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Journal article
Embroidered stories
Helen Wyld introduces an extraordinary collection of Scottish needlework which records lives that would otherwise have been forgotten.Wyld, Helen
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Journal article
When ivory came from the seas. On some traits of the trade of raw and carved sea-mammal ivories in the Middle Ages
Even if it played a part, it is not so much the lesser availability of elephant ivory as the Norse expansion in the Northern Atlantic that brought the success of walrus ivory throughout Western Europe and far beyond. The strength of demand did not only bring the extinction of the...Dectot, Xavier
trade, walrus, Middle Ages, Iceland, narwhal, Ivory, Greenland, unicorn, and khutū
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Journal article
Maude Abbott and the origin and mysterious disappearance of the Canadian Medical War Museum
From the mid-1960s a new breed of scientific instrument curators emerged in the United Kingdom. This small community of practice developed in parallel to but Context.—In the early 1900s, it was common practice to retain, prepare, and display instructive pathologic specimens to teach pathology to medical trainees and practitioners; these...Wright Jr, James R ; Alberti, S J M M ; Lyons, Christopher ; Fraser, Richard S
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Uses and audiences for the Heritage of Contemporary Science
Report on a workshop of the Universeum Working Group for the Preservation of Recent Heritage of Science in the University, at the University of Glasgow. Universeum’s Working Group for the Preservation of RHS is concerned with the study, conservation and interpretation of the heritage of science, technology and medicine produced...Wittje, Roland ; Alberti, S J M M
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Journal article
The last apothecary: Eric Knott (1896–1993) and 20th-century pharmacy in Scotland
Eric Knott was the last Apothecary at the Royal Public Dispensary and the last Principal of the Duncan School of Pharmacy. He linked pre-war apothecary practice to post-war chemist dispensing. This paper tracks his career from the Duncan School of Pharmacy, transfer to Heriot-Watt College in 1936, to the close...Goggins, Sophie
Pharmacy, general practice, Dispensary, Royal Public, chemist and druggist, and apothecary
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Journal article
People and planes: technical versus social narratives in aviation museums
Redevelopment of two Second World War hangars at the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian provided an opportunity to re-interpret the museum collections. This short account of the project looks at the integrated incorporation of oral history recordings. In particular, it looks at the new approach taken to the...Brown, Ian
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Journal article
Investigation of the degradation of cellulose acetate museum artefacts
Cellulose acetate artefacts from various museums have been analysed by micro-FTIR spectrometry and ion chromatography in an attempt to identify whether there are any common factors associated with their degradation. There was good correlation between the IR spectra, the concentration of ions extracted from an artefact and the visual degree...Littlejohn, D ; Petherick, R ; Quye, Anita ; Ballany, Jane M
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Journal article
Colouring the Nation: a new in-depth study of the Turkey Red Pattern Books in the National Museums Scotland
The production of Turkey red dyed and printed cottons was a major industry in the west of Scotland, particularly in the mid- to late nineteenth century. Although the extensive works were pulled down in the second half of the twentieth century, our knowledge of this industry is significantly aided by...Tuckett, Sally ; Nenadic, Stana
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Journal article
Alfred Nicholson Leeds and the first fossil egg attributed to a ‘saurian’
Discovered by the nineteenth century collector Alfred Nicholson Leeds, the first object to be described (1898) as a fossil reptile egg is a unique find from the Oxford Clay near Peterborough. It also comes from one of a very small number of Jurassic localities worldwide that can claim to have...Liston, Jeff
Oxford Clay, Callovian, Alfred Nicholson Leeds, and dinosaur egg
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Journal article
The complexities of Metal Detecting Policy and Practice: a response to Samuel Hardy, ‘Quantitative Analysis of Open-Source Data on Metal Detecting for Cultural Property’ (Cogent Social Sciences 3, 2017)
In his paper ‘Quantitative analysis of open-source data on metal detecting for cultural property’, Samuel Hardy suggested that permissive policy is ineffective in minimizing the damage done to cultural heritage by non-professional metal detecting. This response paper contests the basic assumptions upon which this analysis is based. While Hardy‘s comparative,... -
Journal article
Lost in translation: discussing the positive contribution of hobbyist metal detecting
This paper will consider the positive contribution from hobbyist metal detecting from both the perspective of the archaeological and metal detecting community. Are we currently opting for a path of least resistance with a ‘better than nothing’ approach to encourage reporting and to maintain good working relationships, even if it... -
Journal article
Scientific instrument curators in Britain: building a discipline with material culture
From the mid-1960s a new breed of scientific instrument curators emerged in the United Kingdom. This small community of practice developed in parallel to but distinctly from the expanding generation of university historians of science and other cognate museum sub-professions. Presenting the trajectories, experiences and practices of personnel in British...Alberti, S J M M
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Journal article
Geomagnetic instruments at National Museums Scotland
In 1981, the sole book about historic geomagnetic instruments was by Anita McConnell. Using it as a timeline, the Royal Scottish Museum’s temporary exhibition ‘The Earth is a Magnet’, was put on to co-incide with an international congress held in Edinburgh that year. The experience emphasised curatorial awareness that this...Morrison-Low, A D
Scottish geomagnetic history, curatorial practice, Temporary exhibitions, and Dr Anita McConnell.
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Lecture
“Metal detecting in Scotland: understanding the extent, it’s character & opportunities for engagement”
Dr Natasha Ferguson, Treasure Trove Unit, National Museums Scotland, and Kevin Munro, Historic Environment Scotland, present a short interactive lecture on “Metal detecting in Scotland: Understanding the extent, it’s character & opportunities for engagement” at the Archaeological Research in Progress (ARP 2017) national day conference on Saturday 27th May 2017...Ferguson, Natasha ; Munro, Kevin
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Book chapter
Charles Thomas in North Britain: a career in the making
A review of the academic career of Prof Charles Thomas in Scotland, pioneering early medieval archaeologist, influential in Early Christian archaeology and Pictish studies.Maldonado, Adrián ; Campbell, E
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Journal article
A new terrestrial millipede fauna of earliest Carboniferous (Tournaisian) age from southeastern Scotland helps fill ‘Romer's Gap'
A diverse millipede (diplopod) fauna has been recovered from the earliest Carboniferous (Tournaisian) Ballagan Formation of the Scottish Borders, discovered by the late Stan Wood. The material is generally fragmentary; however, six different taxa are present based on seven specimens. Only one displays enough characters for formal description and is...Ross, Andrew ; Edgecombe, Gregory D ; Clark, Neil D L ; Bennett, Carys E ; Carrió, Vicen …
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Journal article
Uncovering stories of military collecting
Nicole Hartwell tells the story of a delicately embroidered Italian textile whose appearance is at odds with the tumultuous and bloody period of British Indian history to which it is connected.Hartwell, Nicole M
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Journal article
The Rezillo's Fender Precision bass guitar, 1970s
From the days of the dancehalls to the emergence of pop in an explosion of colour in the 60s, through the 70s and New Wave, Rip It Up will feature global stars and independent local heroes from pop's early days right up to today’s outstanding newcomers. Artists and bands to...Allen, Stephen
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Journal article
Collecting 21st-century science, technology and medicine
Museums are often associated exclusively with bygones. This can be problematic, especially for those who manage science, technology and medicine (STM) collections. In seeking to correct this misconception with contemporary collecting, they also face other problems, especially in scale and complexity. While acknowledging such challenges, this opinion piece proposes opportunities...Alberti, S J M M ; Cox, Elsa ; Phillipson, Tacye ; Taubman, Alison
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Journal article
A legacy in fossils: a tribute to Stan(ley) Wood – Preface
Stan Wood had a gift for finding exceptional Early Carboniferous fossils. Among them are 32 type specimens. His discoveries significantly changed our understanding of the history of life on Earth. Many of the fossils he collected are on display in museums across the UK and the localities he discovered continue...Fraser, Nicholas C ; Smithson, Timothy R ; Clack, Jennifer A
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Journal article
Final word: Glenmorangie Research Project
Dr Adrián Maldondo, the new Glenmorangie Research Fellow at National Museums Scotland, talks to History Scotland about the future of the project, which was established in 2008 and has uncovered many new insights into Scotland's medieval past.Maldonado, Adrián
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Journal article
Drawing damaged bodies: British Medical Art in the Early Twentieth century
Historians are acutely aware of the role of art in medicine. Elaborate early modern works catch our eye; technical innovations attract analysis. This paper beats a different path by examining three little-known artists in early twentieth-century Britain who deployed what may seem like an outdated method: drawing. Locating the function...Alberti, S J M M
First World War, surgery, medical illustration, wounds, and pathology
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Book chapter
Ritual or lethal? Bronze weapons in late Shang China
Large-scale bronze production is one of the most salient features of late Shang China (c.1200–1050 BC). Copper-alloy weapons were cast in extraordinary quantities and varieties as shown by the rich burial assemblages known from the period. However, their practical usages are not yet well-understood, and scholars speculate whether the weapons...Cao, Qin
Bronze weapons, Functional, Late Shang China, and Wear analysis
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Book chapter
Raman spectroscopy, a non-destructive solution to the study of glass and its alteration
This paper presents the potential of Raman spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique which can be applied in-situ, for the analyses of glass and their alteration. Recent analytical developments are summarised for different glass composition and practical examples are given. The paper describes how to extract compositional information from the glass, first...Robinet, L ; Neff, D ; Bouquillon, A ; Pagès-Camagna, S ; Verney-Carron, A …
Glaze, Glass, Conservation , Alteration, Smalt, and Spectroscopy
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Journal article
Twenty-first century sofa: conserving an eighteenth century object for modern museum display
This article describes the upholstery conservation treatment of a mid-eighteenth century sofa made for Spencer House, one of London's finest private houses. The sofa is now in the collection of National Museums Scotland. Details are given about the object's history, the approach taken to the complex treatment options, and the...McClean, Lynn ; Porter, Heather ; Jackson, Stephen
collaboration, conservation, sofa, Ethafoam™, upholstery, and digital
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Journal article
A repository of virtue?: The United Service Museum, collecting, and the professionalization of the British Armed Forces, 1829–1864
By examining the development of the United Service Museum (established in London in 1831) this article demonstrates how the practice of collecting knowledge and material culture during the nineteenth century was considered an important avenue through which to inculcate virtuous behaviour in officers of the British armed forces. Although the...Hartwell, Nicole M
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Journal article
Uncovering the Galloway Viking Hoard, layer by layer
Hold on to your Viking helmet; you’re about to dig, layer by layer, into one of the most extraordinary Viking hoards ever found on the British Isles – the Galloway Hoard – with Dr Martin Goldberg, Senior Curator at National Museums ScotlandGoldberg, D Martin
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Journal article
Dirt, purity, and spatial control: anthropological perspectives on Ancient Egyptian Society and Culture in the Middle Kingdom
The concepts of purity and pollution were central to the maintenance of social boundaries in ancient Egyptian culture. Anthropological approaches, in particular the work of Mary Douglas, are useful in examining their impact on social structure and individual lived experience. Cleanliness and dirtiness were represented as defining characteristics of the...Maitland, Margaret
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Journal article
A novel host of Itoplectis viduata (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae), with some wider rearing records
The apparently regular use of cocoons of a species of Pompilidae, Homonotus sanguinolentus, by the ichneumonid parasitoid Itoplectis viduata at a site in Russia is reported, and seen in the context of the host range of I. viduata as revealed by reared material in the National Museums of Scotland (NMS).Shaw, Mark R ; Borisova, Natalia
pseudohyperparasitism, niche generalist, host range, Cheiracanthium erraticum, Homonotus sanguinolentus, western Europe, and Russia
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Book chapter
Catalogue entry: Mortlake Workshop, after Francis Cleyn (born in Rostock, 1582; died in London, 1658), designer, after Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550) and Bernard van Orley (c.1492-c.1541) The Return of Sarah by the Egyptians, c.1658-60
The Paston Treasure, a spectacular painting now held at Norwich Castle Museum, depicts objects from the collections of a local landed family. The Pastons established one of the most extensive cabinets of rarities and curiosities in seventeenth-century England—it boasted no fewer than six hundred decorative art objects, including shell cups,...Wyld, Helen
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Journal article
A new species and first rearing record of the genus Thibetoides Davis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Tryphoninae) from France
The genus Thibetoides, known from the western USA and various parts of the former USSR, Turkey and Eastern Europe, is reported from Western Europe for the first time. A single female of Thibetoides aprosthemae Shaw sp. nov. was reared from a cocoon of the argid sawfly Aprosthema tardum collected in... -
Journal article
Illustrating the design process: the Bernat Klein Collection and Archive, National Museums Scotland
Serbian-born textile designer Bernat Klein (1922–2014) emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1945 and based his textile manufacturing business in the Scottish borders. From humble beginnings this young émigré designer went on to produce couture fabrics for the leading fashion houses of Europe. Klein also worked as a colour consultant...Mason, Lisa
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Journal article
John Muir Wood: Calotypist
The Scottish Society of Photography has been publishing writing on photography for over thirty years. During this time we have built up a substantial archive of articles and reviews. This feature, the first in a series that looks to give a new lease of life to many of those articles,...Morrison-Low, A D
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Journal article
Hacked up pieces of silver are helping to unravel the story of Early Medieval Scotland
They will feature in Scotland's Early Silver exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland this autumnBlackwell, Alice
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Journal article
Earwigs (Dermaptera) from the Mesozoic of England and Australia, described from isolated tegmina, including the first species to be named from the Triassic
Dermaptera (earwigs) are described from the Triassic of Australia and England, and from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of England. Phanerogramma heeri (Giebel) is transferred from Coleoptera and it and Brevicula gradus Whalley are re-described. Seven new taxa are named based on tegmina: Phanerogramma australis sp. nov. and P. dunstani sp....Ross, Andrew ; Kelly, Richard S ; Jarzembowski, Edmund A
palaeoentomology, Polyneoptera taxonomy/systematics, palaeobiogeography, and Archidermaptera
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Journal article
Radiographic assessment of the skeletons of Dolly and other clones finds no abnormal osteoarthritis
Our recent report detailing the health status of cloned sheep concluded that the animals had aged normally. This is in stark contrast to reports on Dolly (first animal cloned from adult cells) whose diagnoses of osteoarthritis (OA) at 5½ years of age led to considerable scientific concern and media debate...Corr, S A ; Gardner, D S ; Langley-Hobbs, S ; Ness, M G ; Kitchener, Andrew C …
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Journal article
Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber: Preface
This volume comprises 28 papers resulting from the 7th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Anthropods and Amber which took place at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, from 26 April to 1 May 2016.Ross, Andrew
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Journal article
Reflecting the Now: project management and contemporary collecting in a multi-disciplinary Museum
Nearly two million visitors a year will pass through the new permanent galleries of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. This article reflects on the planning and collecting that presaged their redevelopment in the context of twenty-first century museum practice in the UK. We focus in particular on two...Alberti, S J M M ; Allen, Stephen ; Dectot, Xavier ; Gill, Ruth
reflective practice, contemporary collecting, project management, and National Museum of Scotland
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Journal article
Bringing museums to life with science
Clare Meakin, science engagement manager for National Museums Scotland, on why the organisation is on tour teaching science and technology to pupilsMeakin, Clare