Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TEA TOWEL, MOUNTIES

Date Range From

2001

Date Range To

2014

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.25

Length

70.5

Width

44.5

Description

WHITE TOWEL, WOVEN WITH COTTON THREAD, WITH REPEATING DESIGN DEPICTING A FIGURE IN RCMP UNIFORM – BROWN HAT AND BOOTS, RED TUNIC, BLUE RIDING BREECHES. THE PATTERN RUNS ALONG BOTH SHORT EDGES OF THE TOWEL. A TAG ATTACHED AT ONE CORNER WITH MULTICOLOURED THREAD READS “HANDMADE BY MAXIENE, FORT MACLEOD ALBERTA CANADA T0L 0Z0, 403-380-3102” ON THE OUTSIDE, AND “100% COTTON, MACHINE WASH/DRY” ON THE INSIDE. VERY GOOD CONDITION OVERALL.

Subjects

MAINTENANCE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

DECORATIVE ARTS

History

THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF THE DONOR AND WEAVER OF THIS TOWEL, MAXIENE BODGENER, WAS PROVIDED BY BODGENER TO GALT CURATOR WENDY AITKENS AT THE TIME OF DONATION. BODGENER WAS BORN TO RACHEL “DOLLY” LONG AND WILFRED PERRIN. HER MOTHER DIED WHEN BODGENER WAS 18 MONTHS OLD, SO SHE WAS RAISED BY HER GRANDFATHER HENRY GEORGE LONG, AN EARLY SETTLER IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA WHO WORKED AT THE STOPPING HOUSE NEAR KIPP IN 1889. BODGENER’S AUNT ALICE AND UNCLE HARRY “BUSTER” LONG HELPED GRANDFATHER HENRY ON THE FAMILY RANCH SOUTH OF FORT MACLEOD, ALONG THE BELLY RIVER. BODGENER SPENT HER CAREER TEACHING HOME ECONOMICS AT F.P. WALSHE SCHOOL IN FORT MACLEOD, AND SEWED CLOTHES FOR HER FAMILY. IN HER RETIREMENT SHE LEARNED HOW TO WEAVE FABRIC. 13 YEARS LATER, IN 2001, BODGENER PURCHASED A $7000 COMPUTERIZED LE CLERC LOOM. THE LOOM HAS A ‘BLACK BOX’ THAT PROCESSES THE PATTERNS SHE DEVELOPS WITH SPECIALIZED COMPUTER SOFTWARE, TRANSMITTING DIRECTIONS TO THE LOOM. BODGENER HAS DESIGNED AND MADE TEA TOWELS, SCARVES, PLACEMATS, TABLE RUNNERS, HAND TOWELS, AND AFGHANS USING THIS PROCESS. SHE WEAVES FOR HER OWN ENJOYMENT AND SELLS HER PRODUCTS AT A VERY REASONABLE PRICE. THE MOUNTIE TEA TOWEL, WHICH BODGENER SELLS FOR $11, IS CREATED WITH A PATTERN THAT BODGENER DESIGNED BY ASKING HER NEIGHBOUR, A RCMP OFFICER IN FORT MACLEOD, TO POSE IN HIS UNIFORM SO SHE COULD GET THE PROPORTIONS CORRECT. UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE PATTERN, BODGENER GAVE HIM A TOWEL AND HIS CO-OFFICERS AT THE DETACHMENT TEASED HIM ABOUT RECEIVING A TEA TOWEL. THIS TOWEL WAS INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBIT ‘WOVEN IN TIME – CELEBRATING 65 YEARS WITH LETHBRIDGE WEAVERS’, CURATED BY WENDY AITKENS, THAT RAN FROM JUNE 7 TO SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 AT THE GALT MUSEUM.

Catalogue Number

P20140011000

Acquisition Date

2014-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail