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Writer's pictureBrianna Davies

Accessioning & Artifacts & Exhibits, Oh My!

Casa Loma is known affectionately in Toronto as “The Castle”. While many know about it, it is often regarded as an events venue. With its Drake-approved steakhouse and array of galas and experiences offered to the party-seekers of Toronto, Casa Loma’s function as a museum is largely disregarded. Next to the glitz and glamour of events like Legends of Horror and Symphony in the Gardens, the hard work that goes into the upkeep of Casa Loma’s many artifacts goes unnoticed. So far into my internship, I have been lucky enough to be a part of this behind-the-scenes work at one of Toronto’s most well-known destinations. While cocktail dress attire and expensive bottles of wine may come to mind when some think of Casa Loma, my experience so far has been comprised of cavalry swords, military jackets, and spy suitcases. And it has been fantastic.


Lady Pellatt's Room- my favourite stop on the tour

On my first day, I got to meet curator Alyssia Maiorano who I get to work with. She took me on a full tour of the castle so I could get a crash course of the museum’s history. I learned all about Henry Pellatt and his dreams of a modern-medieval fusion home. Casa Loma is emblematic of much of Toronto’s history. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century when Toronto was coming into its own as a modern metropolis. Many British imperialists had ties to the castle, and Henry Pellatt himself was a staunch monarchist. The castle represents an interesting desire to be at the forefront of Toronto’s growth and development while also remaining steadfastly loyal to increasingly outdated Imperialist ties. Casa Loma’s history also extends far past Henry Pellatt. It served as a hotel and has its own place in the history of prohibition in Canada. Later, the castle was used as a secret station in World War II, producing material for the British Security Corporation. It also housed weapons in its tunnels. This is the beauty of Casa Loma- it does not exist in one fixed point in the past but has been a part of some of the most pivotal moments in Toronto’s history. I read Casa Loma: The Dreams and the Dreamer by Carlie G. Oreskovich to help me gain a fuller understanding of the museum’s history.

I was astounded by the sheer size of the museum and the number of objects under Alyssia’s care. As we got further into the tour, Alyssia pointed out objects that she felt needed more conservation work but currently couldn’t attend to based on time and budget restrictions. This was an interesting juxtaposition, which Alyssia revealed to me is common in museums. Here we were, surrounded by thousands of luxury objects purchased by one of the most wealthy men in Toronto- yet the current owners of all this excess can’t afford to fix them. My time so far at Casa Loma has further illuminated this frustrating truth to me. Small budgets and small staff are truly the enemies of conservation work and yet they are apparent in nearly every museum.


My internship couldn’t have come at a better time. Alyssia is preparing for a new exhibit that will detail the history of Camp X and the Queen’s Own Rifles, who house their museum in Casa Loma. Many artifacts are on loan from the 2 Intelligence Company Senate, which is where I come in. I have only been able to watch the process of installing an exhibit as a volunteer at Campbell House Museum, but I have never been able to have a hands-on role. I had the privilege of accessioning some of these artifacts. Though now a bit outdated, I used The New Museum Registration Methods published by the American Associations of Museums to learn more about what goes behind the accessioning process as well as risk management. Before beginning my accessioning work, Alyssia taught me the proper way to handle artifacts- for every artifact, there must be two hands if moving the object. Always access the most sturdy points of the artifact in regards to where to place your hands. Never pick up an object if you haven’t already planned where to put it down. Sounds pretty straightforward, but when it came time to unsheath a sword from 1910, my training came in handy!


Up to this point in the internship, my primary role has been accessioning. I fill out the form provided by Alyssia which requires me to fill out the accession number, name of the object, home location of the object, description, measurements, and condition report. The most intriguing part of this task is the description. This means I get to handle artifacts in order to provide a complete and succinct explanation of the object. I have to be extremely detailed as some objects have not yet been photographed and the description may be used to match an object to its accession file. This means paying attention to things I have never given much thought- like an exact shade of brown, number of stitches, or tiny maker’s marks.


An artifact I am accessioning along with the entry form

I have accessioned bayonets, suitcases belonging to secret agents, photo-interpretation kits used by pilots, and riding boots. To date, I have accessioned around 30 objects. My favourite object to work with was a Corps of Guides uniform from 1903. Alyssia and I wanted to find out more about who could have owned it, which led to us getting a detailed lesson on the meaning of different patches and pins on the uniform. I relied on an article by Dan R Jenkins entitled The Corps of Guides to help me learn more about the uniform’s history and background. It was like solving a mystery- a mystery that required us to research button manufacturers and learn what the Order of Bath is. Though we haven’t yet figured out who once wore the jacket, the experience has taught me to look beyond an object as simply just an object. It has a detailed history and meaning that will reveal itself if we are willing to look closer.


The mysterious Corps of Guides uniform

Now that the accessioning work is largely done, the exhibit will be installed next Monday. I am excited to see all the behind-the-scenes work become a tangible exhibit! I have never been able to be part of an exhibit installation and will hopefully have lots to say about it in my next progress report!


Quick break down of my internship so far:


Hours Worked: 20


Hours Breakdown:

September 17th- (4 hours) Tour of the museum with Alyssia

September 27th- (3 hours) artifact handling, learning how to accession

October 4th- (3 hours) accessioning work, specifically photo interpretations kits and bayonets

October 18th- (4 hours) remote work, reviewed object labels

October 25th- (3 hours) accessioning work, specifically photographs, suitcases, and uniforms

November 1st- (3 hours) accessioning works, specifically cavalry swords


Readings:

Oreskovich, Carlie G. Casa Loma: The Dreams and the Dreamer. WriteNowCommunications, 2010.


Buck, Rebecca A., and Jean Allman Gilmore, eds. The New Museum Registration Methods. Washington, DC: AAM Press, 1998.


Jenkins, Dan R. “The Corps of Guides, 1903–1914.” Canadian Military History. Accessed November 2, 2021. https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1222&context=cmh.


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