Jean Isabel Findlay, born Galbraith, called 207 High Street home her entire life. She was born in 1906, the same year the Galbraith family moved into the High Street house and lived there until she passed away in 1965. Not many details besides these are available about her life, so we must look to the few available photos—shown here—to see what her life was like at High Street. In the collections of photos from 207 High Street, she is a constant and lively presence. Whether Jean is posing with her older brother or playing billiards in the lounge, these images make 207 High Street come alive.

The photo of Jean Isabel playing billiards, likely taken around 1930, is particularly interesting as the billiards room, also referred to as the gentlemen's parlour, is usually considered a space women weren't welcome.[1] In the twentieth-century, the "new expression of manliness" for the upper middle class came sports and certain leisure activities as the middle class became increasingly separated from manual labour which has historically been associated with male strength.[2] Most upper class homes like 207 High Street included "gendered spaces" such as the gentlemen's parlour, where men could smoke and play billiards, and a separate drawing room for women to relax and socialize.[3] The 1999 Carleton Place Christmas Tour informational text about 207 High Street mentioned this division of gendered space in the home saying "The [current] family room was once a gentlemen's parlour or billiards room. It is said that women weren't allowed to be in the room or take part in the activities which occurred within."[4] However, seeing Jean Isabel enjoying herself in this room questions these assumptions of strict division of domestic space. While this was taken at a time where social and technological developments were shifting the divisions of gender in the home, this photo also serves as a reminder that domestic spaces can not just be seen as a reflection of historical circumstances but has to be considered as a complex part of the personal identity and history, which doesn't always fit neatly into historical narratives.[5]

 

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