Parkwood Christmasses Remembered: Homefront Endeavours

 



Parkwood NHS Archives

McLaughlin family Christmas cards from the 1940s tell of a challenging time in history, and a test of mettle as Oshawa and Canada rallied in home front support during WWII.

Bing Crosby recorded his Top Ten Hit I’ll be Home for Chistmas to honour soldiers overseas.  Closer to home, entertainer Gracie Fields joined forces with Sam McLaughlin to produce a promotional film for the Canadian Red Cross - the very poignant There Too Go I   Click to watch There Too Go I

Miss Fields also joined Sam and Adelaide McLaughlin at their 1942 Chrysanthemum Tea, to help raise money for the Sailors' Christmas Fund ( Ontario Navy League)

The McLaughlin's philanthropic work on the war effort and homefront activities did not end with the Navy League and their annual tea.

They held a variety of campaigns for a variety of worthy causes, both large and small, including garden parties, penny drives, war bond campaigns, and knitting bees.

 

Mrs. McLaughlin would host the airmen training at the Oshawa airport to social evenings, involving frivolity and song. As their thank you to the McLaughlin's a propeller was gifted by the airmen to their hosts and this gift continues to hang in the bowling alley today.

The McLaughlin’s generosity was not only expressed at Christmas, but throughout the year  - a great example for us all

Recently, some of this story was shared with CBC as real-life background to the television series X-Company, in advance of its second season launch in mid-January 2016.

 

X Company  storylines are fictional, but they are based on the real Camp X,    Canada’s spy camp on the Oshawa/Whitby border.   The series website has fascinating content about many of the historic underpinnings of the area’s war efforts . 

 

Check out Dispatches (Heritage Minutes about Camp X)

 

 

 

 

 

Curious Curator: Adelaide's Scrapbook and her file on the Kerby Family (for Remembrance Day)

We are fortunate to have several scrapbooks that belonged to Adelaide McLaughlin in our collection. These are truly magical places and I always discover something new and interesting each time I take a look through.  Contrary to what I would have thought Adelaide's scrapbooks would look like,

perfect and well placed mementos, they are actually filled with newspapers, and articles, jammed in between the pages, awaiting a quiet moment to organise, a moment which never did occur.

Adelaide definitely enjoyed collecting scraps and preserving them. I think she and I would have gotten along tremendously! I often find cards or slips of paper in the pages of books, or notes to herself or someone else here and there, in her sewing basket, in a drawer, etc.

Did you know that the first serial scrapbook was introduced in 1825? Did you know that Mark Twain made a fortune with his patented invention, a scrapbook with pre-glued pages in 1872? He was able to tap into the huge  market of middle and upper class women and their love affair with scrapbooks, especially scrapbooks with published themes, before photography was added, with just newspaper articles, poems, love notes, etc.  Did you know one of the most prolific scrap bookers was Thomas Jefferson, who created as series of albums of newspaper clippings all about his own presidency?

This week while reviewing her mementos on the Chrysanthemum Teas I took to her scrapbooks and came across an interesting "fonds" (collection originating from one source) of the Kerby Family. Among this small parcel, clipped together, are letters, and newspaper clippings. I would like to explore these with you.

The first is a letter to Adelaide from Rev. George W Kerby, March 31, 1939. They chat about many subjects, but for the purpose of today, I will limit the references to the story we are weaving. Rev. Kerby begins with his happiness about the receipt of Adelaide's letter, however as the letter progresses he chats about his sons departure from Shanghai to England to France, right side of page. When one reflects on the date, March 1939, we know how things begin to progress in Western Europe by September of that same year, the outbreak of WWII.

In the second letter, dated, September 20, 1940, Kerby chats about his son and losses in France, and the grandson who is just shy of 18

The third letter discusses many points, here is the third and final page of this letter to Adelaide, from George Kerby, to the right.  The most fitting quote is this one " these are most anxious times for us all, for Canada and the Empire, and for the world for that matter".

It becomes clear while reading the one side of this conversation that the two have a wonderful friendship and the creation of this collection within Adelaide's scrapbook doesn't surprise me. In the second letter, George thanks Adelaide "for your kindly reference to my birthday, and also for the little poem which I greatly enjoyed and had never seen before"

The rest of the little collection clipped together is of further interest, and is essentially Adelaide, documenting the service life of George Kerby's grandson, Harold.


The collection regarding Harold begins with a copy of a letter he wrote to his parents in July of 1941. I am including the full item to the left. Prior to writing this blog, I checked with a few military friends of mine about their feelings on the ethics of including the full letter.  It was agreed that because of the nature of my blog, the letter, was being used to tell Harold's story, and therefore in good taste.

Along with the letters are newspaper clippings about Harold's RCAF career on the European Front. The earliest clipping, 1940, is about Harold being promoted to Wing Commander, and in charge of the 400th squadron.

To follow more of his career check out this: Oshawa Library RCAF Memories Scrapbook

The next clipping is one from September 2, 1943, where Wing Com. Harold Kerby is listed as missing. If you read the article, Kerby went missing on July 29th, but due to war censorship it was not allowed to be made public until early September. (clipping below)

The final clipping, below, from the collection is the one that might be anticipated and dates from November 9, 1943 where Kerby is "believed killed" via information from the International Red Cross. W/C Kerby was killed on a mission over Hamburg, Germany on July 29/30, 1943. His aircraft was intercepted by a night flier and shot down, killing four of the five on board.

Harold Kerby is buried in Hamburg Cemetery.

Missing Notification

Killed in Action Notification



 

Thank you to Sgt (Ret’d) Anthony R. Beresford, CD for his assistance with this blog entry and subsequent info about Kerby.

 

Curious Curator: Protectograph Cheque Writer

                                                                               
 
According to the 2010 US Federal Reserve Payment Study, people write 24.4 billion cheques each year, either personal or for business related purposes.

The advent of cheques emerged as it became recognised that the carrying of large amounts of cash was troublesome, physically cumbersome, and security wise. Historians believe that cheques, as we know them, grew more prominent in the 1500s, originating in Holland, when Amsterdam grew into a major trading centre. Although cheques as a concept, presenting a banker with a document from a third party to receive money, can be traced to India, 321 BC and the adesha, merchants using letters of credit as payment.
 

Within our collection is a cheque writer that was used by the secretarial staff of the McLaughlin Family, when the social and business secretary's who worked in the alcove, the secretary's office, outside of the Billiard Room, would have been issuing cheques.  Introduced in 1913, our model was advertised by the GW Todd Company from 1913 to 1930. GW Todd products were the best known cheque protectors in the early 1900s. Located in Rochester, New York,
GW Todd Company had a sales offices in Toronto through GV Purves.

 It is widely believed that the word cheque originated in England in the 1700s, when serial numbers were applied to papers as a method of keeping track or in check. It is in 1717, that the Bank of England begins to use pre-printed forms, drafts, to prevent fraud.

It is not until 1959 that a standard was introduced with machine readable characters, so the "protectograph" was the go to method to prevent fraud in the early 20th century. Note how the ad to the left markets itself, "writes the amount in dollar and cents to the penny, in two vivid colours...cheque raising is a very real danger to every businessman..."

Curious Curator: Royal Worcester Set

Happy 100th Birthday to our Royal Worcester set in the collection!

This set is often used on the Breakfast Room table at Parkwood, and we thought we would give it a centennial birthday treat by highlighting it with a blog entry.

This hand painted enamel set, is from 1915. It is registered as 645537, pattern c897, English Bone China.

Royal Worcester was found in 1751 by a group of English businessmen. Dr. John Wall, and apothecary owner William Davis,  discovered a method of making a porcelain material, persuading a group of thirteen local businessmen to back their discovery with an investment in a new factory at Warmstry House, on the banks of the River Severn as the Worcester Tonquin Manufacture.  This new porcelain product out-shone the others because, "they obtained licences to mine soapstone in Cornwall and worcester soapstone porcelain did not crack when boiling water was poured into it; giving worcester a significant advantage over other producers."   Increased tea consumption in the 1760’s created a huge demand for teawares, bringing prosperity to the Worcester factory, especially since the porcelain did not crack under the heat of tea. The company was awarded the royal warrant in 1789.
Worcester played a major role in the development of the English porcelain tradition, going through several name changes over the years and merging or taking over other manufacturers, Worcester are now known as Royal Worcester Porcelain Co.

In 1976, Royal Worcester and Spode merge, today being called Royal Worcester and Spode.



 

 pattern detailing

 



floral close up

Curious Curator: The Moustache Cup

One of the most popular artefacts within our collection is the moustache cup that is exhibited on the desk in the Library. The novelty behind its existence, the built in moustache shelf, delights all ages when our interpreters reference it, and is among a favoured treasure in our collection among our staff and volunteer interpreters, as well.   I do not know much about the origins of the cup. There is no hallmark or provenance associated with the cup and saucer.

The invention of the moustache cup is attributed to Harvey Adams,  an English potter, c. 1860. Adams made his fortune developing a high class china company, Harvey Adams and Co., which became Hammersley & Co, after Harvey's retirement in 1885.

George, Sam, JJ & Robert McLaughlin

Novel to the 2015 consumer, the moustache cup was a huge success in the Victorian world due to the fact that moustaches were en vogue. Take a look at any photograph of the era, and you will see all sorts of fancy whiskers and moustaches adorning the faces of men.  Even among my own archives, take a look at this early 20th century photograph of the McLaughlin men., on the right. The necessity and popularity of accessories for the moustache becomes quite understandable. Add to the popularity of the moustache the requirement of the British Military who make the moustache compulsory between 1860 and 1916, since the moustachioed man imparted authority,  

Command No. 1,695 of the King’s Regulations read:

The hair of the head will be kept short. The chin and the under lip will be shaved, but not the upper lip..."

"Although the act of shaving one’s upper lip was trivial in itself, it was considered a breach of discipline. If a soldier were to do this, he faced disciplinary action by his commanding officer which could include imprisonment, an especially unsavory prospect in the Victorian era." 
Military Moustache



Moustache spoon

So, why the cup?  The moustache cup is a cup designed with a small lip on the inside intended to protect the drinker’s facial hair from whatever beverage they happen to be drinking.  In an era where the moustache was either a must have or a want to have item, gentlemen came up with a number of ways to make sure that their moustaches were maintained. One of the more popular ways to style a moustache during this time was to use wax, some men also liked to dye their moustache to give it a more vibrant appearance. The problem with both of these methods of moustache maintenance was that neither held up well to hot liquid- dye would run and wax would invariably melt and cause unsightly moustache droopage the second it came into contact with something like hot tea or coffee.
This concern also applied to soup, and eventually the moustache spoon also became a much needed item in any well appointed home.  We do not have a moustache spoon in the collection, but I bet there are a few museums that do!

By the turn of the 20th century, the invention of the safety razor led to a change in grooming habits that made moustache cups obsolete for the vast majority of men. As a result, production and sales of moustache cups slowly dried up. By 1930, this formerly commonplace item was almost unheard of.

I think at any age RSM would have been happy to have his moustache cup handy.

Sparks to Fly at Parkwood

Parkwood received a fund-matching grant from the National Cost-sharing Program for National Historic Sites, to assist with the replacement of the c. 1917 main electrical panel. This support is also related to 2017 (our 100th birthday and Canada’s 150th), and we look forward to starting the next 100 years in the best shape possible.

An electrical panel is far less beautiful or dramatic than a greenhouse restoration, previously announced with a fund matching grant investment from the federal government—but it will ensure reliable electrical service for years to come as well as safer conditions for staff and electricians. We should mention that the c. 1917 electrical panel is a popular feature of basement tours, and some would argue that it is indeed an extraordinary and beautiful thing.
It is also a highlight of the firefighter orientation Parkwood does as part of our disaster preparedness training program with the City of Oshawa Fire Services, annually.

Replacement plans will allow the original panel to be abandoned in place, with power channeled through a new panel nearby. Our preference is always to retain original elements for their interpretive value and rarity.

Watch for additional blogging material as we upgrade our electrical systems and the work our heritage architects, electrical advisors, Curator and Executive Director have in coming weeks as we debate and figure out what is preserved and maintained moving forward.

Special Parkwood Announcement August 5, 2015 – Parkwood Greenhouses Receive a Federal Helping Hand

August 5, 2015 – Parkwood Greenhouses Receive a Federal Helping Hand

 

Nancy Shaw, President of The Parkwood Foundation, announced today the receipt of a federal grant to assist in restoration of the Parkwood greenhouse complex, of up to $ 502,936.   The grant is provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program and is a matching-fund program.   Ms. Shaw noted:  “This grant will provide up to 50% funding for the complete restoration of Parkwood’s greenhouse complex, or glass gardens - to borrow an early 20^th century term.  In fact our overall project is called: Saving Glass Gardens – A 2017 Celebration.”

 

Parkwood Executive Director Brian Malcolm added:  “This is just the greatest news for The Parkwood Foundation, as we contemplate the celebration in 2017 of Canada’s 150^th birthday along with the 100^th birthday of this national built-heritage treasure.   The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program and its theme - Giving Back to Canada - is an amazing fit with Sam McLaughlin’s story as an automotive pioneer and philanthropist, and it’s sure to be a point of inspiration for all Canadians. 

 

Our Foundation is most grateful to the federal government for making this         re-investment in Canada’s historic resources, and providing a tremendous boost to the efforts of Parkwood staff and volunteers in heritage stewardship.  We also thank Oshawa MP Colin Carrie for championing the cause.” 

Federal funding assistance will preserve an important part of the McLaughlin story and ensure further educational benefits for generations to come.   The availability of fund-matching dollars is an invaluable support for fundraising, providing donors an opportunity to double the impact of their gifts and maximize on the amount of work that will be accomplished.

 

About Greenhouse Restoration

The Greenhouse complex at Parkwood is at serious risk of continued deterioration and even complete loss.   Timely intervention is required, which fortunately will be made possible by this Federal grant support, and the fund–matching benefit.

 

Parkwood previously completed a greenhouse restoration pilot project in 2013/2014 on one of the greenhouses.   This followed a formal conservation study/report, and it helped confirm the initial findings and the restoration requirements laid out in the report.   These lessons will then be applied across the five greenhouses, or glass gardens still awaiting attention.   The results of the completed pilot project are stunning, and they provide inspiration for the remainder of the greenhouse restoration work to come.   

 

As always, Parkwood works with recognized heritage specialists and undertakes projects in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Historic Places in Canada.

 

 

Special Parkwood Announcement: Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Special Guest helps Launch Special Program

Parkwood was pleased to welcome Dame Fiona Woolf DBE Aug 4, 2015, to take part in the launch of a special project of Parkwood, entitled Margaret’s Message.   The project is a two-year textiles conservation program that will culminate in 2017 – Parkwood’s 100^th anniversary year and Canada’s 150th.  The project will engage students of Sir Sanford Fleming College, in an extended learning and lab experience in conservation.

London, England resident Dame Fiona served as the Lord Mayor of London in 2013/2014, as the 686^th Lord Mayor and only the second woman to hold the role since 1189.  Last month she was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire by HRH Queen Elizabeth II.  Her visit to Oshawa provided the perfect time to announce Parkwood’s special project which is named for her mother, the late Margaret Swain.

Joining in the announcement were Dame Fiona’s brother Dr. Richard Swain and wife Sharon Swain (a Past President and Honorary Director of The Parkwood Foundation), Parkwood President Nancy Shaw,  and representing Sir Sandford Fleming College:  Gayle McIntyre

About Margaret’s Message

Margaret Swain was a renowned Edinburgh-based textiles expert, and one of the earliest champions for preserving Parkwood as a museum and historic site.   As we look towards Parkwood’s 100^th anniversary in 2017 (and Canada’s 150^th), we salute those like Margaret who urged its protection.  In visits to Parkwood over many years, and drawing on her experience with international museums and collections, she impressed upon us that the completeness of the estate and the wealth of original furnishings, art and archives were rare and precious things in Canada.  She helped us to see their opportunities for study, how they could be continually mined for educational and artistic value.  Margaret also championed the intrinsic value of each, whether modest or magnificent, their collective impact, and the imperative of their preservation. 

Margaret’s Message is our inspirational title therefore for this project, particularly fitting as it engages post-secondary conservation/museums studies students in meaningful learning experiences toward successful career paths and the next generation of heritage stewards.

 

About Textiles Conservation & Parkwood

Historic textiles are resources most vulnerable to the effects of time and exposure to visible and ultraviolet light rays, dust and even human contact.  The master bedroom suite at Parkwood presents a varied catalogue of textiles - silk draperies & valances, silk upholsteries, lace coverlets and bed coverings, lampshades, and carpets.   It is also a fantastic learning opportunity about textiles conservation and the materials and techniques needed for cleaning, stabilization, repair and/or restoration.   This room will provide a learning lab over the next two years.

Visitors to Parkwood will have an opportunity to witness the project in progress on guided mansion tours and through periodic presentations, workshops and other programs.

About Sir Sandford Fleming

The Museum Management and Curatorship Program is an intensive, fast-paced, immersion experience that provides applied training for careers in the museum, gallery or heritage sectors.

Visit http://flemingcollege.ca/programs/museum-management-and-curatorship for more information about the program.

 

Curious Curator: The Great Opera Series

In the course of any discussion about Parkwood and its history, Adelaide McLaughlin often comes up. People tend to fixate on her and her background and how she rose to become a leading socialite and hostess of business and social functions afforded by the McLaughlin status and lifestyle. I am often asked how ever did this farm girl born and raised in Brougham, (north Pickering, Ontario) succeed among society and the snobbery that she would have encountered and perhaps, been blocked by, everyday.

Truthfully, I do not know how she endeavoured past the restrictions of a late 19th and early 20th class structure, but I have my guesses. Don't forget that out of the two, between Sam and Adelaide, Adelaide actually had the more paper-based education.  Adelaide left the Kinsale/ Brougham area to attend teachers college in Ottawa prior to meeting Sam McLaughlin. She acquired her teaching certificate and taught in a typical Ontario school house, as many young women did as the nation grew.

She gave up teaching when she married Sam McLaughlin but her teacher self is still evident in the artefacts and archives that we hold. I see her crib notes as she studied many different aspects; from nature, to biblical references, to hiring and running a household staff. I see her scrapbooks where she clips information about the latest medical advances, and political rhetoric of the times, including the role of education inside and outside of the home. She makes notes on the current ( her current) curriculum discussions, highlighting and using quotations and facts in her speeches that she made as president of the Ontario Home and Schools Movement.



ALM signature on flyleaf
Below our accession #
Historic library notation for Parkwood Library bottom left

The Parkwood household library affords many clues on how Adelaide "succeeded", as queried.  I am going to draw your attention to five volumes of books under the series title; The Great Opera Series.  These approximate fifty page volumes, provide the necessary information to assist any novice attending an opera understand and follow the program. Beautifully illustrated drawing one into the story, the book provides a comprehensive discussion of the cast, the history behind the story itself, and the break down of each act. Once the reader is familiar with the story line and authentic history to the opera, the reader is then taken on a journey of the music used throughout the program, encouraging the reader to note the undercurrent and the emotions which the music should evoke at key plot lines of the story.


The short answer to Adelaide's success, she was not a fool, she prepared.

The Great Opera Series books that line the Parkwood Library shelves are: The Meistersingers by Wagner; Lohengrin by Wagner; Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni; Carmen by Bizet; Madame Butterfly by Puccini.  All of them are written by J Cuthbert Hadden (1861-1914) who was a prolific writer in his time, including contributing content to many well known volumes of music history.

The rather more interesting aspect is with regards to the illustrations, which are stunning as noted above.  For the longest time, I could not figure out who the illustrator was, as they are unnamed on the volumes. The only clue is on each picture in the books, a small block print with the initials SB. SB turns out to be John Byam Liston Shaw known as pre-Raphaelite- inspired, Byam Shaw 1872-1919). An Indian born, British painter, Shaw is known as a painter, illustrator and design teacher. When his popularity as an artist waned, he turned to teaching, and in 1910 formed the Byam Shaw and Vicat Cole School of Art later renamed simply the "Byam Shaw School of Art"

With the outbreak of WWI, Byam Shaw enlisted in the Artist Rifles", producing was cartoons and memorial commissions, just like many of the Victorian and Raphaelite inspired artists of the day, if you can recall the November blog about Holly Leaves.

Byam Shaw was a casualty of the 1919 influenza epidemic.

Visitor Experience Ambassador Musings

The last 2 months I have spent as a guest experience ambassador have been an incredible experience. I have had the opportunity to work on various projects that involved all staff here and help plan events, work with tours, develop a way to use technology in some Parkwood tours, and much more.

The Victory Garden Party turned out to be a huge success and had a great turn-out! It was great to see everyone take on the 1940s look and learn about the local involvement in WWII. Thanks to everyone who helped and was involved!!!

Recently I’ve been working with Alyssa on some housekeeping duties that are rather not too common such as trekking to the third floor and cleaning the skylights. For those afraid of heights, it may not be the most ideal job! Also, I’ve taken on the task of sorting out our archives and searching for information for Samantha. Having the opportunity to go through the archives was incredible as I was able to look into parts of Parkwood that I have not seen before.

 

Next time you come to visit Parkwood, ask for a garden tour too! One of my projects was integrating tablets in the garden tour, and very soon we will have these tablets with some of the guides to use as a tool to show archival images of the gardens. I'm excited to start hearing feedback about the use of the tablets on tours! Fingers crossed that they are a success!

Although my time with this particular position is almost officially over, I still plan to work on some of my ideas and continue with some of my "projects" for Parkwood.

 

Curatorial Comments: working so closely with Alanna over these last 8 weeks has been a joy. Her enthusiasm for Parkwood, and historic research is inspiring. All too often, one can become complacent about Parkwood, due to maintenance woes, or grant writing. Having keen interns like Alanna and John, who find the treasures in the most interesting places, has invigorated not only myself, but the other "oldies" on staff.

Curious Curator: The Art of the Breakfast Tray

Breakfast in bed. The idea of it evokes relaxation and indulgence. I have never really given the practice much thought and then the other day we were reorganising some of the household china in the servery and we came across the muffin dish and lid or muffiner as some lexicons reference them.
To the casual glance and perhaps unknowingly, these items, leftovers from the Victorian fervour to create utensils and plates for every possible purpose (grape snips, ice cream slices, butter forks, aspic spoons, cake crumbers, bon bon scoops, bacon forks, tomato spoons), one thinks the domed plate alarge butter dish, but that is incorrect.

This is the muffin dish with lid, and it was a must have in any well appointed home where breakfast was had (aka served) in bed. The idea of the presentation was that the muffin, crumpet, scone, would be warmed in the kitchen and the household maid would present the item on the breakfast tray still warm.

Julian Fellows captures the art of the breakfast tray with wonderful wit, candour and subtlety in all his period pieces, and rather than go on about Downton Abbey, yes a favourite of mine, I would like to reference a scene in his earlier country house presentation Gosford Park. Ignore the narrative, just watch the tray presentation. You will get to it at about the :24 mark.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/an-CepH2b27Jh2nm/gosford_park_2001_morning_trentham/

 

In 1922 Emily Post had a great deal to say about the Breakfast Tray and how it should be presented; please take note of the covered dish,

PREPARING BREAKFAST TRAY   The advantage of having one’s guests choose breakfast upstairs, is that unless there is a separate breakfast room, a long delayed breakfast prevents the dining-room from being put in order or the lunch table set. Trays, on the other hand, stand “all set” in the pantry and interfere much less with the dining-room work. The trays are either of the plain white pantry variety or regular breakfast ones with folding legs. On each is put a tray cloth. It may be plain linen hemstitched or scalloped, or it may be much embroidered and have mosaic or filet lace.	90
Every bedroom has a set of breakfast china to match it. But it is far better to send a complete set of blue china to a rose-colored room than a rose set that has pieces missing. Nothing looks worse than odd crockery. It is like unmatched paper and envelopes, or odd shoes, or a woman’s skirt and waist that do not meet in the back.	91
There is nothing unusual in a tray set, every china and department store carries them, but only in “open” stock patterns can one buy extra dishes or replace broken ones; a fact it is well to remember. There is a tall coffee pot, hot milk pitcher, a cream pitcher and sugar bowl, a cup and saucer, two plates, an egg cup and a covered dish. A cereal is usually put in the covered dish, toast in a napkin on a plate, or eggs and bacon in place of cereal. This with fruit is the most elaborate “tray” breakfast ever provided. Most people who breakfast “in bed” take only coffee or tea, an egg, toast and possibly fruit"

 

Emily was so very adamant about the breakfast tray appearance, she included a picture for the well informed woman to follow. 

Breakfast trays were exclusively a female practice and rarely did men order a breakfast tray unless they were in bed ill or recovering from an injury. Emily Post references who and how the tray arrives in her 1922 etiquette edition,

"Breakfast trays for married women guests are usually carried to the bedroom floor by the butler (some butlers delegate this service to a footman) and are handed to the lady’s maid who takes the tray into the room. In small houses they are carried up by the waitress."  ( Note to reader: single women eat at the Breakfast Table)

 

Anthropologist Kaori O'Connor has looked at the practice of English men not receiving breakfast in bed, and she has this theory, "For the British well-to-do male, this buffet-style meal ( the Parkwood Breakfast Room demonstrates this) was fortification enough for a day of country pursuits, hunting, shooting, or fishing." She continues to look at the emergence of the English Breakfast,  "A breakfast of this size at 9 in the morning allowed men to spend the rest of the day on horseback following hounds, shooting game, or fishing for trout or salmon (the famous trio, hunting, shooting, fishing, pastimes of the country gentleman). All they needed was a picnic.  Dinner became an evening meal."

 



Individual coffee pot
Perfect size for the tray



Back to the Parkwood Muffin dish with lid, because I know I shall be asked.

The pattern is called Shelley Blue Rock and is bone china. The hallmark on the back suggests a production date between 1940 and 1966, so certainly 20th century, and certainly a lovely set to eat ones breakfast from while in bed.

 

 

How does your breakfast tray hold up against Emily Post's requirements of 1922?

 

 

Stromberg-Carlson Radio, Sam McLaughlin and June 6

Stromberg-Carlson Radio, Sam McLaughlin and June 6

While we relish in the beauty of this weekend, seventy one years ago; RSM, family and servants would have been listening to the radio reports, like every other day, but these days were a little different. The reports out of Europe regarding the invasion of the beaches of France by the allied forces would have been worrisome, a cause for anxiety and perhaps a little glimmer of hope would have been offered when listening in real time. The events known to us as D-Day, RSM would have been in the library of Parkwood, listening to the report on his Stromberg-Carlson “art case” radio, outfitted to the disguised speaker located behind his desk. 

BBC Report, 1944

The staff and volunteers of Parkwood NHS will be showcasing our amazing site to the Garden Writers and Bloggers of America this weekend, but we will not lose the opportunity to interpret the significance of radio and radio broadcasts bringing WWII into the homes and hearts of those on the Home Front.

Originally founded in 1894 to manufacture telephones, the Stromberg-Carlson company also produced radio components, and began selling their own complete sets during the early 1920s. By that time, the radio craze had fully absorbed the American public, and radio pioneer RCA was cornering the market after scooping up over 2,000 broadcasting-related patents.

Stromberg-Carlson entered the field by making smaller parts for tube radios. Eventually, the company applied its telephone-audio expertise to develop a successful line of radio headsets. In 1923, the company was licensed to produce the “Neutodyne” radio circuit designed by Dr. L. A. Hazeltine. Stromberg-Carlson’s first set came out in early 1924, and the company steadily grew its radio production, eventually requiring RCA licenses for several products.

In 1926, Stromberg-Carlson became the first manufacturer to merge phonograph and radio technology by incorporating a phonograph jack into its radio chassis. By the end of the decade, Stromberg-Carlson sold sets with fully integrated radio and turntables technologies, and the company’s radio sales surpassed that of its telephones.

The 1930s represented boom years for Stromberg-Carlson’s radio development, as it introduced new modifications like automatic volume control, improved amplifying methods, and an early push-button tuning mechanism. Ads from the late '30s emphasize other innovations, like the unique Stromberg-Carlson “acoustical labyrinth,” a complex baffle design which improved sound quality by guiding audio waves through a series of interlocking chambers, and its “Te-Lek-Tor” series, which included remote-control capabilities. “Let your dealer arrange an audition,” was the brand’s cheeky slogan, emphasizing its reputation for superior sound quality.

Over the next 20 years, Stromberg-Carlson created an array of gorgeous Art Deco inspired designs, from the sleek, ivory-colored 140-K console to the tabletop 225-H with its floral-patterned speaker grill and octagonal dial. After the company’s merger with General Dynamics in 1955, the business was restructured to focus production on telephone products, and its radios were discontinued.

 

Stromberg-Carlson info from Collectors Weekly magazine.

 

 

Visitor Experience Ambassador, Further Thoughts of Alanna

June has finally arrived and I'm super excited for what is to come this summer at Parkwood. For recent visitors, you may have noticed something new across from the Carriage House. Recently we hung up a clothes line by the back entrance to the recreation wing of the mansion with some snazzy swimsuits hanging off of it. Based on archival photos and videos, we figured out there was a small line hung between these pillars for the swimsuits after family and guests used the indoor pool. Hopefully this line contributes to reinforcing the residential image of Parkwood.

 

Alanna introducing our new "summer line"

Also, I've been working on trying to help "modernize" Parkwood through using technology on tours! I've been working with Samantha on putting together archival photos of the grounds onto a tablet to use during guided-garden tours as a reference as well as provide guests with an idea of what the gardens looked like prior to the changes and redesigns. These should be out on garden tours very soon!

I've also been doing lots of research in preparation for our upcoming Victory Garden Party. I feel like Parkwood's self-proclaimed expert on 1940s tattoos and soap. As we approach the warmer weather, we are picking up the pace and are ready for summer! 

(Curatorial notes from Sam: I am enjoying how enthusiastic Alanna is about her historic research and her current proficiency on knowing everything there is to know about tattooing and soap rationing in WW2)