Twas the week before Christmas

Twas the week before Christmas

Posted on by Collections & Conservation
Posted on: Thursday December 22, 2016

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the museum,

Artifacts wondered if visitors would see ‘em.

Some historical treasures sat smug on display,

While other objects remained hidden away.

 

These ornaments once hung on old Christmas trees,

Some dating as far back as the 1920s!

With the curator in his office and I snug in mine,

I catalogued objects from way back in time.

Two small red and gold raspberry Christmas tree ornaments.

Ornament; Christmas Tree, H9-29-358 ©Manitoba Museum

Small red bauble Christmas tree ornament with white accenting wreathing the centre.

Ornament; Christmas Tree, H9-29-365 ©Manitoba Museum Dating to 1927, these ornaments decorated the Christmas tree of a young Winnipeg couple, married in 1925.

When deep in the vault, exploring I go,

Finding boxes of Christmas lights from long, long ago.

Quick to the shelf, with nitrile gloved paw,

I admire the condition, in a reverent awe.

 

The box is pristine, it’s practically new!

A string of Noma lights within, in green, yellow and blue.

When what to my wandering eye should I see?

It’s Frosty the Snowman on small cardboard skis!

A closed vintage cardboard box of Christmas lights, portraying a two children peeking around a curtain to see Santa Claus dressing the tree with lights pulled from his sack of gifts. Text reads, "Christmas Lights by NOMA / with Mazda lamps".

Light; Christmas Tree, H9-12-790 ©Manitoba Museum NOMA was the largest manufacturer of Christmas lights prior to 1965, when the company filed for bankruptcy.

An open vintage cardboard box with Christmas lights arranged inside. The inside of the upper flap shows a winter scene with two children pulling a sled in front of a NOMA Christmas Lights billboard. Text beside the picture reads, "NOMA with Mazda Lamps / For a SAFE and BRIGHTER CHRISTMAS use NOMA / Approved Sets / Made in Canada".

Light; Christmas Tree, H9-12-790 ©Manitoba Museum

A vintage Frosty the Snowman decoration showing a snowman with legs and arms riding a set of skis while wearing a black top hat and green pipe cleaner scarf.

Ornament; Christmas Tree, H9-22-337 ©Manitoba Museum

Then a large mechanical Santa, who seems truly alive,

Bought in the forties from Eaton’s for two-hundred-seventy-five!

Before Winnipeg, Toronto was where Santa got his kicks

-he decorated the home of a man named F. William Nicks.

 

The wreaths, the records, the garland and more!

Lovingly bought long ago from a store.

Now all a part of our Christmas collection,

Even some doughy Christmas confection!

A large Santa Claus figurine with a hand raised in a wave.

Ornament; Christmas, H9-8-487 ©Manitoba Museum Purchased by F. William Nicks, former chairman of the Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto. Mr. Nicks purchased this Santa Claus to decorate his home in the late 1940s for $275. When Mr. Nicks passed away in 1972, Santa Claus was inherited by his sister, who displayed him in her home in Winnipeg.

A preserved, decorative loaf of brown bread. A figure wearing a laced dress and hat.

Bread; Christmas, H9-12-773 ©Manitoba Museum

And not all the things are from days of yore;

Some come from a time when break dancers tore up the floor!

Cabbage Patch Kids and Snoopy to boot…

Our vault contains all kinds of modern-day loot!

 

I could go on; our collections are vast,

A sleighful of artifacts from Christmases past!

But alas is time to turn out the light,

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Toy in profile of Snoopy the dog wearing a red and white Santa coat and hat and green mittens, and holding a gift behind his back.

Toy; Snoopy, H9-21-311 ©Manitoba Museum Squeeze toy in the likeness of Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s beagle from the Peanut series.

Toy; Christmas, H9-29-818 ©Manitoba Museum Wind-up plastic reindeer riding a snowmobile.

Cortney Pachet

Cortney Pachet

Collections Technician – Human History

Cortney Pachet started working at the Manitoba Museum in 2001 as a tour guide while earning her a BA (Honours) from the University of Winnipeg. She quickly realized that she wanted a career in museums…
Meet Cortney Pachet

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

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Ladies and Gentlemen…..The Beetles! 

Posted on by Collections & Conservation

[Note: This blog contains descriptions and images that may not be suitable for sensitive individuals.] 

In the Natural Sciences Department, we receive hundreds of specimens each year that will eventually be added to the permanent Scientific Collections. The Curators collect specimens through their many research projects, while other specimens are collected and donated by the general public. Most of these specimens require some very specific and time-consuming preparation before they can be in a state for which a researcher can use them. Fossils are exposed with precision tools, insects are painstakingly pinned, plants are pressed and artfully mounted, and mammal and bird study skins are skillfully prepared. Skeletons of vertebrates also require a very specialized preparation process that very few people are witness to. 

 

A closed door with a sign taped on it reading, “RESTRICTED ACCESS! / This door must remain closed & locked at ALL times”.

Located deep within our Zoology research area is a small room that houses, what we affectionately call the ‘bug tank’. It is actually a metal 45 gallon drum that houses a beetle colony that we use to clean the very small or fragile skeletal specimens that may otherwise be damaged using other cleaning methods. These can include birds, small rodents such as mice and squirrels, snakes, frogs, toads and fish. One of my many tasks here at the Museum is to prepare skeletal specimens and maintain the beetle colony by keeping them healthy and well-fed. 

The beetle species that we use in our colony is Dermestes maculatus (Identified by Reid Miller, 2016) from the Family: Dermestidae, a group that is commonly referred to as hide beetles. The adult beetles of this species are black in colour and can range in length from 5.5 to 10.0 mm. The larvae are brown in colour, hairy and pass through 5 – 11 instars, before they pupate into adults. They are natural scavengers and feed on a wide variety of material including skin, hair feathers, and natural fibers, such as wool, silk, cotton, and linen. With this in mind, I’m sure you can appreciate how careful we are at the Museum with keeping these beetles contained! 

 

Specimens are readied for the beetle colony by first making sure that all of the data has been recorded, including its weight and the standardized measurements that are taken. The specimen is then de-fleshed by removing most of the muscle tissue, internal organs and eyes. It is then placed in a drying cabinet so the specimen does not introduce mold into the colony. Once completely dried, the skeletons are placed in rows on top of a layer of cotton batting within a cardboard box lid.

 

Each skeleton is placed with enough space between them so that if the beetles move any of the tiny bones while they are cleaning them, they don’t become mixed with the specimen next to it. The cotton batting provides a soft ‘matrix’ that the adult beetles and larvae travel through. I can then stack about 3 to 4 of these trays within the drum, which could translate to approximately 150+ small skeletons in the colony at any given time. Depending how active the colony is, skeletons can be completely cleaned in 7 to 14 days.  The “Beetle Room” is kept at a cozy 28°C (83°F) to promote their life cycle and every few days I spray the trays with distilled water for added humidity. Then, I leave them alone to work their magic. 

 

These are NOT free-range beetles! 

The Dermestid beetles and their larva are just one of the types of insects that pose danger to our galleries, and the specimens and artifacts that are stored in the collections storage rooms. To ensure that none of our colony beetles escape, special considerations were built into the room. These beetles can burrow into many surfaces/media, so the walls are cinderblock, sealed with 3 coats of epoxy paint, instead of drywall. I’ve installed a perimeter of yellow tape around the room that has a layer of a sticky product applied to it (this product is similar to ‘Tanglefoot’ that is used to stop the Elm Bark Beetle on trees). The bung holes on the lid of the drum have two layers of fine mesh – this allows air exchange, but they can’t get escape. 

 

Escape Prevention Measures – 3 rows of sticky tape by the door of the bug room, and sticky traps are installed throughout the Museum and monitored. ©Manitoba Museum
Collections and Conservation staff are always on alert to possible insect activity and have scheduled monitoring throughout the galleries and collections spaces. ©Manitoba Museum

 

Completed skeleton specimens are given a final cleaning with a small paintbrush to remove any debris or shed larval casings. They are then catalogued, and each bone including the skull and mandible are numbered and placed in an acid-free box with its data label. After a final freezing treatment to be sure they are completely free of anything live, they are ready to be filed into our main Scientific Collections storage room. 

These specimens are then available for researchers and educational purposes. 

 

A perfectly cleaned Northern Flying Squirrel, MM 9979 (Glaucomys sabrinus) skeleton ready to file in the Collections Room, within an acid-free storage box ©Manitoba Museum
Systematic storage of skeletal specimens in our Permanent Scientific Collections Room ©Manitoba Museum
Janis Klapecki

Janis Klapecki

Collections Management Specialist – Natural History

Janis Klapecki obtained a B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba, specializing in Zoology and Botany. She also holds a certificate in Managing Natural History Collections from the University of Victoria, BC. Janis has over 20 years experience…
Meet Janis Klapecki