Celebrating Grenfell's 125th with travelling clothing exhibit
Many people have heard of British doctor, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, who came to Newfoundland in 1892 with the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishers to assist the poor of the Great Northern Peninsula and Labrador.
This summer , associate professor in the Department of Gender Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at 91亚色, and Emma Lang, a PhD student in the Department of Folklore, want people to learn more about him.
淲hen Grenfell set up his mission here, he didn檛 just provide medical services, he also encouraged industriousness so that people could meet their own needs, said Dr. Side.
Wild game for clothing
淕renfell asked that local recipients provide the mission with goods, like wild game and berries, as well as services like laundry and housekeeping, in exchange for donations of clothing, Dr. Side continued.
淭hat system of exchange ensured the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians received what they needed clothing, food and medical services. Using historical records, we could calculate exchanges, six partridges, for example, were exchanged for two new pairs of boy檚 corduroy pants, and a young ward maid worked at the hospital in Indian Harbour for one month in exchange for one new apron.
Community members lined up with items to trade for clothing at an International Grenfell Association clothing store.
Clothing was hard to come by 125 years ago; Dr. Grenfell wanted it to encourage self-sufficiency. He obtained the clothing he distributed both new and second-hand from charitable organizations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the New England States.
Dr. Side says Dr. Grenfell tracked what was sent each year, enticing chapters of the Canadian and New England Grenfell Association to be competitive with one another, thus ensuring a steady stream of donations.
淭he clothing donated connected the people in Newfoundland and Labrador to the donors, said Ms. Lang, co-curator with Dr. Side and the designer of a bilingual museum exhibit titled, Tangled Threads/Fils entrem锚l茅s.
These matching, knitted Tam O橲hanter hats were likely made specifically for the IGA. The tams connect the girls wearing them in St. Anthony, to girls wearing them in Toronto, Boston and London.
The exhibit is St. Anthony, Daniel檚 Harbour, Conche, Corner Brook and St. John檚 this summer and fall.
The exhibition coincides with the 125th anniversary of Sir Wilfred Grenfell檚 arrival in this province. Ms. Lang says she檚 excited the exhibition will visit communities that felt the impact of Dr. Grenfell檚 work.
淥ur goal is to come up with money to send the exhibit to Labrador next summer and hopefully keep it travelling each summer.
Visitors to the exhibit will see how Dr. Grenfell檚 system of exchange also helped stimulate the economy.
Creating a need
Dr. Side says that Dr. Grenfell檚 push for clothing 渃reated a need.
The movement encouraged people to go to church on Sundays, to hold piano recitals and sewing classes. Those kinds of activities demanded particular types of clothing.
淒r. Grenfell檚 mission lives on.
淭he clothing exchange continued to thrive into the 1930s, Ms. Lang said. 淥ur story ends in 1929, before the Depression and the end of Responsible Government led to changes in how the mission did its work.
淚t檚 worth noting, however, that the connection between medical care and clothing continues, she continued. 淢ost hospitals have spare clothing available for people who come in for medical reasons and are in need of something to wear after treatment. Dr. Grenfell檚 mission lives on.
This story first appeared in the July 22, 2017 edition of The Telegram as part of a regular summer series on research at 91亚色.