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By Amie Lalonde, Collections Cataloguer
When you walk into a museum you usually expect big things. Paintings that dominate a wall, sculptures that are larger than life, natural history specimens that drive home just how big some animals really are. While the Whyte Museum certainly has these things, some of my favourite objects lie on the opposite end of the size spectrum. Within our collections are hundreds of objects that fit easily in the palm of one's hand, most of which were collected by the museum's founders: Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte. These objects – miniature ceramics, tiny figurines, architectural models, and pins and pendants in the form of much larger objects – illustrate impressive craftsmanship and, in my opinion, are absolutely adorable.
Above: a selection of “smalls”, the curatorial department’s colloquial name for our vast collection of miniature objects.
Beatrix Potter figurines are a familiar sight for anyone born in the last century. These ones
however are barely more than a centimetre tall, making them unlikely playthings! The details painted on these painted ceramic figures is incredible for their size.
Other toys and playthings are also found in miniature within this collection: such as this leather
bound book – with pencil lines drawn on the blank pages inside – and a full set of colourful playing cards that look like they would be incredibly hard to actually play with.
Other objects are ones of adornment – pins or pendants – but resemble other, larger objects. This
minuscule pocket knife pendant has a blade that folds in and out and could, theoretically, be used to cut things. An even more impressive pendant is in the form of a miniature book, only 1.5 c.m. tall, that includes teeny tiny photographs of popular spots in the Canadian Rockies. And, albeit slightly bigger than the knife and book pendants, the violin lapel pin below practically begs the joke “let me play you a tune on the world’s smallest violin.”
Many of the miniatures are perfect replicas of larger household or personal objects. These tiny
mukluks and minuscule fans are beautifully crafted, with fine details that you would expect to see only on much larger objects. Large (and actually useable) versions of both can be found in our collection. Explore it here: https://archives.whyte.org.
The bulk of the miniatures within our collection are in the form of ceramics. Some are obviously
doll accessories, but others, like those pictured below, are so small and delicate that their lives were more likely spent being admired on a shelf than played with by a child. These ceramics have many origins – English, South American, Canadian — but the smallest and most intricate are without a doubt those from Japan. Catharine Robb Whyte likely inherited these from her maternal grandfather Edward Sylvester Morse, a professor and zoologist with a keen interest in Japanese pottery. He collected over 5,000 pieces of Japanese ceramics in his lifetime! This miniature china shop is one example of how small, detailed, and finely crafted these ceramics are.
Lastly, this little ivory figure is my favourite miniature in our collection. Maybe it’s his expression, or the way he almost-but-not-always stands up on his own… I love this little guy. Also below is a picture that shows some of my own “smalls” – miniature figures and animals collected over the years from Alberta, Ontario, New York City, and London and the Isle of Wight, England. Perhaps the reason why I love our collection of miniatures so much is because I’ve been amassing a collection of them ever since I was a child!
Check out our entire catalogued collection of miniatures here and share photographs of any objects that you collect by tagging us @WhyteMuseum on Twitter, Instagram, or visiting our Facebook page!
Miniatures pictured in this article:
Chair - 102.04.0417
Book - 108.05.0104
Dog - 102.04.0492
Playing Cards - 108.05.0116
Mukluks - 103.03.0132
Charm - 103.01.0103 a
Fans - 103.08.0413 a,b
Charm - 103.01.0113 a,b
Abacus - 104.15.0004
Pin - 103.01.0121
Tea set - 104.20.0814 a-f
Tea set - 104.20.0815 - a-h
Plate - 104.20.0816
Plate - 104.20.0817
Figurine, animal - 107.01.0237
Jug - 104.20.1201 a-c
Hut - 101.01.0011 a,b
Hut 101.01.0010 a,b
Statue (rabbit) - 107.01.0179
Sculpture, animal - 107.01.0182 a,b
Figurine set, animal - 107.01.0198 a-m
Figurine, House - 107.01.0242
Figurine, animal - 107.01.0095
Figurine, man - 107.01.0099
Sculpture, Unk.06.03
House collection, miniature - 107.01.0155 a
China Shop - 105.02.0118