Student Museum Musings – Introducing Sarah

By Sarah P., Summer Student

Hi, I’m Sarah! You’re probably thinking, haven’t I already read about a Sarah at Oshawa Museum? Well, I am the other Sarah who will be working at the museum this summer. I am attending school right now completing my B.A. in History and a minor in Anthropology. I am really excited to be a part of this team as I have always loved history from a young age, and now I have the great opportunity to work with artefacts! My hope is to pursue a career in archiving or public history in general after I am finished university, counting the days honestly. For a while now, I have been doing volunteer work involving education and transcribing, which I really enjoyed! I love hearing historical accounts as it provides an opportunity to hear people’s personal history. I am very excited to be a part of the inventory and archiving project of the collection in the attic of Robinson House with our curator Melissa and Sara, a fellow summer student.

008.1.85: Drepy plastic folding camera

I wanted to highlight some of the awesome artefacts we have at Oshawa Museum that are some of my current favourites. I have always enjoyed photography ever since I was in high school and was in awe of the museum’s extensive camera collection.  It’s amazing! I particularly loved seeing the Drepy Camera made by Pierrat, as I have never seen a camera like that before in person. I couldn’t help thinking, good luck taking a selfie with this camera! Another interesting find was a special chamber pot. It was interesting to learn that the fabric on top of the lid was to silence the sound of going to the loo. I am not so sure the fabric was the most sanitary thing, but it sure was interesting! I am eager to learn more about museums and archiving while working at the Oshawa Museum with such a knowledgeable team. I look forward to writing again about the numerous discoveries I make while being immersed in this fantastic historical environment!

970.48.8abc, Chamber Pot, Royal Semi-Porcelain: AJ Wilkinson

Student Museum Musings – Nadia

By Nadia, Social Media Co-op Student

If I could summarize my first couple week at the Oshawa Community Museum in one word, it would be “welcoming.” The atmosphere is very friendly and the staff members made me feel like a part of the team.

Although my first day was primarily accessibility training, I enjoyed being in the workplace rather than school. The tour my supervisor, Lisa Terech, gave me was both intriguing and informative. In just a short period of time, I learned a lot about Oshawa that I would not have known otherwise. I love working in such a historically significant site.

My favourite aspect of my time so far was reading through Oshawa’s old newspapers starting from the 1960s. On the contrary, anything old and vintage fascinates me, however; the style of writing and the information given diverge from modern day journalism. When I was reading through old hockey articles, I found out about Bobby Orr’s origins with the OHL. It was truly amazing to find the roots of his success from the newspapers. When I searched through photographs of Oshawa, I found many of him in his old uniform. My favourite place in the museum is the closet full of old cameras. Yes, a closet. Since I do photography on my recreational time, the abundance of cameras mesmerized me.

Currently, I am into my third week at the Oshawa Community Museum. I am beginning to get used to the routine here. I am also honored to have big responsibilities, such as creating a logo for the Mourning After: The Victorian Celebration of Death (Spring 2015 exhibit). From my co-operative experience, I hope to discover if a career in media or journalism is the right path for me. I believe the Oshawa Community Museum is the best place for me to figure this out.

Below are photographs from around the Museum that Nadia has taken with her captions! Enjoy!

Robinson House, c. 1856

Reflections of Oshawa exhibit in Robinson House

Before the Canadian national anthem was created, students started the day by singing “God Save the Queen”

Hand-dyed wool

Henry House exterior