Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PLATE

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1980

Materials

POTTERY

No. Pieces

7

Description

1-2. CORN PLATE: 3.3CM (H) X 27.4CM (L) X 9CM (W). YELLOW POTTERY HAS GLOSSY FINISH. IS CURVED OVAL SURFACE THAT HAS ETCHING LIKE A COB OF CORN ON IT. EDGES ARE SCULPTED, ONE END IS SQUARISH FOR COB. HAS KERNELS AND TWO HUSKS ETCHED INTO SURFACE. ON BOTTOM IS ETCHED IN HUSKS WITH KERNELS PEEPING THROUGH. HAS OVAL UNFINISHED RIM ON BOTTOM. READS ON ONE SIDE "SUNBURST CANADA" WITH LOGO IN MIDDLE (CIRCLE WITH RADIATING LINES TO REPRESENT SUN). 3. CELERY PLATE: 3.4CM (H) X 28.9CM (L) X 12.7CM (W). PLATE IS ROUNDED HOURGLASS SHAPE WHICH CURVES DOWN TO MIDDLE. IS GREEN AND BROWN WITH ETCHING OF CELERY. STALKS ARE BOWED AT BOTTOM AND HAVE LEAVES AT TOP. TOP IS A BIT SCULPTED ON EDGE. BOTTOM IS BROWN AND HAS TWO HORSESHOE SHAPED UNFINISHED RIMS. ON ONE OF THEM IS "SUNBURST CANADA" WITH LOGO IN MIDDLE. HAS IN FINISH ON BACK, HAS SMALL CRACK ON SIDE. 4. IDENTICAL TO #3 EXCEPT IS WHITE. HAS CHIPS AND SOILING ON TOP. 5-7. 2.2CM (H) X 23CM (D). ROUND PLATES, ONE IS BROWN, ONE YELLOW, AND THE OTHER IS GREEN. PLATE HAS FLAT EDGE, THEN SIDES SLOPE DOWN. SURFACE IS DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS BY TWO PARALLEL EVENLY SPACED LINES. IN MIDDLE SECTION IS 4 STALKS OF ASPARAGUS ETCHED INTO PLATE OVER BACKGROUND OF DIAMONDS. OTHER TWO SECTIONS HAVE ETCHING OF TWO BUNCHES OF LEAVES ON EACH SIDE. ON BACK ARE FOUR PIECES OF CIRCLE OF UNFINISHED RIM. IN MIDDLE IS "SUNBURST CANADA" WITH LOGO IN MIDDLE. BROWN PLATE HAS REMNANTS OF BLACK INK, YELLOW READS "50" IN BLACK INK.

Subjects

FOOD SERVICE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

INDUSTRY

History

FOR MORE HISTORY ON SUNBURST COMPANY OPERATION, SEE P19960004001-GA AND PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS INTERN KIRSTAN SCHAMUHN CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. ON 26 NOVEMBER 2018, SCHAMUHN INTERVIEWED RUTH DAW REGARDING HER PRREVIOUS DONATIONS. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: ON THE DONATION OF MEDALTA POTTERY, DAW RECOUNTED HER MEMORIES OF MEDALTA: “I WORKED AT MEDALTA POTTERY THE SUMMER BETWEEN GRADE 11 AND GRADE 12.” “I ACTUALLY WORKED [FOR] TEN DOLLARS A WEEK! AND WE WORKED [WITH] PRISONERS OF WAR. THEY WORE BLUE SHIRTS AND THEY DID THE HEAVY WORK—BLUE SHIRTS WITH A BIG RED CIRCLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR BACKS.” “IT WAS REALLY GOOD. IT WAS VERY HOT. WE HAD TO RIDE OUR BICYCLE ALL OVER THE FLATS.” “THEY PUT THE GLOSSY COAT ON AND THEN YOU HAVE TO SPONGE THE BOTTOM OFF, SO THAT THE GLOSSY COAT DIDN’T STICK. SO THAT’S WHAT I WAS DOING. WORKING WITH THAT AND DIPPING AND WORKING…AND STACKING AND IF THERE WAS SOME STUFF THAT HAD TO BE CLEANED UP, THAT’S BASICALLY WHAT I WAS DOING AS WELL. AT THAT TIME IT WAS QUITE A PRIMITIVE SET-UP AND THEY DIDN’T PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES VERY MUCH AT ALL. THE WAGES WERE VERY POOR BUT IT WAS A JOB.” “WE WERE DOING THE HEAVY RESTAURANT WARE, THE WHITE WITH THE GREEN LITTLE CIRCLE AROUND IT, WHICH THEY DON’T MAKE ANYMORE, [BECAUSE] THEY DON’T REALLY NEED TO HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT ANYMORE. THEN WHEN THESE THINGS CAME FOR SALE, OF COURSE I KNEW WHERE THEY WERE [FROM] AND WHAT THEY CAME FOR.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER MOTIVATION TO COLLECT MEDALTA POTTERY, DAW ELABORATED, “I HAD A SPECIAL COLLECTION. I WAS COLLECTING…BECAUSE I KNEW WHERE THEY WERE [FROM], I KNEW HOW THEY WERE MADE. AND I’D ACTUALLY HELPED THEM MAKING SOME OF THEM AND SO I WAS JUST DOING IT FOR A COLLECTION AND THEN I DECIDED I’M GOING TO MAKE THE MOVE. MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY…ABOUT TWENTY YEARS AGO AND I HAD TO MOVE TO A SMALLER PLACE SO I HAD TO PRETTY WELL GET RID OF EVERYTHING AND THAT’S WHEN I TRIED TO FIND [THE COLLECTION] A GOOD HOME. BUT YOU DON’T REALLY SEE THEM ON THE SHELVES ANYMORE.” “I HAD WORKED IN MEDALTA AND I WAS INTERESTED IN THE TYPES OF [POTTERY], I THOUGHT THEY WERE DECORATIVE AND I USED THEM FOR THAT. I WOULD HAVE THEM FOR A DISPLAY OR FOR EVEN ON THE WALL. JUST AS AN EXAMPLE OF LOCAL POTTERY.” “I WOULD JUST PICK THEM UP – THEY WERE KEPT ON THE SALE RACKS IN THE ‘70S AND THE ‘80S BECAUSE THEY REALLY WEREN’T BEING USED ANYMORE.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HAVING THE POTTERY IN HER HOME, DAW RECALLED, “I HAD LITTLE KIDS SO YOU COULDN’T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING AROUND THEM THAT WAS REALLY BREAKABLE. I DON’T KNOW [IF I] REALLY MADE MUCH USE OF THEM, BUT THEY WERE DECORATIVE. THE HOUSES WERE TOO SMALL TO HAVE VERY MUCH AROUND IF YOU HAD SMALL CHILDREN AROUND.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19960004001 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19960004012

Acquisition Date

1996-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail