MYSTERY OF THE OLD SUITCASE

Instructor's Guide

Photograph Notes


Discuss the photos. Elaborate on the photographs from the following notes: As the photographs are identified and the "light bulb turns on" in each child's head, give a commentary on the photographs as they are identified.

1. Mary Augusta, 1875:

- Born in 1869, died in 1876 at 7 years of age.
- First entry in Peters diary of Pop's suffering was in 1872 when she was 3.

If the kids are into it and you have time, read the Oct. 29 letter from Carrie to Peter about her suffering. She died as far as we can determine from spinal meningitis- a disease which is rare today due to our better medicine, however still fatal.

2. Kathleen O'Reilly, 1877:

- Born 1876, died 1945.
- At the time of the photograph , 1877, Kathleen was nine years old.
- Tell the children a little about her, and point out other photo's of her for example, she became a Victoria socialite and travelled widely - England, Scotland, Ireland, Alaska, the U.S.A.
- She was an accomplished lady in the Victorian sense - rode, played tennis, croquet, boated, danced, gardened, did some needlework and water-colour paintings. She painted the picture of the house, which is her home - Point Ellice House; one of our historic sites. The painting hangs in the drawing room and is much larger and in a fancy gilt frame - definitely an important object to the family.
- Show them the picture of the coming out dress and ask the students what they think she did in it - they invariable reply 'got married'. No, Kathleen never married, though she had many beau's, and there are some wonderful letters between her parents and her suitors which detail her courtship's. They are contained at the Provincial Archives of B.C., as are all these photographs. In this dress, Kathleen was "presented at court"; a formal presentation for which she had to be invited through one of her titled friends, Lady Musgrave.
- Her presentation at court allowed her to be invited to other royal parties (such as tea at Buckingham palace) to which she could not go if she had not been presented. Of course it was costly to be "fitted out" for this presentation , and there is a long letter to her parents about this dress. "I telegraphed to Scotter to send my white ball dress which is covered with sparkles and trimmed with lilies of the valley, and a train... white, lined with a delicate shade of green and trimmed with tall lilies and white and green bows and ribbon...it was so very spring looking that a girl of seventeen could have worn it..." Kathleen was presented in 1897 where she was 30 years old.

3.Show the students picture's HP0097 & HP50096 - who are they?

- They are Mary and Kathleen dressed in a similar dresses, How can you tell they are not the same person? Guide the students to examine the size of the children, the locket location on the breast, length of dress etc. Note Mary's photo has a slight bulge on her back, perhaps where her 'stay' - a support for her one dress RBCM has that belonged to the girls is the same design in white tarlatan (light gauzy cotton), one trimmed with velvet coral pink bows, the other aquamarine blue bows.

(By this time the children have identified that the doll was Mary Augusta's, also known as "Pop" and "Sipper Sopper", and that it was she that died in 1876 at the age of 7.
They have also identified Kathleen as the owner of the dress, and that she was wearing it in the photograph of her in 1877, at the age of 9.)

4. Arthur and Francis O'Reilly:

(Make sure these are given to boys as they are always so surprised to find out little boys in the 19th century wore skirts)
- Note that Francis and Arthur both grew up.
- They both went away to boarding school in England.
- They both married in 1914, and lived out there days in Point Ellice House.
- Francis's son by Mary Windham, John O'Reilly, was the last descendent to live at Point Ellice House. It was he and his wife, Inez, who sold it to the government in 1974. He is still alive and living on Beach Drive in Victoria.

5. Photo of three grown children:

- Proof that Mary Augusta is missing.

6.The Honourable Peter O'Reilly:

- A stipendiary magistrate, and judge for the Province of BC, member of the first legislature and later ones, chairman of the Indian Reserve Commission.
- A prominent political and government figure.
- A loving and devoted husband and father.
- He travelled extensively in the Cariboo and Kootenays during the gold rush days and was noted for his tough mindedness and hardiness in the gold fields.

7. Point Ellice House:

- Photo taken from the same angle as Kathleen's painting of the Point Ellice House.
- The tennis party sitting on the lawn; a documentation of the O'Reilly's lifestyle.





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