The Daly House Museum said in a media release that ‘Collected, Gifted & Saved! Sharing Local History’ displays a selection of artifacts, images, and documents donated or loaned to the Daly House Museum between the years 2019 to 2022 with a few rarely seen objects from the museum’s collections. These objects, images, and documents illuminate the people, history, and culture of Brandon and surrounding area.
The themes on display in the exhibit include:
– Cute as A Button – featuring over 100 buttons on loan from the private collection of late Irene Wotton who began displaying her button collection at local senior residents in the 1990s. Covering an entire wall within the gallery these small items are eye catching and extraordinary in their details and craftsmanship.
– Remembering the Prince Edward Hotel – includes objects and images related to Brandon’s grandest hotel from 1912 to 1976. Artifacts featured in the exhibit includes colored photographs of the hotel’s interior in 1912, replicas of the hotel’s menus, lady silhouette stir sticks, and a Businessman’s Luncheon $1.00 sign. The memorabilia from the hotel is displayed in a rare cabinet manufactured in Brandon in the early 20th century by the Hanbury Manufacturing Company. The company was one of Brandon’s largest manufacturers employing over 150 employees
– Fashion Hats & Dresses – includes a blue velvet wedding dress from the 1930s, a 1920’s Ladies Silk Embroidered Dressing Gown, a waitress uniform from the Prince Edward Hotel, and a 1910s silk toque style hat.
– Dolls and Children’s Fun – features well-loved dolls and doll accessories from the 19th and 20th centuries.
– Room Décor House to Home – includes artifacts that originally belonged to G.R. Coldwell -the second owner of our historic house at 122-18th Street. These artifacts donated by G.R. Coldwell’s great granddaughter have traveled from British Columbia to Australia and back. They have finally found their way back to their original home in Brandon.
– Photographs A Look at the Past – features images from archival collections donated to the museum between 2019 to 2022. These images include a photograph of zebras in a parade on Rosser Avenue and members of the Rugbyettes, a women’s club from Forrest, Manitoba.
– Odds and Ends – includes artifacts from the demolition of the International Harvester Building, Brandon Collegiate Class Ring, German and Russian currency from 1919, and a 1920s lawn bowling rake from the Wheat City Lawn Bowling Club.
“Our family is honoured to see our mother’s button collection on display at Daly House Museum.” commented Irene Wotton’s daughter Brenda Smith about the opportunity to display her mother’s button collection as part of Collected, Gifted, & Saved! “Our Mom would have been so pleased to know it was being displayed for others to enjoy.”
Daly House Museum President Alex Essery states, “The museum has an extensive collection of over 21,000 artifacts, images, and documents that represent the complex
history and diversity of our community. Due to limited space we can’t often share this history but this exhibit is an opportunity for us to share local history with our visitors and launch a conversation on what we’ve been able to capture, what we have missed, and whether the things donated to the museum help tell the stories that are most important and relevant to Brandon and area.”
Collected, Gifted & Saved! Sharing Local History is included with general admission to the museum.
The Daly House Museum located at 122-18th Street is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. For more information about the exhibit or to book a group tour call 204-2727-1722.
