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By Amie Lalonde, Collections Cataloguer
Hello once again from the Moore Home!
The next room to be catalogued after the dining room is the master bedroom. This room is dominated by a beautiful piece of furniture with a unique story: the bed of Mary Schaffer Warren, renowned naturalist and artist.
Above: Poster bed,102.03.0017.
A four poster double bed with turned and hand carved posts. The plain headboard is topped by hand carved figures, including two griffins and a pineapple.
While we don't know the exact origins (provenance in museum-speak) of this bed, we do know that it was brought to Banff from Philadelphia when Mary settled here in the early 1900s and was acquired by the Moore family after her death in 1939. The bed has a beautifully carved headboard featuring mythical creatures. When this bed was in Mary Schaffer Warren's house, Tarry-A-While on the corner of Grizzly and Wolverine Street it didn't look exactly like it does now: when the Moore's moved it into their bedroom they had to remove the canopy and saw 6 inches off of each leg. The museum still has the leg pieces but the canopy has not yet turned up. The quilt that is on the bed is a fine example of Quaker quilting and if you look closely you can see the names of the women who contributed to it.
The bed isn’t the only piece of furniture in this room with a rich history. While it's rough hewn appearance makes it look unassuming, the cradle at the end of the bed has many stories to tell.
Above: Cradle, 102.03.0056
It was originally Bella Brewster’s - Pearl’s mother - and each of the seven Brewster children slept in it. Once, when Pearl was around eight years old she was tasked with watching her youngest brother Pat but rocked the cradle so vigorously that he flew out of it and broke his arm. This put an end to Pearl's babysitting duties for some time.
Top Left: Pearl and Pat Brewster, 1904, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Moore family fonds (V439/PA-187)
Top Right: Cape, 103.05.0020. A child's white ermine fur cape with a beige satin lining. Belonged to Edmée Moore.
Bottom: A selection of baby accessories belonging to Edmée Moore.
The cradle was likely passed onto Pearl when her daughter, Edmée, was an infant. Some of Edmée’s baby clothes are still in the dresser drawers in the bedroom and they are absolutely adorable - and very fashionable. In addition to baby clothes, there is a small selection of coats, pants, formal shirts with starched fronts and detachable collars, waistcoats, and hats hidden in the dresser drawers and inside the closets. My favourite is a coat made from a Hudson Bay point blanket. Certainly a stylish and warm essential for our cold Banff winters! Interestingly the majority of clothing found in this room belonged to Philip, aside from the purses hanging on the wall and some toiletries, not much is left in here that belonged to Pearl. Perhaps more will be found as I go through the other rooms in the house or maybe Pearl made sure that her clothing was removed from the house prior to her passing in 1973.
Top Left: The closet in the Master Bedroom.
Top Right: Hudson’s Bay Capote, 103.05.0032, belonging to Philip Moore.
Bottom: [Pearl and Philip Moore, ca. 193?], Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Moore family fonds (V439/PA-430)