DOUGH BOX
Dimensions.A: 69.5 x 62.5 x 83.5 x 39.5 cm (27 3/8 x 24 5/8 x 32 7/8 x 15 9/16 in.)
.B: 63.5 x 6 cm (25 x 2 3/8 in.)
Object numberHF.2022.35.2a-b
DescriptionA large wooden box (a) on square tapered legs with lid. The walls are made out of wide boards fastened with square metal nails on the outer edge. The lid (.b) is made of two wide boards fastened with square nails on the side edges. An additional lip is added to the out edge of the lid, width-wise on both ends. The legs extend through the interior of the box to the top of the walls. The bottom of the box consists of one large and one this board. The exterior of the box is painted/stained a dark red colour. The interior and underside of the lid are largely unstained. Narrative
This dough box comes from the Clark/Hooper farm in Rustico, PEI. Used in the process of bread making, the dough would be mixed and proofed within the wooden container before being baked. The size of the box corresponds to its capacity as historically bread would have been made weekly with enough made to feed an entire family. This box was kept in the main house at the Clark/Hooper farm and was used to make bread for both the family and the farm hands.
Over time, the need for large numbers of farm hands decreased leading to smaller amounts of bread being made. This dough box was re-purposed on the Clark/Hooper farm to hold feed supplements. The donor's grandfather, Noel Hooper, was a dedicated Holstein farmer and took great pride in supplementing the feed of his animals to obtain the highest quality of butter fat for which his herd was acclaimed. Noel made special mixes of supplements for each cow depending on their specific nutritional and health needs. The donor spoke of how proud she was when at 9 years old, she acquired "apprentice" status and was allowed to mix the special feeds based on her grandfather's instructions.
