From Time to Time: 1928 - 2008

July 1, 2008 - June 7, 2009

Eighty years apart, but the same town: “From Time to Time” contrasts the lives of two fictitious youths living in 1928 Oakville with those of two fictitious Oakville teenagers living today.  

Shadows of War

November 3 - 16, 2008

This exhibit pays homage to Oakville’s war veterans and community members who have lived under the shadows of war.

Jellybean Madness

July 18 - August 3 2008

Jelly Bean madness represents six student curators who participated in Curator’s Camp at the Oakville Museum from July 14 -18, 2008. This small but enthusiastic team of campers worked with the museums’ curator and programming staff to build an exhibit about themselves. Their exhibit concept came from the colourful jelly bean candy which became representative of the individuality of each curator; six kids, six flavours and six lives.
 
During their week at camp the curators had a chance to go behinds the scenes at the museum, in an effort to inspire and contribute to their exhibit. The creative team designed and distributed promotional material for their exhibit, and at the end of the week they celebrated their “jar” (exhibit) opening with family and friends.  

The Jellybeans of the jar include: Aidan, Firoza, Joanna, Kiara, Nicole, and Sean.

view the Jellybean Madness image gallery  

Obscure, Odd & Obsolete — Curiosities from the Oakville Museum

"Old, New, Borrowed and Blue" - February 27 - September 30, 2007

A Walk Down the Aisle: Vintage Bridal Runway Show - Saturday February 24, 2007.

Once Upon A Time - Dolls & Toys From Long Ago

Doll History
A brief chronology of commercially produced antique dolls found in America began with English wooden and wax dolls, German paper mache and glazed china or unglazed parian dolls. By the 1870s bisque dolls had taken precedence, and the beautiful French Fashion dolls, were not only illustrative of the splendor of the French couturier's hand and industry, but were a child's plaything as well.

Every conceivable item that a woman might have in her wardrobe or toilette was duplicated for the doll; elegance and conspicuous consumption were taught to the pampered child through her doll. The bisque doll with the proportions of a child then followed, and the French bebes of Jumeau and Bru were perhaps the most beautiful of all.

German competition with bisque dolls was strong, and led to examples from fine firms such as Kestner, Simon & Halbig, and Handwerck. The French dolls were luxury items when produced and were made in smaller quantities than the German.

By the middle of the twentieth century, the new material, plastic, began to be used for dolls, and within a decade had completely displaced composition. These dolls represent a whole different arena of collecting. For example, they generated the terms "mint in box" and "never removed from box", which transport the doll from a well-preserved but used plaything to a doll, old but new. Gene, Tyler Wentworth and others extend this trend, being made exclusively for the collector. The collectibles market for dolls thus seems two-fold: dolls initially made for play but bought as a collectible and thus were mint, and dolls made solely for the collector. Other dolls were made for costume's sake, and as such reflect our time with a grace and panache reflective of French fashion and her period of glory. Barbie, could serve as quite a guide to the end of the twentieth century, herself alone reflecting the changes in costume, attitudes and opportunities available to women, from her early years as homemaker, shopper, nurse, teacher, ballerina, perpetual prom queen, businesswoman to doctor, jet pilot, astronaut and presidential candidate.

The Babbie Wilson Collection

From the Curator’s Desk…
By Susan Semeczko, Curatorial Assistant

The latest temporary Exhibit at the Oakville Museum, “The Babbie M. Wilson Collection”, came about by serendipity!

I was returning a gown used in the “Fashions and Rations” display to its box and glanced at the rest of its contents. WOW! Tucked in safely amongst the acid free tissue was the prettiest gold party dress. Also in box number 38, held in the South Bathroom costume collection, were a black crepe bolero, a blue silk dress and a pink silk dress along with the gold dress. It was a feast for the eyes. All those wonderful 1920s and 1930s party clothes just begged to be put into an exhibit.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the accession number (1981.18…) and discovered that it was part of a large donation. And so an Exhibit idea was born. Each new box revealed something beautiful and interesting. I had to know more about the woman with the unusual first name and wonderful costume legacy.

I was lucky enough to speak with her son, Donald M. Wilson who told me that Babbie is her “real” name – it is not abbreviated or a nickname. She was born in Salt Lake City and grew up in New York City with her Mother, who was a buyer for one of the major Manhattan department stores of the day. She met her husband, Mr. Ross Wilson, at Columbia University. They moved to Toronto initially and then moved to Oakville in 1947.

Mrs. Wilson’s dresses, coats, hats, gloves, shoes, scarves and her shawl all give us clues to the woman wore them. What a fascinating life she must have had…

The “Babbie M. Wilson Collection” Exhibit runs from 15 August, 2006 to 7 January, 2007.

Fashions and Rations Display at Oakville Museum, June 1- July 1, 2006

As rationing came into effect in 1942, clothing, food and  gasoline limits were needed to make certain that these scarce resources were shared across the country.  Women were encouraged to sew their own clothes and knit for the soldiers at war, which naturally evolved fashion into a utilitarian style.  For more information please contact Oakville Museum at 905-338-4400. 

The HMCS Oakville Display May 12 - July 1, 2006

A Century of Sleepwear at Erchless Estate

High Fashions: Hat History 1770-1970

Explore the most necessary accessory of the 19th & first half of the 20th centuries - the hat.  The High Fashions exhibit will unveil the inspiration of the Hat, which has been regarded as a catalyst for social and political change.

Exhibit by Jonathan Walford of Kickshaw Productions. 
Sponsored in part by Oakville Place Shopping Centre.

Ready to Tear – Paper Fashions of the 1960s

Oakville Museum kicked off the opening of their fall exhibit "Ready to Tear: Paper Fashion of the 1960s" on Tuesday October 4, 2005 with special guest Jonathan Walford, Fashion Historian, & Collector.  Ready-to-Tear Paper Fashions Exhibit runs from October 4, 2005 to January 15, 2006 and will introduce fashion aficionados to the notorious paper dress of the 60s, which was really a piece of canvas that embodied the avant-garde spirit of op & pop art.

The paper dress was a powerful advertising medium for commercial products such as Campbell's Soup.  Featured in this exhibit is the "1967 Souper Paper Dress" which is a great illustration of the approach towards consumerism and advertising during this era.  With over fifty pieces of paper garments and apparel on display from the private collection of Jonathan Walford, visitors will get a real feel for the sixties.  Showcasing geometric designs, to bold colourful flower-power prints, to psychedelia. Included in this exhibit is the Oakville Museum's very own paper dress donated by Oakville resident June Hitchcox.

Above, left to right:

1. Susan Semeczko, Oakville Museum volunteer enjoying Paper Fashions.
2. The paper dress was a very powerful ad medium for political campaigns used in the 60s by Pierre Trudeau, Richard Nixon, Robert Kennedy & George Romney.
3. Abstract floral print spun bonded polyester dress.

All that Glitters: Dressing Up - Oakville Museum Costume Display

The "All that Glitters: Dressing Up" Oakville Museum Costume Display will showcase the prettiest frocks ever to grace Erchless, dating from 1918 to 1939.  Oakville residents have donated a majority of these incredibly designed, classic pieces that represent the sophistication of fashion in Oakville.  Enjoy this glittery, colourful and incredible collection on until mid-January.

Remnants of History: Quilts from the Oakville Museum Collection

To promote the rich history preserved by museums across Ontario, Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate proudly celebrated Museum Month with the opening of its spring exhibit Remnants of History: Quilts from the Oakville Museum Collection on Saturday May 14, 2005.  This exhibit takes a look at the historic art of quilt making by describing the historical significance of marriage, signature and crazy quilts and also highlights “tools of the trade”.

Oakville Museum's "Remnants of History: Quilts from the Oakville Museum Collection" on display at the Canadian Home & Country Show.

Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate took it up a few notches as they "featured" their quilt exhibit - Remnants of History:  Quilts from the Oakville Museum Collection Exhibit (which just closed on September 25, 2005) at The 2005 Canadian Home & Country Show October 28-October 30, 2005.  Special thanks to our dedicated handy man Tony Szeile & museum volunteer Susan Semeczko!

Clockwise from top left:
Oakville Museum volunteer Susan Semecko and Tony Szeile setting up the quilt exhibit.
Oakville Museum quilt exhibit at the Canadian Home & Country Show.
Oakville signature quilts circa 1883 & 2004
Carolyn Cross and Suzy Godefroy of Oakville Museum

Art Moderne: Industrial Design at Home in the 1930s

Oakville’s Black History Exhibit

Upper Canada’s early Anti-Slavery Act was followed in 1833 by the complete abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. In the United States however, slavery continued. Both free and escaped slaves from the United States had been making their way to Canada for many decades. Gradually their routes became more established as the “Underground Railroad”. This term referred to a secret network of African American and White, men and women, who used railroad language as a code to escort and assist individuals following the North Star to freedom.

The flow of African Americans into Canada increased dramatically after 1850, with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in the United States. This Act encouraged the capture and return to slavery of African Americans, eliminating their right to testify on their own behalf, and denying their right to jury trial. This Act increased the risk to free African Americans as well. Anyone aiding in the escape of a slave could be fined or imprisoned, and many were.

It was through great personal sacrifice and great secrecy that the Underground Railroad continued to operate, doubling Ontario’s African American population from about 20,000 to 40,000 in the first ten years after the Fugitive Slave Act.

Many Loyalists who had fought and lost on the side of the British during the American Revolution (1775-83) settled in the area of Upper Canada, known today as Ontario. Among these Loyalists were African Americans - some who were free since volunteering to serve with the British Forces, and others who were still slaves to their British masters.  Upper Canada officially became a province in 1791, and John Graves Simcoe was its first Lieutenant Governor. A long-time supporter of the abolition of slavery, Simcoe introduced the Anti-Slavery Act, which was passed on July 9, 1793. The Act was “to prevent the further introduction of slaves, and to limit the term of contracts for servitude” within the province, allowing children of existing slaves to be automatically set free at the age of 25 years. This Act did not free existing slaves already in the province however, who were still considered as the property of their owners, and could still be bought and sold.

As a result of the Anti-Slavery Act, Upper Canada soon came to be viewed by African American slaves as the “Promised Land”. By the 1820s, “Underground Railroad” routes were already established, bringing more African Americans from the United States to freedom in Canada.

Shadows of War: Not So Long Ago in the 20th Century