NEVER DISMISS PROVENANCE AS THE BIGGER PART OF AN ANTIQUE OR COLLECTABLE ITEM'S VALUE
THE MISSING INFORMATION MEANS A LOST CONNECTION TO THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST
NOTE: The portrait above, a nice Muskoka-art-piece by the way, was offered to us for publication on this blog, by owner Chris Thompson, of Gravenhurst. It is a self portrait of Gravenhurst / and Bala artist, Ruth Gaunt Bennett, who was also an accomplished author, with three books to her credit. Ruth studied under Canadian painters, such as Charles Comfort, and also select members of the famed Group of Seven, while at art college. The portrait was purchased at an estate-style sale, in the early 1990's, at the Bennett's Sarah Street home, where she lived with her husband, Dr. Wilfred Bennett, Muskoka's Chief Medical Officer of Health, in the 1980's. I was at the same sale, and purchased their entire Muskoka book collection, plus at least a hundred of her sketches and paintings, all eventually sold to those who knew, and appreciated the work of the talented local artist. Her best known book was "Diary of a Muskoka Maid," which was a true story, with relevance to the Village of Windermere on Lake Rosseau. Thanks Chris for allowing us to highlight Ruth's art work, via this blog.
Would you be interested in a book once owned by Ernest Hemingway? Just think, he may have used it as a source of inspiration, for one of his own manuscripts! What about an antique Persian Carpet, walked-on for decades by royalty? A smoking jacket worn by Humphrey Bogart, or a prop item used in the film, "African Queen?" By the same token, think of your great grandparents, and what you would like to have possessed of their lifetime holdings. A cottage on the Muskoka lakes. A Rolls Royce? A Ditchburn launch? Something special, like a piece of vintage jewelry. A pocket watch owned by your great uncle, who worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway? How about a beautiful landscape painting by a Canadian artist, who happened to be a friend of your parents? Well then, just think about these pieces, without having any provenance whatsoever. Hey, they're still valuable pieces with even the most basic provenance of their manufacture, but they don't have the all important story of past ownership, which can make a world of difference to value and the desire of someone else to own what you possess. It might surprise you, to know how much provenance and pedigree can escalate the market value, of even the most ordinary antique item. You've probably heard about collectors who have considerable volumes of "celebrity hair," and if nothing else, it proves the worth of provenance; other than that, you've got bins of someone else's hair. Wow, that's weird. Collecting hair is more popular and widespread than you might appreciate. Just think how many young fans would like a lock of Justin Beiber's hair. There are DNA seekers out there, and it could even be a used tissue, that becomes an item of considerable value between collectors. I didn't make the rules, and by the way, there are no rules when it comes to this.
I visit antique malls and shops every week. And each time I leave, after a good, long browse, I have the same opinion. Why oh why is there such a shortage of listed provenance? You know, the story of the antique quilt? The small but significant note attached, that explains who made it, in what locale of the world, the approximate date it was crafted, names of the last owners, and where it was purchased, and why it came up for sale. Yes, I do expect, that whenever possible, an antique dealer will infill this information, because it is their obligation of due diligence, and in fact, it adds value to the subject piece. It is hypocritical of me to write this, because there are many items in our own shop, that are being sold minus this provenance, I weigh as being so darn important. Well, the reason provenance is missing from some of our antiques and collectables, is based on how we acquire our inventory in the first place. There are lots of times when it just isn't possible to establish such a history of creation and ownership, because we are buying it from a second hand shop, where there is no companion information to carry-forth. If we want the piece, we have to swallow the reality, we may never be able to trace it back beyond finding it in a second hand shop. We will tell our customers where a subject piece came from, if it doesn't reveal to precisely, for example, our secret fishing hole. We will just indicate what region and what community the subject piece was purchased, but we think something is better than nothing in this case. Our customers appreciate this attention to detail. It's good business to do what the customers wish; and they want to know more about the piece they are buying. It's not an unrealistic demand. In many cases, all it would take is a note-pad and pen, carried along on buying trips, and a willingness of the dealer, to ask a vendor if the item carries any provenance, how ever insignificant in may seem. A goodly number of vendors probably don't think that letting a buyer know a pipe collection belonged to a great-grandfather, who may also have been a commander in the military; or possibly a well known writer of children's books from a bygone era. Gosh, it is of huge importance to know this stuff. Of course it matters. There is a different valuation, between a vintage guitar, for example, that was signed by Eric Clapton, but another think entirely, to be buying a guitar that he used to record one of his well known songs. I'd prefer the provenance of past ownership more so than an autographed guitar. Both are nice but one is far more valuable; and like a game worn hockey or baseball jersey, an instrument that was actually played by a musician, carries that trace DNA, and some undefined music spirit that means a lot to heart and soul guitar players.
Today's breed of antique dealer, doesn't feel the same as the folks I was mentored by, when I started in the profession back in the mid 1970's. I used to haunt a lot of mom and pop antique shops, in and around Toronto, when I was at university, and I never had an occasion, in dozens of wonderfully appointed old shops, that I couldn't get a conversation going with the proprietors, about the nuances and traditions of our historic and tradition-laden profession. It was explained to me very emphatically, that one should always attempt to research and document provenance, on significant pieces of inventory, for the benefit of customers, and the increased value a story can add to an antique. If you've got a vinegar crock, or a ginger beer crock, the only necessity for provenance, would be if it came from the homestead, or estate of someone particularly famous. Elvis? If former United States President, Woodrow Wilson, for example, had consumed some ginger beer from this crockery vessel, while staying at "The Bluff" resort, in Minett, on the shore of Lake Rosseau, which he did before being elected, and it could be proven by passed down documentation, then one would expect to pay much more than the twenty five bucks for the item at an antique shop. Generally however, the items most affected in this way, are personal pieces, with a very intimate connection. Think back to the auctions to sell-off former President John F. Kennedy's personal items, including golf clubs and rocking chair, and Jackie's collection following her death many years later. A dress worn by Princess Diana, or an original costume from the making of the movie class, "The Wizard of Oz." You hear and see reports, and video about these connected, heirloom sales all the time. For some reason, there is a general lack of enthusiasm to attach provenance; and I mean any provenance, including where the dealer / vendor may have found the subject article, on their travels. Orillia? Huntsville? Toronto? Cobaconk? It does matter to some of us, who are willing to put our own due diligence into the project of full identification. Our request to sellers? Give us as much detail as you possibly can. It's what we look for, when we're shopping in antique malls, and mainstreet businesses, and it's true; we will pay more if there is a history attached to an antique we happen to like. Of course, we do check these things out, and have in the past, found quite a few inconsistencies with the information as presented by certain dealers. I can't say they have been purposely deceitful, in these cases, or fraudulent about their claims, other than for us, as buyers with considerable expertise, to say they were wrong, and the information inaccurate. With our cell phone advantage, we can do research on a piece we're interested in, before we make the purchase. We have a lot of fun disproving dealer claims, and it is troubling, how many are willing to call a piece of cranberry, or milk glass, a genuine "Fenton" creation (Fenton Glassworks of Ohio), when, even with a casual eye, we can tell the item is not what they claim. And we can prove it inside five minutes, if not immediately, by making a close inspection. Feel has a lot to do with it a well! Of course, it works in the opposite way as well; we can attribute a glass bowl to "Fenton," that a dealer missed entirely. Spoils of competition we call them. You have to know all about what you're selling, and with information sources so easily available these days, there really isn't much excuse for inaccurate labeling. Yet it is in evidence in just about every shop, and sometimes, in a majority of mall booths. It's not my job to correct them, although I have done this on a number of occasions, because it was a glaring misidentification, and if the item sold, a buyer would have been seriously disadvantaged and out a lot of money. Most of the time, the difference isn't huge, so I just fall back on that old saying, about "buyer beware."
When we purchase art work, for example, we will spend hours trying to find the artist responsible, and the location the work originated, and when in history it was created. We will employ our membership with the services of Ancestry.ca, to research names and families, even if we have nothing more than trace information to start with. We can only find about twenty-five percent of the artists listed, which is pretty good considering that, at times, it can take several days and many image enlargements just to interpret the signature, to assign a proper name to the initials. The dealers selling these wares, could go the distance, and provide us with a little more information, which would make our research a tad easier. We want to give our customers as much information, about the pieces they buy, as humanly possible. In most cases, it can add twenty-five percent to the established value, and the more we have to work with, the larger the increase. This alone, should be the incentive to every dealer, to put a little more effort into the hunt and gather of provenance, even if it is only the identification of the region and community, where it turned up. We can at least get a foot-hold of research potential, by knowing the specifics of where it was found; and no tidbit of information is too small, when trying to establish a minor history of the artifact or article. There are times dealers lose hundreds of dollars off a sale price, simply because they got lazy, and decided it was too much work to exercise even fundament due diligence. Knowing that most dealers like to profit from their efforts, and why not, it seems strange then, that they find it burdensome to go the distance, to find more about an artist or sculptor, quilt maker or ball gown owner. It's one of the inconsistencies and contradictions, I find regularly blossoming in today's version of the ages' old antique trade; at least on the small-time side of the profession, with many more hobby (attic) dealers than ever before, muddying up the water of the trusted antique "fishing holes".
I want to offer an example, of what due diligence in the way of research, can do to infill an antique item's pedigree, or better stated, provenance. The small "Tuke" family collection, is a case in point. We purchased the items, all associated with the family of George Tuke, and his service in the British military, precisely because it possessed a goodly chunk of provenance, that we could expand upon, by putting in a few hours of online research. The collection isn't for sale, at present, but possibly one day, we will offer it to a collector in its entirety. We will not break up the items because the value rests with the connection of each piece and Mr. Tuke's impressive military biography. We have a number of engraved silver pieces from Tuke's regiment, at the time, serving in the Middle East following the First World War. A silver salver is one of the most significant pieces in the collection. Even the toy soldiers, from the turn of the 1900's, were George Tuke's, kept from childhood in England. The story behind the pieces is exceptional and we are proud to be the stewards, responsible for keeping it all together for this period of time.
On a hunt and gather adventure on Sunday, Suzanne and I came up with a wonderful little treasure, that as luck and due diligence would have it, has a much broader provenance than what paperwork came with the antique miniature portrait. But the information that companioned the miniature, gave Suzanne, my stalwart researcher, always looking for a challenge (that's why she married me), enough to go on, and well, just five minutes into the assignment, had a short but significant biography of the Victorian era artist, who had painted the portrait of her sister-in-law. The artist, the daughter of a high ranking member of the British Admiralty, was born in 1840, and became a well known painter and publication illustrator. She also had designs chosen by Royal Doulton for several of their figures, which I will identify in tomorrow's blog. It's a great little story, and it should prove my point, in two distinct areas. First, provenance sells, because if the portrait had not been identified with a short biography attached, we probably wouldn't have made the sixty dollar purchase. The second point, is that, contrary to opinion, there are many, many valuable finds out there, if you are patient, well versed in antique identification, and can motor from sale to sale, auction to auction and shop to mall.
I laugh out loud, whenever I hear some clueless soothsayer say, "Yes sir, the best of the best has all been snapped up; all the good stuff's long gone now; can't make really big finds these days. Too many dealers are out there!" The fact there are more dealers beating the bushes for neat old stuff, and the reality that a majority don't practice due diligence to research their found treasures, means there's a greater chance of "sleepers" appearing. A "sleeper" antique or collectable, is an under-researched, poorly identified item, where the valuation has been minimized; thusly making it a good target for an antique dealer or collector, who knows better. For instance, the current market value; and can buy and flip-it for a substantial profit.
Here's another example. I know for fact, there is a missing train bell from a wreck in the hamlet of Falkenburg many decades ago. The bell on the stop of the steam locomotive, was somehow unfastened by persons unknown, before train officials could arrive on the scene of the derailment. Do you think I ever pass by a cast iron bell, of the proportion to sit atop a train engine, without giving it a thorough inspection; judging whatever provenance a dealer might have attached, which may be proven of disproven after a short period of investigation. I know there are lots of steamship items still in the possession of Gravenhurst and area families, who had kin who worked on the Muskoka Lakes fleet. It's why I never walk by a collection of hotelware plates, cups and saucers, at second hand and thrift shops, just in case they are "crested" with the Navigation Company logo, or the name of the specific steamship they were aboard; the "Sagamo" for example. I have a mental list of thousands upon thousands of items, to watch for, shopping in and around Muskoka at all kinds of sales through the rolling year. In Gravenhurst, the German Prisoners of War, at Camp Calydor, that operated on the shore of Muskoka Bay, from 1940 to 1946, carved a wide variety of boats and curios, and painted pictures, that they often sold to sightseers through the camp barbed wire; and or gave to staff members and those who served in the Veteran's Guard; I have owned three pieces myself, all finding enthralled owners in the United States. Maybe you wouldn't know what you were looking for, in the way of one of these historic carvings, but I never leave the house without prepping myself to the possibilities of this particular day. Sometimes folks bring these items in to us, asking for our assistance to identify them. We don't appraise antique pieces, unless the owner is genuinely interested in selling the subject article or art work. We can afford to pay one third to one half any appraised value. We are always enthusiastic to see any significant Muskoka area memorabilia, large or small, because there are many hundreds of collectors out there, who have been hunting these nostalgia pieces for decades; and I've worked with many of them for most of my years in the antique trade here in South Muskoka. We are Muskoka collectors as well, so I know where they're coming from. So of course, we always know that quality Muskoka antiques, with provenance will always sell with good exposure.
Join me tomorrow, for a visit to see a beautiful lady of the Victorian era.
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1918 in Mesopotamia. Captain Tuke is in the middle and in the top photo he is seen holding a dog.
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In Palestine, 1919, Captain Tuke is in the center of the front row
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Captain Tuke's wife, Mary's, Red Cross Certificate from September 1942
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PHOTOGRAPHS OF CAPTAIN S. MONTAGUE TUKE IN MESOPOTAMIA POST FIRST WORLD WAR
THE HISTORY THAT HUMBLES THE VOYEUR
BACK TO THE ARCHIVES
THERE ARE THREE INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPHS OF CAPTAIN SHIRLEY MONTAGUE TUKE, TAKEN DURING HIS POST FIRST WORLD WAR TOUR, OF THE LANDS OF THEN "MESOPOTAMIA," MODERN DAY IRAQ, AND THE LANDS BETWEEN THE TIGRIS, AND THE EUPHRATES RIVERS. IN THE BOTTOM TWO, HE IS SEEN WITH FELLOW OFFICERS, AND CIVILIANS. IN THE TOP PHOTOGRAPH, OF THIS PAIRING, YOU CAN SEE CAPTAIN TUKE, IN THE CENTRE, HOLDING A DOG, AS IF IT WAS AN INFANT. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF SEVEN DOGS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. BOTH THESE IMAGES WERE TAKEN IN 1918. THE PHOTO ABOVE, LOCATION UNKOWN, IS ALSO DATED, 1918. HIS ROYAL SERVICES CORP WAS IN PALESTINE, IN THE YEARS 1918-1919, AND TO SEE THIS PHOTOGRAPH, OF CAPTAIN TUKE ON HORSEBACK, YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO YESTERDAY'S BLOG. IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS MINI BIOGRAPHY, YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO MONDAY, MAY 19TH, WHEN WE LOOKED BACK UPON THE CAREER OF THE CAPTAIN'S FATHER, DR. GEORGE MONTAGUE TUKE, OF SUTTON VALANCE, KENT, ENGLAND.
EARLIER THIS MORNING, I HAD A LOOK AT YET ANOTHER HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, UP FOR AUCTION LOCALLY, AND I FIND MYSELF GETTING ANTSY, WAITING FOR A CHANCE TO OWN SUCH AN INTERESTING GROUPING OF IMAGES, DATING BACK TO THE LATE 1800'S. I START IMAGINING ALL KINDS OF WILD SCENARIOS, WHERE SOMEONE WILL UP-THE-BID BY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, ONLY THEN, TO SELL THE IMAGES FOR FIVE BUCKS EACH AT A LOCAL ANTIQUE SHOP. OR TO BE USED AS INTERESTING DECORATOR PIECES IN A NEW ERA MUSKOKA COTTAGE. THERE ARE VERY FEW OF US HISTORICAL TYPES, WHO WOULD WANT A FAMILY HISTORY LIKE THIS, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T APPEAR, ON INITIAL EXAMINATION, TO BE OF LOCAL KITH AND KIN. THE FACT THAT IT MAY BE OF HERITAGE INTEREST TO SOME OTHER COMMUNITY IN THE BIG WIDE WORLD, WILL ESCAPE MOST LOCAL HISTORIANS, BECAUSE FOR THE PRICE THEY ARE LIKELY TO SELL FOR, THEY WILL ONLY MAKE SENSE TO SOMEONE WILLING TO INVESTIGATE THE FAMILY CONNECTION, AND POTENTIALLY, WRITE A COMPANION HISTORY, AS I HAVE ATTEMPTED WITH CAPTAIN TUKE; OR RE-UNITE THEM WILL LONG SEPARATED FAMILY. IN THIS CASE, I HATE THE IDEA THE PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE BROKEN UP AND SOLD INDIVIDUALLY.
AS FOR PRESERVING THE INTEGRITY OF SUCH COLLECTIONS, AND SERIOUSLY RESEARCHING THE PROVENANCE OF ARCHIVE PIECES, (LOOKING FOR A PEDIGREE OR NAME ASSOCIATION, IN GENERAL CROSS REFERENCING) SUZANNE AND I HAVE DONE THIS DOZENS OF TIMES IN THE PAST; WHEN WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RE-CONNECT HANDWRITTEN JOURNALS AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS, WITH RELATIVES WHO NEVER KNEW THEY EXISTED. IT HAPPENS THAT BRANCHES OF THE FAMILY TREE, BECOME, OVER TIME, DISASSOCIATED WITH THEIR LEGACY RELICS, AND IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE, THAT AN ACTIVE FAMILY HISTORIAN, MAY JUMP AT THE CHANCE TO OWN LONG LOST IMAGES OF THEIR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDPARENTS, AND ALL THE OTHER KIN DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS. I HAVE PARTICIPATED PERSONALLY, IN MANY RELIC REUNIONS, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS VERY SATISFYING.
I BID ON VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS, IF, AT LEAST PART OF THE COLLECTION, IS IDENTIFIED WITH NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF FORMER RESIDENCES. BY TAPPING INTO LOCAL AND REGIONAL HERITAGE SOCIETIES, AND BY PERFORMING ASSOCIATED ONLINE SEARCHES, WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, WE ARE ABLE TO PICK UP SOME CLUES ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE COLLECTION, BEYOND HOW THEY WOUND UP IN A LOCAL AUCTION SALE. IT'S ALSO A CASE, VERY MUCH SO, THAT THESE RELICS, ARE ALMOST ALWAYS OF MINOR VALUE, UNLESS OF COURSE, THERE ARE IDENTIFIABLE LANDMARKS, THAT ARE OF INTEREST TO COLLECTORS. A CASE IN POINT, WOULD BE A FAMILY PICTURE TAKEN, IN FRONT OF LAKE ROSSEAU'S WINDERMERE HOUSE, OR THE ROYAL MUSKOKA HOTEL. POSSIBLY A FAMILY PHOTO WITH ONE OF MUSKOKA'S STEAMSHIPS IN THE BACKGROUND. EVEN ONE OF THESE, IN A LARGE COLLECTION OF ORDINARY PORTRAITS, CAN GIVE A SIGNIFICANT VALUE TO THE COLLECTION. IT WOULD, AT FIRST GLANCE, SUGGEST THAT PART OF THE FAMILY IN THE IMAGES, VACATIONED OR COTTAGED IN THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THESE BACKGROUNDS, WHICH VALIDATE THE IMAGES AS BEING REGIONALLY-COLLECTABLE. THE MORE PROMINENT THE BACKGROUND, OR THE SEPARATE IMAGE, SUCH AS A TRAIN STEAMING AT THE FORMER MUSKOKA WHARF, THE MORE VALUABLE THE PHOTO ALBUMS GENERALLY.
I ALWAYS ADVISE DEALERS, TO NEVER SEPARATE THE SIGNIFICANT LANDMARK PHOTOGRAPHS, FROM THE GENERAL PORTRAITS, BECAUSE IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO SELL VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS, EVEN IF THE SUBJECT IS IDENTIFIED. THAT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE TRILLIONS OF VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE MARKET, AND ALMOST EVERY ANTIQUE SHOP, HAS A SELECTION OF ALBUMS AND SINGLES LAYING AROUND, FOR BETWEEN FIVE DOLLARS TO TEN. PUT A SIMILAR PHOTO IN THE MIX, OF A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, AND ACQUIRING THE COLLECTION BECOMES MUCH MORE INTERESTING. THESE ARE VALIDATING IMAGES, THAT MAKE THE GENERAL PORTRAITS MORE SIGNIFICANT (THE INFLUENCE OF ASSOCIATION AS VAGUE AS IT MIGHT BE). I WILL NEVER LET A VALIDATING PHOTOGRAPH, WHICH PULLS THE STRING OF CONTINUITY, RIGHT THROUGH A COLLECTION, BE SOLD OFF FOR A QUICK PROFIT. HAVING THE LEFT OVER PORTRAITS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT, IF YOU'RE AT ALL INTERESTED IN MAKING A PROFIT. WE SELL OUR CUSTOMERS, ON THE INTEGRITY AND PROVENANCE OF A COLLECTION, EVEN IF THERE ARE ONLY FIVE OR SO STRONG, IDENTIFIABLE, POPULAR IMAGES AMONGS HUNDREDS. GET RID OF THOSE FIVE FOR A QUICK PROFIT, AND LIVE WITH THE LEFTOVERS FOR YEARS AFTER THIS. AND BY THE WAY; WE PERFORM OUR DUE DILIGENCE ON THE IMAGES, EVEN INVESTIGATING THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S NAMES AND STUDIO ADDRESSES, TO BUILD PROVENANCE THAT THE COLLECTION MAY LACK IN THE BEGINNING. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A COLLECTION OF IMAGES, FROM A FAMILY ESTATE, THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BUILD A CONNECTING STORY, BASED ON HOURS OF RESEARCH, MANY EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS. WHAT STARTED AS AN UNIDENTIFIED COLLECTION, BLOSSOMS AFTER A MONTH OF SLEUTHING, AND WE WILL TARGET THE SENSITIVE REGION OF CANADA, OR THE UNITED STATES, TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY FAMILY CONNECTIONS REMAINING, WHO WOULD LIKE TO ACQUIRE THE ASSORTED IMAGES.
WE ONLY HAVE ONE LARGE PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION LEFT, OUT OF A DOZEN IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, AND THIS WAS FROM THE ESTATE OF MARY REID, OF GRAVENHURST, AND BROWNING ISLAND. HER FATHER, REVEREND EWING REID, WAS THE MINISTER OF TORONTO'S ALHAMBRA CHURCH, AND BOTH FATHER AND DAUGHTER WERE HOBBY PHOTOGRAPHERS. THEY TOOK HUNDREDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATION ON LAKE MUSKOKA, GOING BACK TO THE 1930'S, AND WERE FASCINATED BY MUSKOKA STEAMSHIPS AND YACHTS; SO WE HAVE MANY MARINE IMAGES IN THE FORM OF NEGATIVES. WE HAVE TWO LARGE VICTORIAN ERA PHOTO ALBUMS, AND A BOX OF NEGATIVES, OF SUBJECT PORTRAITS FROM THE BRONTE AND MILTON AREA OF THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO, AND SOME FROM ENGLAND, OF OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. WE CAN'T AND WON'T SEPARATE THE ALBUMS, FROM THE REST OF THE REID PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION. WE ARE ITS STEWARDS UNTIL SOMEONE OF THE FAMILY EVENTUALLY COMES FORWARD, WISHING TO RE-CONNECT WITH THESE IMPORTANT RELICS. SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO FOR YEARS WITH THE COLLECTIONS IN STORAGE, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A DISTANT FAMILY MEMBER, HAVING FOUND A REFERENCE ONLINE, GIVES US A CALL TO ASK WHETHER OR NOT, WE STILL HAVE THEIR FAMILY ARCHIVES. WE NEVER LOOK AT THIS PERIOD OF STEWARDSHIP, AS A HASTLE OR IN ANY WAY INCONVENIENT. IT GIVES US A FEELING OF COMPLETION WHEN THIS HAPPENS. AT TIMES, WE ALSO SELL THE ITEMS TO COMMUNITY MUSEUMS, WHO RECOGNIZE THE FAMILY AND WISH THE MATERIAL FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES. THEN AGAIN, IT CAN HAPPEN THAT A COLLECTOR, WHO SPECIALIZES IN PHOTOGRAPHS, WILL BE THE ONE WHO DESIRES TO RESUME THE STEWARDSHIP, INSISTING ON KEEPING THE MATERIALS TOGETHER.
TWO OTHER PROMINENT PHOTO COLLECTIONS WE HAVE OWNED, INCLUDED THE SLIDES TAKEN BY FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, DR. WILF BENNETT, OF GRAVENHURST AND BALA, AND BILL SKINNER OF WINDERMERE, WHO HAD AN AMAZING ARRAY OF GLASS SLIDES OF THE FORMER WIGWASSAN LODGE, ON TOBIN'S ISLAND, WHERE HE USED TO WORK AS A YOUNG MAN. WE HAD GLASS SLIDES OF WATER SKIERS FROM THE LODGE BEING PULLED BY A DITCHBURN LAUNCH. WE STILL HAVE A FEW OF THESE IMAGES, WE KEPT BACK FOR OUR OWN ARCHIVES, BECAUSE OF THE SUBJECT MATERIAL. PHOTOGRAPHS CAN BE MADE FROM THESE SLIDES, SO THEY CAN BE VERY VALUABLE IN REPRODUCTION; ALTHOUGH, FOR US, WE HAVE NEVER DUPLICATED HISTORIC IMAGES, TO SELL COPIES. IT'S JUST OUR POLICY. WHAT A FUTURE OWNER DOES WITH THEM, IS THEIR BUSINESS.
WITH THE MOST RECENT SMALL COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, AND DOCUMENTS, OF CAPTAIN TUKE, THEY WILL REMAIN WITH US, AS I NOTED YESTERDAY, TO BE USED IN AN ANNIVERSARY DISPLAY, THIS COMING SEPTEMBER, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR, ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER FIRST WORLD WAR VINTAGE ARTIFACTS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS, TO INCLUDE IN THE DISPLAY, WE WILL RUN IN OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP, UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER. WE ARE JUST THRILLED TO BE THE NEW STEWARDS OF THIS SMALL BUT INTERESTING MILITARY COLLECTION, AS AFFORDED US, THIS MONTH, OF 2014, BY MEMBERS OF THE SURVIVING TUKE FAMILY OF SOUTH MUSKOKA.
IN 1940, CAPTAIN TUKE MARRIED HIS WIFE MARY, AND THERE IS A CERTIFICATE DATED, SEPTEMBER 13, 1942, FROM THE BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE OF ARCHIVE MATERIAL, WITH HER HUSBAND'S MILITARY DOCUMENTS. IT READS AS FOLLOWS: "THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT MARY TUKE, HAVING ATTENDED A COURSE OF LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS IN HOME NURSING, HAS BEEN EXAMINED, AND SATISFIED THE EXAMINER IN THE SAID SUBJECT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATION OF THE SOCIETY." YOU CAN SEE AN IMAGE OF THE CERTIFICATE PUBLISHED ABOVE TODAY'S BLOG. ALSO INCLUDED, ARE TWO HANDWRITTEN PAGES OF FAMILY HISTORY, BEGINNING WITH DOCTOR GEORGE MONTAGUE TUKE, WHO WAS THE ELDEST OF SEVENTEEN CHILDREN OF F.E. TUKE. EVEN DOWN TO THE REFERENCE, OF A CHILD OF THE DOCTOR'S, ONE OF SEVEN, (CAPTAIN TUKE'S SISTER), VIOLET MONTAGUE TUKE, "KILLED, AT AGE SIX, BY A FALL FROM A DOG-CART, WHO IS BURIED WITH HER PARENTS, IN A SUTTON VALANCE, KENT CHURCH YARD (CLOSE TO THE PATH LEADING FROM THE GATE TO THE CHURCH)."
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT CHURCH YARD. I WOULD LIKE TO STAND BESIDE THE TOMBSTONE OF DOCTOR GEORGE MONTAGUE TUKE, WHO, FROM WHAT I READ, WAS A FASCINATING CHAP OF FULL, OLD SCHOOL, COUNTRY CHARM. AND WE HAVE SEEN AN IMAGE OF CAPTAIN TUKE'S OWN GRAVESTONE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT THIS ONE AS WELL. AS I SAID EARLIER, WHEN YOU WORK CLOSELY WITH FAMILY ARTICLES, AND ARCHIVES LIKE THIS, IT'S NATURAL FOR US, TO BECOME EMOTIONALLY IMBEDDED WITH OUR STORY, AS THE MODERN BIOGRAPHERS, BRINGING THOSE OLD DAYS BACK TO LIFE, FOR THE AUDIENCE OF THE DAY. WHICH IS PRETTY PROFOUND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT FOR AWHILE. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE CASE THE MONTAGUE-TUKE FAMILY STORY, WOULD HAVE REMAINED IN SEALED ENVELOPES, AND TUCKED IN STORAGE, FOR ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS. IT WAS ASSUMED BY PRESENT FAMILY MEMBERS, THAT FEW IF ANY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS LONG AGO FAMILY CHRONICLE. THANKS TO THE INTERNET, AND INFORMATION SHARING AROUND THE GLOBE, THIS RE-INTRODUCTION, OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE TUKE FAMILY, WITH ORIGINS IN SUTTON VALANCE, KENT, WILL BE USEFUL TO FAMILY AND REGIONAL HISTORIANS IN ENGLAND, AND ANYWHERE ELSE THE TUKES PRESENTLY RESIDE IN THE WORLD. IT WILL BE USEFUL TO MILITARY RESEARCHERS, ALWAYS LOOKING TO TIE-UP LOOSE ENDS, AND IDENTIFY WHERE WORLD WAR RELICS HAVE WOUND UP AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. WHAT MANY READERS PROBABLY WON'T APPRECIATE, IS THAT THE "ARCHIVES" VALUE OF THESE BLOGS, ACTUALLY OUT-WEIGHS THE DAY TO DAY ACTIVITY; THE FACT THAT IT HAS BECOME A SORT OF ONLINE ARCHIVES FROM REGIONAL MUSKOKA, WITH GLOBAL CONNECTEDNESS. I HAVE A COUNTER, ON MY STATISTICS PAGE, WHICH I CONSULT EVERY DAY, SHOWING ME, THE CURRENT READERSHIP OF MY TOP SIX OR SEVEN BLOGS, BEING VIEWED AT PRESENT, AND SOME OF THEM ARE SEVERAL YEARS OLD. WHAT THIS MEANS, IS THAT RESEARCHERS ARE CONNECTING TO CERTAIN MATERIAL, I HAVE RESEARCHED AND PUBLISHED PREVIOUSLY, ABOUT SOME HERITAGE MATTER, OR OTHER; SUCH AS THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CANADIAN PAINTER, TOM THOMSON, WHICH IS THE ONE SUBJECT THAT ROUTINELY IS IN THE TOP FIVE FOR ARCHIVE READERSHIP. WHERE, IN THE OLD DAYS, NEWSPAPERS WERE MOST OFTEN THROWN OUT WITH THE WEEKLY TRASH, AND MOST NEVER MICROFILMED FOR POSTERITY, EXCEPT THE OLDEST ONES, TODAY, THESE BLOGS, USEFUL OR NOT, HAVE A MUCH LONGER LIFE SPAN; TO INFINITY, YOU MIGHT SAY, OR HOW EVER LONG THAT'S GOING TO BE; AND WITH TENSIONS PEAKING IN THE UKRAINE, PRIOR TO SUNDAY'S ELECTIONS, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT A WAR WILL DO TO THE WHOLE MEANING OF "INFINITY". I DON'T KNOW WHETHER DOCTOR TUKE, OR HIS SON, CAPTAIN TUKE, WOULD BE IMPRESSED WITH THIS MODERN DAY RE-INTRODUCTION TO THE PUBLIC, OR NOT, BUT BELIEVE ME, ON OUR END, AS HISTORIANS, WE CAN ONLY HOPE THEY WOULD BE AS PLEASED AS WE ARE, THAT OUR MODERN DAY READERSHIP HAS FOUND THEIR CHRONICLE QUITE INTERESTING; AND WE HAVE THE COMMENTS TO BACK THIS UP. WE DON'T TAKE OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THESE MATERIALS LIGHTLY. SOME TIMES, WE CAN ACTUALLY COME TO FEEL QUITE BURDENED BY THE RESPONSIBILITY, OF REPRESENTING THEIR LIVES AND FAMILY WITH THE RESPECT THAT IS DESERVED. THUS, WE SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME, IN PREPARATION, MAKING SURE THE INFORMATION IS CORRECT, AND AS COMPLETE AS FOLLOWS. IN THE CASE OF CAPTAIN TUKE, WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO ADD TO THE CHRONICLE IN THE FUTURE, AS WE ARE OFFERED ADDITIONAL FAMILY INFORMATION; SOME WE EXPECT WILL BE CONTRIBUTED BY NEW FRIENDS WE CONNECT WITH ONLINE, WHO HAVE A STAKE IN THE TUKE STORY. THIS CAN BE A STORY WITHOUT ENDING, AND IT MAY BE THE CASE, WE WILL STILL BE PURSUING MORE INFORMATION TEN YEARS FROM NOW. OF COURSE, WE ARE GETTING OLDER, BUT THIS ARCHIVES WILL EVENTUALLY BE PASSED ON, TO A NEW GENERATION OF STEWARDS, SAFEGUARDING ITS INTEGRITY.
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