Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SYMPHONY GOWN

Date Range From

1965

Materials

TAFFETA, NYLON

No. Pieces

2

Length

134.5

Width

39

Description

BLUE/GREEN OPALESCENT TAFFETA FULL LENGTH WITH SHORT CAP SLEEVES AND A LARGE ROUND OPEN NECK, FITTED WAIST, AND A SLIGHT PLEATED SKIRT. SKIRT HAS A METAL ZIPPER UP THE BACK. SECOND PIECE IS A ROYAL BLUE NYLON SCARF, 20.5(W) X 112(L) WITH ONE GATHERED END, AND A SQUARE END ON THE OTHER SIDE. DRESS AND SCARF ARE WRINKLED, BUT OVERALL ARE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

WORN BY DONOR AS A PART OF THE LETHBRIDGE SYMPHONY CHOIR IN 1965. CHOIR WAS FORMED TO SING WITH RECENTLY FORMED LETHBRIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, AND CHURCH CHOIRS OF THE CITY WERE ASKED TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES. ACCORDING TO DONOR THIS INCLUDED THE L.D.S. CHURCH AND AS A RESULT THE STYLE OF THIS DRESS WAS CHOSEN TO ACCOMODATE THE SPECIAL `GARMENTS' WORN BY THEIR FEMALE MEMBERS. BILL KERGAN (BASS) AND DONOR (ALTO) WERE THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FIRST UNITED CHURCH. CHOIR WAS IN EXISTENCE FOR 2 OR 3 YEARS (OR MORE). *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS INTERN KIRSTAN SCHAMUHN CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. ON 26 NOVEMBER 2018, SCHAMUHN INTERVIEWED RUTH DAW REGARDING HER PRIOR DONATIONS. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER MEMORIES OF THE DRESS, DAW RESPONDED, “I SANG WITH THIS CHOIR FOR AWHILE AND THIS IS MY DRESS. WE HAD TO HAVE THAT SLEEVE BECAUSE WE HAD THE MORMON LADIES IN THERE AS WELL, WE HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING WITH SHOULDERS. AND WE HAD TO HAVE A LONG DRESS.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SYMPHONY CHOIR, DAW EXPLAINED, “THEY WANTED A SYMPHONY CHOIR [AROUND 1960]. THEY [GOT] VOLUNTEERS FROM EACH OF THE CHURCH CHOIRS ALL AROUND. I THINK THERE WERE ONLY THE TWO OF US [THAT] CAME FROM FIRST UNITED [CHURCH]. THEN IT WAS ABANDONED [AFTER FIVE OR SIX YEARS] AND THEY WENT TO OTHER SORTS OF THINGS. IT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF A CITY CHOIR AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL THE CHURCHES FOR A SHORT TIME…I THINK JANET MACLEOD WAS THE ONE [WHO] HELPED ALONG WITH IT, OR A COUPLE OF LADIES WHO WERE BEHIND ALL THE MUSIC THINGS.” DAW RECALLED HER TIME IN THE CHOIR, NOTING, “THERE’D BE SOMETHING BEFORE CHRISTMAS…AND WE WOULD PERFORM IN THE MUSIC FESTIVAL. WE WOULD PERFORM WHEREVER THERE HAPPENED TO BE A CITY-WIDE SORT OF THING THAT WE COULD. THEY WANTED [AN] EXAMPLE [FOR] PEOPLE. I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE YATES CENTRE WAS BUILT AFTER THAT AND INSTEAD OF GOING FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH TO GIVE CONCERTS IT BECAME MORE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC RATHER THAN JUST THE CHURCH CHOIRS.” “I WAS A HOUSEWIFE BACK THEN, I HAD JUST MY KIDS AT HOME AND IT WAS NICE TO GET OUT AND TO SING WITH EVERYBODY. I’VE ALWAYS SANG IN CHURCH CHOIRS FOR FORTY YEARS. I WAS AN ALTO AND I COULD READ MUSIC BUT I WASN’T SPECTACULAR, BUT IT WAS NICE TO GET TOGETHER WITH EVERYBODY.” “I WENT THROUGH [WITH] FIRST UNITED BUT I HAD TO QUIT IN THE ‘80S BECAUSE I COULDN’T TALK ALL DAY AND THEN SING AT NIGHT. I [WAS] GETTING TOO MANY COLDS SO I JUST HAD TO STOP CHOIR AT THAT TIME.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19970048000 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970048000

Acquisition Date

1997-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail