General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

ALL WOOD WITH IRON NAILS & BOLTS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

200.0 cm

Width

87.0 cm

Height

76.3 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Dairying

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

Unknown

Canada

This butter worker was collected by ethnographer Marius Barbeau in the summer of 1936. There is a sub-listing on Barbeau’s inventory sheet for the wooden roller which accompanies the table. It was bought from Prosper Tailleur of St. Pierre, L'Île-d'Orléans. Tailleur sold an estimated 61 items to Mr. Barbeau for 120.00 dollars. Marius Barbeau was a renowned Canadian ethnographer and folklorist in the first half of the 20th century predominantly known for his work on Indigenous groups and collections of songs and stories. In 1936 and 1937 Barbeau travelled to Ile de Orleans and other locales near Quebec City and bought an array of agricultural and domestic artifacts for a museum first developed by the Department of Agriculture in 1920. The former Department of Agriculture museum was located on the same site as the current Agriculture and Food Museum on the Experimental Farm property. Source: Listed on page 1 as number 1a and 1b respectively under Prosper Tailleur’s name as “Table a beurre (table to roll and press butter)” and “rouleau (roller)” in the document “Artefacts_Min Agriculture Ottawa 1936” from the Canadian Museum of History’s archival fond entitled the Marius Barbeau fonds. Entreprise link: http://opentext/OTCS/llisapi.dll/link/6642150 This research was performed by volunteer Denise Steeves in November-December 2019.

Function

Notes on the object in Barbeau’s inventory states as follows: “Table à beurre (table to roll and press butter)”. Its function was to free butter from excessive moisture, remove the buttermilk, mix the salt & secure a waxy texture.

Technical

Its triangular shape and tilted surface allowed for easier draining during butter working.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

N/A

Finish

UNFINISHED WOOD

Decoration

N/A