Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BABY BUGGY

Date Range From

1944

Date Range To

1945

Materials

TIN, LEATHERETTE, RUBBER

No. Pieces

2

Height

96

Length

118

Width

56

Description

. A - BABY CARRIAGE WITH BLUE TIN BODY. SUSPENDED BY FOUR CURVED STRIPS OF METAL, EACH ANCHORED IN PLACE WITH BLACK LEATHERETTE STRAPS WITH METAL BUCKLES. RETRACTABLE GREEN LEATHERETTE CANOPY HAS KNIT BLUE FRINGE ALONG EDGE AND BROWN FABRIC INTERIOR THAT IS STRETCHED OVER THREE METAL RIBS. INSIDE OF THE CARRIAGE IS LINED WITH GREEN LEATHERETTE AND HAS BROWN LEATHER STRAP AT CENTRE. METAL CARRIAGE HANDLE HAS FAUX IVORY GRIP THAT IS CRACKED. FOUR RUBBER TIRES ON METAL, SPOKED WHEELS; ONLY TWO OF FOUR WHEELS HAVE DOMED METAL HUBCAPS. GENERAL WEAR AND PAINT LOSS; LEATHERETTE IS CRACKED AND WORN WITH HOLES IN CANOPY; TIRE RUBBER IS HARDENED AND CRACKED; SOME RUST ON WHEEL RIMS AND SUSPENSION STRIPS. .B - SEPARATE GREEN LEATHERETTE COVER HAS GROMMETS THAT MATCH RIVETS ON OUTER EDGE OF CARRIAGE BODY. COVER IS WORN AND CRACKING ALONG SEAMS.

Subjects

LAND TRANSPORTATION-HUMAN-POWERED

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

ON APRIL 4, 2013, COLLECTION TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE DONOR, GWEN KLONE, ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD ON HER FAMILY’S FARM NEAR BARONS, ALBERTA AND THE TWO RELATED OBJECTS SHE DONATED TO THE GALT: A CLOTH DIAPER (P20130016001-GA) AND A BABY CARRIAGE (P20130016002-GA). KLONE SAID: “I FEEL THAT WE GREW UP IN THE BEST POSSIBLE ERA. IN THE BEST POSSIBLE PLACE, TO BE RAISED ON A FARM WAS ABSOLUTELY GREAT. WE FOUND OUR OWN FUN.” REGARDING THIS ARTIFACT, KLONE SAID: “[MY MOTHER] TOLD THE DOCTOR THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS HAVING TWINS AND HE ASKED WHY. SHE SAID BECAUSE SHE COULD FEEL MOVEMENT ON BOTH SIDES AT THE SAME TIME. THEY X-RAYED US. I THINK THAT SHE WAS SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS PREGNANT WHEN WE GOT X-RAYED. THE GOOD NEWS FOR MY MUM WAS “WELL YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE AT LEAST TWINS”. THEY DID NOT KNOW ANYMORE THAN THAT… WHEN MY BROTHER AND I WERE BORN [IN 1944], I THINK THEY ORDERED IT OUT OF A CATALOG BUT THEY HAD TO ORDER TWO BUGGIES. I THINK AT THE TIME IF YOU ORDERED TWO, ONE OF THEM WAS FREE. BECAUSE YOU HAD TO. I AM NOT ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SURE BUT IT SEEMS SOMEWHERE IN MY BRAIN THAT. SO SHE ORDERED TWO CARRIAGES AND THAT IS WHAT, WE CAME HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL AND THAT WAS OUR BEDS FOR A YEAR. MUM LIKED IT BECAUSE SHE SAID IT WAS ON WHEELS AND IF WE GOT TO CRANKY OUT TO THE FARM WE WENT AND OUT THE DOOR. THEY WORKED GOOD… IT MEANT SOMETHING TO THEM, SENTIMENTAL… MY MUM AND DAD SAVED PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING. WE’VE STILL GOT OUR ORIGINAL CRIBS… THEY SAVED IT FOR US TO SAVE… I DID USE IT FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN WHEN THEY WERE STILL AT THE FARM. OUR FARM HAD A RUNWAY JUST FOR A WALK. JUST FOR A RIDE FOR THE KIDS I WOULD PUT THEM IN THE BUGGY BECAUSE THE SUSPENSION IS NICE. IT IS JUST ON BELTS… JUST FOR A FUN THING TO DO BECAUSE THEY WOULD BOUNCE LOTS… IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD TO JUST SHARE. JUST SHARE. IT IS PART OF OUR LIFE AND NOW IT IS PART OF HISTORY. TIME SNUCK UP ON US AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT’S THIS MANY YEARS LATER. I MEAN, WE ARE GOING ON TO SEVENTY. THIS STUFF IS STILL HERE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR A COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW.

Catalogue Number

P20130016002

Acquisition Date

2013-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail