Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

ROYAL COAT OF ARMS, “LETHBRIDGE, ALTA”

Date Range From

1906

Date Range To

1919

Materials

CERAMIC

No. Pieces

1

Width

2.5

Diameter

25

Description

CIRCULAR CERAMIC PLATE WITH PATTERNED BORDER IN ORANGE AND PEACH WITH REPEATING FOLIAGE AND URN DESIGN IN BLACK. CENTRE OF PLATE IS WHITE WITH IMAGE DEPICTING A SHIELD FLANKED BY A LION AND UNICORN. TEXT AROUND THE SHIELD READS “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE” AND TEXT ON A BROWN RIBBON BELOW IT READS “DIEU ET MON DROIT”. BENEATH THE IMAGE IS TEXT READING “LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.” BOTTOM OF PLATE IS EMBOSSED WITH TEXT READING “WEDGWOOD” AND MARKINGS READING “A4724”, “ETRURIA, ENGLAN...” AND “WEDGWOOD” IN RED AND BLACK GLAZE. MINOR AREAS OF GLAZE LOSS ALONG ORANGE EDGES. CONDITION VERY GOOD OVERALL.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

History

THE DONOR, MARY LEISTER, RECEIVED THE PLATE FROM HER SISTER SYLVIA IN SUMMER 2014 WITH THE INTENTION OF ITS DONATION TO THE GALT MUSEUM. SYLVIA WAS GIVEN THE PLATE IN THE LATE 1960S BY HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, MRS. MARSHALL, WHO ACQUIRED IT FROM THE TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IN CALGARY, WHERE SHE WORKED AS HOUSE MOTHER. ON JUNE 18, 2014 GALT COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED LEISTER ABOUT THE PLATE. LEISTER SAID: “MY SISTER GAVE IT TO ME BECAUSE SHE’S MOVING… I SAID ‘WELL I THINK THIS SHOULD BE IN AN ARCHIVE’… [SYLVIA] SAID HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, MRS. MARSHALL, WHO CAME FROM ENGLAND… WORKED AT THE LORD TWEEDSMUIR PRIVATE SCHOOL IN CALGARY… IT WAS A VERY PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL AND KNOWING THE ENGLISH SCHOOLS, I THINK THE GIRLS WERE BROUGHT UP VERY STRICTLY, POLITELY, AND ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS OF THE ETTIQUETTE OF THE ENGLISH… SHE WAS WHAT YOU’D CALL A HOUSE MOTHER BECAUSE SHE HAD TO SEE THAT THE GIRLS WERE PROPERLY DRESSED AND CONDUCTED THEMSELVES IN THE MANNER THAT THE SCHOOL SUGGESTED, AND WHEN THEY CLOSED THE SCHOOL [IN 1971] SHE WAS STILL WORKING THERE. THE STAFF WAS TOLD THAT IF THERE WAS ANYTHING AROUND THEY WOULD LIKE, [TO] TAKE IT AND MRS. MARSHALL, KNOWING THAT I’M FROM LETHBRIDGE AND MY SISTER, SYLVIA, WAS FROM THE AREA [THOUGHT] THAT [WE] WOULD BE THE BEST PERSON TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT.” IT IS UNKNOWN HOW THIS PLATE CAME TO BE IN THE POSSESSION OF THE TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL. SEE PERMANENT RECORD FOR FULL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW. ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE OF THE STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL, TWEEDSMUIR ACADEMIC SCHOOL FOR GIRLS OPENED IN 1959 IN A HOME ON ELBOW DRIVE IN SOUTHWEST CALGARY, WITH 27 STUDENTS ENROLLED BETWEEN GRADES SEVEN AND NINE. THE SCHOOL’S MISSION WAS TO PROVIDE ACADEMIC EDUCATION IN PREPARATION FOR STUDENTS’ ENTRANCE INTO UNIVERSITY. THE ENRICHED CURRICULUM INCLUDED HUMANITIES, SCIENCES, SOCIAL GRACES, COURTESY, AND MANNERS. IN 1965 ENROLLMENT REACHED 75 STUDENTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES WERE ADDED TO THE CURRICULUM. BY 1968 THE SCHOOL HAD 110 STUDENTS ENROLLED AND IT WAS DECIDED THE FACILITIES WERE UNABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASING DEMAND. DISCUSSIONS BEGAN WITH THE STRATHCONA SCHOOL FOR BOYS ABOUT AMALGAMATING THE TWO SCHOOLS, AND IN SEPTEMBER 1971 THE JOINT INSTITUTION STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL WAS OPENED. MARKINGS ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS PLATE IDENTIFY THE BRIGHT ORANGE BORDER DESIGN ALONG ITS RIM AS WEDGWOOD POTTERY PATTERN A4724. RESEARCH INTO ONLINE AUCTIONS, ANTIQUE DIRECTORIES AND THE ARTICLE “HERALDIC CHINA ON THE PRAIRIES” BY AUGUSTE VACHON SUGGESTS THAT THIS PATTERN WAS SPECIFICALLY USED ON COMMEMORATIVE PLATES THAT DEPICTED THE CRESTS AND COATS OF ARMS OF A WIDE VARIETY OF REGIONS AND CITIES IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. BECAUSE THE ABBREVIATION “ALTA.” IS USED ON THE PLATE, IT WAS CLEARLY PRODUCED AFTER ALBERTA WAS ESTABLISHED AS A PROVINCE ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1905. THE IMAGE DEPICTED ON THE PLATE IS THE ROYAL COAT OF ARMS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, WHICH THE BRITISH MONARCHY AND GOVERNMENT HAS USED AS THE SYMBOL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM SINCE 1837. CANADA’S OWN OFFICIAL COAT OF ARMS WAS NOT ADOPTED UNTIL NOVEMBER 1921, THOUGH IN 1868, AFTER CONFEDERATION, ARMS WERE GRANTED TO THE FIRST FOUR PROVINCES AND WERE SOMETIMES USED AS THE DEFACTO ENSIGN OF CANADA UNTIL THE ADOPTION OF THE OFFICIAL ARMS OF CANADA. THE FRENCH MOTTOS ON THE ARMS TRANSLATE TO ENGLISH AS “GOD AND MY RIGHT” AND “SHAME UPON HIM WHO THINKS EVIL OF IT”. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF ONLINE SOURCE MATERIALS.

Catalogue Number

P20140022000

Acquisition Date

2014-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail