Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TEA TOWEL

Date

1830

Materials

LINEN

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.1

Length

78.0

Width

80.5

Description

RECTANGULAR, WHITE LINEN. HAS A FAINT PATTERN THROUGHOUT, MADE UP OF SQUARES. WRITTEN IN ONE CORNER OF TOWEL IS "12 E. SHERLOCK [???] OCT 19. 1830", IN DARK BROWN. THE TWO ENDS OF TOWEL ARE HEMMED; SIDE EDGES ARE RAW, BUT IN GOOD CONDITION. TOWEL HAS MULTIPLE RUST COLOURED MARKS THROUGHOUT.

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

P19920058020

Acquisition Date

1993-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail