Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SPECTACLES

Date Range From

1860

Date Range To

1890

Materials

ALUMINUM, GLASS

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.0

Length

11.8

Width

2.7

Description

SMALL, WIRE RIMMED SPECTACLES. GLASS LENSES IN TACT. EACH ARM IS ON A HINGE ON SIDE OF LENSES, SO THEY FOLD DOWN. TOP 1/3 OF EACH ARM IS ON ANOTHER HINGE, SO THAT ARMS FOLD UP, AND GLASSES BECOME COMPACT. AT THE END OF EACH ARM, THE METAL IS FORMED INTO A TEARDROP SHAPE; THERE IS A TEARDROP SHAPED HOLE AT THE END OF EACH ARM. ETCHED ONTO INSIDE OF ONE ARM IS "B".

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

ALL ITEMS IN THIS COLLECTION BELONGED TO MARJ'S MOTHER'S FAMILY. HER GRANDFATHER WAS M.H. SHERLOCK. THE ITEMS PRE-DATE LETHBRIDGE, BUT WERE BROUGHT AND USED BY THE FAMILY CA. MID 1800'S. MARJ HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF GLASSES' ORIGINAL OWNER, BUT CONCEEDED THAT THE SHERLOCK FAMILY WAS EXTREMELY WELL OFF (AKA DOWNTOWN SHERLOCK BLOCK). DONOR HERSELF RECALLED WEARING DONATED NIGHTSHIRT AND GLASSES TO A PARTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. ENTIRE LOT OF SHERLOCK CAME VIA DONOR'S GRANDPARENTS TO MOM TO DONOR. NORMAN MACLEOD PASSED AWAY APPROXIMATELY 1940 AND MARGARET SOME YEARS PREVIOUS. DONORS MARJORIE AND JACK WELCH HAVE BEEN VOLUNTEERS AT MUSEUM FOR MANY YEARS (CONTINUING IN YEAR 2000). *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING ONE DONATED BY MARJORIE WELCH'S MOTHER, NORA EVERSON. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHERLOCK/MACLEOD FAMILY, SEE RECORDS P19960108000 AND P19740093000.

*UPDATE* IN 2021 TWO COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS, RYLEY GELINAS AND O. E., CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF THE ROLLED TEXTILE COLLECTION, INCLUDING SEVERAL TEXTILES DONATED BY MARJORIE AND JACK WELCH. ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2021, GELINAS INTERVIEWED PADDIE WALMSLEY, THE DONORS’ DAUGHTER, ABOUT HER PARENTS’ DONATION AND HER MEMORIES OF THE OBJECTS OF THIS DONATION, INCLUDING THE EYEGLASSES. WALMSLEY WAS UNABLE TO GIVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PAIR OF EYEGLASSES, HOWEVER, SHE DID MENTION THAT SHE AND HER SIBLINGS PLAYED WITH A SIMILAR PAIR WHEN THEY WERE CHILDREN. WALMSLEY STATED THAT OBJECTS OF THE COLLECTION WERE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM BY HER PARENTS AS A WAY TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY: “SHE [MARJORIE WELCH] KNEW THE VALUE OF HISTORY AND THAT WAS KIND HER THING… AND MOM JUST WANTED, WOULD WANT SOMEBODY ELSE TO ENJOY THEM, AND YOU KNOW, TO KNOW THE HISTORY AND SEE IT.”

Catalogue Number

P19920058006

Acquisition Date

1993-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail