On 18–19 June, The Society for the History of Collecting presented the online symposium, The Evolving House Museum: Art Collectors and Their Residences, Then and Now, organized and chaired by Margaret Iacono and Esmée Quodbach. Twelve speakers participated in the symposium, introducing an array of house museums, created over more than two centuries, and established … Continue reading The Evolving House Museum
Celebrating Lady Frances Waldegrave
CELEBRATING LADY FRANCES WALDEGRAVE (1821-1879) At Strawberry Hill, undisputed monument to the 18th century neo-gothic revival and to its creator Horace Walpole, the attentive visitor will find some traces that testify to the presence of Lady Frances Waldegrave. Between 1860 and 1862 she added to the original villa a wing in neo-gothic style, while altering … Continue reading Celebrating Lady Frances Waldegrave
SHC Series on Independent Museums 2020
SocHistColl’s Autumn series on Independent museums, 2020 Organising these sessions allowed me to embark on a wonderful and poignant journey of discovery, and I tried to vary their formats in order to enable different perspectives to emerge. First a discussion gathering David Green, director of the Florence Nightingale museum, Helen Bonser-Wilton, CEO of the MaryRose Trust, Emma … Continue reading SHC Series on Independent Museums 2020
Celebrating Poetry Month
TO CELEBRATE POETRY MONTH While the term "collection" is most often applied to poetry with the phrase "poetry collection," Poetry Month has prompted thoughts on the relationship between poets, poetry, and art collecting. Here is one connecton between collecting and poetry. Can you think of others? Samuel Rogers (1763-1855), best known for his volume Italy, A Poem, was … Continue reading Celebrating Poetry Month
The Paston Treasure Exhibition
THE PASTON TREASURE EXHIBITION: THE WORLD IN A MICROCOSM Last summer at Norwich, the Castle Museum presented one of its most extraordinary paintings as the result of a five-year research project. The many questions about this painting: who was the artist, when was it painted, what was its purpose, how were the contents chosen and … Continue reading The Paston Treasure Exhibition