSED UP AS SANTA CLAUS ONE YEAR AND I CAME HOME AND HE WAS SITTING IN THE SLEIGH… I WAS KIND OF SHOCKED WHEN I CAME HOME AND SANTA CLAUS WAS IN THERE STACKED UP WITH PRESENTS… [DAD] DID A LOT OF WOODWORKING. EVERYTHING IN THE HOUSE HERE PRETTY WELL HE BUILT… THE REST OF THE HOUSE WOULD BE DECORATED IN LIGHTS AND THEY ALWAYS LIKED TO DO TWO RED, TWO GREEN, TWO RED TWO GREEN OVER THE WHOLE HOUSE. AND ALSO BEFORE THAT, LATER ON, THERE WAS A CANDY CANE MADE OUT OF A STOVEPIPE… I HELPED THEM PUT THE DISPLAYS OUT UNTIL I WENT TO COLLEGE, YEAH UNTIL ’68… IT WAS PROBABLY IN THE TOP TEN BEST DECORATED HOUSES IN THE CITY EVERY YEAR FOR PROBABLY FOR TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. IT WAS OUTSTANDING THEY ADDED SOMETHING NEW EVERY YEAR, MORE LIGHTS, CHANGED THE COLOURS, CHANGED HOW THEY DID IT. THE WHOLE HOUSE WAS DECORATED: EVERY WINDOW, THE ROOF, THE CARPORT, SOMETIMES THE BUSHES. I MEAN IT WAS BIG TIME DECORATION, THEY LOVED TO DO IT. THEY HAD A LOT OF FUN DOING IT… IT WAS A GREAT ATTRACTION. I CAN REMEMBER COUNTING HUNDREDS OF CARS COMING BY AT NIGHT, STOPPING AND LOOKING AND TAKING PICTURES, PARENTS TAKING THEIR KIDS OUT OF THE CAR AND PUTTING THEM IN THE SLEIGH AND TAKING PICTURES WITH THEM. MY PARENTS JUST LOVED SEEING THAT HAPPEN… MY DAD LIKED, AND MY MOTHER TOO, BUILDING STUFF. HE LIKED BUILDING DISPLAYS, HE HAD, DURING THE SUMMER, HE DID RABBITS AND SHEEP AND PUT THEM AROUND ALL THE PLANTS. AND THEY TOOK A LOT OF PRIDE, AS MUCH AS YOU COULD EVER TAKE IN YOUR YARD. THEY’RE WINNERS OF AWARDS FOR THE BEST YARD IN THE SUMMER, BEST FLOWERS. THEY JUST TOOK A LOT OF PRIDE IN HOW THE HOUSE LOOKED… YOU JUST THINK OF WHAT THEY DID FOR YOU, IT WAS HOW THEY BROUGHT YOU UP; IT WAS HOW THEY WERE GENEROUS TO OTHER PEOPLE AND HOW THEY LOVED EVERYBODY… IT IS JUST THE GENEROSITY THEY GAVE TO EVERYBODY AND WANTED TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE OUT AND HAVE THE FUN TIME ENJOYABLE. MORE THAN THE SANTA CLAUS IT WAS A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY FOR THEM TOO… I AM JUST SO HAPPY KNOWING THAT SOMEBODY CAN HOPEFULLY ENJOY IT FOR MANY MORE YEARS… IT WOULD MAKE THEM UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20130025000

Acquisition Date

2013-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail