Don't Gong Me Late for Dinner

Ahhh the dinner gong.  Used to notify the ladies and gentlemen of the house that dinner is ready.  The one in our collection is about 9" high, hung with two small chains on an oak stand.

The gong itself is metal with an Eastern Sunburst design covering the front.  There is a brass shield on the base, however, there is no inscription on it.

This one came from the home of William H. Venning Esq., the first Inspector of Fisheries for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  He was appointed around the time of Confederation and wrote his first report in 1868, so this dinner gong likely dates from the mid to late 19th century.  The mallet handle is also made of matching oak and the top is soft.  When you hit the gong, it makes a sound louder than you might expect from something this small.  The sound is different depending on where you hit the gong.



I wonder if they had different tones for different types of food?  Hmmmm....I know you wouldn't have to hit the gong twice to call me for dinner!

  

Found My Marbles

You know the old expression "lost my marbles"?  Well, I've often wondered what my marbles would look like if I ever did find them and I think that became a reality today!  There are about 104 marbles in this jar. They are all different colours, many of them multi-coloured and spotted.  They are made of a mixture of ceramic and clay, quite hard, and almost cold to touch.  

Most of them aren't quite round and have a few flaws, just as I thought my marbles would.  They range in size from about 1/2" to 1" across.  Marbles are mentioned as far back as Roman times, but these ones likely date from the late 19th century.  Clay marbles were made in Germany and the U.S. There have been some reports that clay marbles were used as ballast in ships sailing from Germany to America, then were sold.

Maybe that's why it's taken so long to find my marbles - they came from Europe!

Source:  http://www.marblecollecting.com/marble-reference/online-marble-id-guide/earthenware/

Ironing Sad or Sad Iron?

I'm always sad (or mad might be more accurate) when I iron which is why I avoid it as much as possible!  Ironing has always been a chore and historically, it fell to the women in the family.  It was a hot, difficult task as stoves in the home had to be going continuously, even in summer.  These irons had to be heated over a fire or stove but cooled very quickly when used, which meant ironing took even more time as the woman would have to wait until the iron reheated.

The iron in this picture if made of wood and metal and weighs about 5lbs.  Now it makes more sense to me why it is called a sad iron since "sad" is an old English word for "solid".

 "Taylor Forbes" is stamped into the top of the metal iron on one side and "Guelph Canada" is stamped on the other.  There is also a "C" stamped on a raised block close to the end of the handle.  The bottom of the iron is very smooth.


This design with two pointed ends was patented in 1870 by Mary Florence Potts from Iowa.  The design was a bit of a breakthrough in ironing technology because it allowed the ironer to iron both ways;  anything to make this chore easier was welcome!  In 1871 she introduced yet another evolution in irons:  ones with detachable handles which meant one iron could be on the stove heating up while the other was being used.  It may seem basic to us, but having a woman own the patent during this time period was huge.  Because it was so popular with housewives, it was widely marketed in magazines and local stores.

John and Adam Taylor and George Forbes created the Taylor Forbes company in Guelph, Ontario, in 1902.  They became one of Canada's biggest manufacturers of home hardware.  They sold the company in 1950 and within a few years it went bankrupt.

Ironing was such an important part of life that in the 19th century, They started disappearing in the 1920s as people began installing electricity in their homes, however, since many rural areas did not receive electricity until into the 1950s, many of these little sad irons were still widely in use.  Hmmmm...maybe I need to be more grateful for the easy electric iron I have to use from time to time.



Source:  museum information on the artifact and http://www.collectorsweekly.com/tools-and-hardware/sad-and-flat-irons.  

A Sword-ed Life

These pictures are of a Russian Hussar Cavalry Officer's sword from the Seven Years War era (1756-1763). The sword is about 85.5cm long (about 33.5”) and both it and the scabbard are remarkably light.  The curved edge made it easier to fight the foe from horseback.  Light or not, it could still do some serious damage!

On the dull edge of the ricasso (the ricasso is the unsharpened length of blade just above the guard handle) there is an inscription left by the maker which roughly reads:  COANHRE which is Russian for Solingen.  Solingen is a city in Prussia where many such blades were crafted. 

The hilt of the sword bears a plain back-strap that leads to a lion shaped pommel.  

The hilt of the sword is made of wood and has been wrapped in copper wire, which is loose around it.  The blade is blued up to the last engraving and the scabbard is made of brass.  These types of swords were specially crafted for each officer.  

On the blade there are two mounted Hussars on either side with “Vivat Hussar” (Vivat is Latin for ‘Long Live’) above them.  These types of engravings are typical on Russian Hussar blades.

On the right side of the blade there is an engraved rose and laurel.  On the left side there is a sack of assorted arms and a water lily.  

Most likely, a British soldier took this from a dead Hussar officer.   The skill involved in making these engravings on the metal is incredible. 

For more information on the Seven Years War and its lasting effects on Canada, check out this link:  http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/seven-years-war/.  

Don't Eat the Brownie

Much as I love brownies, this one is for taking pictures not eating!  The Brownie camera came along around 1900 and was basically a cardboard box with a simple lens that took pictures on #117 film. The Eastman Kodak company - I'm sure lots of you out there remember Kodak! - created it.  It was a very simple camera that anyone could operate.  The original price was $1 which made it very popular.

As with most things, the models progressed.  The model in this picture is a Brownie No. 2A.  It was introduced in 1907 and discontinued in 1936. The original price was $3.00 and over 2.1 million of the were produced from 1907 until 1921.  This model was made with a leatherette cover to protect the cardboard underneath.  It used #116 film, and the negatives were postcard size which was perfect for printing.  These cameras were also mass marketed to children.  It was so easy to use it actually put some post-card printing companies out of business because tourists could bring along their own cameras and take their own pictures instead of buying them.

It has a handle on the top for easy holding and carrying and you can see "BROWNIE" stamped into it.
















It's interesting how things progress:  Kodak put some companies out of business because it became so easy for people to take their own pictures.  Then Kodak eventually went under with the new digital world and people not having to print their pictures on film anymore.  We have some other cameras in our collection as well and the history of these little gadgets is a history of our own progression.  Interesting.


Source:  http://www.brownie-camera.com/56.shtml;

Gold Moulded Records

With the news that vinyl is making a comeback and more and more people seem to be interested in it instead of all the digital options available today, I was really happy to discover this version of vinyl in our museum!  Cylindrical records - another invention brought to us by the great Thomas Edison.  He is credited with inventing the phonograph and he also created these cylinders to record music. We have four of these cylindrical records in the museum and each one is about 4.5" high and 2.5" wide.


On the top of the record in the green cardboard case, it reads "This record should run at 160 revolutions per minute - not faster or slower."  The number "70" is on the top with "Grand American Fantasia (Theo.Bendix) New York Military Band" underneath it.  The cannister is very light and on the inside is lined with felt to protect the record.  








On the cannister is Thomas Edison's picture as well as the following:  Made and sold by the NATIONAL PHONOGRAPH CO. at Orange, N.J., U.S.A.  Patented in the United States Oct. 1, 1901, Feb. 14, 1905, Feb. 27, 1906, June 4, 1907, March. 3, 1908."  Then the same kind of information we still see today about not duplicating or copying is on the same paragraph.  One cannister is 3 different shades of green with gold borders.  The other is brown with moss green and red lettering with gold borders.  The top isn't as fancy:  it simply says "Edison Record with the title of the song "Harvest Moon" written in at the top.

The record inside is black with an off-white imprint of the song along it's top edges.  It's very light and stands about 4.25" high and a little over 2" wide.  There is a metal ring on the inside at the top and the inside almost feels like cardboard. 

Edison had a previous version of these cylinders that was rounder and shorter.  This version was made using the "gold moulded process" which started around 1902.  This process involved pressing grooves into the cylinder.  The grooves almost look like perforations in paper.  When he started this process, most records could play for 1.5 - 2.5 minutes.  If you look at the first picture of the green cannister, you can see below the name that it says "FOUR MINUTE."  He is obviously advertising the longer playing time on this record!


These cylinders sold very well from 1902 - 1912 and many recordings were made, both music and vaudeville routines. Unfortunately the phonograph that plays these cylinders no longer works, but wouldn't it be amazing to hear what these recordings sounded like?

Main sources used:  http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/history-goldmoulded.php // http://www.thomasedison.org/index.php/education/inventions/

Online Ordering, the Catalogue Method

With everything online these days you don't see many catalogues anymore.  So, it was a real treat to find the T. Eaton Co. Limited 1901 Spring Summer Fall Winter catalogue!  This store sold everything from women's, men's, and children's clothing to horse equipment to furniture to groceries.  The catalogue itself is 10" long, 75" wide, and 1" thick.  The front and back covers are heavier cardstock and the pages are newsprint - with rather small font I might add!   The back shows the store as it was in Toronto.  If you look closely, you can see the street trollys, bicycles, and horses and buggies on the streets.












There is a small paragraph in French at the front of the catalogue addressed to "Our French Customers."  Eaton's advises they prefer to receive orders in English, however, if that isn't possible, they ask that you write in French very clearly.



Below are some pictures from the catalogue that give us a good idea of what people were wearing in this period.  Interesting that they have ladies' skirts for walking and bicycling.













Boots and shoes - can you tell the difference?

Horse equipment in a department store!  Long replaced now with automotive supplies.

Household furniture and appliances.

Hats and men's clothes.

The groceries section is introduced by saying "Our Grocery Department is very complete, and the highest standard of quality is maintained.  You will always receive carefully selected goods.  It is a good plan to make up an order once a month (or you and your neighbors together), and include what groceries you need.  We can then ship by freight, and the charges will be very low."  Usually the front page in a grocery flyer has the more commonly purchased items.  The list below is quite different than what we see today!  If anyone knows what the "blue" is, please leave a comment.

The list of groceries on the first page includes:

arrowroot (not the cookies)
baking powders
baking soda, etc.
barley
beans
blue
bird seed and gravel
bathbrick
butter "We guarantee this brand of butter as strictly first-class, and receive our supply daily"
biscuits
candied peel
capers
catsup "Our own make tomato catsup brand" (not ketchup)
chutney
cocoa
chocolates
cream and milk
cheese - clearly states "Prices subject to market fluctuations"

It's always interesting to take a quick walk back in time to see what people's daily lives looked like 100+ years ago; what they wore, what they bought, and how much everything cost.  (2011.040.01 H-591)