Christmas in the Collections

A few weeks ago, as my family was setting up our Christmas tree, I hesitated putting up a small number of glass balls, passed down to me from my grandma many years ago, remnants of my dad’s childhood in Winnipeg’s North End. These ornaments have been a staple on my tree for a decade since striking out on my own –the delicate painted glass balancing out my beloved childhood favourite, an A&W Bear on a green felt sled. This year, however, I am The Mother Of A Toddler. Little, excited hands grasping and pulling at the ornaments I have lovingly toted move after move! Finally, after some encouragement from my spouse, the glass balls were cautiously placed at the top of the tree, where Toddler Hands McStickyfingers can’t reach them, despite her efforts to stand on her toes, arms outstretched, saying “Reach! Reach!” (Nice try, kid.)

Thankfully, safely in the storage room at The Manitoba Museum, our History collection’s complement of Christmas ornaments remains out of the grasp of toddlers. Whenever handled, these ornaments receive the “White Glove Treatment”, meaning we don cotton gloves to protect the artifacts from oil present on our skin. In instances where an object is particularly delicate or small, I prefer to wear blue nitrile gloves, so I can best hold artifacts as I examine them for cataloguing or photographing.

Delving into the collection to photograph Christmas artifacts, a few pieces stood out to me, reminiscent of ornaments –both old and new– decorating my tree at home. Carefully preserved by generations of family members, many of these artifacts were collected to decorate the Urban Gallery each year, featured on the Christmas tree in the dentist’s parlour as part of an exhibit called In Winnipeg at Christmas.

This delicate toadstool and its pair date to the mid-1920s, donated to The Museum along with a few dozen other ornaments of the period, including a hot air balloon, birds and fruit, like these bunches of grapes. Originally, these ornaments decorated the tree of a young Winnipeg couple, married in 1925.

The skiing snowman, made of cotton and pipe cleaners, was donated to the collection after his original owners loaned him to the Manitoba Museum for In Winnipeg at Christmas.

Our Christmas holdings, however, are not limited to the 1920s. For those who prefer the A&W sledding bear over the filigreed glass ball, the collection has plenty to offer. One former curator had an eye for objects that reflected the contemporary popular culture of the 1980s, picking up pieces like a Snoopy squeeze doll –yes, that’s its official name in our collections database– and a staple for most people born in the late 1970s or early 1980s, a Cabbage Patch Kid tree ornament.

As I put these ornaments back in their boxes and return them to their shelves in the storage space, I can’t help but wonder whether one day my ornaments will meet a similar fate, becoming part of an exhibit like In Winnipeg at Christmas in the 1980s, but with a snappier title. Provided I can keep them safe from the toddler ‘til then.

The Nonsuch at the Manitoba Museum is the largest artifact (in size) in the collection. It is unique in that it is an artifact that visitors get to walk aboard, touch and literally step into a piece of history. Another interesting part is that the Nonsuch is a real life ship that was once sailed by a crew and it is because of this that the Conservators at TMM care for it a little differently than other objects in the collection.

One aspect of caring for such a large artifact is following a routine maintenance plan in order to keep the ship in first-class shape. This includes regular cleaning of the decks, captain’s quarters, sails and hold, as well as taking twice-yearly measurements to see if there are any changes or movements to the wooden components. Another part of the maintenance plan is moving and adjusting the rigging. When we talk about the rigging of the Nonsuch we are talking about a lot of different components including the masts, ropes, yards, and sails. One of the reasons why we undo and move the lines as part of the conservation maintenance plan is to allow the ropes to not stiffen overtime. Movement of the rigging also allows the sails to be unrolled so that they do not become stretched from sitting in the same position.

Some other unique things that are done by the Conservation team to keep the Nonsuch as close to working order include tarring the deck seams, repainting the stern carvings, and splicing rope works when needed.

The next step in our maintenance plan, which will hopefully be completed in the upcoming months, includes climbing the ratlines (rope ladders leading up the mast) with our special vacuums and giving the ship a good dusting. This probably wouldn’t have been done in the high seas due to the abundance of wind available but since the ship is permanently stored indoors it does get quite dusty. Part of our training for this task includes taking fall protection training so that we are as safe as possible when geared up in harnesses and climbing the rigging. Stay tuned for a future blog on what it’s like to vacuum a ship 60 ft. in the air!

As mentioned earlier, the Nonsuch is treated differently from other artifacts and needs to be preserved in a way that maintains it in working order to prevent further damage. This is in comparison to our regular collections which mostly stay static in their positions tucked away in storage vaults. Having the opportunity to be a part of the preservation of the Nonsuch is a rare opportunity and also a chance for Conservators to trade in our lab coats for a sailor’s cap every once in a while.