MEDIA | Mobile Millinery Museum Norma Shephard

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

An established Canadian author and curator with six commercial books and a curated World War I volume. Combines a background in material history journalism with an 18-year hospital nursing career, a university degree in psychology, and a credential in academic writing from Queen’s University. Specializes in lower-deck history and material narrative analysis to explore public memory, trauma, and domestic survival.

I. SELECTED LITERARY PUBLICATIONS (BOOKS)

Dear Harry: A Canadian War Story Told Through Letters (2003; Second Edition 2025). Author/Editor, Brigham Press, Burlington, ON.
Darlings of Dress: Children’s Costume 1860–1920 (2017). Author, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA. (Distributed internationally across North American and European trade markets).
T-Shirts: A HIStory and HERitage of Pop Culture (2011). Author, Brigham Press, Burlington, ON.
Lingerie: Two Centuries of Luscious Design (2008). Author, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA.
In Step with Fashion: 200 Years of Shoe Styles (2008). Author, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA.
1,000 Hats (2006). Author, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA.
Accessorizing the Bride: Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades (2005). Author, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, USA.

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II. PERIODICAL JOURNALISM & COLUMNS

Multi-Decade Columnist, Canadian Antiques & Vintage Magazine, National Print Syndication.
Featured Columnist, The Upper Canadian Antiques Showcase, Provincial Print Media.
Historical Contributor, Early American Life, International Historical Periodical.
Biographical Contributor, The Globe and Mail ("Lives Lived" profiles), National Print Media.

III. BROADCAST MEDIA & PUBLIC HISTORY DISCOURSES

National & Regional Television Highlights

Feature Author / Subject, The Final Draft (Season 7, Forthcoming), Eastlink TV, NS. Profiling material history, creative non-fiction, and East Coast curation.
Expert Panelist, Square Off: Vimy Ridge 100th Anniversary Special (2017), CHCH-TV, ON/QC. Broad historical panel analysis on Great War legacies.
Featured Guest Historian, Breakfast Television (2000–2003), CityTV, Toronto, ON. Recurring live studio artifact demonstrations supporting Casa Loma exhibitions.
Featured Guest Specialist, Canadian Living (CBC TV) & This Morning Live (Global TV), National Broadcasts. Showcasing material culture artifacts.
Documentary Subject, Neighbour to Neighbour (c. 1990s), Community Television Feature. On-location profile documenting collection logistics and field operations.

National & Regional Radio Syndication

Featured Interviewee, Fresh Air (Weekend Profile) & Ontario Today (Live Segment), CBC Radio One, National/Provincial Broadcasts.
Featured Expert Guest, Whatcha Got? National Syndication (c. 2000s), US Radio Network. Interview with Harry Rinker regarding Schiffer volumes.
Live Studio Guest, Corporate Import Launch Profile (c. 1985), Regional Toronto Radio, ON. Detailing legal and educational implications of Somso collections.

Investigative Print & Journalism Features

Featured Profile Subject, The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine, National Print Feature. Investigative profile tracking material culture research, textile archive curation, and collection development.
Profile Subject & Research Source, National Wire Syndication Features (1985; Ongoing), The Canadian Press (CP). Nationwide press coverage detailing German Somso collection import logistics and costume archive heritage value.
Profile Subject / Research Source, Investigative Material Culture Coverage (Ongoing). Featured profiles in The Toronto Star ("Hats are becoming hot commodities"), The Hamilton Spectator, The Burlington Post, and The Charlottetown Guardian.

IV. MUSEUM INSTALLATIONS & PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS

Select Solo & Traveling Exhibitions: 1999 – Present | The Mobile Millinery Museum Collection

Founder, Guest Curator & Principal Presenter. Sourced, preserved, and managed a premier historical collection of millinery artifacts, touring custom-curated heritage exhibitions and lectures across Canada for over two decades.

Feature Guest Curator & Exhibition Presenter, The Millinery Retrospective (Year-Long Guest Curation), Brockville’s Historic Fulford Place Museum / Ontario Heritage Trust, Brockville, ON. Staging, lectures, and logistics.
Guest Co-Curator, "Finishing Touch: The Milliner’s Art and The Hatter’s Trade", Dundas Museum & Archives, Hamilton, ON.
Exhibition Presenter, Benares Historic House, Museums of Mississauga. Developed, curated, and performed the annual Mother’s Day presentation series, executing four distinct educational shows across two days each year for nearly a decade.
Exhibition Presenter, Regional Touring Presentations, The Musée – Lake of the Woods Museum (Kenora, ON) and Fort Frances Museum & Cultural Centre (Fort Frances, ON).
Independent Project Director & Lead Curator, The Platinum Jubilee Exhibition: 70 Hats for 70 Years (2022), Burlington Central Library, ON. Attended by Ontario's Lieutenant Governor; recipient of an official Royal letter of recognition from Her Majesty Elizabeth R.
Exhibition Director, The Casa Loma Millinery & Wedding Exhibition Series (2000–2003), Casa Loma Castle Heritage Suites, Toronto, ON. Multi-week installations showcasing 19th and 20th-century fashion architecture.
Founder & Director, Mobile Millinery Museum & Costume Archive, National Touring Venues (Ongoing). Delivered over 100 specialized historical showcases, educational lectures, and artifact appraisals.
Contracted Presenter, Paid professional history lectures and custom artifact storytelling for scores of retirement communities, historical societies, and seniors’ groups.

The East Coast Portfolio (Nova Scotia Curation)

Curator and Exhibitor (2023–2026), Beauty and the Bead, A Legacy of Lace, Every Hat Tells a Story, and twin Remembrance Day presentations, Lunenburg Public Library, Lunenburg, NS.
Exhibition Presenter, Every Hat Tells a Story Showcase (2025), St. John’s Anglican Church and the Lunenburg Public Library, Lunenburg, NS.
Guest Lecturer, Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) Fall Lecture Series, Booktoberfest (Forthcoming). Invited to present a specialized, two-part research lecture series.

V. ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology (Graduated 2019) — Queen's University, Kingston, ON.
Certificate in Academic Writing (Graduated 2019) — Queen's University, Kingston, ON.
Registered Nurse (RN) — Vanier College Cégep, Laval, Quebec (Graduated 1973). Hospital Ward Nurse (18-Year Career) — Canadian Healthcare System. Clinical & supervisory nursing in surgical, pediatric, gynecological, and gerontological hospital wards.

VI. COMMERCIAL & ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

Principal Partner & CFO, Burlington Anatomical.
Recipient, The Canadian Achievers Award for Entrepreneurship (1985).