Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

STEAMER TRUNK

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

COMPOSITE, BRASS

No. Pieces

2

Height

59

Length

92

Width

51

Description

TAUPE COMPOSITE(?) TRUNK WITH DARK BROWN STEEL EDGING AND BRASS FITTINGS ON EACH CORNER. EACH END OF TRUNK HAS A DARK BROWN LEATHER HANDLE, HELD BY BRASS FITTINGS. FRONT HAS A BRASS LATCH ON EACH END, WITH A BRASS LOCK IN THE CENTRE. INTERIOR OF TRUNK IS LINED WITH A DECORATIVE PAPER, AND HAS A TRAY ON THE TOP, WITH A SEPARATE COMPARTMENT. MARKED ON THE INSIDE IS "MCBRINE BAGGAGE, KITCHENER, CANADA", AND A GLOBE SHAPED LOGO WITH "AROUND THE WORLD" WRITTEN BELOW IT. LID IS ATTACHED BY A HINGE, AND HAS TWO OLD WORN STICKERS ON THE TOP. ALSO, ONE END IS MARKED IN LARGE RED HANDWRITTEN LETTERS "H.Y.I".

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

BELONGED TO DONOR'S PARENTS. *UPDATE* NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING IN 2010. SHE INTERVIEWED HAROLD ING (CALVIN ING'S BROTHER) ABOUT THE TRUNK. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO HAROLD ING, THE TRUNK WAS USED BY HIS WHOLE FAMILY. HIS FAMILY CAME FROM VANCOUVER, B.C. (IN 1944) TO WINNIPEG, MANITOBA TO PRIESTVILLE, SASKATCHEWAN AND FINALLY TO LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA IN 1947. THE TRUNK LIKELY ORIGINATED FROM VANCOUVER OR WINNIPEG. THE TRUNK WAS USED FOR TRAVELLING. HIS FATHER (HAROLD SR.) WOULD GO TO HONG KONG BY HIMSELF "IF HE WAS FEELING BORED." BOTH HIS MOM (MYRA) AND HIS FATHER TRAVELLED FREQUENTLY. THEY WOULD OFTEN GO TO BANFF. ING SAID, "I WAS YOUN AND I WOULD SOMETIMES WAKE UP HAVING SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE JOURNEY. I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS IN ANOTHER PLACE. SOMETIMES I WOULD ASK MY PARENTS TO TAKE ME TO THE SPRING DOWN THE WAY - NOT KNOWING IT WAS REALLY IN BANFF." ACCORDING TO ING, THE TRUNK STOPPED BEING USED IN LETHBRIDGE. AFTER THAT, IT WAS KEPT IN THE BASEMENT. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION. *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

P19950073224

Acquisition Date

1995-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail