Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SEWING KIT

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

PAPER, SATIN

No. Pieces

8

Height

10.7

Length

7.8

Width

7.8

Description

RECTANGULAR CARDBOARD BOX WITH DETACHABLE LID. EACH SIDE OF BOX HAS PICTURE OF LADY WEARING HAT. GOLD LID, WITH CUSHIONED RED SATIN TOP. PAPER DECAL OF PINK FLOWER GLUED TO SATIN. ONE FLAP OF LID MISSING; SATIN VERY WORN; CORNERS TORN. REVERSE OF LID HAS PICTURE OF YOUNG GIRL WEARING CRUCIFIX. FOUR SIDES OF BOX FOLD OUT, REVEALING SMALLER BOX INSIDE POSITIONED DIAGONALLY ON BASE. FOUR SIDES OF SMALLER BOX ALSO FOLD OUT TO REVEAL THIRD BOX, COVERED IN GOLD PAPER WITH BUTTERFLIES. INTERIOR BOX HAS RED CUSIONED SATIN LID. ALL EIGHT SIDES OF OTHER TWO BOXES ARE LINED WITH CUSIONED RED SATIN; EACH HAS BROWN LEATHERETTE STRAP ACROSS CENTRE TO HOLD NEEDLES ETC. ONE CONTAINS TWO LARGE-EYED NEEDLES; SECOND STRAP HOLDS GOLD AND WHITE PAPER PACKAGE CONTAINING TWO SMALLER SEWING NEEDLES. PACKAGE READS "12 NEEDLES EGG EYED PIN STUCK 6 THE BEST QUALITY". REVERSE HAS "CELEBRATED PIN STUCK SHARPS EGG 6 EYED MANUFACTURED BY KIRBY BEARD & CO. REDDITCH". EDGES OF SEWING BOX ARE SLIGHTLY WORN THROUGHOUT, ESPECIALLY ALONG BOTTOM.

Subjects

TEXTILEWORKING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

BELONGED TO LOUISA M. GIBSON OF 1607 7TH AVENUE SOUTH. ARCHIVES HAS PHOTO OF HOUSE, WHICH STILL STANDS. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A STOLE DONATED BY DORIS BALCOVSKE. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. DORIS BALCOVSKE (NEE GIBSON) IS THE DAUGHTER OF CHRISTIAN GIBSON AND LINDA VICTORIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). LINDA VICTORIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN) WAS BORN IN SOMERSETSHIRE, ENGLAND ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1886 AND WAS MARRIED IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND ON JUNE 29, 1918 TO CHRISTIAN GIBSON. SHE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN SEPTEMBER 1919. ACCORDING TO HER OBITUARY, LINDA WAS INVOLVED IN NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT LETHBRIDGE INCLUDING: “THE MAJOR JACK ROSS CHAPTER OF THE IODE, PAST REGENT OF THE MUNICIPAL CHAPTER OF THE IODE, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE EASTERN STAR, A FORMER MEMBER OF LOBA, AN HONOURARY MEMBER OF THE BETA SIGMA PHI SOCIETY, A MEMBER OF THE LOCAL COUNCIL OF GIRL GUIDES, CANADIAN RED CROSS, AND ST. AUGUSTINE’S WA.” LINDA PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78 IN AUGUST 1965. CHRISTIAN “CHRIS” GIBSON WAS BORN IN BELFAST, IRELAND IN 1887, WAS RAISED AND EDUCATED IN THE LONDON, ENGLAND AREA, AND ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE, AB IN JUNE 1908. HE HELD A NUMBER OF POSITIONS AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN THE CITY, INCLUDING: DISTRICT CLERK FOR ALBERTA RAILWAYS AND IRRIGATION COMPANY; MANAGER OF FAIR GROUNDS FOR THE WORLD DRY FARMING CONGRESS IN 1912; OPERATOR OF THE CITY ZOO; A POSITION WITH THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES OFFICE, WHICH INVOLVED TESTING SCALES AND GASOLINE PUMPS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH. UPON HIS ARRIVAL IN THE CITY, CHRIS ALSO JOINED THE MILITIA AND IN 1914 ENLISTED WITH THE 20TH BATTERY, CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY. HE SERVED FOR 5 YEARS AS PAYMASTER, EVENTUALLY REACHING THE RANK OF CAPTAIN. IN 1930, CHRIS RECEIVED THE VICTORIA DECORATION, FOR LONG SERVICE AS AN OFFICER. CHRIS AND LINDA WERE BOTH HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE LETHBRIDGE BRANCH OF THE RED CROSS. CHRIS PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 83 ON MARCH 26, 1971. HE WAS SURVIVED BY HIS SISTER, MAMIE GRACE ELLEN GIBSON. MAMIE GRACE ELLEN GIBSON WAS BORN IN THE COUNTY OF SURREY, ENGLAND ON JULY 29, 1892, THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF JOHN ANDREW AITKEN GIBSON AND LOUISA MARIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). IN 1910, SHE MOVED WITH HER PARENTS AND HER BROTHER FRED TO JOIN HER OTHER BROTHER CHRISTIAN. HER FATHER PASSED AWAY IN 1912 AND HER MOTHER IN 1943. MAMIE PASSED AT THE AGE OF 102 ON NOVEMBER 11, 1994. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF BOXED TEXTILES AND ACCESSORIES, INCLUDING A PURSE AND HAIR ORNAMENTS DONATED BY DORIS BALCOVSKE. CONNECTIONS MADE WITH THE NEXT-OF-KIN TO ACQUIRE FURTHER ARTIFACT-SPECIFIC INFORMATION WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. DORIS BALCOVSKE'S OBITUARY WAS FOUND ON THE CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBPAGE. IT STATES THAT SHE WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1923. SHE WORKED FOR THE BANK OF MONTREAL FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL. SHE THEN WENT ON TO BECOME THE PROPRIETOR OF MARGO LADIES WEAR THROUGH THE 1950'S. SHE MARRIED HERB BALCOVSKE AND TOGETHER THEY HAD SANDRA BALCOVSKE AND MARCIA TAYLOR. DORIS PASSED AWAY ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 AT THE AGE OF 92 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19980051003 FOR FULL OBITUARY.

*UPDATE* IN 2021 TWO COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS, RYLEY GELINAS AND O. E., UCTED AN AUDIT OF THE ROLLED TEXTILE COLLECTION, INCLUDING OTHER ARTIFACTS WITHIN THIS COLLECTION. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO THE DONOR WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE AS A RESULT OF THE AUDIT WORK.

Catalogue Number

P19980057002

Acquisition Date

1999-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail