Ryerson to explore the true story of Winnie-the-Pooh in new exhibition
Ryerson University will host an exhibition this fall that explores the real-life story behind the fictional Winnie-the-Pooh.
Canadian soldier Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian, bought a bear cub for $20 from a trapper in White River, Ont., in 1914 and took it to England at the onset of the First World War.
Naming it Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg, Colebourn went on to donate the bear to the London Zoo where it served as the inspiration for English author A.A. Milne’s classic children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh, published in 1926.
Colebourn’s wartime diaries, never previously displayed, will be a highlight of the exhibition, which is being organized by Ryerson’s School of Image Arts. Included as well will be items from the Colebourn family collection, such as the Canadian captain’s veterinary tools and photographs.
Along with the genesis of Winnie-the-Pooh, the exhibition will look at military life and veterinary practice during the war.
For Lindsay Mattick, Colebourn’s 35year-old great-granddaughter, the true history behind the beloved fictional bear is an “amazing family story.”
“I have become the person in my family who has all these items that belonged to Harry, things like the diaries that he had written throughout the war years and where he had made notations like: Bought bear, $20, 24th of August 1914; or, left Winnie in the London Zoo December 9th, 1914.”
Mattick, who lives in Toronto, says she named her son Cole after her greatgrandfather.
She is also the author of a children’s book about Winnie and Harry Colebourn, to be released by Harper Collins Canada in the fall of 2015. Film rights to the book have been acquired by RatPac Entertainment, a Hollywood production company.
The Colebourn family collection represents “a hugely significant Canadian story and also an international story, so I’m really excited that Ryerson is taking this on,” Mattick said.
The Ryerson exhibition, Remembering the Real Winnie: The World’s Most Famous Bear Turns 100, will run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 15.