Do you have a favourite object in your home? Something special to you, perhaps formed by the creative genius of an artist or the skilled hands of a local artisan? An object purchased from carefully saved earnings? Something so useful that you can’t imagine being without it? These are the objects that we pass from generation to generation through time. And these are often the objects that make their way over time into our museums and galleries. Some are brilliant pieces of art or scientific innovation. Some are everyday objects that show the wear and tear of regular use.

At the heart of every object is its function. Each has been designed to meet a specific need – everything from art and furnishings for our homes and offices to tools and weaponry. Form does indeed follow function.

In November 2021, we launched our online collections portal so that you could explore the collections held by the Trust for yourselves. We value these objects for their visual appeal, their design, what they reveal about the ingenuity of the people who created them, and the stories that they hold about those who used them. These collections, and those in the museums and galleries in our communities, are important. They are not just interesting things. They hold layers of meaning and are deeply connected to the past as well as the present and the future. We can see the changes in material and design, over time, to address similar needs. As we research and understand their complexity, we can use them to reconnect to the communities from which they came and to those who long to build understanding.

Artifacts in the Trust's collection show a diversity of function, esthetics and cultural affiliations. An arrowhead dating from 1630-40 and made of chert was perfectly engineered to function as a tool used for hunting and defence. A hooked rug by Doris McCarthy at Fool’s Paradise displays her iconic angel motif, an omnipresent symbol in her home and a connection to her deep spirituality. A Luckenbooth brooch from the Ashbridge Estate is designed to be a Scottish symbol of affection and, as a piece of trade silver, shows the interaction between European and Indigenous peoples during the 18th century. A saddlebag belonging to Dr. Jones from Homewood is a cleverly designed and functional piece of baggage for his horse in which the itinerant doctor carried his medical tools when visiting his patients on horseback. Chairs believed to have been manufactured at the British American Institute were made with local walnut, with heavy repeating motifs, and symbols showing Josiah Henson’s Masonic and Odd Fellows’ memberships. The exquisite Tiffany dragonfly lamp from Fulford Place is both functional and beautiful.

These items tell us much about the time in which they were created and the people who designed and used them. Over the course of the summer, a number of Trust staff and summer students worked with our collections to provide more information through the portal. We asked them to consider objects that, through their design, share a story. Their examples follow and we hope that they will inspire you to consider the objects that have become part of our personal and societal collections, who designed them, the stories they share and why you value them.

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Les artefacts de la collection de la Fiducie illustrent la diversité des fonctions, de l'esthétique et des affiliations culturelles. Une pointe de flèche datant de 1630-1640 et faite de chert était parfaitement conçue pour servir d'outil de chasse et de défense. Un tapis au crochet de Doris McCarthy au « Paradis d’une folle » révèle un ange, un symbole iconique omniprésent dans sa maison et un lien avec sa profonde spiritualité. Une broche Luckenbooth du domaine Ashbridge est conçue comme un symbole écossais d'affection et, en tant que qu’orfèvrerie de traite, elle témoigne de l'interaction entre les peuples européens et autochtones au 18^e siècle. Une sacoche de selle appartenant au D^r Jones du domaine Homewood est un bagage intelligemment conçu et fonctionnel pour son cheval, qui permettait au médecin itinérant de transporter ses instruments médicaux lorsqu'il rendait visite à ses patients à cheval. Des chaises dont la fabrication est attribuée au British American Institute ont été fabriquées en noyer local. Elles sont ornées de lourds motifs répétitifs et de symboles attestant de l’appartenance aux loges maçonniques et Odd Fellows de Josiah Henson. L'exquise lampe libellule Tiffany de la Place Fulford est à la fois fonctionnelle et belle.