Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WASHING TRAY

Date Range From

1910

Date Range To

1940

Materials

WOOD, GALVANIZED TIN

No. Pieces

1

Height

85.8

Width

30.6

Diameter

18.5

Description

27 CM NOTCHED CYLINDRICAL BLOCK, TAPERED AT TOP 4 CM TIN SHEET IS NAILED AROUND ITS DIAMETER. INTO TOP IS RECESSED 59 CM OAK DOWEL, ATTACHED TO ITS HEAD IS OAK HANDLE. CRACKED AND WEATHERED.

Subjects

MAINTENANCE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

USED IN ROUND WASH TUB, LIKE A PLUNGER OR AGITATOR. USED BY DONOR'S GRANDMOTHER. ____________________________________________________ PARTIAL LABEL COPY BELOW WAS DEVELOPED BY COLLECTIONS INTERN DAVID SMITH IN OCTOBER 2011 FOR AN ISSUE OF LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE’S WHAT’S IT FEATURE. “THIS LAUNDRY AGITATOR PREDATES THOSE INVENTIONS TO A TIME WHEN LAUNDRY WAS DONE BY HAND. HISTORICALLY AGITATORS HAVE BEEN CALLED BY MANY DIFFERENT NAMES, BUT TODAY THEY ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS WASHING DOLLIES. LAUNDRY AGITATORS TAKE MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES BUT PERFORM THE SAME FUNCTION. THEY WERE USED TO BOTH POUND THE WET CLOTHES AND TO STIR THE WATER IN LARGE WOODEN OR METAL TUBS. COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED AGITATORS OFTEN HAVE A METAL CONE (WITH HOLES PUNCTURED FOR THE WATER TO CIRCULATE), WHICH IS ATTACHED TO A WOODEN HANDLE. AS THIS AGITATOR IS HAND CRAFTED IT LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN MANY MASS PRODUCED OBJECTS WITH THE SAME FUNCTION.” _________________________________________________________________ IN OCTOBER, COLLECTIONS MADE CONTACT WITH J.D. BRINDLEY’S CALGARY-BASED NIECE, JOAN NYHOFF. SHE INFORMED COLLECTIONS THAT HER MOTHER (DONOR J.D. BRINDLEY’S SISTER), NORAH HUTTON, WAS LIVING (95 YS/O) AND RESIDING IN CALGARY. ON 24 OCTOBER, NYHOFF SENT AN EMAIL TO TECH KEVIN MACLEAN, STATING THAT HER MOTHER RECOGNIZED THE DOLLIE, (SEEN ONLINE DUE TO ITS FEATURE IN THE ONLINE VERSION OF LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE) AND SAID, “IT BELONGED TO HER MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, JOHN AND MARY TURNER”. ACCORDING TO NYHOFF, HER MOTHER “ONLY REMEMBERS IT BEING USED BY HER (ALICE)” AND THAT IT WAS “BROUGHT TO LETHBRIDGE FROM ENGLAND”. MARY TURNER PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON 24 APRIL, 1942 AT AGE 72. HER HUSBAND JOHN PASSED AWAY IN MEDICINE HAT ON 6 DECEMBER 1953 AT AGE 79. PRIOR TO MOVING TO MEDICINE HAT, JOHN WORKED AT THE LETHBRIDGE PROVINCIAL JAIL. ACCORDING TO NYHOFF, JOHN AND MARY TURNER CAME TO LETHBRIDGE FROM ENGLAND IN 1927, FOLLOWING THEIR DAUGHTER ALICE BRINDLEY AND SON-IN-LAW JOHN (JACK) BRINDLEY. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR RELATED OBITUARIES, NYHOFF’S EMAIL AND THE SMITH’S LETHBRIDGE LIVING WHAT’S IT DOLLIE COPY.

Catalogue Number

P19641383000

Acquisition Date

1964-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail