Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1912

Date Range To

1952

Materials

FIR

No. Pieces

2

Height

124

Length

97

Width

60.5

Description

RECTANGULAR WOODEN LECTERN, STAINED MAHOGANY COLOUR, WITH TONGUE & GROOVE INSET PANELS AT FRONT AND SIDES AND CROWN MOULDING AT BASE AND TOP. TOP PANEL HAS HINGED SECTION AT CENTRE THAT IS SLANTED – PANEL ANGLE CAN BE ADJUSTED WITH TWO SLATS OF WOOD SCREWED INSIDE LECTERN THAT CAN BE MOVED TO SUPPORT PANEL. BACK SIDE OF LECTERN HAS TWO HINGED CABINET DOORS. INNER CAVITY HAS ONE SHELF, ACCESSIBLE UNDER HINGED PANEL SECTION. VISIBLE WEAR THROUGHOUT, ESPECIALLY ALONG BASE, EDGES, AND TOP; SCRATCHES AND GOUGES ALONG SIDES AND TOP PANEL HAS LENGTHWISE CRACK. LECTERN IS ON METAL CASTERS – ONE IS BROKEN FROM ITS MOUNT AND HAS BEEN BAGGED FOR STORAGE INSIDE LECTERN. OVERALL GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

FURNITURE

Historical Association

FURNISHINGS

History

THIS LECTERN WAS ACQUIRED BY THE DONOR, MICHAEL DIMNIK, FROM HIS CLIENT, RON BATSFORD. BATSFORD HAD INHERITED THE LECTERN FROM HIS FATHER, CHARLIE BATSFORD, WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE REMOVED IT FROM THE ORIGINAL LETHBRIDGE COURT HOUSE. PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE GALT ARCHIVES OF THE INTERIOR OF THE COURT HOUSE (IN OPERATION AT 327 6 STREET SOUTH FROM 1912 TO 1952, WHEN IT WAS REPLACED BY A NEW COURT HOUSE AT 4 AVENUE AND 10 STREET SOUTH AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEMOLISHED) SHOW SIMILAR WOODEN DESKS AND PODIUMS BUT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DEFINITIVELY MATCH THIS LECTURN WITH THE FURNISHINGS VISIBLE IN THE ARCHIVAL PHOTOS. ON MARCH 3, 2015 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED MICHAEL DIMNIK ABOUT THE LECTERN. DIMNIK SAID: “MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT WAS PART OF THE FIRST COURT ROOM IN LETHBRIDGE… I ACQUIRED IT FROM RON BATSFORD, AT THE TIME THAT HE WAS SELLING HIS HOUSE [IN JULY 2006]. AS PART OF MY LEGAL PRACTICE I DID A LOT OF REAL ESTATE, SO HE CAME TO ME AND ASKED ME TO ASSIST HIM… MY OFFICE WAS IN AN OLDER BUILDING [AT 334 12 STREET SOUTH], BUILT IN 1906. HE WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS PRACTICING OUT OF AN OLDER BUILDING, AND APPRECIATED THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOUSE. AND HE SENSED THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE ITEMS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT HE HAD IN HIS POSSESSION. SO AS HE WAS MOVING OUT, HE WAS IN A BIT OF A QUANDARY BECAUSE HE HAD A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT HE COULDN’T OTHERWISE DISPOSE OF [AND] THE HOUSE HAD TO BE VACATED… SO HE ASKED ME IF I HAD INTEREST IN ACQUIRING THESE THINGS… ONE WAS A SAFE, AND THE OTHER WAS THE LECTERN… WITH MY LEGAL CONNECTION, I WAS INTERESTED IN SEEING THE PODIUM. I TOOK IT SIGHT UNSEEN, SO I SENT SOMEBODY OVER TO PICK IT UP, ANTICIPATING WHAT IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, AND WHERE I MIGHT POTENTIALLY BE ABLE TO PUT IT IN MY OFFICE [TO] DISPLAY IT. IT WAS SUCH A LARGE ITEM THAT IT JUST DIDN’T FIT ANYWHERE… [SO] FROM THE DAY I ACQUIRED IT, BASICALLY, IT HAS BEEN IN STORAGE... [RON] TOLD ME THAT HIS FATHER… WAS A CUSTODIAN AND HE TOOK ON JOBS WHERE HE BE CLEANING BUILDINGS. ONE OF THE JOBS HE HAD WAS CLEANING WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL COURT HOUSE IN LETHBRIDGE. SO WHEN THEY STOPPED UTILIZING THE COURT ROOM, THEY STARTED DISPOSING OF THE ITEMS, AND HIS FATHER TOOK THE PODIUM, BECAUSE IT WAS GOING TO BE DISPOSED OF OTHERWISE.” ON MARCH 10, 2015 MACLEAN INTERVIEWED BETTY DICKSON, RON BATSFORD’S WIFE, ABOUT HER RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LECTERN. DICKSON SAID: “IT WAS IN OUR HOUSE UNDER THE STEPS – IT USED IT BE HIS MOM AND DAD’S HOUSE [AND THE LECTERN] WAS JUST LEFT THERE FOR RON WHEN THEY PASSED AWAY… HIS FATHER, CHARLIE, CAME ACROSS A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THAT AND KEPT THEM BECAUSE OF THE HISTORY OF THEM… HE ACQUIRED A LOT OF ANTIQUES… THAT WAS JUST PART OF HIM, THAT’S WHAT HE LIKED TO DO… [RON] SAID IT WAS [FROM] AN OLD COURT ROOM THAT THEY JUST TORE DOWN… IT WAS PART OF HISTORY AND [RON] WANTED SOMEONE TO BE ABLE TO APPRECIATE IT… THAT’S [WHY] RON GAVE IT TO [MIKE DIMNIK].” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS.

Catalogue Number

P20150011000

Acquisition Date

2015-03

Collection

Museum

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