POEM
Date1921
Object numberHF.10.15.826
DescriptionIllustrated poem framed in a simple wood frame. The text of the poem is situated in the center of the page. One either side of the poem is small drawings that are colored with watercolor paint. The first image shows a small child in white walking along a red road. Second is a girl in a pink dress with her dark hair and dress blowing in wind. The third shows two children one in white and one in pink playing in the water and on the sand. The final image is a partial landscape showing cliffs with trees on top and a small boat in the water. Title of the poem: Why The Tide Was Late At Keppoch
Narrative
This framed watercolour and poem was a gift to "Miss Helen Jaynes and Master Julian C. Jaynes" from D.K. Currie in January of 1921. At the time, Julian would have been a year old and Helen would have been around the age of three. Along with the carefully printed poem, there are five illustrations on the piece; four small whimsical scenes of children and the moon on the upper half, and a landscape of Keppoch Beach on the bottom half.
On the back of the piece, there is a small, yellowed piece of paper which offers a different version of the last stanza. Along with the stanza, there is a letter, written on paper from The Charlottetown Guardian's office and dated January 17, 1921. Addressed to Helen from D.K. Currie, who likely held the position of associate editor of the Guardian at the time, it explains that the piece was meant to be sent as a gift for Christmas or New Year, but by the time it had the proper hangings and decorations, the holidays were over.
Around 1918, the Jaynes family, from Massachusetts, bought Bayfield House in Keppoch to spend their summers in. The family consisted of Reverend Julian C. Jaynes, his wife Clara Bullard Jaynes, and their children Helen Jaynes, Julian Jaynes, and Robert Bullard Jaynes. The young Julian grew up to become a popular professor of psychology and a respected author. Members of the family continued to spend their summers in Keppoch Beach until the 1990s.
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