Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1930

Materials

WOOD, HAIR

No. Pieces

2

Description

1. 10CM (H) X 3.5CM (D). WOODEN SHAVING BRUSH, PAINTED BROWN AT BASE AND ECRU ON OCTAGONAL BODY. BLACK BAND BETWEEN THE TWO. FERRULE AT TOP, WITH BROWN AND CREAM COLORED BRISTLES. PAINT IS BRITTLE, AND CHIPPED CONSIDERABLY THROUGHOUT. 2. 9.5CM (L) X 3.5CM (D). WOODEN SHAVING BRUSH, WITH ECRU PAINT. BROWN BAND BETWEEN BASE AND ROUNDED BODY. METAL FERRULE AT TOP, WITH CREAM COLORED BRISTLES. PAINT IS BRITTLE, AND CHIPPING AT BASE.

Subjects

TOILET ARTICLE

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

BELONGED TO DONOR, ELIZABETH (WISHLOW) KONKIN, BORN IN CANORA, SASKATCHEWAN JANUARY 22, 1907. PARENTS WERE PETER AND ELIZABETH WISHLOW. MOVED TO BRILLIANT, B.C. IN 1913. MARRIED WILLIAM KONKIN, THEN MOVED TO SHOULDICE, AB. IN 1926, AND LIVED IN A DOUKHOBOR COLONY. MOVED TO VAUXHALL, AB. IN 1940, AND RETIRED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1968. DONOR'S MOTHER, ELIZABETH (NOHORNOFF) WISHLOW, IMMIGRATED FROM RUSSIA IN 1899. *UPDATE* IN 2010 NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONTACTED ELSIE MORRIS NEE KONKIN (WHO DONATED THE ARTIFACTS ON BEHALF OF HER MOTHER) IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTROY OF THE OBJECTS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE DOUKHOBORS OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO MORRIS THE BRUSHES BELONGED TO HER FATHER, WILLIAM KONKIN. SHE SAID, “HE PASSED IN 1995, AROUND THE TIME WHEN THE DONATION WAS MADE. HE GOT THE BRUSHES WHEN HE STARTED TO SHAVE.” IN THE DOUKHOBOR COMMUNITY FACIAL HAIR COULD BE KEPT HOWEVER AN INDIVIDUAL CHOSE. TYPICALLY, OLD MEN WORE BEARDS OR MOUSTACHES. MORRIS SAID, “WHEN I WAS LITTLE WE ALL LIVED IN MY GRANDPARENTS’ HOUSE. THERE WERE SEVEN OF US. THERE WAS A BROKEN MIRROR THAT WAS SHARED BY ALL OF THE FAMILY. THE MEN WOULD USE IT WHEN THEY SHAVED WITH A STRAIGHT RAZOR. ONE OF THE MEN IN THE FAMILY, UNCLE JOHN, GOT A JOB HARVESTING FIELDS. HE WANTED TO BUY A DRESSER AND GREAT GRANDMOTHER (NAMED NATUSHA) SAID, ‘WHAT DO YOU NEED THAT FOR, WE HAVE PLENTY OF TRUNKS.’ HE THEN SAID, ‘I WANT TO BUY A MIRROR.’ GREAT GRANDMOTHER REPLIED, ‘WHAT DO YOU NEED THAT FOR, THERE IS A MIRROR ON EVERY WINDOW. UNCLE JOHN BOUGHT THE MIRROR DRESSER ANYWAY; GREAT GRANDMOTHER COULDN’T TALK HIM OUT OF IT.” AT THE TIME, MIRRORS WERE SCARCE. HAVING A LARGER MIRROR MEANT THAT IF MULTIPLE PEOPLE WANTED TO USE IT (FOR EXAMPLE, TO SHAVE), THERE WOULD BE AMPLE SPACE FOR THEM TO DO SO. AFTER MORRIS’S FATHER DIED, HER MOTHER (ELIZABETH KONKIN) REALIZED SHE DIDN’T WANT TO KEEP SOME PIECES FROM HER HOME. MORRIS AND KONKIN WANTED TO GIVE THEM TO A PLACE THAT WOULD PRESERVE AND SHARE THEM. FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING AN APRON DONATED BY ELIZABETH KONKIN. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. ELIZABETH KONKIN AKA ELSIE MORRIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM KONKIN AND ELIZABETH P. KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW). ELSIE WAS MARRIED TO TERRANCE GORDON “TERRY” MORRIS. TERRY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 88 ON OCTOBER 25, 2012. WILLIAM KONKIN PASSED AWAY MARCH 3, 1977 AT THE AGE OF 72. ELIZABETH KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW) WAS BORN IN CANORA, SK ON JANUARY 22, 1907, THE DAUGHTER OF PETER AND ELIZABETH WISHLOW (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT BRILLIANT, BC, THEN LATER HER FAMILY MOVED TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT SHOULDICE, AB. IT WAS HERE THAT SHE MET AND MARRIED WILLIAM KONKIN. IN 1939, THE COUPLE MOVED TO THE VAUXHALL AREA TO FARM UNTIL THEIR RETIREMENT, AFTER WHICH THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. ELIZABETH PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 93 ON APRIL 8, 2000. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. THE KONKINS WERE A RUSSIAN-SPEAKING FAMILY FROM THE TOWN OF SHOULDICE, ALBERTA, NEAR CALGARY. THEY AND MANY OTHER RUSSIAN FAMILIES COMPOSED THAT TOWN'S DOUKHOBOR COLONY. IN 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED FROM A TWO-PART INTERVIEW WITH KONKIN'S DAUGHTER, ELSIE MORRIS. A FULL HISTORY OF THE KONKIN FAMILY WAS CREATED USING THAT INTERVIEW AND CAN BE FOUND WITH THE RECORD P20160003002.

Catalogue Number

P19950067001

Acquisition Date

1995-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail