Liz Watkins-McLean
Digital Content and Social Media Assistant
Museum of Lennox & Addington
This October, the Museum of Lennox & Addington has been featuring some spooky artifacts from its collection and sharing it on social media with the public.
Here is more information on two of the artifacts featured. To view the videos, visit the Museum’s Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok pages.
- 19th Century Doll
This is one of many creepy dolls in the Museum collection. It came into the collection in 1988 and was used by the donor’s mother. It is a typical representation of dolls made in the late 1800s. The Museum’s Program and Exhibition Co-ordinator, Alannah MacGregor, chose to feature this doll as it stood out to her as one of the creepiest items in the collection. It is not uncommon for people to be a little fearful of dolls. Alannah did some research on why that may be, and found information from a researcher out of Knox College, Frank McAndrew. McAndrew published a preliminary paper explaining that people feel a level of “uncertainty” when they look at dolls. Dolls look like humans, but do not give us any social cues. Therefore, we are unsure of how to react to them and have no way of knowing if they are friendly or hostile. While it is just a theory, it could explain why so many people are afraid of dolls.
- Victorian Hair Wreath
Other common items in the Museum’s collection are hair wreaths. Hair wreaths were commonly made during the Victorian era as a way to honour and remember lost loved ones. After someone died, family members would save locks of the deceased’s hair and weave them into intricate wreaths. The end result is a beautiful, yet macabre design that would often be on display in people’s parlours. This particular hair wreath was made by Caroline Magee, circa 1830 – circa 1850.