Virtual Exhibit:
The Art of Collecting
This exhibit is a collection of collections.
The Laidlaw sisters, Jean Ballantyne Shields (1908-1994) and Marjorie Middleton “Peggy” Woodrow (1910-2006), were prolific collectors.
Their collections give us a glimpse into the lives of women of means in the Kawartha Lakes in the mid- to late-1900s, the culture of collecting, and the stories that objects can tell.
For a better viewing experience, please browse from a desktop.
This exhibit focuses on the Laidlaw sisters’ ceramics and glassware, Jean’s lithographs, and Peggy’s eyeglasses.
The exhibit shows only 122 of over 600 items from the Laidlaws’ collections.
The items in this exhibit were selected to please the eye, pique your curiosity, and start a discussion. They let us ponder the sisters’ individual tastes, collecting trends of the past and present, and the origins and creation of the items themselves.
Acknowledgements
Exhibit Curator: James Gilmore
Website Design & Videography: Har-Leigh Arsenault
Translation: Lyne Archambault