Ivy Jardine, Curator-come-housekeeper’: Local Historian and Curator with Global Ambitions
Resource type
Conference paper (unpublished)
Creator (person)
Taylor, Oliver
Abstract
Taylor highlighted the remarkable work of Ivy Jardine, a former chairperson of the Fife Family History Society, curator of two museums, private archivist for the Scottish Records Association, author, and prolific donor to museum collections. Despite her prominence in the 1980s, Jardine’s contributions, especially her efforts to celebrate Lower Largo’s history and promote the life of Alexander Selkirk (the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe), are now largely forgotten. Jardine’s home, Cardy House, was described in 1984 by The Scotsman as a late-19th century time capsule, thanks to her husband’s family’s habit of never discarding anything. Jardine recognized the importance of this historical trove, appointing herself as its curator. She also opened a museum in Selkirk’s birthplace to further celebrate his legacy. Taylor’s paper examined Jardine’s global outreach efforts to promote her collections and explored why her legacy has faded. It also assessed the significance of her collection—over 3,000 items, including an invaluable glass plate negative collection—now housed at National Museums Scotland.
Event title
Scottish Women Collectors: Sharing Stories
Publisher
The MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust
Rights statement
In Copyright