Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1980

Date Range To

1990

Materials

WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

1

Length

51.4

Width

41.6

Description

RECTANGULAR PRESSED PARTCLE BOARD PIECE WITH DRY MOUNTED PICTURE CALLED "THE IATROCHEMIST". EDGE OF BACKING IS BLACK AND PICTURE HAS WHITE BORDER AREA AROUND IT. PICTURE IS FULL COLOR PORTRAIT OF MAN WORKING IN CHEMIST SHOP WITH BOOKS, GLOBE, VIALS, ETC. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL PEOPLE IN SHOP WITH HIM. AT MIDDLE OF BOTTOM IS CREST WITH SCROLL AND LEAF WORK AND "F" IN CENTER. AROUND IT IS CALLIGRAPHIC WRITING WHICH READS "FROM A PAINTING BY BALTHASAR VAN DEN BOSCH (1681-1715). REPRODUCED FROM THE ORIGINAL IN THE FISHER COLLECTION OF ALCHEMICAL AND HISTORICAL PICTURES AT PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA." AND HAS "PUBLISHED BY THE FISHER SCIENTIFIC COMPANY IN THE INTEREST OF SCIENCE IN AMERICA". FRONT HAS TWO GOUGES IN LAMENTATION. BACK HAS HORIZONTAL CUT GROOVE FOR HANGING.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

DECORATIVE ARTS

HEALTH SERVICES

History

PRINT WAS REMOVED FROM ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL BEFORE THE HOSPITAL WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1996. FOR MORE HISTORY ON HOSPITAL SEE P19960116001-GA. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING THOSE RECOVERED FROM ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL PRIOR TO ITS DEMOLITION IN 1996. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST OF THE PAINTING REPRODUCED IN THIS PRINT, BATHASAR VAN DEN BOSSCHE, WAS EXCERPTED FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG. VAN DEN BOSSCHE WAS BORN IN 1681, AND TRAINED UNDER FLEMISH GENRE PAINTER GERARD THOMAS. VAN DEN BOSSCHE BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS PAINTINGS OF UPPER CLASS SOCIETY AND ELEGANT INTERIORS. VAN DEN BOSSCHE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE ANTWERP ARTISTS' GUILD IN 1697 AND THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH WAS ONE OF HIS PATRONS. HE DIED IN 1715. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPY OF ONLINE SOURCE. THE FOLLOWING HISTORY OF THE HOSPITAL WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT ARCHIVES, ARCHIVES CANADA ONLINE, AND RECORD P19960116001. ST. MICHAEL'S GENERAL HOSPITAL WAS FOUNDED IN LETHBRIDGE BY CATHOLIC SISTERS OF ST. MARTHA OF ANTIGONISH IN MAY 1929. THE FACILITY OF THE PRIVATELY-OWNED VAN HAARLEM HOSPITAL (1224 - 7TH AVE S.), ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE 27 PATIENTS, WAS PURCHASED FOR $34000. A SMALL HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET SERVED AS A RESIDENCE FOR THE SISTERS, WITH ONE ROOM FURNISHED AS A CHAPEL. A HOSPITAL BOARD WAS FORMED, CONSISTING OF THE PARISH PRIEST AND SIX LOCAL BUSINESSMEN. IN COOPERATION WITH THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW MODERN 100-BED HOSPITAL STARTED IN 1930. HENRY WILLIAM MEECH WAS THE ARCHITECT FOR THE PROJECT. THE NEW BUILDING OPENED AT 9TH AVENUE AND 13TH ST SOUTH IN SEPTEMBER 1931. THE NEWLY NAMED ST. MICHAEL’S GENERAL HOSPITAL WAS NOW ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE 100 PATIENTS, AND THE ORIGINAL GROUP OF DOCTORS INCLUDED D.A. MCNALLY, W.S. GALBRAITH, P.M. CAMPBELL, R. SHILLINGTON, G.W. LEECH, D. WOODCOCK, G.L. CONNOR, W. BRIANS, L.A. ROY, G. SPACKMAN, J.S. WRAY, B.O. FOWLER, J.E. LOVERING, F.W. SWANCESKY, D.A. TAYLOR, BRAITHWAITH, J.K. BIGELOW, AND A.A. HAIG. THE HOSPITAL CONTAINED CHILDREN'S, YOUTH AND PSYCHIATRIC WARDS, FOUR OPERATING ROOMS, A CHAPEL AND A SPECIAL WARD FOR CASUALTIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE P.O.W. CAMP. IN 1932 THE HOSPITAL OBTAINED ACCREDITATION UNDER THE HOSPITAL STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR THE HOSPITAL WAS EXPANDED WITH AN 83-BED EAST WING, OPENING IN 1951. IN THE 1953, THE HOSPITAL RECEIVED A NEW NURSES' RESIDENCE AND THE SCHOOL OF NURSING; THE SCHOOL TRAINED OVER 500 NURSES OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS. IN 1965 ANOTHER EXPANSION WING EXTENDED THE HOSPITAL’S CAPACITY TO 207 BEDS. THE SCHOOL OF NURSING CLOSED IN 1973, AND THE REMAINING SISTERS OF ST. MARTHA STILL WORKING IN THE HOSPITAL LIVED IN THE VACATED STUDENT RESIDENCES. IN 1984 OWNERSHIP OF THE HOSPITAL WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE ALBERTA CATHOLIC HOSPITAL FOUNDATION. IN 1986 FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES BEGAN TO APPEAR AND EVENTAULLY RESULTED IN THE HOSPITAL BEING CONVERTED TO ST. MICHAEL'S HEALTH CENTRE IN 1992, FOCUSING ON THE NEEDS OF LONG TERM PATIENTS. FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES CONTINUED UNTIL THE HOSPITAL WAS CLOSED IN 1995. ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1996. AT THE TIME OF THE 2014 SURVEY, THE FORMER HOSPITAL SITE HOUSED THE ST. THERESE VILLA, A LONGTERM NURSING CARE FACILITY, AND THE ST. MICHAEL'S HEALTH CENTRE, A MULTI-PURPOSE REHABILITATION, PALLATIVE AND CONTINUING CARE FACILITY, BOTH CONSTRUCTED IN THE LATE 1990S.

Catalogue Number

P19960116177

Acquisition Date

1996-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail