Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

CHINA

No. Pieces

1

Diameter

20.9

Description

STAMPMARK ON BASE "750" AND "ANCHOR UNDER A SCARF". APPEARS TO BE AN ORNATE DINNER PLATE; PROBABLY FROM A SET. PATTERN IS PURPLE BORDER, WHITE CENTRE, ALL OVERLAID WITH ORNATE GOLD LEAF DESIGN.

Subjects

FOOD SERVICE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

DONOR, MRS. H.R. (MURIEL) TURNER STATES THAT PLATE BELONGED TO GALT FAMILY. DONOR IS A DESCENDANT OF THE GALT FAMILY. UPDATE: 16 OCTOBER 2013: NICOLE HEMBROFF, GALT COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, MET WITH DICK AND SHIRLEY TURNER AT THE MUSEUM ON 24 MAY 2010. THE COUPLE, FROM LETHBRIDGE, CAME IN TO SEE OBJECTS PREVIOUSLY DONATED BY DICK’S MOTHER MURIEL TURNER. SHE WAS, ACCORDING TO DICK, THE DAUGHTER OF SIR ALEXANDER TILLOCH GALT’S YOUNGEST DAUGHTER ANNIE SMITH (NEE GALT), MAKING MURIEL GALT'S GRANDDAUGHTER. ANNIE AND HER HUSBAND, DR. WILLIAM HARVEY SMITH, RESIDED IN WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. DICK TURNER LIVED WITH HER (GRANDMA) AT THE BEGINNING OF WWII. ACCORDING TO DICK, ANNIE’S HUSBAND WOULD OFTEN BRING LARGE NUMBERS OF BUSINESS ASSOCIATES HOME FOR DINNER WITH ONLY AN HOUR’S NOTICE. HE WAS ACTIVE IN THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS THE CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. APPARENTLY, HE WAS PRESIDENT OF BOTH ORGANIZATIONS SOME TIME AROUND THE 1930S. WHEN ANNIE’S HUSBAND WOULD BRING ASSOCIATES HOME, SHE WOULD THROW DINNER PARTIES WITH THE HELP OF HER TWO MAIDS AND A COOK. SHE WOULD HAVE USED THIS CHINA SET AS PART OF HER DINNER SERVICE FOR THOSE PARTIES. DR. SMITH DIED IN 1939. YEARS LATER (1940S) THE CHINA WAS ALSO EMPLOYED AT THE MANDATORY FAMILY SUNDAY LUNCHES. HAROLD AND MURIEL AND THEIR SONS DICK AND DAVID (RESIDES IN ONTARIO), AND DAUGHTER DIANA (RESIDES IN QUEBEC) WOULD JOIN EXTENDED FAMILY AT THEIR GRANDMOTHER ANNIE’S HOUSE. THEY ATE WELL, AS THEY WERE OFFERED A CHOICE OF CHICKEN, HAM OR BEEF WITH ACCOMPANYING VEGETABLES, FOLLOWED BY A CHOICE OF PIE OR ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT. THE KIDS USUALLY CHOSE THE ICE CREAM. AFTER EATING, THEY WOULD ADJOURN TO THE DRAWING ROOM WHERE ADULTS DRANK COFFEE OUT OF DEMI-TASSE CUPS. ACCORDING TO DAVID TURNER, “AT THE TIME, HER COOK’S NAME WAS TINA. WHEN CHRISTINE, A SCOTTISH COOK AND HOUSEKEEPER, CAME ALONG, THERE WAS A FABULOUS CAKE WITH FUDGE ICING THAT WAS AN INCH THICK. AS KIDS WE WOULD LEAVE THE FUDGE ICING UNTIL THE END. UNFORTUNATELY, CHRISTINE SOMETIMES TOOK THE PLATES AWAY BEFORE WE COULD FINISH THE ICING. WE QUICKLY LEARNED TO EAT THE ICING FIRST.” DICK SAID, WHEN HE GOT OLDER, “WE STOPPED GOING BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE HAD BETTER THINGS TO DO. DICK REMEMBERS THIS TIME PERIOD AS BEING “THE END OF A GRAND LIFE.” “MY MOTHER’S BROTHER WAS H. G. H. (HARRY) SMITH OF WINNIPEG, A PROMINENT LAWYER AND PAST PRESIDENT OF THE MANITOBA BAR ASSOCIATION. HE LIKELY WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE BUCKLE FROM HIS MOTHER. HE IS A GRANDSON OF HON. SYDNEY SMITH, CANADA’S FIRST POST-MASTER GENERAL IN MACDONALD’S CABINET. MR. DICK TURNER PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON 21 JULY 2010 AT THE AGE OF 80 YEARS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE DONOR’S LETTERS AND RICHARD “DICK” TURNER’S OBITUARY, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE. SEE ALSO DONATIONS BY MRS. MURIEL TURNER IN ARCHIVES.

Catalogue Number

P19710172000

Acquisition Date

1971-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail