What's inSight Summer 2014

Summer 2014

royal bc museum hosts

First Aboriginal cultural festival new exhibition

Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC Going Digital

Global Plants initiative

$3.95

SUMMER 2014 Catch and Collect, Preserve and Protect

2

100 Objects of Interest

5

A Gallery Intervention

6

VOLUNTEER PROFILE Steve Suntok

8

FEATURE Carr Collections 10 Feature Partner Vancity 13

MANAGING EDITOR Kathryn Swanson Membership & Marketing Coordinator MEMBERSHIP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE A ngela Williams Chief Operating Officer

14

FEATURE Our Living Languages: A Beautiful Collaboration 14

Gerry Truscott Publisher

staff profile Gerry Truscott 17

Jenny McCleery Graphic Designer

Feature Partner Canadian Geographic 17

Shane Lighter Photographer

DONOR PROFILE Sharon Smith 20 GOING DIGITAL Global Plants Initiative 22 A Closer Look A Vice-Regal Mystery 26

David Alexander Head of New Archives & Digital Preservation Erik Lambertson Corporate Communications Officer

Aboriginal Cultural Festival 16

Artists Get Inspired by the Collection 24

Erika Stenson Head of Marketing & Development

22

What’s INSight is an electronic magazine released four times annually, in March, June, September and December, by the Royal BC Museum. In the interest of keeping our administrative costs low – and our carbon footprint small – this print version is provided to members without computer access only.

ONE MORE WAY TO GO GREEN Contact Kathryn Swanson to request a digital version of What’s inSight Membership & Marketing Coordinator 250-387-3287 membership@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

2

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

26

Cover Image Le La La Dancer telling the Dzunekwa legend.

A female figure in Kwakwaka’wakw mythology, who brings wealth. Greatly feared by children, she is known as an ogress who steals children and carries them home in her basket to eat.

Photo Courtesy of Aboriginal Tourism BC.

Dear Friends What would a museum be if it did not collaborate with its communities? The Royal BC Museum is building partnerships to amplify our stories and bring the collections and archives in front of a global audience. This issue of What’s inSight showcases some of these new efforts.

On June 21 the Royal BC Museum and our partner, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, will open a new exhibition, Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC on the top floor of the museum.

This groundbreaking, interactive exhibition celebrates the resilience and diversity of First Nations languages in BC in the face of change. Take this opportunity to learn what First Nations communities throughout the province are doing to help their languages survive and flourish, in this evocative new gallery.

We have also partnered with Aboriginal Tourism BC for our first annual Aboriginal Cultural Festival. The festival will be held on our campus and Thunderbird Park, we hope creating a celebratory atmosphere with sound stages, performances, arts and traditional food.

I recently returned from a fascinating trip to China. We will be initiating a number of international partnerships with museums in Suzhou and Nanjing, and further developing existing relationships with colleagues in Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The purpose is to begin to look outwards and to forge relationships that can serve us in years to come.

As Suzhou is twinned with Victoria, and Guangzhou with Vancouver, we will be exploring how we can give new meaning to such city to city relationships.

Our work is enriched by your support and I would like to extend my personal gratitude for your ongoing commitment to us. All our staff and volunteers greatly appreciate the support and dedication provided by our donors, sponsors, partners and members. I look forward to evolving the definition of collaboration in terms of the Royal BC Museum with you as a dedicated member. I look forward to seeing you soon at the museum again.

Professor Jack Lohman and Tracey Herbert, Executive Director, First Peoples’ Cultural Council sign the Memorandum of Understanding at the Languages Exhibition Workshop, Musqueam Nation

Yours,

Professor Jack Lohman, CBE Chief Executive Officer, Royal BC Museum royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

1

Catch and Collect, Preserve and Protect

By Gavin Hanke, Curator, Vertebrate Zoology

J

aws from our latest whale arrived during the last week of February, 2014. They came from the carcass of a Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) which died and later resurfaced underneath an aquaculture pen in Ross Passage, about 21 kilometres northwest of Tofino. I can imagine that the whale was a bit of a shock to the staff of the aquaculture facility. After the whale was towed to a beach and examined by researchers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we arranged to have its skeleton cleaned by Mike deRoos of Cetacea Contracting for the Royal BC Museum research collection. I think most people would understand the excitement about receiving a new whale skeleton, but this one is special. The Royal BC Museum has isolated leg bones of a Humpback, as well as foetal specimens in 2

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

1

This diversity is the raw material which was filtered by evolution to produce the bewildering array of life as we know it.

alcohol, but this is our first complete Humpback Whale skeleton. This skeleton is a significant addition to the research collection because it is the first whale in many years. As you can imagine, there are many reasons a museum would not be able to receive something as large as a whale: 1) it is difficult to prepare something this large, 2) whales may wash up in remote areas, making recovery prohibitively expensive, and 3) whale carcasses sometimes are protected for cultural reasons.

But if another Humpback turned up, I’d gladly acquire it for our research collection. The same goes for Killer Whales or Harbour Porpoises, even though we have several already.

Biological diversity is everywhere.

Walk down the street. Look at your neighbours. Are they all the same?

Are they the same age, height, weight, gender, race? Did they eat the same thing for breakfast? Are any diseased or showing signs of trauma? Some may have piercings, some have tattoos, some have both.

Even identical twins differ. Look at any drawer in the Natural History collection and you’ll see organismal variation (but not piercings and tattoos).

People regularly ask me, “Why do you need another insert species name here?” The answer is simple – diversity. Diversity permeates all life – no two organisms are identical.

In biology, all specimens are unique, regardless of species. At a quick glance, all Threespine Sticklebacks look alike. Look closer and you will discover variation between

variation to understand boundaries between species and geographic patterns within species. Variation is the reason why museums need many specimens for research and why we collect as much as we can, as often as we can. The Royal BC Museum has 196 “lots” of Threespine Stickleback - with any “lot” containing one or more specimens.

Extrapolate that to over 16,000 lots of fishes and you get an idea of the size of the ichthyology collection alone.

2

specimens. Some of the variation is obvious (i.e., some lack pelvic fins or armour).

Evolution works by natural selection on variable traits. Some individuals have a fortuitous set of traits that promote survival and reproduction; other individuals fail for one reason or another. Variation occurs through time and over a species’ range. Rates of change differ between regions. For the Threespine Stickleback, change can be rapid in small, isolated coastal lakes, but almost undetectable in the coastal marine population. The lack of variation within coastal marine stickleback and greater variation within freshwater lake populations shows where gene flow occurs.

Increased gene flow homogenises populations - reduced gene flow can amplify evolutionary trends in isolated populations. We study royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

At a museum, you can examine specimens collected yesterday, a year ago, or 100 years ago. Since 2012 we have received five American Robins to add to the 296 already in the research collection; our first lot of 36 was collected 126 years ago.

The Royal BC Museum provides you a biological time machine – I am sure human history staff feel the same about their material. Instead of only having information from the present, you have information on species through time and across geographical regions. As the curator of vertebrate zoology I don’t shoot birds and mammals, or trap mammals like early explorers did; nature is under enough pressure with urban encroachment and pollution. I accept many specimens each year - even common species. Some come from accidental deaths - road-kills, window kills, by-catch, or from researchers with a specific project.

The Royal BC Museum receives many specimens each year with a focus on British Columbia and its immediate neighbours. Already in 2014

researchers have examined variation in rodents to hone their identification skills, and we have sent Umatilla Dace to Ottawa so that researchers can confirm variation across the species’ range.

Charles Darwin collected specimens, but had no idea how scientists would analyse skins and skeletons in 2014. Like early explorers, I have no idea what will be needed for future research. We keep specimens according to standard museum practices and hope future researchers will find ways to use the material in their research. Perhaps the Glaucous-winged Gull will be the next “canary” for the urban coal mine. In recent years, a study of tissue chemistry from specimens showed when gull diets changed from natural items to garbage. Gull tissues may prove invaluable to

1 Humpback Whale flensing Researchers and staff work to clean the washed up carcass to be added to the Royal BC Museum collection 2 Threespine Sticklebacks Three samples from the collection, each with unique variations 3 American Robin One of the 301 in the collection

3

3

document changing pollution levels on this continent. I’d better collect more gulls.

Today with the pace of urban and industrial sprawl, the study of nature has taken on new urgency. With the Royal BC Museum research collection, you can look at animals and plants collected prior to the invention of plastic. You can try to see when traces of minute plastic particles appeared in planktonfeeding animals. Or maybe you want to examine the skin of amphibians to see when Chytridiomycosis arrived in

This Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum) from the Okanagan represents the northern-most specimen in North American museums

4

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

BC? Researchers may want to study the range of dietary items over the entire range of a species - and look at specimens from 50 years ago to see if a species’ diet has changed.

Perhaps someone would want to study anatomical changes as fish grow, or compare the number of eggs females produce across the range of a species. Who knew that preserved animals would be used in such ways?

The potential topics for museum research are staggering, yet many in our population have no idea that museums support research.

The multidimensional foresight needed to save material for future study is almost entirely unique to museum staff – it is part of our culture. To many, our thoughts and behaviours must look scattered or disorganised. Sometimes we are accused of being packrats. I counter that accusation with the fact that I have 296 packrats in the mammalogy collection and since I can account for variation in Neotoma cinereus, I can honestly state that I do not resemble a packrat. Try do that without a reference collection.

1

4

2

3

5

6

100 Objects of Interest

By David Alexander, Head of New Archives & Digital Preservation

T

here are over seven million objects in the Royal BC Museum collection, from the big – full whale skeletons and a Rolls Royce – to the small – bugs and thimbles galore. The vast majority of these collections are never on display. This summer, the museum and archive’s doors will be thrown open and a rare glimpse at the highlights of the collection will be offered through a new website featuring a selection of the rare, interesting, significant and amazing pieces from the Royal BC Museum.

Experts from all departments have peered into cabinets, looked through

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

drawers and racked their brains, submitting their top collection lists.

From this long list we have narrowed down 100 items. This distillation from our collection isn’t necessarily the top historical or scientific items, they aren’t always the prettiest – in fact some are downright ugly – but they are all significant in their right.

And many have fascinating stories, coming to the Royal BC Museum in ways you wouldn’t imagine.

The list includes giant squids, a handbook to gold, a spider named after a motorcycle, the first marriage license, treasures from BC’s favourite artist, a rare First Nations mask

and even a hockey stick. The online collection will offer insight into the history of the province.

Look for this new website this summer at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/100 1 Bubblegum Coral 2 Spindle Whorl 3 Kermode Bear Skull 4 Child’s Dress 5 Yellow-Bellied Snake 6 M iettia salientensis Hofmann and Mountjoy 2010, Mount Robson BC One of the oldest fossils in the collection

5

A Gallery Intervention

By Janet MacDonald, Head of Learning

T

he Royal BC Museum’s script, the original exhibition text found on panels and labels throughout the permanent galleries, is now 50 years old.

Prof. Jack Lohman, the Royal BC Museum CEO, has expressed how essential it is to refresh this narrative, just “as you would update any text book of that age.” With this in mind, the Royal BC Museum has begun to review the core scripts and text with an eye to revise key messages and to increase the enjoyment and the potential for learning for all our visitors. Phase I of this initiative began this spring with the Natural History Gallery.

6

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

The Role of Text and a Team Approach Choosing an appropriate writer for the task was the first crucial step. We found in Maleea Acker, environmental journalist and local author, an innate sensibility for the natural world. Her writing style, from examples of her published work, aligned perfectly with the communication style we were after.

She joined our re-scripting team for the month of April and together with lead curator Dr Ken Marr, curator of botany, senior designer Ken Johnson and members of our learning staff, we conducted a series of walkthroughs with all natural history

curators and collections managers.

Their combined disciplinary expertise allowed us to look at the Gallery in a holistic manner and capture the accuracy of the main narrative.

As a starting point, we acknowledged the importance of the written word in communicating main themes and key messages. According to Maleea, “Text forms a unifying reference point for our visitors as they travel through a variety of displays and exceptional dioramas” Such stunning environments can sometimes leave you visually distracted inside the story.

Cool New Fossil Tech Now don’t take Jack’s analogy of the textbook literally. We do not mean to put a book on the wall! However, there were important re-scripting considerations to keep in mind. So many, in fact, that a text strategy was implemented. We committed to acknowledging the myriad of visitor learning styles with an intention to accommodate as many of you as possible. The text would be concise, accessible and layered – the first layer being the most accessible and carrying the main message and subsequent layers providing progressively detailed information for those who want it. Most importantly, style is everything. The writing would be engaging, direct and conversational in a tone, encouraging questioning and reflection.

Getting it Write To make a long story short, we arrived at a stage in the process where the team felt comfortable with the content intent, and the conversational aspects of the written words. But, ultimately, true success would rely on whether the text resonated with you, our visiting public. And so we asked. On Sunday afternoon, April 27, we orchestrated a testing session. Our seven ‘chapter headings’ were produced in the form of text on paper mock-ups positioned strategically throughout the gallery.

Each headline panel introduced a particular exhibit to visitors as they entered the environment. royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

With the help of a team of volunteers, we were able to assess our ability to communicate and engage people.

The results were fascinating and instructive. Comments ranged from an appreciation for the larger print type to questions regarding grammatical composition and use of analogies. People of all ages, time and again, expressed their appreciation for being asked their opinion and many more felt that the signs made them think more deeply about what they were looking at.

As I write this article, the revised script is now in the hands of our trusted design team – who will turn our collaborative work into reality.

We will hang the script for your reading pleasure in June. I encourage you to let us know what you think.

Let’s not have another 50 years pass before the next revision.

O

ur ability to properly prepare fossil material for the collection has increased! Our Collection Manager in Palaeontology, Marji Johns, has been busy outfitting a portion of the vertebrate lab on the main floor of the Fannin building to accommodate some heavy duty fossil prepping equipment. Fossil material is often collected in the form of a matrix of rock containing one or many fossil representations.

Preparation of a macrofossil allows details to be revealed which are needed for identification and research. Some of the removed matrix can be chemically treated to recover microscopic fossils. Study and research on both macro- and microfossils can lead to a better understanding of past environments, climates, and the geologic history of an area. Removal of the matrix can reveal an exquisite fossil that may be exhibit quality. Plus, the reduction in matrix can allow for more efficient storage in the collection for both space and weight.

25 million year old whale vertebrae found on the west coast of Vancouver Island by Steve Suntok 7

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Steve Suntok

By Marji Johns, Collections Manager, Palaeontology other museum collections, and scrutinized palaeontology research literature.

T

reasures come to us in many different artifacts and specimens.

Today I introduce to you a human treasure; Victoria lawyer, fossil enthusiast, and Royal BC Museum volunteer Steve Suntok. Steve came to us in the late summer of 2013 with an amazing fossil discovery. He had found a rare bird bone from the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is only the second fossil of its kind found in these rocks – the first find was over 120 years ago. Bird bones do not preserve well because they are thin and hollow, an adaptation for flight.

Steve had heard from his fossil enthusiast friends that bird expert Gary Kaiser was volunteering at the museum and archives. Gary identified this fossil as a tibiotarsus leg bone from a cormorant-like bird. To make the identification, he had carefully inspected the Royal BC Museum’s modern bird research collections,

8

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

Gary and I were joking and with twinkles in our eyes said to Steve, “How about finding us another?”

Steve and his family (daughter Leah and son Graham) not only found another fossil tibiotarsus but also came back with an even rarer and new fossil bird bone from the site.

The last was in a 45 kg slab talus block that had fallen from the cliff and into the tidal zone. It had been found by Leah. The block could not be easily downsized at the beach so Steve carried it .5 kilometers out.

This rare bone will probably be a new species. We know from previous research at the site that the fossil is about 25 million years old. When Gary Kaiser’s research is published, you will be hearing more about this exciting find.

Steve has become an inspiring steward for BC palaeontology. He has gained new knowledge about fossils and collections and this has led to important donations of other rare fossils for research and learning.

He did keep a few less important specimens for his family’s enjoyment, including fossils that connect them with memorable experiences of the day.

Steve collects responsibly, meaning his discoveries mostly come from surface collection of fossils that are at greatest risk for being lost

due to weathering damage and disintegration. He selects specimens that are scientifically significant or recently exposed by erosion but are well preserved. Fossils that are discerned as important but too large to transport are photographed and brought to the attention of experts.

Collected specimens include location labels that are also numbered and recorded in a book. For important specimens, Steve learns about them through readings, by collaborating with experts, and research through local palaeontology societies or volunteering at a museum.

After documenting and donating many important specimens to the Royal BC Museum such as whale vertebrae, ribs, teeth, rare ammonites, nautiloids, crustaceans (crabs and lobsters) and unusual plant fossils, Steve also has helped unwrap, document, label, and enter data for hundreds of other fossil specimens that were recently donated. He has assisted with collections moves and the set up of palaeo lab equipment.

There are many other volunteers participating in projects matched to their skills and interests. They are all indispensable to the advancements of the palaeo collections at the museum and archives. For them, making contributions and learning are valued and we all enjoy developing friendships and gaining new experiences.

A Fossil Hunting Adventure

By Steve Suntok, Royal BC Museum volunteer & donor

A

fter gazing-up and eyeing a prize eroding out of a waterfall cliff, I knew I had to have this fossil before mother nature swept it away.

I found myself 20 feet up a steep cliff under an overhang with a water pool below. I tried climbing up but instead went for a dive and unexpected swim in January.

On the next trip, I tried climbing down with ropes, got stuck, cut myself loose to get down, went for a second swim once again during a season best reserved for skiing and snowshoeing.

Determined (my wife says obsessed), I welded a fire poker to a steel pipe but the poker broke off and it went

for a swim! The next time I built a rope ladder and climbed to the top to hang it. As I started to climb down the boards I was using for rungs broke – my third swim!

Next, I went all out and bought a telescoping ladder. I chose a 25 pound version because it was a long steep hike through the bush to get to the site. The ladder was too short. I went home empty-handed.

I went and purchased a taller ladder.

On the plus side, it was 22 feet high, on the negative side it weighed 40 pounds and was difficult to haul. A friend held the ladder steady and after an hour of carefully chipping away at rock the fossil was free. I

caught it with my one free hand and now it sits proudly in my office. It is a great ammonite but the memories make it all the better!

I love fossil hunting in British Columbia. It’s cool that we can hold in our hands the remains of ancient life from millions of years ago. I find that Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The scenery I’ve seen is by itself worth the effort and that you can find fossils while you are out there – that is a great bonus. I love adventure and learning and I have met many awesome, diverse, interesting, and kind people during these outings.

Gary Kaiser & Steve Suntok

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 9

A Rich Resource

Carr Collections

Tanoo, Q.C.I. Emily Carr, 1913

By Don Bourdon, Curator Images & Paintings

T

owards the end of her life, artist and writer Emily Carr (1871-1945) reduced the volume of her writings, letters and sketchbooks to what would fit in a battered old steamer trunk. In her unmistakable block printing, Carr expressed her wishes on a card and tacked it under the trunk’s lid: “AT MY DEATH PLEASE SEND THIS BOX AND CONTENTS INTACT TO MR. IRA DILWORTH CANADIAN BROAD-CASTING CORP. VANCOUVER B.C. [signed:] Emily Carr”. Dilworth was Carr’s confidante and literary executor, entrusted with the responsibility of managing her writings and posthumously publishing a number

10

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

of her manuscripts. Many years after Dilworth’s death, this distillation of a life’s work became one of several nuclei of the Carr collections entrusted to the care of the BC Archives.

People’s-crafted souvenir items purchased in 1907 and an articulated wooden doll that pops up in various Carr sketches, cartoons and in a documentary photograph of Carr’s studio taken shortly after her death.

The other groups of Royal BC Museum Carr collections centre around a large body of her artworks (mainly from the period preceding 1927 but including some important mature works), Carr-related artifacts and archival and library records created by her peers and scholars.

The Carr collections hold a number of surprises: some of Carr’s pottery pieces, several of her hooked rugs and artifacts, including First

While Carr’s works are cared for and exhibited in over 35 public galleries, museums and institutions and treasured in countless private collections world-wide, the largest collection of Carr’s career output is stewarded by the Royal BC Museum.

Much of it can be consulted on a daily basis in the archives or by appointment. This year, the Royal BC Museum is enhancing understanding of this rich legacy through a web

exhibition featuring a timeline stubbed with Carr’s paintings, drawings, writings photographs and artifacts. A “treasure box” Emily Carr Gallery figures prominently in the Royal BC Museum’s redevelopment vision.

Upon her death in 1945, the Province of BC purchased seven major Carr paintings including Tanoo (see accompanying figure). Artistic executor Lawren Harris selected 170 works from hundreds remaining in Carr’s home for the Emily Carr Trust Collection (now housed in the Vancouver Art Gallery and the National Gallery). Many works from her “French Period” and watercolours were identified for sale to support this Trust. Still others were set aside for destruction, though many were salvaged and eventually made their way to the BC Archives. Like so many prolific artists, Carr had already given many works away and destroyed many more, considered by her unworthy of retention.

Today the Royal BC Museum holds the majority of Carr’s artistic, literary and personal output: Carr’s personal and professional archives, over 1100 works of art, Carr’s publications and publications about her and her art, key photographs, interviews and documentaries. The works of art total 1112 items. Approximately 900 of these are on paper, primarily images in sketch books. Approximately 200 are major paintings - oil on canvas, oil on board or paper and watercolour on paper. Also included are 24 royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

representative pieces of pottery that Carr produced in large numbers for sale and several examples of the hooked rugs she used throughout her home and bestowed as gifts.

The Emily Carr fonds, (the unpublished archival records created and accumulated by Carr between 1879 and 1945) occupy 2.3 linear metres of shelf space and consist of: correspondence, journals, manuscripts, notebooks, scrapbooks, publications annotated by the artist, financial records, photographs and paintings.

Records pertaining to Carr in other fonds occupy a further 1.6 linear metres of textual records.

In particular, the records of the following are rich in detail about Carr: Edythe Hembroff-Schleicher, Flora Burns, Humphrey Toms, the Newcombe family and Richard Carr. 55 sound recordings contain interviews and radio programs about Carr and 14 moving image records contain documentaries, interviews and TV programs.

Our holdings include 10 works of art by other artists pertaining to Carr. Of particular interest are 60 photographs of or pertaining to the artist/writer, mainly formal portraits and candid shots depicting her with her art, her treasured pets and close friends. They also depict Carr family members, studio interiors, her various homes and colleagues.

Carr’s published writings, in various editions, total 59 items and in 167 other publications, Carr is the principle subject discussed.

The Archives has constructed 16 linear centimetres of artist files pertaining to Emily Carr and art/ craft works of Carr’s sisters. The files include exhibit programmes, auction information, articles, correspondence, lists and images.

The Royal BC Museum holds extensive records pertaining to the Emily Carr Gallery that used to be on Wharf Street in Victoria, its facility and program and Carr family home as a heritage building and site.

Artifacts include Emily’s Governor’s General Medal, First Peoples’ works purchased by the Carr sisters in Alaska in 1907 – and of course, the trunk.

View online exhibition royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibitions/ online

Haida Totems, Cha-atl, Queen Charlotte Island Emily Carr, 1912 11

Archives Boot Camp: Round Three

By Ann ten Cate, Archives, Gallery & Theatre Learning Team Lead

A

fter two successful and sold-out Boot Camps, BC Archives staff will be offering a third Boot Camp on Saturday, September 27, 2014.

Our Boot Camps are designed to give people a crash course on how to do research at the BC Archives. An overview of the collections is given – and whether you are a beginner or an expert, you’ll be inspired.

Prior to attending, we’ll assign you to a team with similar interests.

On the day of the Boot Camp you will rotate through various stations in our Reference Room, receiving coaching from our expert staff.

Our last Camp included the History Hounds, Bouncing Biographers, Colonial Canterers, the Bob’s My Uncle team, the Family Tree Crew and the Community Crew. By the end of the day you’ll have received some

12

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

tips about developing a research strategy, know how to find material in our collection, and you will have seen some of our most fascinating records. You’ll also get a tour of our behind-the-scenes storage areas.

The day finishes with a chance to get “stuck-in” and do some individual research with our experts on-hand.

Our staff really enjoy helping people get started with their research or head out on new tangents. It’s a day of immersion and discovery. There is definitely a real buzz in our Reference Room as staff and researchers share information. You can hear some of what went on at the last boot camp by listening to CBC Radio’s North by Northwest podcast. cbc.ca/player/Radio/ Local+Shows/British+Columbia/ North+by+Northwest/ ID/2441594449/

If you’ve already attended our Boot Camp keep your eye on our Calendar as later in the year we will start offering specialized workshops.

“Great. So glad I could come.”

“This was an excellent experience. It gives me the confidence to return to the archives prepared to ask for assistance and feeling that there is a good starting place.”

“Loved this! It’s the type of program I’d take again because there was so much info. I think I missed a lot [before].”

Register online royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/events

Supporting the Museum and Archives Through Local Art

By Christine Roome, Owner, Sweet Memory Art

S

weet Memory Art was born out of love for people and relationships – the humour and the warmth of human connection. My jewellery and art are about commemorating and celebrating the human connection and the relationships that carry us through and make us who we are.

Museums are a home for preservation and curation and the birthplace of curiosity, question, connection, history and education for people aged two–92. I believe

that museums need to surface their collections and celebrate their exhibits through connecting with the local and international community.

The Sweet Memory Art Viking jewellery line invites people to take a piece of the museum experience home. 50 percent of the retail sale of the Royal BC Museum Collection on my website will go back to the Royal BC Museum Foundation so that we can continue to learn from the past.

You can find Sweet Memory Art jewellery in the BC Museum Gift Shop, or purchase pieces on Christine’s website at sweetmemoryart.com

Feature Partner

A

s a values-based financial cooperative, Vancity is committed to transforming how banking is done so we can help our members and their local communities thrive financially, socially and environmentally.

We aren’t doing this alone. On behalf of our members and community partners we are working to place the right tools in the hands of individuals and organizations working to make our world a better place.

We seek to invest in and work closely with organizations and sectors that

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

we feel have the potential for high positive community impact, aligned with our three guiding principles – social justice and financial inclusion, environmental sustainability, and cooperative principles and practices.

Our partnership with the Royal BC Museum is an example of this approach. In our work with Aboriginal communities in the Coast Salish Territories where we do business, and through our partnership with Reconciliation Canada, we better understand the importance of dialogue and the need for all of us to gain more knowledge about the First Peoples. We have much to learn about the history of our land and its people and the importance of language and culture as roots of identity, pride and self awareness.

We’re pleased the Royal BC Museum has partnered with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council on the Our Living Languages exhibition and Aboriginal Tourism BC on the Aboriginal Cultural Festival 2014. We can accomplish more when we work together.

Check out Vancity’s online Annual Report at vancity.com/2013Annual Report for more information on how we are working to build healthy communities.

Visit vancity.com/aboriginalcommunities to learn more about how we are investing in Aboriginal communities to achieve economic strength and independence.

13

Transmission of traditional knowledge at Kaska Language Camp

Our Living Languages: A Beautiful Collaboration

By Erik Lamberston, Corporate Communications Officer

I

t wasn’t designed to be an emotional touchpoint, but sometimes people respond in surprising ways to details in the Royal BC Museum. Well before the Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC exhibition was due to open, when patches of carpet were tagged with green painter’s tape and the drywall mud was still damp, Bobbilee Copeland walked through the exhibition space.

It wasn’t completely empty. One of the exhibition’s first elements to be erected were 17 towering, doublesided pylons, clad in colourful paint and bearing the names of the 34 First Nations languages that are Indigenous to British Columbia – what will become known as the “Language Forest”.

Copeland – coordinator of the Language Revitalization program at the University of Victoria – was visiting the Royal BC Museum to discuss potential partnerships aligned with Indigenous languages 14

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

and the museum and archives’ learning programs, and was touring the unfinished exhibition space. She stopped in mid-stride when she saw her own language written on one of the pylons, then walked over and gave the metal “tree” a long hug.

For staff at the Royal BC Museum, this was an unanticipated sight, but also a welcome affirmation that the exhibition was going to have deep meaning for many visitors.

“Bobbilee’s spontaneous gesture was overwhelmingly powerful.

In that instant, I realized how important this exhibition was to her and all the champions of language revitalization, the ‘tree’ such a tangible representation of the intangible fragility of language.”

Janet MacDonald, the Royal BC Museum’s Head of Learning and Visitor Engagement Experience

It was a gratifying moment for all involved in the planning and design of the exhibition. Language is a powerful, potent marker of identity and culture. Think about the emotional resonance of the term “mother tongue” – the languages we grow up with are our kin, nourishment, and birthright.

So the revitalization of languages in BC’s First Nations communities is bound to stir up feelings of pride, loss, pain and joy. The Our Living Languages exhibition aims to tell the stories of how languages have been nearly-lost and newly awakened, and illustrate the success stories of language diversity and revitalization throughout BC. Telling these stories has been a deeply collaborative project. The Royal BC Museum has relied upon the expertise of its partner, the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, to shape the narrative, provide content and advice on cultural matters.

The Royal BC Museum’s job has been to find the compelling way to communicate the messages through design. The two organizations chose to partner closely as they fine-tune details about design, development, orthography, marketing – virtually every aspect of the exhibition.

“We are honoured to be part of creation this important exhibition. First Nations language speakers are the true experts when it comes to describing and sharing information about their languages. By involving them in the development process we hope to create an experience that is both authentic and meaningful for visitors to the museum.”

Lorna Williams, Chair of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council

In fact, the theme of co-mingled, multiple perspectives has become

a sub-theme of the exhibition itself.

For example, one of the successes of the exhibition is how well it integrates oral and aural experiences with our other senses. Visitors often expect museum-going to be a primarily visual experience. But Our Living Languages is about language transmission, a fundamentally spoken activity.

And the truth is that contemporary, innovative places like the Royal BC Museum are increasingly interactive and multi-sensory. So Our Living Language’s audio messages are supported through visuallyinteresting video content and tactile details that are rooted in First Nations culture.

Take the cradleboard theatre – a small and intimate space that will replicate a cedar root basket. Inside, visitors will be cocooned in soothing First Nations languages and lullabies for an immersive experience. The idea came from cultural advisors and the medium was designed and fabricated by the Royal BC Museum’s exhibition arts team.

language forest will “speak” as visitors approach, each “tree” wired with motion sensors. A theatre space, a rounded counterpoint to the forest spires, will be animated by presenters who will add a live dimension to this human story.

Our Living Languages will open on Saturday, June 21 – National Aboriginal Day. The Royal BC Museum will be a celebratory space that weekend, with Aboriginal Tourism BC hosting the Aboriginal Cultural Festival, June 19-21, enlivening the campus outside (see page 16 for details), and this collaborative exhibition drawing new eyes – and ears – to the fascinating and moving story of language diversity and revitalization in BC’s First Nations communities.

The cradleboard theatre is just one element of the innovative, multi-sensory exhibition. The

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 15

Aboriginal Cultural Festival F

rom June 19 to 21, Victoria will host the 2014 Aboriginal Cultural Festival, highlighting and celebrating the region’s rich indigenous culture through storytelling, artisans, dance, song and food.

Created in partnership with Aboriginal Tourism BC (AtBC), the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, the Royal BC Museum, Tourism Victoria, Robert Bateman Centre, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, and First Peoples’ Cultural Council, the festival will take place on the outdoor campus of the Royal BC Museum and around Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

16

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

The three-day festival will feature main stage performances including three-time world champion hoop dancer Alex Wells; an artisan area where people may watch demonstrations, meet the artists and also learn about the new Authentic Aboriginal program that helps consumers identify products designed, created and sold by BC Aboriginal artists; a children’s storytelling area; food vendors; and an Aboriginal Tourism BC information booth.

The festival is also an opportunity to celebrate, share and learn more

about the history of the First Nations people in BC, and the capital, before the city became Victoria. Esquimalt and Songhees Nations were one of the first nations to sign a treaty in BC – known as the Vancouver Island Treaties, which were signed between 1850–1854.

This festival also coincides with National Aboriginal Day and the launch of the Royal BC Museum’s new exhibit, Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC, opening June 21, 2014.

Learn more online aboriginalBC.com

staff profile

Gerry Truscott Publisher

G

erry Truscott earned his degree in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria in 1982, and since then he has spent his professional life editing and publishing books. He joined the Royal BC Museum in 1989 as publisher. He has edited and produced more than 100 books for the institution and has written or edited much of the

text that appears in the exhibition galleries. In 2008, he wrote the exhibition text and book for the museum’s project celebrating British Columbia’s 150 th anniversary, entitled Free Spirit: Stories of You, Me and BC. On his own time, Gerry writes fiction and has had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies. He’s also very much

interested in soccer and hockey (playing and watching), jazz and progressive rock, hiking, cycling and walking his dogs.

Royal BC Museum publications are available at your local book store, the Royal BC Museum Shop and royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/publications

Feature Partner

Canadian Geographic C

anadian Geographic magazine is a proud partner of the Royal BC Museum. One of Canada’s most award-winning magazines, Canadian Geographic is unapologetic about celebrating Canada. We’re dedicated to uncovering and communicating the stories about Canadian people, places, frontiers and issues (past and present) that Canadian magazine readers want. Published by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Canadian Geographic magazine is more than a geography publication; each issue of Canadian Geographic is a voyage of discovery and exploration that features the latest

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

science, environment, travel, human and cultural stories from across Canada.

issues of Canadian Geographic plus four issues of Canadian Geographic Travel per year.

Canadian Geographic connects with more than 3.8 million readers per issue, in Canada and abroad, who share our fascination for Canada. Filled with stunning colour photography, fascinating articles and specially commissioned maps, each issue of Canadian Geographic magazine lets you travel the country without leaving home. You’ll discover Canada’s people and cities, our wildlife and wilderness, our history and the beauty of our land.

Subscriptions include six regular

For a special subscription offer exclusive to RBCM members, please go to canadiangeographic.ca/rbcm

17

Royal BC Museum Supporters (April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014)

T

he Royal BC Museum appreciates and acknowledges the vital and ongoing financial support of the Province of British Columbia, the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and the Royal BC Museum Foundation. Their core support makes our work possible.

While approximately 63 percent of our annual operating budget

comes from the Province, and another 21 percent comes from memberships and admissions, we need to raise the remaining 16 percent – three million dollars – each year from other sources, including donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Contributions from those who value the work of the Royal BC Museum help us to meet our most pressing needs, such as:

 Acquiring items for our collection  Conserving rare and precious objects  Furthering our world-class research  Developing our learning programs  Supporting our archives  Presenting engaging exhibitions  Publishing criticallyacclaimed books

Please join us in thanking the following individuals, corporations, and foundations for their support, their demonstrated commitment, and their inspiration during the past fiscal year. $500,000+ Bell Media

$100,000 - $499,999 Royal BC Museum Foundation

Teck Resources Limited

Tourism Victoria

$25,000 - $99,999 BC Hydro

The Estate of Akiko Kamitakahara

Quark Expeditions

Black Press

Lamar Advertising Company

Times Colonist

Clipper Vacations

Pattison Outdoor Advertising

John and Joan Walton Innovators Fund

HSBC Bank of Canada

The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group

$5,000 - $24,999 Anonymous (1)

Fanny’s Cultured Cow Products Ltd

Sunset Magazine

The Bay Centre

Garth Evans

Rosita Anna Tovell

BC Transit

Friends of the BC Archives

Vancity Savings Credit Union

Black Ball Ferry Line

IMAX Victoria

Viking Air

Canadian Museums Association

Elizabeth Kennedy

Jack and Bev Wallace

CIBC

Gwendolyn Page

Westerkirk Capital

Cineplex Media

Save On Foods Memorial Centre

CTV Vancouver Island

Silk Road Tea

If you would like to support the work of the Royal BC Museum, please contact Jillian Appelman, Philanthropy Manager, at 250-387-3102 or jappelman@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 18

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

Collections

$1,000 - $4,999 Eric and Leonda Adler

Flight Centre

Patrick and Anne Anderson

Rupert and Robin Hambro

Anonymous (1)

Lynne Kennedy

Howard Armstrong in Memory of Ronald Armstrong Joyce Clearihue

Bob and Marjorie Johns

Provincial Employees Community Services Fund Pauline Rafferty and Bob Plecas

Lyall and Susan Knott

Suromitra Sanatani and David Turpin

Professor Jack Lohman CBE

Sharon Smith

Ron and May Lou-Poy

Pauline and Robert Van Den Driessche

Kenneth and Ellen Mahon

Rene and Allison Weir

Karen A. Duddlesten

Tommy Mayne

Angela Williams

Robert and Marianne Eng

Stefan and Magdalena Opalski

Daphne Corbett in memory of Joan Corbett

Conservation

$500 - $999 Anonymous in memory of Joan Corbett Robert Appleton in memory of Joan Corbett Robert and Birgit Bateman Ian Beauprie Gary and Susan Braley Jeff Bray William and Jean Cave Kelly and Rose Chu James and Jean Cosgrove

Carol Cullimore Jon, Declan and Bridget Dallison

Charles and Marjorie Moser

Joe and Linda Harvey

Pauline and John Mustard Foundation

Mark Holford in memory of Joan Corbett

Northwest Magazine Shelley Reid

Erik Lythgoe

Anne and Don Russell

Ian and Margaret Mair

Pete Seward

David Mattison

John and Fern Spring

Susan K. McMillan

W. Anthony and Darlene Southwell

Jim and Isabel Merston

Mark and Elizabeth Taylor

Research

$250 - $499 Anonymous (2)

Doreen Mitchell

Team TELUS Cares

Robin Ashforth and Gerald Thompson

Gary Mitchell

Betty Thacker

Patrick D. Crofton

Greg and Susan McKelvie

Alan Tompson

Helen Parker

Victoria International Buskers Festival

Jean E. Field and Roy A. Richford Barbara Fields Joyce Folbigg Hotel Grand Pacific Barbara Longworth Dennis McCann and Diane Darch

Barbara Potash Sandy Pratt Barbara Rae and George Suart Ernest and Adele Roberts

Education

Maryla and Donovan Waters Angela Wesley Chuck Wilson

Robert Rothwell Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Every effort has been made to ensure our supporters are recognized accurately. If you notice an error or omission, please call the Royal BC Museum Development Department at 250-387-7222.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 19

The Francis Kermode Group N

amed after the Royal BC Museum’s first director, the Francis Kermode Group is a visionary group of patrons who enjoy a special relationship with the Royal BC Museum and our world-class team of curators, conservators, researchers, collections managers and archivists.

Members of the group deepen their

1

engagement throughout the year with an exclusive series of customized learning opportunities, special privileges, and social events created to enlighten, stimulate, and inspire as they explore the treasures of the Royal BC Museum and our wonderful province.

2

To join the Francis Kermode Group or for more information, contact Jon Dallison at 250-387-3283 or jdallison@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 3

DONOR PROFILE

Sharon Smith S

haron Smith is a dedicated 10-year volunteer who now financially supports the Royal BC Museum as a member of the Francis Kermode Group. “Exciting things are coming with the redevelopment plans for the Royal BC Museum, so it has been a very interesting time for me to get more involved,” she says. “I have really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tours and getting to know the other members of the group.”

Having travelled to museums and historical sites around the world, what strikes Sharon is our uniqueness. “You just cannot see what is in this collection anywhere else. This is the only place that does

20

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

what it does. It is hugely important to get behind it, and I highly recommend that supporters consider joining the Francis Kermode Group. The activities are very enjoyable, and our financial support makes a difference to the core work of the museum and archives.”

She adds, “I have learned so much during my time with the group that I have decided to include a gift to the Royal BC Museum in my will.

I feel it is an opportunity to extend my values and my dedication to the museum and archives beyond my lifetime. The support is needed and the cause is very important to future generations.”

4

1 British Columbia MLA Lana Popham and Royal BC Museum CEO Prof. Jack Lohman discussing an artifact from the exhibition Vikings: Lives Beyond the Legends 2 H is Excellency Teppo Tauriainen, Swedish Ambassador to Canada, and the Honourable Linda Reid, MLA for Richmond East and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly at the Annual Kermode Gala.

3 Prof. Jack Lohman, CEO, Royal BC Museum, with Seiji Okada, Consul General of Japan, and his wife, Yasuko Okada.

4 Sharon Smith, Francis Kermode Group patron and 10-year volunteer

Steve Suntok, fossil donor and volunteer

Gifts to the Collections (April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014)

T

here are over seven million artifacts and objects in the Royal BC Museum’s permanent collections making it one of the largest and most impressive museum collections in the country. These objects bring life to the story of British Columbia in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire.

Many of these items are accessioned as gifts from generous museum and archives supporters, who want to

see a favourite piece, often a family heirloom, live on forever and impact future generations. The Royal BC Museum is grateful for objects that help us further our provincial mandate, to advance new knowledge and understanding of British Columbia’s natural history and human history.

Acquiring a new object is just the beginning of the story. Through

professional conservation, protection measures and display consultations, our highly-skilled conservation staff ensure that each piece is properly cared for and preserved.

Conservation efforts are at the core of the important work we do and the end result is that another integral piece of British Columbia’s history is shared with the world.

We wholeheartedly thank our generous donors to the collection during the past fiscal year.

Mary Andrews

Carole Davidson

Frank Lomer

David Starr

Anonymous (35)

Howard Dirks

Sandy McLachlan

Steve Suntok

Bruce Archibald

Raymond Graham

H. Edward McLean

Howard Armstrong in Memory of Ronald Armstrong

George Guy

Mona Mosher

Hanson Materials Limited

Brett Nelson

Rosita Anna Tovell in Memory of Freeman M. Tovell

Edward Harvey

Margaret Nelson

James Douglas Helmcken

Dean Nicholson

South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service

Dave Henly

Frank Ogden

John Veillette

Michael Holmes

Margaret Ogilvie

Richard Holmes

Out of the Mist Gallery

Rick Watson and Mike Watson

Gord Hutchings

Nettie Pasieczka

Carl Jonsson

Tom Perry

Milan and Sharon Lacika

Bernie Simpson

Gary Bell Peter Bock James Burgess Delphine Castles Tom Cockburn Michael Cooper Carole Cullimore

Robert D. Watt and Alison Watt David Yuen

Have you considered leaving a gift in your will?

A

s Sharon Smith noted (on the previous page), a will presents a wonderful opportunity for you to extend your values beyond your lifetime, and a meaningful way to connect past, present, and future generations. Once you have made

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

arrangements for your loved ones, please consider the merits of making a bequest to the Royal BC Museum.

Gifts such as these are incredibly helpful in ensuring the long-term financial health of the museum and archives.

For more information, or to let us know that you have included us in your will, please contact Jonathan Dallison at 250-387-3283 or jdallison@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

21

GOING DIGITAL

Global Plants Initiative

By Dr Erica Wheeler, Botany Collections Manager, Collections Care & Conservation TYPE SPECIMEN = the particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached The Global Plants Initiative The Royal BC Museum has recently become a partner in the Global Plants Initiative (GPI). GPI is a collaborative effort among herbaria to make digital images of all botany TYPE SPECIMENS available to researchers via access to a centralized repository. This repository currently holds over 1.8 million high resolution images of TYPE SPECIMENS contributed by over 270 herbaria from more than 70 countries. GPI is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the image repository is housed and accessed electronically through (Journal Storage) JSTOR. The Royal BC Museum herbarium houses over 80 TYPE SPECIMENS that will be included in this important digitization effort.

Describing and naming new species of plants Over 400,000 species of plants are known to science. That is to say, more than 400,000 species have been formally described and named by taxonomic experts. Describing and naming new species is often slow and can be a complicated process. A recent study reported that it takes an

22

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

average of 21 years from the date a taxonomist spots something new to science to the date the new name is officially recognized. Two things are required:  T he new name and a formal Latin description must be validly published, and  T YPE SPECIMENS must be designated and deposited in a publicly accessible herbarium During the time that a plant taxonomist is doing the work required to describe a new species, they collect and preserve specimens for study. The main goal of their study is to describe it in very precise terms. In particular, how does this new species differ from other related species?

Are the petals a different colour? Are the tiny hairs on the underside of the leaves a different shape? Is this new species found in markedly different habitats than other closely related species?

After the author has described and chosen a name for the new species, TYPE SPECIMENS are designated from the study material. TYPE SPECIMENS are the particular specimens to which the scientific name of the new species is formally attached. Because these are of great importance to the science of documenting biodiversity, more

than one TYPE SPECIMEN is often designated and these are distributed among different herbaria for safekeeping. In the event that one TYPE SPECIMEN is destroyed or lost, the others will still be available for study.

There are at least seven categories of TYPE SPECIMENS, but HOLOTYPES and ISOTYPES are the most important.  HOLOTYPE: the single specimen designated by the author at the time of publication as the specimen upon which the description and name is based  ISOT YPE: any specimen collected on the same date and from the same location as the specimen that is designated as the HOLOTYPE Roemer’s fescue In 1983, Royal BC Museum botany curator Dr Leon Pavlick described and published the name of a new variety of grass commonly known as `Roemer’s fescue’. The scientific name for this grass is Festuca idahoensis Elmer var. roemeri Pavlick.

Names often describe a notable characteristic of a species, or sometimes recognize the person who first discovered the new species.

Roemer’s fescue was named after Dr Hans Roemer, a well-known BC botanist who made some of the early collections of this grass.

In the Royal BC Museum herbarium, we store the HOLOTYPE of Festuca idahoensis Elmer var. roemeri Pavlick in a special cabinet reserved for such important specimens. High resolution images of this specimen and images of other TYPE SPECIMENS in the botany collection will soon be available to researchers around the world via the JSTOR repository.

Access to these images will facilitate global biodiversity research.

The Royal BC Museum herbarium is thrilled to contribute to this effort!

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

23

Artists Get Inspired by the Collection

By Chris O’Connor, Schools & Family Learning Team Lead

T

he Artists in Residence program began in September of 2013. Three artists – Aimee van Drimmelen, Lindsay Delaronde and Garth Gaudin – were selected to take part in the inaugural season of this project. In addition to their involvement in events throughout the programming year, every two weeks they visit different collections areas of the museum and archives. The work they create chronicles both the extraordinary collections and the important work being done by staff and volunteers to maintain collections.

The artists are allowed to go behind the scenes and explore the collections. Aimee dived into the Botany collection which houses over 215,000 specimens, made up primarily of native and introduced plant species found in British Columbia.

Most specimens are gathered, pressed, and affixed to cardstock that is marked with collection data for future reference. The specimens are then stacked in folders, bagged, and stored in lockers. The earliest specimen in Botany is currently lichen, collected in 1889.

Royal BC Museum volunteer Daniela Toriola was helping prepare some new specimen sheets on the day the artists visited. She carefully arranged the pressed plants, gluing them onto the page with assorted metal weights to hold them down until they dried. Daniela noted that she always tries to make the presentation as beautiful as possible.

It takes a lot of creativity to prepare specimens. Whether it’s taxidermy,

scientific drawings or the placement of sea creatures in a jar, a lot of care is taken to make things visually appealing. The preservation team takes pride in their work, knowing that the collections will be looked upon for years to come.

On her visit, Aimee used a “spill safe” ink jar. The ink mixed with water was perfect for capturing the transparency of leaves and petals and the dark curly roots. She used a couple drops of water to wet her brush, and introduced ink with a brush pen.

Follow along with our artists and their creations on the Royal BC Museum Blog royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/kids/ artists-in-residence Check out Aimee’s personal blog, featuring more entries and animations from different collection areas aimeesketchblog.wordpress.com

Ink drawing of liliaceae zigaderius Aimee van Drimmelen from the Botany collection

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 25

A Closer Look

A Vice-Regal Mystery

By Dr Lorne Hammond, Senior History Curator & Colleen Wilson, Textile Conservator

O

ur story began when I was contacted by a donor who wondered if the Royal BC Museum would be interested in a donation of an unusual uniform. The uniform included an ornate gold-threaded jacket and a feathered bicorn hat embroidered with the initials, “T Mc R”. Could this uniform have belonged to a Premier or a Lieutenant-General of British Columbia?

Where did it come from? In 1946 young “Tuck” Hutch was asked to clean out the sub-basement of an old Vancouver hotel and get rid of its contents. In a rusty abandoned box he found a gold sword, a gold-threaded uniform and a feathered bicorn hat. Fascinated, he took it home and posed in it. His girlfriend (who later became his wife) their friends and later Tuck’s grandchildren, wore it for costume parties.

The uniform had modifications: some gold brocade was cut off and changes were tried and abandoned.

The hat’s feathers proved too brittle for use in a bride’s hair ornament and broke. Generations of the family posed in and loaned the garment, as seen in many of the photographs the family have shared with me.

From emails I studied the digital images, I began investigating the mystery of whose garment it was.

No, it was not Premier McBride’s, as I learned he had no middle initial.

26

What’s inSight

Summer 2014

We had a real mystery. I had a suspicion, but no proof. I explained my idea to the family and we received a wonderful and very kind donation to our collection of the uniform that the family had cherished for over half a century. The family privately published a book about this story and donated a copy to us, a first in my experience.

Research took me to a guide on London’s military button makers.

Contracts changed constantly and makers often moved, but most put their name and address on the back of the ornate buttons. I soon had a five year window. The hat had initials.

They might be those of the Hon Thomas Robert McInnes (1840-1904).

I checked official photographs for the embroidered chest patterns, which also vary a great deal. I found a possible match. Digging deeper I learned that McInnes and his family lost almost everything when fire destroyed Government House in May 1899. Accounts tell us a staff member rushed in and tossed his Vice-Regal uniform out a second storey window, at no small risk. The garment bag we had did indeed have smoke stains.

Born in Nova Scotia the Hon Thomas Robert McInnes was a Harvard educated physician who

practiced at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster.

Appointed by Prime Minister John A. McDonald to the Senate, he later became our sixth LieutenantGovernor (1897-1900). He promoted mining in Atlin but proved unpopular after removing two premiers and alienating the Legislature. Pressure built on him to resign, but he refused.

The political deadlock in British Columbia created a constitutional crisis in Ottawa. For the first time in Canadian history a LieutenantGovernor was removed from office with the agreement of the Prime Minister and the Governor-General.

The former Lieutenant Governor moved into a Vancouver hotel and later went for a one-year Pacific cruise. He returned in ill health, to die in Vancouver of a heart attack on

1

1 “Tuck” Hutch, posing with the hat brim pulled down, in 1947 2 T he label that proved it

2

March 15, 1904. This was very likely his uniform but was still not proven. That proof came from the work of my colleague Colleen Wilson, our textile conservator…

When Dr Hammond brought in the donation he asked whether the uniform could be reassembled for display. There had been considerable cutting and cobbling at the jacket back, the trousers’ waist was a mass of shreds, the hat looked chewed, and there was a box of assorted fragments of fabric and metal thread embroidery. In the course of examining the materials, a label was found in the trousers seam identifying the uniform as having belonged to T R McInnes.

Examination also clarified that the metal thread is brass, not the gold that it appears to be.

The back of the jacket had been cut apart and re-sewn at a later date by someone who did not understand the original construction. The two tails were of different lengths and the lining no longer covered them. When the newer stitching was removed it became obvious that all the pertinent pieces were there: the cut edge of the centre back embroidery fit exactly against the cut edge of the back of the jacket. The lining of the tails had been folded under, and when released, revealed two pockets and the wonderful hand sewing of 19 th Century tailoring. By stitching royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

3

4

3 Button inscribed with name and address of its maker 4 S word found with uniform

the cut areas to black cotton it was possible to re-assemble the jacket.

Areas of the silk lining that had been worn to shreds were covered with fine, sheer silk to protect it from further abrasion while leaving the jacket’s beautifully quilted interior visible for examination.

The trousers, too, were virtually intact; just the waistband lining was in shreds. The oak leaf patterned metallic bands were found among the fragments and re-united with the trouser legs.

The hat was missing a few critical stitches and a lot of its feathery presence. Careful hand stitching secured the band and upright sides. Ostrich feathers were dyed and curled to match the grubby, yellowed remnants of the extant plumage. The feather shafts were split and cut away so the new plumes could be sewn to black cotton tape. This was then basted behind the original feather band. On close examination it is clear what is original, but the overall appearance has been returned to its initial glory.

Mystery solved and thanks to the gift of our donors, we now hold a fabulous and historically important garment, one linked to a Canadian and Provincial Constitutional crisis, a tragic fire, and a forgotten moment in British Columbia’s history, now restored and safe within our collections.

27

What’s on

For a full listing of what’s happening at the Royal BC Museum pick up our 2014 Program Guide at the Box Office or view our calendar online: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Programs and events subject to change. See website for the latest calendar.

Museum HOURS: 10 am – 5 pm daily. Summer hours (May 23 – September 27) 10 am – 10 pm, Friday & Saturday only

ADULT LECTURES & EVENTS Helmcken House & St Ann’s Schoolhouse Open for Summer June 1 – September 2 Noon – 4 pm Included with admission or by donation Vikings and Canada June 13, 7:00 – 8:30 pm $16 per person 10% member discount Grant Keddie, Curator of Archaeology at the Royal BC Museum, will examine the deep history of the Vikings, the DNA evidence of their origins and their lives in Canada.

Aboriginal Cultural Festival 2014 June 19 – 21 Free Royal BC Museum Campus Celebrate BC’s First Nations and Métis cultures through performances and events.

Vikings ParTEA July 10 Membership Early Bird Price: $40 Register by June 27 Membership Regular Price: $50 Non-Member Price: $55 Royal BC Museum Campus In Colaboration with Silk Road Tea Devour deletable treats while Daniela Ceublic demonstrates the art of creating tea infused cocktails.

Victoria International Buskers Festival July 18 – 27 Free Royal BC Museum Campus Celebrate the medium of chalk art featuring local and international artists.

The Vikings Are Here August 9 & 10, 11 am – 4 pm Included with admission or membership Discover the vital role Vikings played as traders, seafarers and discoverers with members of the Society for Creative Anachronism as they recreate a Viking market site.

Night Shift: Vikings!

August 9, 8 – 11 pm $50 per person 10% member discount Night Shift is an opportunity for adults to explore creative connections to our feature exhibition through unique displays, special guests, live music, entertainment cash bar and food.

Vikings Gallery Tour August 21 11 – 11:40 am & 1 – 1:40 pm Included with admission or membership No registration required With over 500 artifacts, Vikings is one of the largest collections of Viking material ever seen in North America.

Join Dr Erin McGuire as she focuses on some of the more important objects.

Exhibition Hundreds and Thousands Opens in August Musical Bouquets of Emily Feathers: Emily Carr and the Birds August 21 & 22 Emily Carr: The Music of Her Time August 28 & 29

emilycarr.com/events What’s inSight

Summer 2014

Canada’s Titanic – The Empress of Ireland April 29 – October 20 Treasures from Within: Sculptural Forms in Marine Design May 2 – June 30 Weird and Wonderful June 3, 5, July 24 | 12 pm June 16, 24, 30, July 14, 28, Aug 5, 7, 12, 20, 25 | 1pm Included with admission Explore some of the eccentric stories about Bastion Square, the Maritime Museum and the magical array of oddball objects contained within its walls.

Women at Sea June 18, 25, July 16, 27, Aug 17, 27 | 1 pm June 21, July 11, 25, Aug 9, 24 | 2 pm Included with admission Discover the myriad roles performed by women in maritime trades from piracy, to commerce, to the military!

Learn more online mmbc.bc.ca/exhibits FEATURE EXHIBITIONS

EMILY CARR HOUSE 207 Government St Open Tuesday to Saturday Until September 30 11 am – 4 pm

Learn more online

28

THE MARITIME MUSEUM OF BC

Vikings: Lives Beyond the Legends May 16 – November 21, 2014 Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC Opens June 21, 2014 IMAX FEATURES Now Playing Vikings: Journey to New Worlds D-Day: Normandy 1944 Great White Shark Island of Lemurs: Madagascar For more information please visit imaxvictoria.com or phone 250-953-4629

Your support is needed Cellulose nitrate. Modern plastics present new challenges to conservators as materials such as this cellulose nitrate comb can deteriorate rapidly under normal conditions.

Sometimes plastics must be frozen to preserve them.

New Affinity Membership D

eepen your connection to the museum and archives through our new Affinity member program and enjoy exclusive events and privileges.

Affinity membership dues include a membership subscription fee of $105.60 and a voluntary taxdeductible donation for the remaining amount.

Donation amounts will directly support our worldclass conservation, collections, research and access.

Upgrade your membership today and support the great work we do! Call 250-387-3102 or email donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Admission fees and membership cover only 21% of the cost of caring for and sharing our collection. Please consider making a donation today to help us continue our important work.  Yes, I would like to help support the important work of the

Royal BC Museum

Single Gift  $50  $100

 $250  $500

$ _________ Other

 Cheque (made payable to Royal BC Museum Foundation, charitable registration number #118933241RR0001

Please charge my  Visa  MasterCard  American Express

Monthly Gift On the:  1st or  $25  $50

 15th of each month, I would like to give:

$ _________ Other

Please charge my

 Visa  MasterCard  American Express

CREDIT CARD # EXPIRY DATE

CARDHOLDER’S NAME

SIGNATURE

All gifts are eligible for a tax receipt. Please send my charitable tax receipt to: (Please complete in block capitals) Name Address

Collector $350  Exclusive early morning gallery viewings with coffee and newspapers  Exclusive feature exhibition preview  Two guest passes  Tax receipt for CRA approved amount * Conservator $750 Collector benefits, plus:  Exclusive tours led by a museum expert (two per year) Guardian $1,000 Collector and Conservator benefits, plus:  F our guest passes  Reciprocal privileges to over 500 selected museums and art galleries across North America  Eligibility to host event, with appropriate rental fee  Recognition on annual donor wall Affinity membership dues include a membership subscription fee of $105.60 and a voluntary tax-deductible donation for the remaining amount.

City

Postal Code

Telephone Email Name for Donor Recognition Purposes

This gift is made in honour of

Other Ways to Give  I would like to learn more about leaving a gift in my will for the Royal BC Museum Foundation. Please contact me to confirm that my wishes can be honoured.

Thank you for supporting the Royal BC Museum.

Please return this form, along with your donation to: The Royal BC Museum Foundation 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9W2 For more information please Phone: 250-387-7222 Email: donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Web: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/support Royal BC Museum Foundation Privacy Policy

The personal information collected on this form is collected under the legal authority of the Societies Act (RSBC 1996, C. 433) and is subject to the personal Information Protection Act (SBC 2003, C. 63).

The personal information collected will be used to update/maintain our donor list, issue tax receipts and publicly recognize your donation. Personal information collected will be shared with the Royal BC Museum to provide you with up to date information on current events/exhibitions.