Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TEA TOWEL

Date

1833

Materials

LINEN

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.1

Length

92.8

Width

85.0

Description

RECTANGULAR, WHITE LINEN. TOWEL HAS A FAINT PATTERN THROUGHOUT, OF ADJOINING OVAL SHAPES. THE PATTERN CHANGES AROUND EDGES TO FORM AN 8 CM BORDER, OF ADJOINING RECTANGLES. WRITTEN IN ONE CORNER OF TOWEL IS "1833 R. SHERLOCK 2" IN DARK BROWN. THE TWO ENDS OF TOWEL ARE HEMMED; THE EDGES ARE RAW AND ARE BECOMING FRAYED AND WORN. TOWEL HAS MULTIPLE BROWN SPOTS, AND LARGER STAINS THROUGHOUT. HAS ONE HOLE, FROM WEAR.

Subjects

MAINTENANCE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

BELONGED TO SHERLOCK FAMILY. SEE P19920058006-GA FOR HISTORY. *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 SEVERAL DISH TOWELS. WALMSLEY THOUGHT THAT THE DISH TOWELS MAY HAVE BEEN USED IN HER GRANDMOTHER, NORA EVERSON’S, HOUSE, STATING THAT “SHE WOULD HAVE HAD THEM OUT,” BUT SHE WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC OBJECTS ORIGINS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE INSCRIPTION PRINTED ON THE DISH TOWEL, WALMSLEY WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INFORMATION, BEYOND THE NAME “SHERLOCK.” SHE ALSO ADDED THAT MANY OF THOSE OBJECTS “WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN PACKED AWAY FOR SAFE-KEEPING” ONCE HER PARENTS, THE DONORS, CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THEM. “THEY WOULD BE SORTING THINGS OUT, YOU KNOW, AND MOVING IT FROM ONE TRUNK AND PUTTING IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.” SOMETIMES THE DONORS WOULD BE PACKING THE ITEMS FOR A MOVE OR JUST LOOKING THROUGH THE ITEMS: “MOM WOULD GO THROUGH IT AND […] HER AND DAD LIKED THAT KIND OF THING GOING THROUGH AND CHATTIN’ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING.” 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

P19920058019

Acquisition Date

1993-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail