Ottawa Citizen

Hearing tube’s roots resonate

- JOHN D. SEWELL

Q This device belonged to my grandmothe­r, born in Yorkshire during the latter part of the 19th century. She became deaf as a child after suffering from scarlet fever.

My father was a medical doctor and actually used this ‘ear trumpet’ for some of his patients who were hard of hearing! It’s a very straightfo­rward instrument — the speaker talks into one end while the listener positions the narrow end into their ear.

On it is printed ‘Mr. A.D. Bateman’s Tube Reg. No. 254256, Manchester.’ It’s a little over 127 cm long (50 inches).

I’d be intrigued to learn a bit more about it. With thanks. Lyndsay, Guelph

A There is a poignant and relevant social history around your heirloom (also called a conversati­on or hearing tube), especially regarding the evolution of hearing technologi­es.

The scarlet fever pandemic of the 1800s swept through Victorian Britain (and parts of Europe and North America), lasting up to the early 20th century.

Children were particular­ly affected and those who survived often suffered varying degrees of hearing loss. The result was a surge in related research, surgical techniques and inventions.

As late as 1923, British newspapers trumpeted the advantage of a portable, flexible “hearing tube worn around your shoulders,” ready to bridge the gap between the listener’s ear and the speaker’s voice, whether to aid with deafness or simply “to enable a traveller’s conversati­on in railway carriages.”

There is little informatio­n about Mr. Bateman but there is mention of other related medical instrument­s he developed. The hard rubber ends on your piece support a 1920s date.

These are seldom seen and it’s worth $225.

Q This is a vase my great aunt brought back from France during the First World War.

She was a nursing sister from Hamilton and was mentioned in dispatches.

The Galle vase is 14.5 cm tall (5.75 inches) — the flower looks like clematis. It has a depression on the bottom’s underside.

I’m looking forward to what you can tell me about this treasured piece of my aunt’s. Thank you very much. Penny, Kitchener

A Your aunt brought back a representa­tion of one of the greatest glass artists of all time — Emile Galle (1846-1904).

He studied art and also botany — plants being a great focus of his. He was based in Nancy, France and known for ‘cameo overlay’ as in your vase where layers were cut back by acid and hand to leave coloured designs.

Value increases with higher numbers of coloured layers — as many as five can be found. Larger pieces have set records in the high thousands.

His fame resulted in employing over 300 people by 1890.

Factory production did continue after his death into the early 1930s. Your pleasing vase is worth about $450.

Q. I was gifted this doll from my great aunt.

She stands 79 cm high (31 inches). She has one movable arm and one locked arm that you use to make her walk. The eyes close when you lay her down and her head turns.

The back marking reads ‘Regal Canada.’ Her dress and underwear are original but are in only fair shape.

I think the doll might have been made sometime in the 1950s as I’ve seen a picture of my mother as a little girl of about 10 years old with the doll. Stacey, Moncton, N.B.

A You have a Wendy Walker doll made by one of the five major companies that manufactur­ed dolls in Canada.

The Regal Toy Company operated in Toronto for 20 years from 1959 to 1979 by Solomon and Ben Samuels. They were known for being very inventive in doll manufactur­ing techniques. Their dolls were mainly vinyl and plastic.

This company was not connected to an earlier American company of the same name.

In general, large dolls are much scarcer than smaller sizes and yours is on the large side.

This doll can be found with the original box and they appear to have been fairly popular.

The doll market, like many other categories is much softer than it was prior to 2008. She will still catch attention at $100 today. John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the ‘Contact John’ page at www.johnsewell­antiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifyin­g marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submission­s accepted.) * Appraisal values are estimates only.*

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