Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PORTRAIT BARONESS COUTTS

Date Range From

1890

Date Range To

1900

Materials

CERAMIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

22.8

Width

16.8

Description

HAND COLORED PHOTOGRAPH OF WOMAN SITTING AT DESK READING. PHOTOGRAPH IS ON A CERAMIC PLATE. PLATE IS CHIPPED IN BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER & SMALLER CHIP BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. IMAGE IS VERY FADED. PAPER BACKING. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT. MISHAP ON 5 NOVEMBER 2003 RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THREE OF THE CERAMIC PLATE'S CORNERS. MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS TO TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT CORNERS. EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE ADDITIONALLY TO BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. SEE INCIDENT REPORT ATTACHED TO HARDCOPY FOR DETAILS. ARTIFACT WAS FOUND WITH A LARGE CRACK THROUGH ITS CENTRE ON 11 MAY 2006 BY A VOLUNTEER DURING THE UNPACKING OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

DONOR SAYS PHOTOGRAPH PRESENTED TO HIS FAMILY FROM BARONESS COUTTS AT TURN OF CENTURY. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE DONOR, DICK COOK, WAS FOUND IN HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. AUSTIN DICK COOK WAS BORN IN 1922 TO CHARLES AND MARJORY COOK OF LETHBRIDGE. HE ENLISTED IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND PILOTED HALIFAX AND LANCASTER HEAVY BOMBERS ON 22 MISSIONS IN EUROPE. AFTER THE WAR COOK STUDIED AGRICULTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA AND, RETURNING TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1955, WORKED FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE OF CANADA IN VETERANS LAND ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND OLD AGE PENSION DEPARTMENTS. HE EARNED THE RANK OF MAJOR IN THE ARTILLERY RESERVES AND WAS ACTIVE IN THE AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION. COOK WAS MARRIED TWICE AND HAD THREE SONS. HE DIED ON MARCH 26, 2006. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPY OF COOK'S OBITUARY. LIMITED INFORMATION WAS FOUND ON DICK COOK'S PARENTS, CHARLES WILLIAM AND MARJORY, AND NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FAMILY AND THE BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS WAS MADE. ACCORDING TO AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE APRIL 29, 1963 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, CHARLES COOK DIED THAT MONTH AT THE AGE OF 75 - NO OCCUPATION IS LISTED, AND NO OBITUARY FOR MARJORY WAS FOUND. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF THE SUBJECT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH ON THIS ARTIFACT WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE GALT HISTORIC RAILWAY PARK, AND THE NOTABLE NAMES DATABASE ONLINE. ANGELA GEORGINA BURDETT-COUTTS WAS BORN IN LONDON IN 1814, THE DAUGHTER OF SIR FRANCIS BURDETT, A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, AND SOPHIA COUTTS, DAUGHTER OF WEALTHY BANKER THOMAS COUTTS. AT AGE 23 ANGELA CAME INTO AN ANNUAL INCOME OF $400,000, AND REFUSED NUMEROUS OFFERS OF MARRIAGE, DEVOTING HERSELF TO PHILANTHROPY. SHE FUNDED NUERMOUS CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, HOUSING PROJECTS, RELIEF FUNDS FOR REFUGEES, AND ESTABLISHED ENGLAND'S NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF THE CRUELTY TO CHILDREN IN 1883 AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. BURDETT-COUTTS WAS RECOGNIZED BY QUEEN VICTORIA FOR HER BENEVOLENCE AND GIVEN THE TITLE BARONESS OF HIGHGATE AND BROOKFIELD, MIDDLESEX IN 1871. IN 1883 SHE MARRIED HER PERSONAL SECRETARY, AMERICAN WILLIAM ASHMEAD-BARTLETT, WHO WAS 40 YEARS HER JUNIOR. WILLIAM TOOK ON HER LAST NAME AND INVESTED HER MONEY INTO THE NEW BUSINESS VENTURE OF THEIR SOCIETY FRIEND AND CANADAN'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO ENGLAND, SIR ALEXANDER GALT. WILLIAM PARTNERED IN GALT'S NORTHWEST COAL & NAVIGATION COMPANY, AND HE AND THE BARONESS WERE COMMEMORATED IN THE NAMING OF VILLAGES, VESSELS, AND STREETS THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN ALBERTA, THOUGH NEITHER EVER TRAVELLED TO CANADA. THE BARONESS LIVED TO THE AGE OF 92, DYING OF BRONCHITIS IN LONDON IN 1906. SHE IS BURIED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE MATERIALS.

Catalogue Number

P19930024000

Acquisition Date

1993-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail