Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1890

Date Range To

1900

Materials

COTTON, SILK

No. Pieces

1

Length

82.2

Width

47.6

Description

CALF-LENGTH WAIST-TIED APRON WITHOUT BODICE. TOP 55CM OF APRON IS WHITE WITH FINE BLACK ZIG-ZAGS AND LARGE BURGUNDY FLORAL PRINT. WHITE BRANCHES WITH BERRIES AROUND FLOWERS. BLUE SILK STRIP, 3.5CM IN WIDTH, FOLLOWED BY CROCHETED INSERT, 9.3CM IN WIDTH, FUCHSIA STRIP 3.2CM IN WIDTH, AND FINALLY CROCHETED BORDER, 11.2CM IN WIDTH, ALL SEWN IN ROWS BELOW COTTON FABRIC. APRON IS SHIRRED AT WAIST, WITH COTTON TIE SEWN ACROSS LENGTH. MEASURES 125CM. RIGHT PORTION OF TIE IS MADE OF SAME FABRIC AS MAIN APRON, WHILE LEFT PORTION HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH PLAIN COTTON FABRIC. BOTH ENDS HAVE POM-POMS MADE OF RED YARN. SLIGHT STAINS THROUGHOUT.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

HANDMADE IN RUSSIA; DOUKHOBOR ARTIFACT. *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 APRON WOULD HAVE BEEN WORN FOR DRESS-UP OCCAISIONS LIKE SOBRANYE OR WEDDINGS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE BY DASHA – HER GRANDMOTHER’S SISTER. THE LACE WOULD HAVE BEEN COMMERCIAL BUT THE RED STRIP OF FABRIC WOULD HAVE BEEN HAND-WOVEN. 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

P19950067007

Acquisition Date

1995-10

Collection

Museum

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