Accession Number

2021.002a-b

Alternate Name

hatbox

Description

One soiled paperboard hat box with lid. The interior of the oval-shaped box (a) is brown and the exterior is clad in a turquoise-coloured glossy paper. A cream-coloured label with black ink is affixed to one side. It portrays a human face with sunrays emerging from a banner above it with pre-printed head-size demarcations. This has been marked by hand in pencil (to indicate size) and “9763” appears at the upper-right corner of the label. The box is deformed and contains a torn paperboard support for the hat. The lid (b) is badly torn at both ends. A second smaller label bears the penciled inscription, “Bro 215”.

Narrative

This paperboard hatbox’s unique history of use makes it a highly desirable addition to the Museum’s Primary Collection. It was collected to aid in the understanding and presentation of the Castle’s history.

Ivan Sayers, a Vancouver-based costume expert provided The Castle Society with vital information used to ascertain the date and origin of this box.

History of Use

This paperboard hatbox was found behind a wall in Craigdarroch’s dance hall in early 1994. It had been left there by someone in 1889 or 1890 before the area was sealed by wooden framing, lath, plaster, and wainscotting. The hatbox was first discovered when the area was opened-up in 1994 when the Society installed a fire sprinkler system.  The hatbox was left in place, undisturbed.

In January of 2019, the Society installed a massive iron structural beam beneath the west floor of the dance hall. This work required crews to access the areas behind the walls, and the hatbox was again observed. It was then removed for study, preservation, and addition to the museum’s Primary Collection.

Why did someone leave the box in that spot in 1889 or 1890? They left a clue – a desiccated orange peel was discovered beside the box. Did that person bring a hat to work in its box, put it on, and then leave the box? Or, did they bring their lunch to work in the box and leave it there beside the orange peel? The second scenario is the most reasonable one. Because of the way the hat size is delineated on the label, and because of the box’s distinctive blue colour, it is believed to have been made in the United States in about 1870, and intended to contain a man’s hat.

 

Date

circa 1870

Dimensions

17.3 x 26 x 33 cm

Material

Paper, cardstock; Paper

Technique

Printed

Country of Origin

United States of America