KLMA launches online exhibit: “The Art of Collecting”

The Art of Collecting - Virtual Exhibit by Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives

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. This exhibit focuses on the Laidlaw sisters’ ceramics and glassware, Jean’s lithographs, and Peggy’s eyeglasses, featuring 122 of over 600 items from the Laidlaws’ collections.

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.

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.

This exhibit, offered in both official languages, provides an opportunity to virtually access the museum’s collection in a way not previously available, through the financial support of Canadian Heritage: Digital Access to Heritage Grant Fund.