Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1952

Materials

PAPER, METAL, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

8

Length

14

Width

15.6

Description

SQUARE TOY MUSIC BOX WITH PRESSED PAPER SIDES AND RED METAL BASE; BOX HAS SILVER METAL CRANK ON RIGHT-WEARING SIDE. BOX HAS YELLOW AND PINK BRAIDED STRING ATTACHING TO LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE FOR CARRYING. BOX HAS BLUE-GREEN TOP AND SIDES WITH CIRCUS IMAGES DEPICTED; TOP IMAGE DEPICTS A CLOWN PLAYING A CELLO WITH CHILDREN AND A DOG DANCING IN A RING AROUND; FRONT IMAGE DEPICTS A LEOPARD IN A RED CAGED WAGON WITH EIGHT FIGURES STANDING IN FRONT, AND A YELLOW BANNER AT THE TOP OF THE WAGON WITH RED AND GREEN TEXT “MUSIC ARR.-TED DUNCAN DESIGN BY ROUTLEDGE”; RIGHT-WEARING SIDE IMAGE DEPICTS SIX CHILDREN CLIMBING ON AND RIDING A GIRAFFE HOLDING A RED BALLOON; LEFT-WEARING SIDE IMAGE DEPICTS SEVEN CHILDREN RIDING ON AND STANDING BESIDE A BROWN CAMEL; BACK IMAGE DEPICTS A CROSSED TRUMPET AND MANDOLIN WITH RED AND GOLD TEXT ABOVE, “HURDY GURDY”. PAPER AT THE EDGES OF THE BOX ARE SEVERELY WORN WITH IMAGE FADING AND SCUFFED; PAPER IMAGES ON TOP AND SIDES ARE FADED; CARRYING STRING IS DISCOLOURED; RED BASE HAS DUST AND GRIME BUILT UP; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2019, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED BARB CAVERS REGARDING HER DONATION OF ITEMS FROM HER HOME AND TEACHING CAREER. ON THE ‘HURDY GURDY’ MUSIC BOX, CAVERS RECALLED, “THE MUSIC BOX WOULD PROBABLY BE THE FIRST THING THAT I HAD—SOME BOOKS AND RECORDS, ALSO, BUT THEY WEREN’T MY FAVORITES, SO THEY DIDN’T END UP HERE. THE MUSIC BOX I REMEMBER JUST BEING FASCINATED WITH BECAUSE…I LIKED TO PLAY THE MUSIC, AND IT HAD A STRING, SO IT WOULD GO AROUND YOUR NECK, AND YOU COULD WALK AROUND. I’M SURE I DROVE EVERYBODY CRAZY BY PLAYING IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I LIKED TO KNOW HOW THINGS WORKED, SO I REMEMBER TAKING IT APART TO FIND OUT HOW IT WORKED…THERE’S A PIECE OF RUBBER WITH LITTLE BITS OF RUBBER STICKING UP, AND THEN THERE’S ALMOST LIKE A METAL CONE THAT GOES OVER IT, AND WHEN THE LITTLE PROTRUDING HITS IT, IT MAKES A SOUND, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST REALLY COOL…I WOULD PLAY IT WITHOUT THE BACK OFF, AND THEN VERY CAREFULLY PUT IT BACK IN AGAIN. IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU CAN SEE IT’S BEEN MANIPULATED A FEW TIMES…I PLAYED IT BACKWARDS, AND I COULD SING IT BACKWARDS, AS WELL. ‘GOING IN AND OUT THE WINDOW’ IS THE SONG THAT IT PLAYS…I SANG THAT ALL THE TIME…IT WAS JUST A FAVORITE THING…THERE WERE OTHER TOYS AND THINGS THAT WE GAVE AWAY, OR GAMES THAT WE DIDN’T PLAY ANYMORE…I HAD MANY ‘RECS’ AS A KID, AND CANADIAN LOGS, AND DOLLS…BUT THIS STAYED BECAUSE I JUST LOVED IT.” “WE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE WHEN I WAS TWO, SO I AM PRESUMING [I GOT THIS MUSIC BOX] IN LETHBRIDGE, PROBABLY WHEN WE WERE LIVING ON 16TH STREET, ACROSS FROM VICTORIA PARK, BECAUSE WE WERE THERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. PROBABLY ’50-’51, ’50-’52…[WHEN I WAS] FOUR TO SIX YEARS OLD…IT COULD HAVE BEEN BEFORE THAT, WHEN WE WERE RENTING A HOUSE ON 11TH STREET…IT WOULD BE AS A PRESCHOOLER.” “I DON’T THINK I EVER ASKED [WHO GAVE IT TO ME OR HOW IT WAS GIVEN]. I JUST ASSUMED IT WAS MY PARENTS, MY MOTHER, BECAUSE SHE DID ALL THE SHOPPING…MAYBE IT WAS FROM SANTA CLAUS…IT WAS JUST THERE.” “ONE THING [I LIKED ABOUT THE MUSIC BOX]—IT WAS DIFFERENT. I COULD SEE HOW IT WORKED, AND I ALWAYS LIKED MUSIC, AND I COULD MAKE MUSIC WITH IT. THOSE THREE THINGS PROBABLY, AND I LIKED THE [CIRCUS] PICTURES...” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190005001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190005016

Acquisition Date

2019-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail