The Twelve Days of Christmas (1959)
The Konkles’ 1959 Christmas windows featured the entire cast of the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” carol. Ted said that their inspiration came from an old book of Christmas carols: “My wife was so taken with the quaint illustrations that we both let our imaginations work on the possibility of doing the old English carol.”
Making the words of the carol come alive required extensive research by the Konkles. They discovered that the “four Colly Birds” in the old carol referred to blackbirds, based on its use in ancient Scotland. They added a Canadian touch by making them Red-winged Blackbirds.
They also changed their “three French hens” to black from their original white drawings after seeing some at the Royal Winter Fair. The Globe and Mail reported that “no poultry fancier ever saw as fancy a hen as the three who are bejewelled and wearing ermine neckpieces.”
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Partridge in a Pear Tree conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034432
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Partridge in a Pear Tree, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610, Archives of Ontario, I0049571
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Two Turtle Doves conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034430
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Two Turtle Doves and Four Colly Birds, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0048112
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Three French Hens conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle,1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034433
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Three French Hens, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052170
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Four Colly Birds conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034435
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Two Turtle Doves and Four Colly Birds, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0048112
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Five Golden Rings conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034434
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Five Golden Rings, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052171
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Six Geese a-Laying conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034422
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Six Geese a-Laying, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052172
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Seven Swans a-Swimming conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034421
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Ted and Eleanor working on swans display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0049574
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Seven Swans a-Swimming, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0049572
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Eight Maids a-Milking conceptual drawing by Eleanor Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034425
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Eight Maids a-Milking, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052173
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Nine Ladies Dancing conceptual drawing by Eleanor Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034412
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Nine Ladies Dancing, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052174
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Ten Lords a-Leaping conceptual drawing by Eleanor Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034429
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Ten Lords a-Leaping, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052175
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Ted and Eleanor with Eleven Pipers Piping conceptual drawing and figure, 1959
Colour print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0048116
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Eleven Pipers Piping, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052176
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Twelve Drummers Drumming conceptual drawing by Eleanor Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0034426
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Twelve Drummers Drumming, Twelve Days of Christmas display, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052177
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Twelve Days of Christmas window display conceptual drawing by Ted Konkle, 1959
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0049578
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Twelve Days of Christmas display window, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052178
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Twelve Days of Christmas display window, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052179
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Twelve Days of Christmas display window, 1959
Black and white print
Ted and Eleanor Konkle fonds
Reference Code: F 4610
Archives of Ontario, I0052180