Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

WOOD, IRON, BRASS

No. Pieces

4

Height

75

Length

62.8

Width

52.5

Description

1. DESK: RECTANGULAR WOOD BOX WITH SLOPED TOP MOUNTED UPON CAST IRON LEGS. SLOPED TOP OF DESK HAS LID THAT OPENS ON BRASS HINGES. BACK PORTION OF TOP IS FLAT AND HAS 1.2CM GROOVE ACROSS ITS LENGTH AND AT RIGHT END IS 5CM HOLE FOR INK WELL. ON INSIDE OF FRONT IS WOODEN PENCIL TROUGH, ALSO WITH GROOVE. OUTSIDE OF DESK HAS BEEN PAINTED YELLOW WHICH IS WEARING AND CHIPPED BADLY WITH MANY BALD SPOTS AND SCRATCHES. "DODD" IS SCRATCHED INTO DESK FACE. CAST IRON LEGS ARE MADE UP OF TWO LENGTHS OF IRON WHICH SLIDE TOGETHER AND ARE HELD WITH A LARGE SQUARE NUT TO ADJUST FOR SIZE. BOTTOMS HAVE ROUNDED FEET WITH HOLES PUNCHED IN THEM FOR BOLTING DESK DOWN. RAISED ON SIDE OF LEGS IS "B" AND AT TOP IS "J. SMART MFG. CO. LTD. BROOKVILLE". LEGS ARE PAINTED BLACK AND ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF YELLOW PAINT SMEARS AND SPLATTERS. INSIDE OF DESK HAS LARGE AREAS OF INK STAIN IN BLUE, BLACK AND PURPLE. 2. DESK: IDENTICAL TO (1.) EXCEPT "AH" AND THE PROFILE OF A WOMAN'S HEAD HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED INTO TOP. ALSO HAS "FRAZER ROSS" WRITTEN ON INSIDE FRONT PANEL 3. CHAIR: 78.7CM (H) X 44.5CM (W) X 35.8CM (L) WOOD CHAIRS WITH CAST IRON STOOL BASE. BASE HAS ROUND BOTTOM (25.4CM) WHICH CURVES UP NARROWING TO 8CM. BASE HAS 6 HOLES PUNCHED AROUND EDGE FOR FASTENING CHAIR TO FLOOR. SECOND CAST IRON FRAME SLIDES INTO BASE AND IS FASTENED TIGHT WITH SQUARE NUT. THIS FRAME IS BOLTED TO BOTTOM OF WOOD CHAIR SEAT. CHAIR IS MADE UP OF SEAT WITH WIDE ROUNDED FRONT AND WOOD BACK WHICH HAS WIDE ROUNDED TOP AND NARROWS AS IT GOES DOWN TOWARDS SEAT. MOUNTED DIAGONALLY AT SIDES ARE STEEL BRACKETS WHICH REINFORCE BACK AND SEAT. CAST IRON BASE IS PAINTED BLACK AND WOOD CHAIR IS PAINTED YELLOW. PAINT ON CHAIR IS BADLY WORN, CHIPPED AND SCRATCHED. 4. CHAIR; IDENTICAL TO (3.) EXCEPT STOOL HAS TWO LARGE CHIPS BROKEN FROM BASE AND STOOL IS RUSTED.

Subjects

FURNITURE

Historical Association

EDUCATION

FURNISHINGS

History

NARRATIVE BELOW TAKEN FROM "CHINESE SCHOOLS IN LETHBRIDGE" ARTICLE, WRITTEN BY COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT AIMEE BENOIT (NEE VIEL), FOR LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE, FALL 1997 ISSUE. FOR MORE INSIGHTS INTO LETHBRIDGE'S CHINESE SCHOOLS, PLEASE REFERENCE THIS ARTIFACT'S PERMANENT FILE AND THE DONATION'S THIRTY-SEVEN SCHOOL RELATED TEXT AND WORKBOOKS. EDUCATION HAS ALWAYS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE SOCIAL LIFE OF LETHBRIDGE. IN ADDITION TO THE MANY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN OPERATION, SEVERAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED OVER THE YEARS TO SERVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. DURING THE 1950S AND 1960S, LETHBRIDGE HAD TWO CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOLS: THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE ASSOCIATION SCHOOL, AND THE CHINESE COMMUNITY SCHOOL. LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET FROM EACH OTHER IN CHINATOWN (2ND AVE. AND 3-4ST. S.), BOTH SCHOOLS OPERATED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF SEPARATE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS, THE KUOMINTANG OR CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE, AND THE CHINESE FREEMASONS RESPECTIVELY. YET, RIVALS AT TIMES, THE SCHOOLS WERE UNIFIED IN THEIR MAIN OBJECTIVES. BOTH HOPED TO PERPETUATE CHINESE TRADITIONS AND LANGUAGE IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. THEY ALSO SOUGHT TO PROVIDE A BRIDGE FOR NEW IMMIGRANTS BETWEEN THE CUSTOMS OF THEIR HOMELAND AND THOSE OF WESTERN SOCIETY. CLASSES IN BOTH SCHOOLS WERE HELD TWO HOURS DAILY, FROM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. IN ADDITION, STUDENTS ATTENDED REGULAR ENGLISH PUBLIC SCHOOL. CHILDREN LEARNED TO READ AND WRITE IN CANTONESE, AND HAD SOME INSTRUCTION IN MUSIC, DANCING, AND CALLIGRAPHY AS WELL. ALTHOUGH SOME TEACHERS WERE PAID, MOST VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME, TEACHING ANYWHERE FROM TEN TO TWENTY STUDENTS. BY THE LATE 1960S, THE TWO SCHOOLS HAD FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN INTEREST IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURE, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS BORN AND RAISED IN CANADA. AS A RESULT OF INCREASING “WESTERNIZATION” AND DECLINING ATTENDANCE, BOTH CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOLS WERE FORCED TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS. *** *UPDATE* NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, COUNDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING IN 2010. SHE INTERVIEWED HAROLD ING (CALVIN ING'S BROTHER) WITH REGARD TO THE SCHOOL DESKS. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO HAROLD ING, HIS FATHER, HAROLD SR. WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE. HE SUSPECTED HIS FATHER HAD ACQUIRED THE DESKS. ACCORDING TO HAROLD ING, HE STARTED CHINESE SCHOOL AT 4 YEARS OLD (IN 1950). HE ATTENDED CHINESE SCHOOL AFTER HE FINISHED HIS DAY AT WESTMINSTER ELEMENTARY. HE WENT TO CHINESE SCHOOL 5 OR 6 DAYS A WEEK. ING STOPPED GOING TO CHINESE SCHOOL WHEN HE WENT TO JR. HIGH. ING SAID THE SCHOOL WAS LOCATED IN THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE. THERE WERE ABOUT 8-16 STUDENTS. ALL OF THEM LEARNED TOGETHER - THEY WEREN'T SEPARATED INTO DIFFERENT GRADES (I.E. 1 THROUGH 12). IN ADDITION, THE STUDENTS WERE NOT EVALUATED ON THEIR WORK. IN SCHOOL ING LEARNED TO READ AND WRITE CHINESE/CANTONESE. HE WAS TAUGHT BE THE COOK FROM THE ALEXANDER RESTAURANT AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE GENTLEMAN WHO BOUGHT THE LOTUS INN. THE SCHOOL EVENTUALLY SHUT DOWN DUE TO A LACK OF TEACHERS, WESTERNIZATION AND LOW ENROLLMENT. *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

P19950073070

Acquisition Date

1995-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail