The Museum & its mannequins

The writer and her consort recently visited the Dawson City Museum. It is actually closed during the winter, but the writer has connections. A large structure built in 1901 to house governmental offices and the Territorial Legislative Assembly, the building was largely restored in the 1980s.

The Museum uses mannequins as part of its displays, which isn't all that strange in the grand scheme of things. What makes the Dawson City Museum unique is the fact that its mannequins feature the faces and hands of actual Dawson City residents. This seems a wee bit spooky to me. To add to the weirdness, it must be noted that the hands are not cast from the same person as the face! The faces were selected or nominated by the museum's membership, while the right to have your hands used on a mannequin was auctioned as part of a fund raiser. Labels beside the mannequins identify the owners of the appropriate parts.

The Mannequin Project began in 2008. As they say in the handout, "Enjoy meeting the citizens of Dawson!" 

Now is this the writer or a mannequin? And are those her real hands and face?

The Museum also houses an excellent library of files and photos on the history and the people of Dawson City, especially at the time of the gold rush.

You can find out more about the Dawson City Museum by visiting their website:  www.dawsonmuseum.ca