A table plan for a ceremonial meal, laid out neatly in ‘the Russian style’, as described by Aunt Marie, the authority on French cooking and kitchens. But Marie wasn’t a real person – she was made up by …
On mid-summer morning, throngs of people will gather to see the stone circle at the heart of this must-see monument in perfect alignment with the rising sun. Testament to human ingenuity …
Former enemies, united by love – these outfits were worn by German Sigrid Krueger and British Army officer on their wedding day in 1990. Anthony was serving in West Germany as part of the occupying forces when the couple met in an Anglo-German choir …
Birds have long been related to shamans – the messengers of the spirits, their associations with crossing over into other worlds, with the ability to inhabit both our realm and that of the unseen. This bird figure, with its strangely familiar human-like face …
Nature isn’t always presented naturalistically in art. As our relationship with nature changes, so too do the ways in which look at artworks. The Age of Nature gallery at the museum turns the focus towards humanity as part of …
To some, it’s a medical specimen in a jar. To Jennifer Sutton, it’s an ‘incredibly surreal’ experience – that of visiting her own heart in a museum gallery. It was removed from her body during transplant surgery …
Disabled people often use this slogan to communicate the idea that no decision should be made by anyone without the involvement of people affected by it. It’s a principle as true to activism as it is to co-curation, which is fitting for this object …
Is this girl dancing, singing or perhaps trying to fly? Either way, her song is joyful, even if it is somewhat cautious. Taking to the stage to share a song of spring is no easy task, as the competitors at this week’s Eurovision Song Contest know …
London is set to host ceremonial processions through the streets of London this week, although likely with a different tone to that inspired by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector and the first (perhaps not the last) commoner to become head of state in Britain …
Farewell, gentle possum. In 1997, Barry Humprhies wore these specs in an episode of Dame Edna's Work Experience in which she visited workers at the H.J. Heinz and Company baked beans' factory …
Happy International Bat Appreciation Day. While the museum has real bat specimens in its collection, along with cricket bats, my eye was drawn to this small Victorian playing card …
Many of Gyles Brandreth’s iconic jumpers were made as one-offs by his partner George Hostler, a sculptor who abandoned his hammer and chisel in favour of knitting needles. His appearances on breakfast television …
The royal we were in Istanbul last week, visiting museums and heritage sites. And by chance, this is where the mother of the Ottoman Sultan would carry out her ablutions in private, in her own loo …
As I wondered what to pack on a trip to Istanbul, instead of looking at my own wardrobe, I could have been taking inspiration from this 1790s album of Turkish costume. This clown or harlequin with jerkin, breeches and tall cap …
‘Queer’ and ‘South Asian’ are not mutually exclusive. However, growing up in the UK without many visible role models, people often feel as though they do not belong in either LGBTQ+ or South Asian spaces. This co-curated display of …
The sights and sounds, perhaps even the smells, of the streets are captured in this scroll, reproduced in large format on the wall of the museum. Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) would barely recognise Beijing today, one of the world’s largest megacities, with over 21 million residents …
Made in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this rickshaw is one of two commissioned by Manchester Museum – although it’s not clear sure where the other one is. Three British Asian artists …
Today he welcomes visitors in the museum entrance hall, but his own arrival wasn’t that straightforward. In 1872, Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester bought Maharajah from a …
The fine details of art history sometimes needs unpicking for us mere mortals, but here’s a refreshing example of a display where the story is pretty clear – how Bernat Klein used an abstract oil painting …
Oh, what you've done to my heart! It might not be a classic Valentine card image, but this example from the mid-1900s of a steamroller ploughing its way over a heart is, I believe, quite brilliant …
Probably the best known object in the British Museum collection related to the campaign for Women’s Suffrage is this defaced penny coin, with the now famous strapline demanding VOTES FOR WOMEN stamped across King Edward VII’s face …
Agricultural museum collections are full of objects with splendid names. You’ll have heard of a wim-wom already, of course. (Just in case you want a refresher, it’s a hand cart with a large …
Before his career in politics, the so-called ‘Beast of Bolsover’ worked as a miner. He’s perhaps more famously, and certainly warmly, remembered as the Labour MP for Bolsover from 1970 until 2019, and this is how …
This wooden plaque features the Sword of Light emblem (An Claidheamh Soluis) and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Easter 1916 Rising. In 1966, emblems like these were placed on the front of buses …
Happy birthday Imelda, shown here staring into the camera with determination certainly, yet also a quiet sense of warmth and humanity. When this picture was taken, nearly 20 years ago …
Toy Museums often consist of comparatively small things – games, little trinkets and handheld playthings. But the toys here are big toys, including this scale model of a rollercoaster …
