Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

OAK DINING ROOM CHAIRS P19770150001-002-GA

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1925

Materials

OAK, METAL

No. Pieces

2

Height

91.4

Length

45.8

Width

38.1

Description

.1 CHAIR. OAK, METAL. FINISH PARTLY WORN OFF AND PARTLY SANDED OFF. UPPER PART OF BACK REST IS CARVED IN A FLORAL DESIGN. 6 RUNGS ON BACK. CHAIR HAS RUNGS BETWEEN THE LEG 2 IN THE FRONT, 2 ON EACH SIDE (RIGHT SIDE MISSING ONE RUNG) AND ONE RUNG IN THE BACK. SURFACE DIRT UNDER SUPPORT BRACES & ALONG BACK WHERE RUNGS ATTACH. LEGS ALL CHIPPED AND MARKED. UNDERSIDE OF SEAT ROUGH; FINISH IRREGULAR. CRACKED AND GOUGED BENEATH BRACES. .2 CHAIR. PRESS BACK DESIGN; SCROLLWORK. MILDEW BETWEEN PRESSED DESIGN. FINISH PARTLY WORN OFF AND PARTLY SANDED OFF. UPPER PART OF BACK REST IS CARVED IN A FLORAL DESIGN. BACK ORIGINALLY HS 6 RUNGS; 2 ARE MISSING. CHAIR HAS RUNGS BETWEEN LEGS, LIKE #1. GENERAL CRACKING AND GOUGING. 3 NAILS PROTRUDING FROM BENEATH. RED WOODEN PLUG INSERTED WHERE RUNG USED TO BE.

Subjects

FURNITURE

Historical Association

FURNISHINGS

History

DONOR BOUGHT CHAIRS 52 YEARS AGO (1925) AT A SPRING AUCTION WHEN HE STARTED FARMING AT IRON SPRINGS. FATHER OF DONOR CAME FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO. HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE OCT. 5, 1905 AND WORKED AT NO. 1 MINE FOR YEARS, AND THEN MOVED TO IRON SPRINGS, IN 1907 TO HOMESTEAD. FATHER FIRST BUILT SOD HOUSE AND BARN ON HOMESTEAD. *UPDATE* IN 2010, NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SHE CONTACTED EDNA LAYTON (DAUGHTER OF EMIL REITER) TO GAIN MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DONATION. ON JANUARY 31, 2011 LAYTON SENT A LETTER DETAILING THE FAMILY'S HISTORY AND THEIR ACQUISITION AND USE OF THE DINING CHAIR. SEE BELOW. EDNA LAYTON (DAUGHTER OF EMIL REITER) SAID, "THE CHAIRS WERE PART OF A DINING ROOM SET WHICH WAS [LARGELY] SOLD WHEN EMIL AND THELMA MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE INTO AN APARTMENT... I REMEMBER THE TABLE HAD SEVERAL LEAVES TO MAKE IT QUITE LARGE TO BE USED WHEN COMPANY CAME." ACCORDING TO LAYTON, THE DINING ROOM WAS USUALLY USED WHEN COMPANY WAS COMING OVER FOR DINNER. IN GENERAL, THE FAMILY ATE THEIR MEALS IN THE KITCHEN. LAYTON SAID, "USUALLY WE HAD OUR FAMILY OVER FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS SUCH AS CHRISTMAS, BIRTHDAYS, THANKSGIVING, ETC. MOM (THELMA REITER NEE MIDDLETON) WAS A GOOD COOK (EVEN WITH A COAL STOVE, NO RUNNING WATER AND, FOR A LONG TIME, NO ELECTRICITY. BY THE WAY, NO ELECTRICITY - NO FRIDGE!). MY FAVORITE TREAT FOR A BIRTHDAY WAS CREAMED TURKEY OR CHICKEN AND LEMON CAKE SERVED ON A BEAUTIFUL GREEN DEPRESSION GLASS CAKE PLATE THAT I STILL HAVE. MOM ALSO MADE HOMEMADE BREAD AND MANY RECIPES MADE FROM THE VEGETABLES IN HER GARDEN." LAYTON ALSO RECALLED THAT SHE AND HER SISTER USED TO PULL OUT ALL OF THE CHAIRS SO THEY COULD PLAY PING PONG ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE. ACCORDING TO EDNA LAYTON, HER FATHER EMIL REITER WAS "BORN IN CLEVELAND, OHIO IN 1903 TO CHARLES AND EMILY REITER WHO HAD EMIGRATED FROM LITHUANIA. WHEN EMIL WAS 2 THE FAMILY CAME TO LETHBRIDGE AND CHARLES WORKED AT NO. 1 MINE UNTIL 1907 WHEN THEY BOUGHT A HOMESTEAD 1 MILE EAST OF IRON SPRINGS WHERE THEY FARMED AND RAISED 4 CHILDREN, EMIL BEING THE ELDEST. AT FIRST, THEY LIVED IN A SOD HOUSE WHICH EMIL REMEMBERED AS BEING WARM IN THE WINTER AND COOL IN THE SUMMER. THEY ALSO BUILT A SOD BARN FOR THE CATTLE. IN 1934, EMIL MARRIED THELMA MIDDLETON WHOSE PARENTS, TOM AND NELLIE MIDDLETON HAD EMIGRATED FROM ENGLAND AND HOMESTEADED IN CARMANGAY IN 1905. EMIL AND THELMA FARMED IN THE IRON SRINGS DISTRICT." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE P19770306000.

Catalogue Number

P19770150000

Acquisition Date

1977-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail