Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

REEL TO REEL TAPE RECORDER

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1970

No. Pieces

5

Height

23.5

Length

44.9

Width

35.9

Description

1. COVER: RECTANGULAR WOOD COVER HAS SLOPED FRONT EDGE AND STEEL FASTENING PIECES. CASE IS COVERED WITH LIGHT GREEN AND DARK GRAY MAC TACK PAPER WITH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL RAISED EDGING. FRONT HAS TWO STEEL BRACKETS WITH CLASP HUBS RIVETED NEAR EACH END. AT BACK OF COVER ARE TWO STEEL BRACKETS WITH HINGE LIPS AT BOTTOM. JUST ABOVE HINGE BRACKETS ARE SEMI-SPHERICAL STEEL FEET INSIDE OF COVER HAS DARK GRAY MAC TACK COVERING AS WELL. 2.5CM WIDE POCKET HAS BEEN BUILT INTO INSIDE. POCKET HAS V-SHAPED TOP LINE AND WOOD DIVIDER. ON INSIDE FRONT ARE TWO PAPER STICKERS. ONE IS RECTANGULAR WHITE PAPER WITH THIN BLACK BORDER. IT READS "SIMPSON-SEARS LTD. STOCK NUMBER 19 430 E8345". THE OTHER IS SMALL ROUND RED STICKER WITH "C" AND "SA" AND "B 2539". PAPER COVERING IS WEARING ALONG EDGES AND CORNERS. 2. RECORDER: RECORDER IS SET IN RECTANGULAR WOOD BOX WITH MACK TACK PAPER IDENTICAL TO COVER. BOTTOM HAS FOUR WHITE PLASTIC FEET. BACK HAS 21.5CM X 5.1CM OPENING WITH WIRE MESH COVERING IT ON INSIDE. RIGHT SIDE ALSO HAS 12.9CM X 7.9CM SPEAKER OPENING WITH COTTON CLOTH COVERING WITH BLACK AND SILVER HIGHLIGHTS. CLOTH HAS GOLD COLORED STAIN. BACK OF CASE HAS TWO SEMI-SPHERICAL FEET AT BOTTOM AND TWO STEEL HINGE BRACKETS ALONG TOP EDGE. RIVETED TO FRONT OF CASE ARE TWO STEEL LATCH CLASPS AND WHITE PLASTIC CARRYING HANDLE. TOP FRONT EDGE IS TAPERED WITH CONTROL PANEL AND SQUARE COMPARTMENT AT RIGHT END. CONTROL PANEL HAS SILVERY-GREY BASE PLATE WITH FOUR EQUIPMENT JACKS AND FOUR BLACK PLASTIC KNOBS. THE JACKS ARE FOR "EXT. SPKR", "EXT. AMP.", "MIC." AND RADIO. THE KNOBS CONTROL "RADIO", "MICROPHONE", "MONITOR" AND "OFF-TONE-ON" IN COMPARTMENT AT RIGHT SIDE IS 2M LONG BROWN ELECTRICAL CORD WITH PLUG AT END. ON TOP OF RECORDER IS REEL TO REEL MECHANISM. IT HAS FOUR WHITE AND ONE RED BUTTON FOR OPERATING MACHINE AND OPEN HOLE ON RIGHT SIDE FOR KNOB WHICH CONTROLS TAPE SPEED. KNOB IS MISSING. RAISED ON PLASTIC AROUND HOLE IS "SPEED CHANGE 1 7/8 7 1/2 3 3/4". ON FRONT OF CONTROL PANEL IS SILVER PLASTE WHICH READS "SILVERTONE". CONTROL COMMANDS ARE RAISED AND PAINTED GOLD. AT MIDDLE OF TOP ARE TWO ROTATING HUBS WHICH REELS FIT OVER. EACH HUB HAS CIRCULAR WHITE DISC AS CAP WHICH HAS THREADED CENTER AND FLUTED EDGE GRIP. 3. REEL: 17.3CM (D) X 1.2CM CLEAR PLASTIC REEL. HAS TWO SIDES WITH OPEN HOLES IN THEM. CENTER IS DISC WITH FOUR HOLES IN IT, THE CENTER ON TO GO OVER HUB. RAISED ON REEL SIDES ARE "SCOTCH BRAND" AND "SIDE 1" AND "SIDE 2". RAISED AT CENTER OF SIDE 1 IS "DES.PAT NOS. 173010-200936", "MADE IN U.S.A. BY 3M COMPANY" AND "ST. PAUL MINN.". 4. SPEAKER: 5CM (D) X 1CM BLACK BAKELITE DISC WITH FOUR HOLES IN FRONT. SOLDERED TO BACK IS BLACK AND GREEN WIRE 92.5CM LONG WITH STEEL JACK POST SOLDERED AT END. POST HAS NO PLASTIC COVERING. 5. JACK POST: STEEL JACK POST WITH POINTED NOSE. GREEN AND RED WIRE APROX. 150CM LONG IS ATTACHED TO END OF POST. CYLINDRICAL BLACK PLASTIC COVER IS OVER BOTTOM END OF POST.

Subjects

SOUND COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

History

*UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING ONE DONATED AS PART OF THE ING ESTATE (P19950073023). SHE EXTRACTED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE ING FAMILY FROM PERMANENT FILE P19950073001, WHICH CONTAINS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED WITH HAROLD ING JR., SON OF HAROLD AND MYRA, IN HIS ROOM AT THE LETHBRIDGE HOTEL IN SEPTEMBER 2005. MYRA WAS BORN IN GOLDEN B.C. TO SHIN-BOW AND CHOW TING RAH; HER FATHER ORGINALLY EMIGRATED TO CANADA TO WORK ON CANADIAN RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION AND LATER BECAME A RESTAURANTEUR, WHERE MYRA DEVELOPED HER ENGLISH SKILLS AS A WAITRESS. "IN 1906 MY DAD [HAROLD ING SR.] LEFT HONG KONG FOR VANCOUVER, HE COULDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH... HE'S GOT TO BE A WAITER, A BUSBOY... AND HE LEARNED ALL THE WAY UP, IN THE MEANTIME PICKING UP ENGLISH... WENT TO WINNIPEG. THIS IS BEFORE ME. BY THEN HE KNEW THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF RESTAURANTING." MYRA AND HAROLD SR. MARRIED AND ADOPTED HAROLD JR. WHEN HE WAS BORN INTO A POOR FAMILY OF ELEVEN IN 1944, IN VANCOUVER. "ME AND MY TWIN SISTER WERE SOLD BECAUSE THERE WERE JUST TOO MANY. SO DAD, MY MOM PICKED ME AND DAD SAID YES THAT'S GOOD... I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY SISTER IS... THERE'S NO WAY OF FINDING OUT." THE ING FAMILY SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE IN THE LATE 1940S, AND HAROLD SR. OWNS AND OPERATES THE NEW MOON CAFE AND TWO GROCERIES, WHICH ARE RUN BY THE FAMILY AND NEW CHINESE IMMIGRANTS THAT HAROLD SR. SPONSORED. "AT APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS OLD [MY FATHER] INTRODUCED ME TO THE NEW MOON CAFE, AND I WAS A BUSBOY AT THE AGE OF FIVE... IN 1951 HE SHOWED ME MY FIRST HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL... BECAUSE HE WAS THE OWNER... HE'D WAKE UP AT FIVE IN THE MORNING TO GO TO THE CAFE, OFF AND ON TO THE GROCERY STORE AND MIGHT BE DONE AT EIGHT AT NIGHT, SUPPER AND IMMEDIATELY TO CHINATOWN [FOR] GAMBLING, PUTTING DOWN MAH JONG." HAROLD JR. ATTENDED WESTMINISTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DURING THE DAY, AND CHINESE SCHOOL AT THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE IN THE EVENINGS - HIS FATHER WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE, AND THE ORGANIZATION RAN THE SCHOOL, CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, FILM SCREENINGS, AND BANQUETS, FUNDED BY MEMBERSHIP FEES. HAROLD'S YOUNGER BROTHER, CALVIN, "GOT SENT TO A BOARDING SCHOOL SOMEWHERE. HE WAS GIFTED, BUT HE HAD A BYPASS SURGERY, HE HAD SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIS HEART. HE COULDN'T HANDLE PUBLIC SCHOOL, SO THEY SENT HIM TO B.C." AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND A BRIEF STINT IN CALGARY, HAROLD JR. RAN ING'S GROCERY FOR HIS FATHER, AND IN THE LATE 1960S AND EARLY 70S ALSO WORKED AS A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD AND A SALESMAN AT SEARS. BOTH HAROLD SR. AND MYRA ING PASSED AWAY IN THE 1990S, AND THE OBJECTS ENCOMPASSING DONATION P19950073001-231 WERE COLLECTED FROM THE FAMILY HOME. FOR A COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW, COPIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND WRITTEN DETAILS ON THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19950073067

Acquisition Date

1995-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail