Blog / Collections

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Japanese porcelain at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

by Amy Raphael, Project Curator, Japanese Ceramics. Did you know that Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has a large collection of Japanese porcelain? In 2012, the museum took in a large collection from a generous donor, Irene Finch (1918-2019), who was a s…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Bristol meets Bordeaux in ‘bizarre’ new exhibition

by Jenny Gaschke, fine art curator Two metal doors open and reveal an impressive number of picture crates. They have been stacked carefully inside a climate controlled truck. While we watch on Zoom, over in France exhibition registrar Sylvaine Lest…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

The Bristol Institution and Mary Anning, a pioneering palaeontologist

By Deborah Hutchinson, Curator, Geology ‘The tide warns me I must leave of scribilling’ In May 1821 Mary Anning (1799-1847) of Lyme Regis found the first fossil donated to the Museum of the Bristol Institution. It was a well-preserved specimen of a m…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Covid collecting

by Amber Druce, Curator of History In March 2020, we did a call out for objects, stories and photos of Bristol’s response to Coronavirus. We had plenty of feedback, especially at the start, and the insights were really useful. Since then, I’ve also app…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

A potted history of soap making in Bristol – until 1954

By Lee Hutchinson, curator of history Bristol has laid claim to several firsts in English history. One of those is soap manufacturing. In the 1815 edition of the Bristol Guide, the author echoed the belief that “the first manufacture of Soap in Eng…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Collecting to represent the Climate Movement

by Lee Hutchinson, curator of history Bristol has been the scene of numerous climate protests in recent years. They have become a part of the ongoing Bristol story. Two groups, in particular – Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Youth Strike 4 Climate (YS4…

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Conserving M Shed’s cargo cranes

by Andy King, senior curator of history We are launching a public fundraising appeal to support the conservation of the four cargo cranes outside M Shed. Unfortunately time is taking its toll and they are showing significant signs of deterioration. The…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Protest and survive: New acquisitions by Joy Gerrard and Barbara Walker

by Julia Carver, Modern and Contemporary Art curator Three new works of art acquired by Bristol Museum & Art Gallery strike a chord with recent events. Joy Gerrard Joy Gerrard has been making images of mass protests since the massive anti-Iraq War d…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

The story of a stinky city: How improved sanitation transformed Bristol

by Lee Hutchinson, curator of history When it came to the removal of human waste, for centuries Bristolians relied on the natural ebb and flow of tidal rivers. During medieval times, underground water channels were built to drain sewage and rainwater f…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

10 netsuke from Bristol’s collection

by Amy Raphael, volunteer Did you know that Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has 300 Japanese carvings known as netsuke and okimono? Netsuke were Japan’s solution to a lack of pockets in men’s kimono and other clothing. During the Edo Period (1…