Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

“LIONS INTERNATIONAL” “RONSON QUEEN ANNE”

Date Range From

1958

Date Range To

1963

Materials

LEAD, SILVER, FELT

No. Pieces

1

Height

7

Length

8

Width

4.5

Description

ELECTROPLATED LEAD, OVAL-SHAPED TABLE LIGHTER ON PEDESTAL BASE, WITH FLAT SNUFFER CAP ON TOP. DECORATIVE SCROLLWORK AROUND BODY AND BASE PERIMETER. AN EMBLEM IN COPPER AND BLUE ENAMEL IS FIXED TO ONE SIDE, FEATURING TWO LIONS’ HEADS IN PROFILE AND TEXT READING “L – LIONS INTERNATIONAL”. UNDERSIDE OF BASE IS RINGED WITH GREEN FELT, AND HAS TWO VISIBLE FLATHEAD SCREWS. ENGRAVED TEXT ON UNDERSIDE OF BASE READS “RONSON, TORONTO, CANADA - …ANADA PATS. 288.148.289.88… - U.S. PAT. RE. NO. 19023 – RONSON – “QUEEN ANNE” TRADEMARK – E.P. LEAD”. TARNISHED. VERY GOOD CONDITION OVERALL.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THIS LIGHTER BELONGED TO STUART MCLEOD CHAPMAN, THE FATHER OF THE DONOR, DON CHAPMAN. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE CHAPMAN FAMILY WAS PROVIDED BY THE DONOR AT THE TIME OF DONATION. THE CHAPMANS RESIDED IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1958 TO 1963. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE FROM LACOMBE, ALBERTA, AFTER STUART ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF ADMINISTRATOR OF THE GALT REHABILITATION CENTRE, LOCATED IN THE OLD GALT HOSPITAL BUILDING. IN 1963 THE FAMILY MOVED TO LANGLEY, B.C. WHERE STUART BECAME THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LANGLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. WHILE IN LETHBRIDGE, STUART WAS ACTIVE IN SUPPORTING SCOUTING ON THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA REGIONAL COUNCIL. HE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE LIONS CLUB, AS HE HAD BEEN IN LACOMBE AND CONTINUED TO BE IN LANGLEY, AND ALONG WITH HIS WIFE, BETTE, WAS AMONG THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH. STEWART CHAPMAN DIED IN BURNABY, B.C. IN 2001. ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DON CHAPMAN ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S TIME IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEMORIES RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC DONATED OBJECTS. CHAPMAN SAID: “I WAS BORN IN 1947 AND WE CAME [TO LETHBRIDGE] BECAUSE MY FATHER GOT A JOB HERE… IT WAS EXCITING. WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE LETHBRIDGE WAS… IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, FINALLY THE FAMILY IS GETTING A FINANCIAL FOOTING AND THERE WAS A CAREER PATH AHEAD… THE MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE WAS KIND OF LIKE A NEW START… CERTAINLY FOR ME, LETHBRIDGE WAS FORMATIVE YEARS… [MY FATHER] WAS INVOLVED IN [LIONS CLUB] FOR YEARS, AND IN THOSE DAYS, MY SENSE IS THAT SERVICE CLUBS WERE VERY SIGNIFICANT BOTH IN NETWORKING AND IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT… WHEN HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE WITH NO PARTICULAR CONNECTIONS… THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A WAY TO INTEGRATE HIMSELF… [AND] HE WOULD HAVE BEEN EMBRACED AND BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PART OF IT QUITE QUICKLY… I SUSPECT THAT LIONS CLUB TO HIM AS AN ADULT WAS WHAT SCOUTING TO ME WAS AS A YOUTH… DAD WAS VERY WELL-LIKED HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND HE BELIEVED IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT… DAD WAS MORE OF A RACONTEUR THAN I AM, SO HE WOULD’VE JUST KEPT [THE OBJECTS] AS A MOMENTO OR TOTEM OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS HERE.” OF THIS SPECIFIC ARTIFACT, CHAPMAN SAID: “THE LIGHTER I THINK HE GOT FROM THE LETHBRIDGE LIONS CLUB, AND IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A LEAVE-TAKING WHEN THEY WERE MOVING OUT TO B.C… MOM AND DAD HAD THIS ON THEIR COFFEE TABLE… THEY WERE BOTH SMOKERS AND IT WAS A TROPHY OF SORTS AND IT HAD A SIGNIFICANT PLACE IN OUR LIVING ROOM.” THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE RONSON “QUEEN ANNE” TABLE LIGHTER WAS FOUND ON THE WEBSITE OF THE TABLE LIGHTERS COLLECTOR’S GUIDE. THE QUEEN ANNE MODEL WAS FIRST MANUFACTURED IN 1936 IN NEW JERSEY, AND WAS NAMED AFTER QUEEN ANNE OF GREAT BRITAIN. THE DESIGN WAS VERY POPULAR IN THE 1940S AND 50S, BEFORE PRODUCTION CEASED IN 1961. THIS LIGHTER FEATURES A FLAT TOP SNUFFER CAP, MARKING IT AS THE LATER VERSION, MANUFACTURED BETWEEN 1950 AND 1961. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND ONLINE SOURCE MATERIAL.

Catalogue Number

P20140034020

Acquisition Date

2014-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail