Gadget Girl – History of Gadgets at the Western Development Museum Curatorial Centre
I’ll come right out and say it: I was not prepared for the WDM Curatorial Centre.
Picture a giant warehouse. Now fill that room with everything you use on a regular basis. Clothes, food, books, sure. Now add in all the things you didn’t think ok, like your toothbrush or saltshaker. Now put this warehouse in a row next to two other huge rooms, also filled with artifacts of life. That’s a lot of stuff.
And I was dumped in the middle of it all.
When I first thought of doing a segment exploring the history of gadgets, I thought the WDM would be a perfect place to go and explore some relics. I loved the idea of learning about how people made their lives easier before smart phones, GPS, and email. I pictured sitting down with a historian and talking about homemade solutions to life’s everyday problems.
Well, I got what I wanted, and so much more. I met with the very knowledgeable Ruth Bitner, the Collections Curator at the Curatorial Centre. She had already picked out a few items that she thought I would be interested in, but gave me free reign to explore the warehouse and ask a series of never ending questions, most of which started with “What’s that???!!” She was a fountain of knowledge, and I had a great time learning about history from her.
Of all the gadgets I got a chance to check out, I think the “pants stretcher” is my favourite. I love the idea that after laundering their clothes, my great grandparents and their friends might have to stretch out their pants on metal rods to keep their shape. It certainly makes me appreciate blended fabrics!
So thanks to everyone at the WDM Curatorial Centre, and thanks to Ruth, for showing me that gadgets are more than the electronics I use today!
