Canada, Commonwealth. A Pair of Carved Bone Candlesticks from Pleasantville Internment Camp, 1940

Two candlesticks from carved bone: 

One side featuring a large stemmed flower, the other engraved “ST. JOHN’S NEWFOUNDLAND”, set on a wooden base (lift to remove), measures 85 mm (w - base) x 185 mm (h), light wear, very fine. 

One side featuring a large stemmed flower, the other “SOUVENIR OF INTERNMENT CAMP PLEASANTVILLE 1940”, on a small wood base, (lift to remove), measures 85 mm (w - base) x 185 mm (h), light wear, very fine. 

Footnote: Pleasantville Internment Camp, established in 1940 at Pleasantville, Quebec, was one of several Canadian camps created under the Defence of Canada Regulations following the outbreak of the Second World War. It was used primarily to intern “enemy aliens,” including German and Austrian nationals—many of whom were Jewish refugees transferred from Britain—as well as a smaller number of Italian internees. Administered by the Canadian government and guarded by the Veterans Guard of Canada, the camp formed part of Canada’s wider wartime internment system, which balanced national security concerns with growing awareness of the civilian status of many detainees. Pleasantville Internment Camp closed in 1941, after which its remaining internees were transferred to other Canadian camps, notably Farnham, Quebec.