s The Horkstow Mosaic - Hull Museums Collections

The Horkstow Mosaic

Detail from Horkstow mosaic (image/jpeg)

The Horkstow Mosaic is one of the largest and most interesting mosaics ever found in Britain. It was uncovered in 1797 by labourers making a kitchen garden at Horkstow Hall in Lincolnshire and would have graced a large hall at a very wealthy and sophisticated 4th century Roman villa. The mosaic is made up of three different panels - an Orpheus Mosaic at the top, followed by the so-called 'Painted Ceiling' or Medallions Mosaic, depicting scenes from classical mythology. At the bottom, within a rectangular panel, is the most complete of the three - the unique Chariot Race. Originally measuring 15.25m by 6.10m, the surviving fragments can be seen in the Roman Gallery at the Hull and East Riding Museum. #SUBHEADING#The Orpheus Panel#SUBHEADINGEND# The topmost panel of the mosaic depicts Orpheus enchanting the animals and birds. Unfortunately only about a third survives. Originally it would have looked like an eight-spoked wheel. Paintings made at the time of the discovery of the mosaic in the late 18th century show a figure of Orpheus in Thracian costume at the centre of the wheel, holding a lyre and attended by a peacock and a fox. Around him are other animals; an elephant, a bear and a boar still survive. A hare being chased by a hound can also be seen, as well as pairs of peacocks. The angles of the enclosing square each contained a bust, seemingly male, with a maltese cross on either side of the head. The depiction of Orpheus is one of only a few in this country. #SUBHEADING#The Painted Ceiling or Medallions Panel#SUBHEADINGEND# The central panel of the mosaic is sometimes known as the Painted Ceiling because the design seems more suited to a domed ceiling than a floor. Although large parts have been destroyed, it is clear that the design was a four-spoked wheel held up by serpent-legged giants in the corners. The early paintings suggest that there was a medallion in the centre, although this no longer survives. The rest of the panel is filled with intricate mythological scenes which are difficult to interpret. Some experts have suggested that they show scenes from the life of Achilles, while others think they may be connected to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. #SUBHEADING#The Chariot Race#SUBHEADINGEND# The mosaic panel at the bottom is unique in Britain and shows an eventful chariot race. The racecourse is indicated by the 'spina' or central island, and the 'metae' or turning posts. The four chariots may represent the four factions in the Roman racing world, each conventionally distinguished by the colour of the charioteers' tunics. The scene is laid out rather like a comic strip. One chariot has lost a wheel and overturned, pitching out the charioteer. An attendant dismounts to rescue him, while another lassos runaway horses. The charioteer who has successfully rounded the end of the 'spina' on the left gives his horses free rein, while the team approaching the other end are reined in for the turn. This scene, so full of action, movement and drama has to be one of the most engaging yet found in Romano-British art.

Detail from Horkstow mosaic (image/jpeg) The Horkstow Mosaic

The Horkstow Mosaic is one of the largest and most interesting mosaics ever found in Britain. It was uncovered in 1797 by labourers making a kitchen garden at Horkstow Hall in Lincolnshire and would have graced a large hall at a very wealthy and sophisticated 4th century Roman villa. The mosaic is made up of three different panels - an Orpheus Mosaic at the top, followed by the so-called 'Painted Ceiling' or Medallions Mosaic, depicting scenes from classical mythology. At the bottom, within a rectangular panel, is the most complete of the three - the unique Chariot Race. Originally measuring 15.25m by 6.10m, the surviving fragments can be seen in the Roman Gallery at the Hull and East Riding Museum. #SUBHEADING#The Orpheus Panel#SUBHEADINGEND# The topmost panel of the mosaic depicts Orpheus enchanting the animals and birds. Unfortunately only about a third survives. Originally it would have looked like an eight-spoked wheel. Paintings made at the time of the discovery of the mosaic in the late 18th century show a figure of Orpheus in Thracian costume at the centre of the wheel, holding a lyre and attended by a peacock and a fox. Around him are other animals; an elephant, a bear and a boar still survive. A hare being chased by a hound can also be seen, as well as pairs of peacocks. The angles of the enclosing square each contained a bust, seemingly male, with a maltese cross on either side of the head. The depiction of Orpheus is one of only a few in this country. #SUBHEADING#The Painted Ceiling or Medallions Panel#SUBHEADINGEND# The central panel of the mosaic is sometimes known as the Painted Ceiling because the design seems more suited to a domed ceiling than a floor. Although large parts have been destroyed, it is clear that the design was a four-spoked wheel held up by serpent-legged giants in the corners. The early paintings suggest that there was a medallion in the centre, although this no longer survives. The rest of the panel is filled with intricate mythological scenes which are difficult to interpret. Some experts have suggested that they show scenes from the life of Achilles, while others think they may be connected to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. #SUBHEADING#The Chariot Race#SUBHEADINGEND# The mosaic panel at the bottom is unique in Britain and shows an eventful chariot race. The racecourse is indicated by the 'spina' or central island, and the 'metae' or turning posts. The four chariots may represent the four factions in the Roman racing world, each conventionally distinguished by the colour of the charioteers' tunics. The scene is laid out rather like a comic strip. One chariot has lost a wheel and overturned, pitching out the charioteer. An attendant dismounts to rescue him, while another lassos runaway horses. The charioteer who has successfully rounded the end of the 'spina' on the left gives his horses free rein, while the team approaching the other end are reined in for the turn. This scene, so full of action, movement and drama has to be one of the most engaging yet found in Romano-British art.


Rudston Mosaic in situ (image/jpeg) Rock and Roll! - Or How to Lift a Mosaic

#SUBHEADING#Rock and Roll! - Or How to Lift a Mosaic#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1962 staff at Hull Museums were faced with a huge challenge. How to lift three mosaics from the site of a villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire and safely install them in the Archaeology Museum. The mosaics - The Venus Mosaic, The Aquatic Mosaic and The Swastika Mosaic - had been found in 1933 while the field was being ploughed by the owner, Mr. H. Robson. They had been preserved in the ground beneath a specially-built shed but were becoming increasingly damaged by water and frost. If left these wonderful works of art would be lost forever. The team from Hull Museums, led by John Barlett and W.H.Southern, developed a method which clearly worked as it was also used in 1971 to lift the Charioteer Mosaic from the same site in 1971. The 'Tyche' Mosaic from the villa at Brantingham was also lifted using this same method. The method they chose was rolling. This was tried on some plain borders of white tesserae first but worked well and so it was decided to risk it on the larger irreplaceable pavements. #SUBHEADING#Preparation#SUBHEADINGEND# This first step was to carefully clean and dry the mosaic. Then the gaps between the tesserae were deepened. When the mosaic was completely dry it was coated with two or three layers of a thick plastic solution combined with strips of material and a fourth top coat of plastic solution applied to glue it all in place. This stage in the lifting of the Charioteer Mosaic took 200 hours! #SUBHEADING#Rolling a mosaic#SUBHEADINGEND# A cardboard tube strengthened in the middle and both ends by cable drums from the Hull Telephone Department acted as a column around which the mosaic could be rolled. This was a slow process which involved slowly rolling the increasingly heavy drum onto the tube while cutting away the Roman mortar beneath the tesserae. All the while the tesserae were being securely held in place by the coats of material and glue already applied to the top surface. When completely rolled a large mosaic such as the Venus Mosaic weighed about a ton! The drum was then man-handled onto a low-loader lorry (at 10mph!) to Hull. It was obviously a difficult task as a crane was used when they came to lift the Charioteer Mosaic and its drum in the following decade! #SUBHEADING#Roll On: Roll Off#SUBHEADINGEND# Once safely arrived at the museum the mosaic had to be unrolled. This was done by putting a spindle through the cable drums supporting the huge cardboard roll and sliding the pavement as it came off the top down a ramp. The team could then work on the underside of the pavement, removing the remains of the Roman mortar with 'the liberal use of a vacuum cleaner'. A layer of concrete was then applied as a backing, together with a specially prepared steel wire-mesh reinforcement. When it came to backing the Charioteer mosaic in the 1970's the stainless steel grid was strengthened with a fibre-glass and Araldite mixture. The mosaic could then be turned over. The final stage consisted of removing the layers of plastic coating and material. This was carried out with an electric paint remover. Most of the limestone and brick tesserae were tough, but the chalk ones had to be treated very carefully.


Detail from Castelow's shop front (image/jpeg) 159 Woodhouse Lane

#SUBHEADING#159 Woodhouse Lane#SUBHEADINGEND# Mr Walter Thomas Castelow's shop at 159 Woodhouse Lane was the oldest surviving chemist shop in Leeds when it was demolished for the redevelopment of the University in 1976. #SUBHEADING#Chemist Shop#SUBHEADINGEND# Opening in 1841 under the name Bentley's, the shop had a long history and operated under the names Dearden's and Brown's, before finally coming into the hands of Walter Thomas Castelow in 1907. Over the course of the twentieth century the world outside was to undergo a great deal of change; however the little shop was to retain its Victorian character and atmosphere throughout. #SUBHEADING#Original fittings#SUBHEADINGEND# Many of the original 1840s fittings remained, the sturdy mahogany counter, the drug run, the glass fronted cabinets, showcases and shelves, gilt labelled jars, coloured bottles, and huge glass rounds which contained liquids, powders, tablets and pills, continued to be used by Castelow until his death in 1974. Like his shop Mr Castelow's own appearance was unique; throughout his life he continued to wear the smart, professional dress of his Edwardian youth, he refused to wear the white lab coat and instead opted for a waistcoat, jacket, cravat and stiffly starched two inch collar. He struck an imposing figure but his warm smile quickly put people at ease. #SUBHEADING#Traditional Remedies#SUBHEADINGEND# Mr Castelow's medical consultations often ended with him issuing a traditional remedy rather than dispensing a factory made brand drug. Mr Castelow was a traditional Edwardian chemist; 'cooking up' his medicines in house. He would consult his hard leather bound pharmacopoeia, his hand written equations and Latin notes to concoct the correct preparation. He would pick his ingredients by hand from his drug run and shelves; grinding dried ingredients in the large pestle and mortar, measuring out syrups, treacles and other liquids with nothing but his steady hand and some Victorian glass measures, and turning pastes into tablets, suppositories and even pills with the use if his Victorian pill making machine. Despite increasing restriction and even the removal of some of the traditional ingredients under the poisons act and other regulations, Mr Castelow was still a great believer in many of the traditional remedies, as were his customers, some of whom travelled all over the country to sample Castelow's curious cures, for anything from headaches to bronchitis.


Detail of Skerne Sword (image/jpeg) The Skerne Sword

The Skerne sword is an unusually fine example of a pattern-welded sword with decorated handle dating to the 10th century AD - the Viking period. It was found during excavations of a waterlogged site at Skerne, near Driffield, East Yorkshire in 1982 by the Humberside Archaeology Unit. It had been dropped, complete with its scabbard, into the River Hull from a jetty or bridge. #SUBHEADING#Looking Closer#SUBHEADINGEND# The pommel and guard are decorated with inlaid silver and copper wires in geometric designs. Beneath is a very fine gauze-like silver-wire mesh which under a microscope looks almost like textile weaving. Decorative inlays of copper and silver wires have been recorded on other swords from the Viking period but the fine state of preservation of the two metals on the Skerne Sword makes the decoration particularly striking. X-rays have shown that the sword blade was pattern-welded in a clear herringbone pattern along its whole length. Only the tip and the cutting edges are plain. The hilt (or grip) has largely decayed over the centuries but enough traces remained for scientists to identity it as horn. #SUBHEADING#The Scabbard#SUBHEADINGEND# An exceptional feature of the weapon was that it was found still encased in its wooden scabbard. Without the waterlogged conditions of the site this would have long since decayed. The scabbard was made from willow or poplar and lined with sheepskin. #SUBHEADING#The Excavation#SUBHEADINGEND# The excavation revealed a structure made of oak piles sunk into the river bed. It may have been part of a jetty on the waterfront of the River Hull or alternatively a wooden bridge carrying the road from Skerne to a settlement at Brigham. The oak piles had slowed the current of the river allowing silt to build up quickly around them. In this silt the excavators found four knives, a drill bit, an adze and wood chippings. Perhaps these were dropped by workmen repairing the bridge? #SUBHEADING#Accident or Ceremony#SUBHEADINGEND# It seems unlikely that such a prestigious (and expensive) weapon could have been dropped by accident. This has led to the theory that it was deliberately thrown into the river as a religious offering. Other finds from the silt, such as a spearhead and the remains of complete animal skeletons (including horse, cow, sheep and dog) might also suggest that the site had a ritual significance. The Skerne Sword is not the only Viking Age sword to have been deposited in this way. A mid-10th century sword, with very similar decoration, was found in the River Frome at Wareham in Dorset and is now in the Dorchester Museum. In addition, there are two swords in the British Museum, one from the River Lea at Edmonton and the other from the River Witham in Lincolnshire. Although the custom of throwing or placing offerings in water in more commonly recorded in the Iron Age, it seems that there may have been something of a revival during the Viking Period.


William Wilberforce (image/jpeg) Wilberforce and slavery

Wilberforce House Museum, opened in 1906 and recently refurbished, is the birthplace of slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce. The museum explores the history of slavery, abolition and the legacy of slavery today. This section explores the history of the house and its former occupants, wilberforce the man and politician and the slavery collections including contemporary issues.


Adopt a Painting - An Interior with Ladies and Gentlemen at Cards

An Interior with Ladies and Gentlemen at Cards, mid 1660s by Eglon Hendrik van der Neer (1634-1703) Description A key Old Master in the Dutch permanent displays this scene is unusual due to its portrayal of the latest in French fashions in clothing and hairstyles, suggesting a very wealthy Dutch family. Work required The painting has suffered from various losses, scratches and abrasions in the past and the paint layer is in danger of flaking in some areas. Estimated conservation cost: £1,750 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5221 Dimensions: 65 x 73 cm


Adopt a Painting - The Sally

The Sally, c1870 by John Pettie (1839-1893) Description Pettie often painted scenes taken from the 16th and 17th century with no exact historical or literary source but treated in a typically theatrical style. Work required The canvas is not fit for display presently owing to numerous small losses, very poor tension of the canvas and a small tear, lower centre. Estimated conservation cost: £1,750 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5269 Dimensions: 49.5 x 79.4 cm


Adopt a Painting - The Holy Family with Two Female Saints

The Holy Family with Two Female Saints, mid 17th Century attributed to Giovanni Batista Salvi Il Sassoferrato (1609-1685) Description The quality of this Italian Old Master has always been recognised. The treatment is unusual due to the inclusion of the two female figures on the left. Work required The work needs urgent treatment owing to cracking and cupping of the paint layer. It needs to be removed from its stretcher before treating to prevent future deterioration. Estimated conservation cost: £4,200 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.6137 Dimensions: 88.7 x 115.7 cm


Adopt a Painting - The Lame Duck

The Lame Duck, c1917 by Thomas Jacques Somerscales (1842-1927) Description This important Hull artist is represented by several marines in the Ferens collection of which this is the most ambitious. It is a major work in the planned Victorian and Edwardian catalogue and survey exhibition. Work required There are raised cracks along the lower part of the canvas from which some small losses have occurred and it requires urgent treatment. Estimated conservation cost: £2,625 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.6166 Dimensions: 121 x 183 cm


Adopt a Painting - Lady Barrington Bouchier

Lady Barrington Bouchier, before 1687 attributed to Willem Wissing (c1656-1687) Description An important Old Master and a good example of late Stuart official portraiture this work is currently on display. Both the artist attribution and the identity of the sitter remains to be confirmed. Work required Urgent treatment is required to structural and shrinkage cracking in addition to several obvious damages to the paint layer. Estimated conservation cost: £4,200 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.6290 Dimensions: 123 x 100 cm


(image/jpeg) The Discovery of Tutankhamun

The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun has been hailed one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century. While the Pharaoh's reign itself may have lacked distinction, the publicity that surrounded his discovery ensured that Tutankhamun has become immortalised in popular culture. #SUBHEADING# Discovering the tomb #SUBHEADINGEND# The discovery of this long lost pharaoh was a long time coming. Archaeologist Howard Carter had been excavating in the Valley of the Kings for years, and other archaeologists such as Theodore Davis claimed there was nothing left to find there. Lord Carnarvon, Carter's patron had already threatened to pull financial backing, but was persuaded to continue for one more season. Three days into work, on the 4th November 1922, the entrance and stairway to the tomb was discovered, next to that of Ramesses VI. An urgent telegram was sent to Lord Carnarvon in England requesting his presence in Egypt, and further excavations later revealed the cartouche of Tutankhamun - finally the search was over! #SUBHEADING# Can you see anything?'... 'Yes, wonderful things #SUBHEADINGEND# The treasures that awaited Carter and Carnarvon as they entered the tomb on the 25th November 1922 were amazing. Although evidence suggested activity from grave robbers twice in antiquity, the Tomb was still the most intact that had ever been discovered. Directly behind the first door was a corridor filled with rubble, which was cleared to reveal another door, leading to a room Carter described as full of 'wonderful things' - containing 'strange animals, statues and gold - everywhere a glint of gold'. They discovered three funerary couches with Hippo, Cow and Lion heads, white and black bedsteads, a golden throne depicting the Pharaoh and his wife, a wooden mannequin of the Pharaoh used for fitting his robes, and two guardians of the tomb, either side of a door through to the burial chamber. It was not until 23rd February 1923 that Carter ventured into the burial chamber. There he found four gilded shrines, nested one inside the other and a stone sarcophagus, which held three coffins, the innermost made from solid gold and weighing 2500 lbs. The task of removing each coffin was a slow and delicate operation and it was not until 24th October 1925 that the last coffin was opened to reveal the mummified remains of the King and the iconic gold mask. Two other rooms were also discovered; a treasury, containing all the items needed in the afterlife (including the canoptic chest with his internal organs), and an annexe. #SUBHEADING# A lifetime's work #SUBHEADINGEND# Each of the 5000 items in the tomb was meticulously recorded and catalogued. The Tomb took 6 years to excavate and 10 years to remove, treat and study. Progress was not helped by a constant barrage of visitors desperate to catch a glimpse of the latest discovery. #SUBHEADING# Beware the curse of the mummy #SUBHEADINGEND# After the tomb was discovered media fuelled rumours of an ancient 'mummy's curse' were rife, especially following the death of Lord Carnarvon in April 1923, just seven weeks after the opening of the burial chamber. Carter's pet canary was another victim apparently claimed by the curse, after it was eaten by a Cobra on the day the tomb was discovered. However the majority of people connected to the event went on to live for many years, including Carter himself. Lord Carnarvon already had a weak constitution and was primarily advised to visit Egypt for his health. He died of pneumonia, contracted after falling ill from an infected mosquito bite.


Adopt a Painting - The Entombment of Atala

The Entombment of Atala, early19th century After Girodet de Roucy Trioson Description Included in the Gallery's Old Master catalogue, Girodet was one of the star pupils of the neo-classical French painter Jacques- Louis David (1748 -1825). Work required The canvas will be cleaned and darkened over-painting that has been added removed. The tension will also be corrected. The work will dramatically improve the work's appearance. Estimated conservation cost: £2,975 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4968 Dimensions: 85 x 110 cm


Adopt a Painting - Sophronia asking the Saracen King Aladine to release the Christian Prisoners

Sophronia asking the Saracen King Aladine to release the Christian Prisoners, mid 18th century by Francesco Guardi (1699-1761) Description One of the Gallery's finest and largest masterpieces, Guardi along with Canaletto, was one of the most celebrated of the Venetian 'vedute' or view painters. This earlier figure scene was originally part of a larger decorative cycle executed in Venice. Work required Urgent treatment is required to the fine cracking of the paint and to reline the canvas. This will ensure that the painting is preserved for the enjoyment of future visitors. Estimated conservation cost: £10,500 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4993 Dimensions: 300 x 108 cm


Adopt a Painting - The Death of Dido

The Death of Dido, late 17th century by Daniel Haringhs (1636-1706) Description Haringhs was essentially a fashionable Dutch portrait painter and his subject pictures such as this are far rarer. Conservation will enable it to be brought out of the reserve collection and displayed for the first time. It strengthens the Ferens important holdings of 17th century Netherlandish art. Work required The picture is disfigured by extensive raised cracking and crude over-painting as well as surface dirt and discoloured varnish which needs to be treated. Estimated conservation cost: £3,500 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5010 Dimensions: 114 x 108 cm


Adopt a Painting - Sacrifice of Iphigenia

Sacrifice of Iphigenia, c1699 Attributed to Jean Jouvenet (1644- 1717) Description Identified as a work of significance during the Gallery's research for its Old Masters project (2002), Jouvenet's career spans a critical period in French painting showing influence from Poussin to Charles le Brun. Work required There are numerous losses and some structural distortions of the canvas which need to be treated before this painting can be displayed. Estimated conservation cost: £5,250 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5087 Dimensions: 180 x 130 cm


Adopt a Painting - Aurora and Tithonius

Aurora and Tithonius, c1700 Attributed to Gregorio Lazzarini (1655-1730) Description Lazzarini was the leading decorative painter in Venice at the turn of the 18th century. Conservation will enable this painting to be displayed alongside later works which it anticipates, such as the large canvas by Guardi. Work required Discoloured varnish and darkened and discoloured re-touchings will be removed to restore this work to the vision the artist intended. The frame is also in need of conservation Estimated conservation cost (without frame): £4,375 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5129 Dimensions: 108 x 83 cm


Adopt a Painting - Madonna and Child with St Joseph

Madonna and Child with St Joseph, mid 18th Century by Francesco Mancini (1679-1758) Description Mancini represents the end of the Baroque tradition in Italy and worked on many church altarpieces mainly in and around Rome. This work is not on display owing to its poor condition. Work required The paint layer has extensive structural cracking and some badly matched re-touchings of old losses. The frame also requires treatment. Estimated conservation cost (without frame): £3,500 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5179 Dimensions: 142 x 106 cm


Adopt a Painting - The Man with the Muck Rake

The Man with the Muck Rake, 1877 by Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901) Description This ambitiously scaled, religious canvas was inspired by the popular Victorian text, 'The Pilgrims Progress' after which Paton painted a number of scenes. The Gallery has a small preparatory oil study for this work, as well as a further large scale oil painting by the artist. Work required The canvas needs cleaning and re-stretching to restore it to the artist's original intentions and remove disfiguring distortions that have developed over the years. Estimated conservation cost: £5,250 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5251 Dimensions: 251.5 x 157.5 cm


Adopt a Painting - Holy Family

Holy Family, early 17th Century Attributed to Giulio Cesare Procaccini (c.1572-1625) Description This intimately scaled Old Master is attributed to one of the leading painters of his generation in northern Italy. Many of his best pictures are large altar pieces painted for churches in Milan. Work required There is danger of future paint loss as well as many discoloured and badly applied re-touchings from previous interventions. Estimated conservation cost: £1,575 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.5281 Dimensions: 45.5 x 37.6 cm


Adopt a Painting - Portrait of George Birkbeck

Portrait of George Birkbeck, 1805 by John Russell (1744-1806) Description This is probably the earliest painting in the collection for which the details of the commission are known and can be traced to Hull. The sitter visited in 1805 to give lectures on Natural and Mechanical Philosophy and the commission was made by Hull Subscription Library. Work required The structural and shrinkage cracking in the paint surface mean there is a danger of paint loss through flaking. The canvas needs to be relined and re-stretched before the work can be displayed. Estimated conservation cost: £2,975 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.6126 Dimensions: 76 x 64 cm


Detail from Peter Howson picture (image/jpeg) Peter Howson

Peter Howson is one of Britain's most important contemporary artists and the country's most recent Official War Artist. Although born in London in 1958, Howson is commonly associated with the new 'Glasgow Boys', a group of figurative artists who rose to fame during the 1970s and '80s. Dropping out of Glasgow School of Art in 1997, Howson spent a short time in the army and then worked as a warehouseman and bouncer, living in a gymnasium. Here he met the boxers, dossers, squaddies and drinkers who populate so much of his work. Mr. Great Heart is a distillation of the many people Howson holds recorded in his memory through his personal experiences, from the rougher parts of Glasgow to the war-torn towns of Bosnia. The boxer is a recurrent motif - Howson was himself a boxer - and signifies for him the triumph of the underdog. Howson was inspired in 1996, by reading Bunyan's Bilgrim's Progress and the novels of John Buchan, to explore through in his works the strength of the human spirit. #SUBHEADING#Narrative Format#SUBHEADINGEND# Peter Howson's earlier works have a narrative format, describing episodes which reflect the darker side of human nature. It was only in the late 1980s and early 1990s that he began to focus more closely on the characters who populate his work, presenting single figures whose grossly exaggerated faces and bodies convey a conflicting range of emotions, from anger and despair to pride and hope. Although Mr. Great Heart can be termed a portrait it is very much a representation of a type of person rather than a specific individual. While on the one hand it conjures up the earthy, proud streetfighters of Glasgow's Gallowgate it also evokes the threat and violence Howson witnessed in Bosnia and the rawness of human brutality. #SUBHEADING#The style#SUBHEADINGEND# Howson's painting technique exhibits two distinctly different approaches. One is the free, impastoed and gestural style which lent so much strength to his Bosnia works. The other is a smooth, slick, highly finished technique, demonstrated in Mr. Great Heart, which models the solid, muscular bodies and faces of his characters and heightens their sense of the grotesque. This is enhanced by his working on a large scale with the characteristic use of a monochrome palette and shadow to sculpt and distort the figure. #SUBHEADING#The influence of war#SUBHEADINGEND# Following the outbreak of war in Bosnia, Howson became obsessed with the images of suffering and human devastation reported in the press. Driven by his personal desire for adventure and the need to draw attention to that country's plight, he travelled to Bosnia in Spring 1993 as the Official War Artist (OWA) under the sponsorship of The Times newspaper. The resulting exhibition of his work were met with both controversy and critical acclaim, like those of his OWA predecessor, John Keane (b.1954), whose work is also represented in the Ferens collection. The Ferens has significant holdings of work by Official War Artists, particularly of the Second WorldWar, together with examples of work by artists whose 'non-war' work still reflects the influences of war. Paul Nash's (1889-1946) Michaelmas Landscape, 1943, and John Piper's (1903-92) Marchlyn Mawr, c.1947-8, are notable examples. Similarly, John Keane's (b.1954) Fairy Tales of London, 1992, offers a further contemporary perspective of the impact of war upon a leading artist.


Detail of the Roos Carr figures (image/jpeg) Roos Carr Figures: Faces From the Past

#SUBHEADING# The Discovery #SUBHEADINGEND# In 1836 some labourers cleaning a ditch at Roos Carr, near Withernsea in East Yorkshire made a surprising discovery. About two metres below the surface they came across a collection of well-preserved wooden objects including several 'warrior' figures with stone eyes, a wooden box, a serpent-headed boat, and various other wooden articles 'too much decayed to remove'. Four of the figures; together with the boat and various other attachments which seemed to be arms, paddles and shields; were given to the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society and eventually became part of the collections of Hull Museums. A fifth figure was acquired by the museum in 1902. One of the men present at the time of the discovery had apparently given the 'ancient doll' to his daughter to play with! In the 19th century four of the figures were fixed into the boat, with the 'arms', shields and paddles glued or nailed on wherever they seemed to fit. Recently, the figures were conserved using more sympathetic methods - the Victorian glue and varnish were removed and they were taken out of the boat. Under close examination it became clear that there are subtle differences between the figures, for example, some have nostrils whilst other don't. These differences (not to mention the fact that there isn't room on the boat for the fifth figure!) strongly suggest that there were originally two boats complete with crews. #SUBHEADING# Arms and the man! #SUBHEADINGEND# Modern examination has established that the figures, which are between 35 and 41 cm tall, are carved from yew wood and have quartzite eyes. It also seems that the pieces of curved wood, previously considered to be short 'arms', fit perfectly into another hole - and were actually intended as detachable male genitalia! Perhaps it was felt that the Victorian museum visitor should be spared a lesson in anatomy... #SUBHEADING# From Noah to ritual deposition #SUBHEADINGEND# People have been intrigued by the Roos Carr figures ever since they first came to light. How old are they and what were they for? They have at various times been attributed to Viking invaders and even identified as representing Noah and his family! The question of date has been resolved by radio-carbon testing - the figures are now known to be about 2,600 years old. This places them in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age. But the question of their purpose is more difficult to fathom... Modern archaeologists consider them to represent votive offerings of some kind, perhaps gods or ancestor figures. The fact that they were apparently recovered from 'a layer of blue clay' suggests that they were originally deposited in or near water. This would be in keeping with the wider European cult practice of depositing items such as metalwork in rivers, marshes and other marginal land. #SUBHEADING# Totally Unique? #SUBHEADINGEND# There are actually nine other surviving comparable figures in Britain and Ireland, ranging in date from about 2500 BC to 148 BC. They are made from a number of different woods - ash, pine, yew or oak. Some are definitely male; some, like the Roos Carr figures, have removable genitalia and so could be either male or female. Only one, from Ballachulish in Scotland, is unambiguously female. #SUBHEADING# A Glimpse Into the Past #SUBHEADINGEND# A recent study has suggested that the choice of wood may be significant and relate to the particular god being represented. Perhaps there is a link between a particular god and a type of wood, such as Odin (or his earlier manifestation, Ull), and the yew tree. While this is an intriguing theory, there is only one certainty. The Roos Carr figures will continue to fascinate us for many years to come. Not least because of the glimpse they provide into a complex prehistoric world of ritual and religion which we can only wonder at.


painting detail (image/jpeg) 'Interior of a Wallpaper Manufacturers Workshop'

The painting depicts the interior of Hardy's wallpaper printing workshop at Junction Dock Street, Hull. It is thought to show work being carried out at the premises around 1840-45. It is of particular interest because it shows the three main stages involved in the production of printed wallpaper using woodblocks at this time. #SUBHEADING#Stage 1 - printing#SUBHEADINGEND# Firstly, a man to the left is using a weighted treadle to position a printing block on the wallpaper. He is standing and working at a window which allows plentiful light to enable him to see where the block edges need to align for the pattern to be accurately delivered on the paper. He may have been printing with either a black/colour printing medium or with an adhesive. #SUBHEADING#Stage 2 - flocking#SUBHEADINGEND# It has been suggested that 'flocked' wallpaper is being produced in this scene. These were wallpapers that had a slightly raised textile design on the flat ground of the paper. They started to be produced around the end of the seventeenth century and copied the process that had already been used for decorating furnishing textiles. Adhesive was used as part of the process of making 'flocked' wallpapers. It was printed as a design onto the wallpaper and then 'flock', or processed woollen fibres, were shaken through a sieve onto the prepared paper. The flock would stick to the areas that had the printed glue surface and could be easily removed from unprinted areas. The man who is working in the left corner of the room may be involved in this stage of the process. #SUBHEADING#Stage 3 - drying#SUBHEADINGEND# Finally, on the right side of the painting, lengths of printed and flocked wallpapers are hanging from the ceiling to dry. Once dry, the lengths are being rolled up by the figure on the right. Prior to this, wallpaper was produced in short sections which were joined together to form a roll and this process was much more time-consuming. Slightly after the date of this painting, wallpaper started to be produced even more efficiently by machine printing. Whole rolls of paper were continuously fed through mechanised metal or wooden printing rollers which each delivered a different colour for the design. #SUBHEADING#Hardy's#SUBHEADINGEND# Hardy's wallpaper manufactory was a family business, run by Mary Hardy and her son William. Trade Directories record that the Junction Dock Street address was occupied by the business in 1842 and in 1857. In 1846 at around the time that this scene was painted, there were six wallpaper manufacturers in Hull, but by 1857 the number had dwindled to three and William Hardy was listed simply as a 'Paper Hanger', so was probably no longer manufacturing papers.


mosaic detail (image/jpeg) The Brantingham Tyche Mosaic

The so-called 'Tyche Mosaic' was discovered in 1961at the site of a large villa near Brantingham, about 3km northwest of Brough in East Yorkshire. It measures 11 x 7.8m and dates to the middle of the 4th century, about 330-335 AD. The mosaic features a distinctive figure at the centre wearing a crown and surrounded by a nimbus or halo. Some experts believe this figure is a 'Tyche' (pronounced tie-key), a personification of a province or tribe, and this has given the mosaic its name. #SUBHEADING#Tyche or Muse?#SUBHEADINGEND# There are actually two theories about who the figure is. Supporters of the 'Tyche' identification see the crown in the form of a city wall with towers - a feature seen in other representations of the deity. Some have speculated that it could be the Tyche of the Parisi, the local tribe of the area. A Tyche is usually seen with a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, but unfortunately this clinching piece of evidence would be on the left shoulder - the very part of the centre piece that has been lost! An alternative theory is that the central bust represents one of the Nine Muses, the other eight being arranged in two rows of four at the top and bottom of the mosaic. If this is the case then the crown would actually be a feathered head-dress as worn by the muses after their legendary singing contest with the Sirens. What do you think? #SUBHEADING#Water-nymphs#SUBHEADINGEND# Around the central bust are semicircular compartments, each containing a reclining water-nymph, holding a reed in her right hand and resting her elbow on an overturned vase - the symbol of spring. The spaces between the nymphs contain large canthari (wine-cups) or craters (vessels for mixing water and wine). #SUBHEADING#The Eight Ladies#SUBHEADINGEND# Oblong friezes above and below the central panel each contained four female busts with a top-knot and a nimbus or halo. They are shown within a round-headed panel making the panel look rather like a row of niches in a wall. The busts are similar to the central bust but lack a crown. Unfortunately only three of the original eight have survived but all are slightly different. #SUBHEADING#Painting in Stone#SUBHEADINGEND# Interestingly it seems that the design for the Tyche Mosaic was actually intended for painted ceilings or walls. The form of the central panel would have fitted perfectly into a dome, while the architectural niches with busts in the top and bottom panels would suit a wall. Painted wall plaster that had fallen onto the mosaic includes a nimbed bust in a roundel and shows that the design was carried upwards onto the walls of the room. The whole effect must have been a vast array of faces!


painting detail (image/jpeg) The Slave in Chains

Ever since this painting came in to the museum in 1933, there has been a lot of mystery surrounding it. Who painted it? Who is the African in the picture and why was it painted? Over the years, the painting has been attributed to many artists including the Thomas Barker of Bath (1769-1847). However recent research doubts such claims. During the time that the picture was painting in around 1827, the subject matter of an enslaved African would have been controversial. Slavery had yet to be abolished in Parliament and the painting would have drawn attention to the plight of the many enslaved Africans in Britain. The Act for the abolition of the slave trade was passed in 1807. This made the trading in human beings against the law, but slavery still existed and continued until 1833 when it was finally abolished. A similar painting is found... The only clue that we have in tracking the artist down is from a catalogue description from a similar painting exhibited in the London Royal Academy in 1827. This painting was by John Phillip Simpson (1782-1847) with the title, 'The Captive Slave. But Ah! What wish can prosper or what prayer for merchants rich in cargoes of despair'. Maybe John Philip Simpson painted both versions of the painting? The truth behind the painting is yet to be uncovered.


Landscape with cattle

Romeyn is recorded as a pupil of Nicolaes Berchem (1620-1683) in 1642, master in Haarlem in 1646 and a member of the guild of St.Luke in 1659. His wife died in Haarlem in 1683 but the artist's date and place of death are unknown.


Hull as a Timber Port

Hull's status as a regional centre for furniture making in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was founded on the city's role as a timber port. Imports of wood from northern Europe and the Baltic have been part of Hull's commerce for centuries. As early as 1304, 25,000 boards of timber arrived in Hull, to be used mainly in the building and shipbuilding industries. By the 1600s, Hull was second only to London as a timber port. England's rising population and the beginnings of industrialisation during the 1700s led to a greater demand for wood, which was met partly by the opening up of the forests of Russia in the mid-1700s. #SUBHEADING#Hull's first Dock#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull's first constructed dock opened in 1778, covering 9 ¾ acres. Before this, the only place for timber ships to dock was in the 'Old Harbour' in the River Hull. The establishment of new timber yards around the dock tempted furniture makers to set up business in the surrounding streets, such as Savile Street and Bond Street. The extra cost of transporting wood to Beverley and York, both established centres of furniture production, put their craftsmen at a disadvantage. The more enterprising Hull makers had the further benefit of easy access to the export trade, which they exploited as Free Trade advanced in scope during the 1800s. As the nineteenth century progressed more docks were built to cater for the increasing number of ships using Hull's port. By 1843, timber imports accounted for about a fifth of Hull's trade tonnage. The requirements of the timber trade led to the opening of the Victoria Dock in 1850. Between 1861 and 1876 alone, the number of timber merchants in Hull more than doubled, from 20 to 44. Hull's excellent trade links meant that long before 1800 it had become the regional centre for furniture making, overtaking Beverley and York. The rise of Hull and corresponding decline of Beverley and York as centres for supplying furniture to Yorkshire's great houses can be traced from as early as the 1750s. Hull's furniture makers still had to compete with craftsmen from London and from Wakefield, another important centre for furniture production. However, by 1794 Hull's cabinet makers had gained such a good reputation in the capital that a Mr Crust of London advertised in the Hull Packet for local journeymen to seek employment there. The Hull furniture industry continued to prosper, and by 1846 there were 33 craftsmen advertising themselves as cabinet makers in local trade directories. It is difficult to build a consistent picture of how much furniture was made in Hull and whether there were distinctive Hull styles and designs, due to the lack of marked Hull pieces. Furniture was rarely marked with the maker's name in the 1700s, and few marked pieces survive even from the 1800s. #SUBHEADING#The decline of the timber industry#SUBHEADINGEND# The decline of Hull's furniture industry during the First World War also heralded the end of the port's role as an importer of hardwood for furniture making. However Hull's port remains UK's leading importer of softwood, supplying timber trade all over Britain. In 2005 it handled more than 1.5 million cubic metres of timber, much of it from Russia and the Baltic states. Hull's furniture industry may be no more, but the timber port that allowed it to flourish in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is still thriving.


charioteer detail (image/jpeg) The Rudston Charioteer Mosaic

The Charioteer Mosaic is one of the most striking and unusual mosaics to have been found so far in Roman Britain. Named after the central figure standing on a 'quadriga' or four-horse chariot, it paved a large room at a 4th century AD villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire. It is thought to have been laid between about 325 and 350 AD. The mosaic was discovered in 1971 and is one of five surviving from the site. Three other mosaics found in another building at the villa - The Venus Mosaic, The Aquatic Mosaic and The Swastika Mosaic, - are also on display at the Hull and East Riding Museum. #SUBHEADING#The Charioteer#SUBHEADINGEND# The central circular panel depicts a charioteer standing in a 'quadriga' or four-horse chariot facing straight out towards the viewer. He holds symbols of victory: a palm-frond and a wreath. He wears a crash-helmet and a leather corslet to protect him in the event of an accident. His red tunic suggest he drives for the 'russata factio', the red club. Each of the horses has a plume on its head and their manes are bound with coloured ribbons. #SUBHEADING#Four Seasons#SUBHEADINGEND# In the corners are circular panels containing female representations of the Four Seasons. Only Spring and Summer are well-preserved. Spring, at the top right of the design, has a swallow on her right shoulder. This roundel is very skilfully crafted using specially-shaped tesserae, an unusual feature in Romano-British mosaics. he result is exceptionally beautiful. Summer, in the roundel on the bottom right, is crowned with poppies and corn. This roundel is much cruder than Spring and is likely to have been made by a different mosaicist. Only part of the figure of Autumn survives, with a rake on her right shoulder. The personification of Winter is completely destroyed but may have been a hooded and cloaked figure as can been seen in other Seasons Mosaics elsewhere. #SUBHEADING#Bird Panels#SUBHEADINGEND# The rectangular side panels contain birds, resembling strange pheasants or perhaps peacocks, with large bodies and long, curving tails. Each panel also contains a pear-shaped fruit and a round one, perhaps an apple or pomegranate. The mosaic was designed to be view from a couch positioned along the end wall of the room, on the border of squares, rather than from the entrance. This would explain why the bird below the Charioteer, and so closest to the viewer, is the most carefully executed of the four.


mosiac detail (image/jpeg) The Rudston Aquatic Mosaic

The Aquatic Mosaic paved the 'apodytherium' or changing room of the bath-house at the Roman villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire. It was discovered in 1933 together with the Venus Mosaic and the Swastika Mosaic. All three were donated to Hull Museums in 1962 and can be seen in the Hull and East Riding Museum. The Aquatic Mosaic is displayed on the wall in a reconstruction of a Roman bath-house. Less than a quarter of the mosaic survives, but enough remains to estimate that it would have measured c. 3.2 x 2.46m. It seems that the mosaic was a replacement for the original floor of the changing room and dates to the early 4th century, c. 300-300AD. Aquatic mosaics are rare in Britain, and this example is unique in the North. #SUBHEADING#Fishy Forms#SUBHEADINGEND# The central panel shows fish, dolphins, an oyster-like bivalve and other sea-creatures although it is very difficult to identify the species. Unfortunately the central section is partly missing but we can still see what looks like a wavy mass with two L-shaped projections and a rounder projection to the right. Although it is difficult to be certain, this is likely to have been the bust of an aquatic god such as Nepture or Oceanus. The wavy mass would be the god's tousled long hair and the rounded projection part of his forked beard. This doesn't explain the L-shaped projections though, unless they represent a crustacean's legs. Perhaps it was a sea-monster and not a god at all? #SUBHEADING#Flowers#SUBHEADINGEND# Immediately around the central panel are borders of lotus flowers. Only two border panels remain as it is now displayed but it is likely that the flowers extended all the way round originally. The two side-panels have a tree growing inwards towards a bird. Little remains of this area but one side still retains part of what could be the handle of a cantharus or wine-cup. As with the Venus Mosaic from the same house at Rudston villa, the Aquatic Mosaic is naive in contrast to other Romano-British examples. Again it is likely that a native British mosaicist was copying a pattern-book image.


mosiac detail (image/jpeg) The Story of the Rudston Mosaics

The Roman villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire, first came to light in 1838 when walls, roofing tiles, wall plaster and the remains of a mosaic floor were found by farm workers. Unfortunately most of the pavement was destroyed by the same workers -- they dug it up in the hope of finding treasure! #SUBHEADING#Unusual harvest#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1933, the owner and farmer of the land Mr. H. Robson hit the Venus Mosaic while ploughing to the south of the Kilham-Rudston road. Over the next few months he found and exposed the Swastika Mosaic and Aquatic Mosaic that paved other rooms in the building. Mr. Robson built a shed over the mosaics and opened it to the public. Unfortunately by the early 1960's it was clear that the mosaics could no longer stay in the ground. Frost damage was having a serious effect on all three mosaics and the exposed chalk walls were quickly deteriorating. It was agreed that the mosaics should be lifted and removed to Hull Museums. They have been on display in the Hull and East Riding Museum since 1963. You can learn more about how the mosaics were lifted by clicking here (Lifting Mosaics). The building found by Mr. Robson has been subsequently named 'Building 1'. In the 4th century it consisted of three ranges of buildings round a courtyard. Those on the eastern side contained domestic quarters and a bath-suite. This was where the three mosaics, the Venus, Aquatic and Swastika mosaics, were found. The other two sides of the courtyard contained farm buildings and workshops. #SUBHEADING#A long history#SUBHEADINGEND# This was not the first building on the site. Pre-dating the 4th century building were ranges of stone-built structures dating to earlier in the Roman period, and before that there had been circular huts and linear ditches from late Iron Age. So what had been a native Iron Age farm had been transformed during the years of the Roman occupation into a large prosperous villa. By the late 3rd or early 4th century this was successful enough for the owners to be able to equip it with hypocausts (under-floor heating) and expensive mosaics. #SUBHEADING#Not more mosaics!#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1971 a trial excavation was carried out to the north of the Kilham - Rudston road in the hope of finds more outbuildings connected with Building 1. What the team found was far more exciting. The new building is known as Building 8 and contained The Charioteer Mosaic (and its accompanying Leopards Panel) along with two other mosaics, one of which had been badly damaged by 19th century pipe-laying. The number of fine mosaics and wall-plaster in these two buildings makes Rudston one of the very best equipped villas known in the north of England.


brantingham geometic mosiac (image/jpeg) The Brantingham Geometric Mosaics

#SUBHEADING#The Brantingham Geometric Mosaics#SUBHEADINGEND# The Roman villa at Brantingham, 3km northwest of Brough in East Yorkshire, was first discovered in 1941 when two geometric mosaics were found in a stone quarry known as the 'Cockle Pits'. They were recorded and then reburied. What followed is one of the biggest mysteries in Yorkshire archaeology. #SUBHEADING#One of our mosaics is missing!#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1948, members of staff from Hull Museums returned to the site. It had been decided to lift the mosaics and bring them to Hull for display in the Archaeology Museum. So they set to work to prepare them for transportation to the city. All seemed to be going smoothly, the mosaics were successfully lifted and all was set for their journey. But on the eve of their departure the larger of the two, rather unimaginatively called 'The First Geometric Mosaic', was stolen! It has never been recovered. The smaller 'Second Geometric Mosaic' was however safely installed in the museum. #SUBHEADING#What we have lost#SUBHEADINGEND# From drawings made at the time of discovery it is possible to reconstruct the design of the First Geometric Mosaic. It measured about 3.55 x 2.05m and had at its centre a motif resembling an open umbrella picked out in different-coloured tesserae all surrounded by a crow-stepped pattern and another circle, this time of guilloche. On either side of the central panel were two smaller squares, one with a chess-board motif in red and white and the other bearing an endless knot. #SUBHEADING#One's better than nothing!#SUBHEADINGEND# The Second Geometric Mosaic was thankfully left behind and can be seen in the Roman Gallery of the Hull and East Riding Museum. It measured 2.74m square and features a very unusual 'running pelta' pattern in the centre framed by triangles placed end-to-end as a border. Around the outside is a wider border of over-lapping scales - giving the mosaic its alternative name of 'The Scales Mosaic'. #SUBHEADING#Stepping into the past#SUBHEADINGEND# The Scales Mosaic wasn't lifted in one piece, like the Venus Mosaic from Rudston or the Tyche Mosaic which was found at Brantingham in 1971. Instead it was dismantled, after it had been carefully drawn, and the tesserae sorted into bags. They were then re-set in concrete as separate slabs. One of these slabs has been used a part of the walkway in the Roman Gallery at the Hull and East Riding Museum - so if you visit you can actually walk on the same floor that the inhabitants of the villa at Brantingham did nearly 1700 years ago.


mosiac detail (image/jpeg) Everything you always wanted to know about mosaics

#SUBHEADING#The First Mosaics#SUBHEADINGEND# The earliest mosaics were made in Greece in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. These were made of black and white pebbles set into patterns - the use of colour was rare. By the 2nd century BC tesserae - small, specially hand-cut cubes of stone, marble, clay and glass - were being used. The use of tesserae meant that more complicated designs were possible. #SUBHEADING#How Were Mosaics Made?#SUBHEADINGEND# The design was chosen, often from a pattern book of fairly standard designs, and the number of tesserae required was calculated and made in the right size, shape and colour. It has been estimated that the Rudston Charioteer Mosaic contains some 150,000 tesserae! Tesserae were either made in the stonemason's workshop or on the site where the new floor was to be laid. The mosaic had to be well-drained so if possible it was laid over a hypocaust system. Where there was no hypocaust a foundation of pounded sand, gravel or rubble was constructed. A layer of concrete, opus signinum (containing crush brick or tile) or lime mortar was then spread over the foundation. The tesserae were set into the top layer while it was still slightly wet and grouted with a slurry of fine mortar. The pattern was sometimes marked out on the surface first and the tesserae laid out using rules and set-squares. The mosaic was then rolled and polished. #SUBHEADING#What Materials Were Used?#SUBHEADINGEND# Tesserae were made out of whatever materials were locally available. Materials were rarely imported into Britain specifically for mosaic-making. However, if chippings or broken fragments of imported marble, glass or pottery were available these were utilised. Different materials were carefully chosen for their colour. The Venus Mosaic, from the villa at Rudston includes tesserae in red, bluish black, grey, yellow ochre, brown, green and white. #SUBHEADING#How Did They Choose The Design?#SUBHEADINGEND# The designs of mosaic floors were very similar throughout the Roman world, the same themes and motifs occurring again and again. This is partly due to the mobility of the craftsmen who moved around the provinces but also due to the use of pattern books from which home-owners would chose a suitable design. The pattern books do not seem to have been slavishly copied however, and some individuality was possible - for example, the use of the gladiatorial animals in the Venus Mosaic. #SUBHEADING#Who Made Mosaics?#SUBHEADINGEND# Mosaic making was an alien art to the British before the Roman Conquest so many of the earlier mosaics would have been made by craftsmen from Italy or Greece. They probably trained local people in the art and it is likely that the Venus Mosaic was made by one of these native trainees. #SUBHEADING#How Do Archaeologists Lift Mosaics?#SUBHEADINGEND# There are two principal methods of lifting mosaics. In both methods the mosaic is first secured by sticking gauze to its surface with water-soluble adhesive. The most common method is to lift the mosaic in sections. Vertical cuts are made along the design lines to minimise ugly joints when the sections are reassembled. As the bedding is carefully undercut boards are slid underneath and the section lifted. The second method is rolling and this is the way most of the mosaics on display in the Hull and East Riding Museum were lifted. This is only possible if the bedding is fairly soft and the surface of the mosaic is level. The mosaic is slowly rolled up, usually in one piece, around a reinforced drum while being slowly undercut.


brookes ship poster detail (image/jpeg) Slavery Collections

Hull Museums has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition; including paper documents, plantation and slavery records, wedgwood medallions and anti-slavery ceramics. The museums also have collections representing the diversity of richness of West African Cultures prior to Western Slavery. This section explores the interesting and varied Slavery collections, what they can tell us about the history of Slavery and insights they can give into the horrors of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade.


item during conservation (image/jpeg) Adopt a painting scheme

The Ferens Art Gallery houses an internationally significant collection of work ranging from Old Masters through to 21st century contemporary art. The Gallery is dedicated to making all of the art in its care accessible to as many people as possible. An important aspect of this is ensuring that works are preserved in as good a condition as possible so that they can be enjoyed by visitors now and in the future.


(image/jpeg) Thomas Thompson (1754 - 1828)

Thomas Thompson was a local businessman and MP, who resided at 25 High Street, now Wilberforce House Museum, for nearly forty years. In 1770 at the age of 16 he went to work as a Clerk to William Wilberforce (senior) in what later became a branch of Wilberforce, Smith & Co Bank. Thompson's ability and intelligence impressed his employers with Wilberforce (senior) describing him as 'a man of first character'. In 1787 he became a partner in the bank and as senior clerk was required to live 'above shop' for part of each week. In 1798 he moved in permanently and a year later he was also managing the merchant house. #SUBHEADING#Family life#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1781 Thompson married Philothea Perronet Briggs with whom he had five children. The family lived on Lowgate before moving to 25 High Street. Each summer the family moved to rented accommodation in Cottingham to escape the heat and pollution of the city centre. In 1800 he purchased a 54 acre plot of land to build a country house, 'Cottingham Castle'. Completed in 1816 it provided a welcome retreat from the city as both his wife and a daughter suffered from consumption. #SUBHEADING#Lay preacher and MP#SUBHEADINGEND# From an early age Thomas had served as a Methodist lay preacher in homes, meeting houses and in the open air. He gave money towards the building of many Methodist Chapels and is said to have paid for the building of Cottingham Methodist Chapel himself. He had a firm belief in providence, that God had rewarded his hard work with prosperity. Thompson was an active supporter of William Wilberforce and both were members of the Clapham sect, an influential religious and social group of the early 1800s. In 1807 Thompson was elected as Member of Parliament for Midhurst, Sussex. During his 11 years in Parliament, he contributed to many debates relating to banking and financial issues including taxation, the Bank of England and the value of paper currency. Thompson stepped down as an MP in 1818, believing that his Parliamentary years had 'spoiled a very good banker and made a very bad MP'. #SUBHEADING#Thomas Perronet Thompson#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce's influence promoted the career of Thomas Thompson's son, Thomas Perronet Thompson, who was appointed Governor of Sierra Leone, the African colony for freed slaves, in 1808. He left after two years, however, mainly due to his unpopularity in England for exceeding his authority. #SUBHEADING#Leading public figure#SUBHEADINGEND# In Hull Thomas Thompson remained the manager of both Smith's Bank and Wilberforce's merchant house. In the early 1800s he served as Chairman of the Hull Guardians of the Poor and introduced a system of economy that relieved the burden of poor rates on merchants. He was also a Magistrate and was Chairman of Hull Dock Company between 1810 and 1818. After 1818 Thomas spent more time at Cottingham with his family, although he still worked at the bank. During the last 20 years of his life he became increasingly concerned with his health. In 1824 Thompson's wife and daughter both died from consumption. Thompson died in September 1828 whilst travelling in France, and was buried in Paris, with a memorial being placed in Cottingham Church.


Mary Dawson Elwell oil painting

A painting simply referred to as 'interior study' by Mary Dawson Elwell. At a desk is seated an elderly man, illuminated by light falling from windows beyond our view. It is a private and intimate moment. The man's inclined back is slightly turned towards the viewer and with a pen in his right hand and a sheet of paper on the desk; he looks down at the task in hand, quietly absorbed. #SUBHEADING#The setting#SUBHEADINGEND# The setting of this painting has recently been identified as No 14. Newbegin, a residence in the heart of Beverley. The house dates from the 17th century and at the time of this painting, in 1932, was divided into 2 properties, nos. 14 & 16. The house is now simply known as Newbegin House and is tantalizingly out of view for the casual passer by. The date of the house is revealed by the deeply moulded panelling which is deeply moulded to dado level, in a style which predates the 1830s. It is a ground floor room actually lit by three tall windows, only one is visible in this painting. #SUBHEADING#The sitter#SUBHEADINGEND# The sitter is most probably the resident, a Reverend Wigfall, the perpetual curate at Beverley Minster and St John's Chapel, Lairgate, which is now know as the Memorial Hall. The detailed interior begs lots of questions about Wigfall's interests, but it certainly suggests he was a cultured and learned man. An elaborately carved African hardwood bookcase is lined with an impressive array of books and in front of this is what appears to be a design folder. To the right are a cello case and a music stand with sheet music resting upon it. The stuffed birds in cases on top of the bookcase also suggest that Wigfall, or a previous occupant, was perhaps an ornithologist. #SUBHEADING#The artist#SUBHEADING# Mary Dawson Elwell (formally Bishop), as her surname indicates, Mary was indeed married to the rather better known artist and society figure, Beverley-born Fred Elwell. Despite recent research there is a stark contrast between her art, both in terms of the scale and quality of her output, and the general poverty of public awareness. Mary's love of decoration is also evident in the careful and deliberate placing of the exotic cushion on the arm of the sofa, with a striking pattern of gold, green, red and black. Although Mary was not part of any group of artists, she lived at an exciting and progressive time and with frequent trips to London, and visits to Bar House by fellow artists, Mary must have been influenced and provoked by contemporary developments. What is clearly apparent, though, is that this painting is a highly decorative and modern picture, in tune with contemporary developments, which asserts her achievements as a highly accomplished and creative artist.


leopard detail (image/jpeg) The Leopards Panel

#SUBHEADING#The Leopards Panel#SUBHEADINGEND# The so-called 'Leopards Panel' was found in 1971 at the 4th century Roman villa at Rudston, East Yorkshire. It formed the floor of a threshold into the room of the Charioteer Mosaic and may have been placed under an archway. Like its neighbour it dates to between about 325 and 350 AD. #SUBHEADING#Weird Creatures#SUBHEADINGEND# The mosaic depicts two leopards leaping towards a 'crater' - a bowl for mixing water and wine. The vessel has a fluted body and is shown as though just below eye level. Although the animals are fairly naturalistic, the colouring is anything but with green coats and blue spots! It is likely, as with the animals on the Venus Mosaic also from Rudston villa, that the mosaicists were copying the design from a pattern-book and had never seen a leopard in the flesh. #SUBHEADING#Drink Up!#SUBHEADINGEND# The use of the 'crater' links the design to Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry. This is a common theme in mosaics intended for Roman dining rooms. The link can also be seen in the vines and bunches of grapes that appear in the borders of the Venus Mosaic. #SUBHEADING#What we have lost#SUBHEADINGEND# The Leopards Panel was found in the centre of a double room in Building 8 at Rudston Villa. The Charioteer Mosaic was at the north-western end of the room and another mosaic, known as 'The Mosaic of Small Figures', formed the floor of the south-eastern half. Unfortunately this part of the room had been much damaged by the laying of a pipe trench in the 19th century and only tantalising fragments of the mosaic remain. #SUBHEADING#'The Mosaic of Intersecting Circles'#SUBHEADINGEND# In an adjoining room to the south west the excavators found another mosaic, also sadly damaged. This was called 'The Mosaic of Intersecting Circles' and was clearly not the first mosaic in the room as the wall plaster was seen to carry on below its level. Although this mosaic was lifted and transferred to Hull Museums, the operation was not nearly as successful as the lifting of the other mosaics from the site. It seems that the pavement was not allowed sufficient time to dry before being coated and rolled for removal. The remains are today very fragmentary and unfortunately cannot be displayed.


detail from the title page (image/jpeg) Forty Years' Researches

Forty Years Researches in British and Saxon Burial Mounds was published by John Robert Mortimer in 1905 and remains one of the most importance publications for archaeologists in the region. Mortimer said that studying the ancient burial mounds could "reveal the secrets of the past". #SUBHEADING# J.R. Mortimer #SUBHEADINGEND# Mortimer was born in June 1825 and worked as a corn merchant in the small market town of Driffield in East Yorkshire. In 1851 as a result of a visit to the Great Exhibition in London he acquired a love for knowledge. He was to dedicate the rest of his life to applying a scientific approach to his interesting in collecting local antiquities. He had many contacts with local farmers and labourers and advertised for people to give or sell their discoveries to him for the growing collection. He and his brother Robert excavated over 300 prehistoric burial mounds on the Yorkshire Wolds. #SUBHEADING# Detail record #SUBHEADINGEND# From the first notes made in 1860, it was Mortimer's detailed recording of everything he saw and found that make his work so exceptional. Each excavation includes plans, sections, descriptions of the stratigraphy encountered and detailed illustrations of finds. Much of this information was published in Forty Years Researches. The Mortimer Collection was acquired by Hull Museums in 1913 and today it provides the historic core of the archaeological collections in the Hull and East Riding Museum. Mortimer was fortunate that at the time he was working much of the Wolds landscape was still under pasture. A rise in large scale intensive arable farming meant that many of the earthworks familiar to Mortimer in his boyhood 'disappeared' under the plough. A significant number of the burials recorded in Forty Years Researches would have been destroyed had they not been investigated, recorded and recovered by Mortimer. #SUBHEADING# 'A Work of Reference' #SUBHEADINGEND# When Forty Years Researches was published in 1905 one reviewer wrote: "[it] will be a standard work of reference for all time, and no educated Yorkshire man ought to be without it...That it will have a large sale outside the county, and even abroad, is only what might be expected from the excellence of the information contained therein." ('Prehistoric Remains in East Yorkshire' The Naturalist, May 1905, p155). The book features more than 1000 illustrations which were drawn, over a six year period, by Mortimer's teenage daughter Agnes. Thomas Sheppard, who had previously worked with Mortimer on the collections in the Driffield museum, proof-read the text and helped compile the index. The work is now only available as an increasingly rare and expensive second hand copy. More than a century after its publication Forty Years Researches is still a highly authoritative work. Even though archaeological understanding may have developed enormously since Mortimer's time, the wealth of information contained in the work makes it possible for archaeologists to re-interpret what was discovered.


detail from a chair (image/jpeg) Furniture Making in Hull

The easy availability of timber in Hull encouraged furniture makers to settle there in the 1700s, and this in turn changed the character of the timber trade. Until the mid 1700s most quality furniture was made of walnut, but from the early 1720s mahogany for furniture making began to be imported into London from Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras. #SUBHEADING#Workshops#SUBHEADINGEND# Workshops were run by a master with one or more apprentices and journeymen. Apprenticeship usually lasted seven years, from age 14 to 21. After this an apprentice might stay with the same firm as a journeyman. Sometimes a journeyman would marry the daughter or widow of his master and continue the business himself. Small workshops had little capital and couldn't afford to make much furniture for stock. Throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s every piece of furniture was made to order, although later in the century the more confident makers made display pieces for their shop windows. As the Victorian era progressed, the growth of the prosperous middle classes led to an increased demand for good quality furniture. Larger workshops developed, and these became increasingly mechanised. Even the finest handmade pieces were likely to be made in a large factory, with each piece being worked on by many different people. Even much of the decorative carving could be done by machine. Furniture makers increasingly had an international outlook, with the cabinet maker R. Stratford joining a party of Hull artisans who visited the Paris International Exhibition in 1889. The exhibition would have been an excellent opportunity to view fashionable furniture from all over Europe. #SUBHEADING#Richardson and Sons#SUBHEADINGEND# Richardson and Sons was the largest and most prestigious furniture maker in nineteenth-century Hull. The founder Thomas Richardson claimed to have started the business in 1812. By 1903 Richardson and Sons had been appointed upholsterers to King Edward VII. Richardson and Sons had the skills, materials and machinery to undertake major projects in Hull, including furnishing the Council Chamber of the New Town Hall in 1863. The mayor's and doorkeeper's chairs made by Richardson and Sons for the Town Hall are still preserved in Hull Museums' collections. Also in Hull's collections is a walnut pedestal desk, which may be the desk mentioned by Sheahan in his History of Hull as being part of Richardson's furnishings for the Council Chamber: 'In front of the mayor is a desk, on which rests the mace when the Town Council is assembled'. In 1854 Richardson and Sons made three ornately carved and gilded softwood chairs for Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the Prince of Wales to use during their visit to Hull. The chairs were placed in a temporarily converted 'throne room' in the hotel next to Hull station, where the royal party stayed. Another major commission for Richardson and Sons was to furnish the Hull Exchange, which opened in 1866, with solid oak tables, reading desks and chairs. #SUBHEADING#Decline of the furniture industry#SUBHEADINGEND# The First World War largely destroyed Hull's furniture industry. The demand for quality furniture declined sharply and their export trade to Europe ended. Restriction of the use of timber during wartime added to the firms like Richardson and Sons difficulties. The company is not listed anywhere after 1915. This experience was shared by many other Hull furniture makers, and after the First World War Hull was no longer known for its furniture production. The trade did not disappear there were still making in the 1950s.


interior of Castelows chemist shop (image/jpeg) From 159 Woodhouse Lane to Hull Streetlife Museum

When Mr Castelow died at the age of 98 his chemist shop which had stood at 159 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, for 133 years, was to be demolished. Realising the potential loss, Mr Castelow's will provided that the shop's unique contents be preserved within a Yorkshire Museum. Hull Museums complied with Mr Castelow's wishes. In 1976, after a team was despatched to take detailed photographs of every shelf, drawer, bottle and jar on the premises the shop was carefully packed up and transported to Hull's Wilberforce Museum on High Street. #SUBHEADING#Reconstruction#SUBHEADINGEND# It was reconstructed exactly as it appeared during Mr Castelow's ownership, everything down to the smallest detail was replaced; the shop even retained its distinctive smell. The shop was eventually re-housed in the more fitting environment of the Hull Streetlife Museum street scene. The reconstructed shop offers an intriguing insight into the Victorian world. The shelves are full of concoctions which are simply unobtainable today, such as Blood Purifiers and Liver Rousers. The shelves abound with medications from throughout the twentieth century, including some recognisable brands offering a chance to see which ailments have troubled people throughout the past one hundred years. Some are recognisable and continue to inflict us to this day, such as, headaches, diarrhoea, flu, colds and coughs, some ailments such as typhoid no longer figure so predominantly in modern British life. #SUBHEADING#Attraction#SUBHEADINGEND# During Mr Castelow's ownership the pharmacy attracted visitors from all over the world, intrigued to see the chemist shop from a different age. That atmosphere was so unique that one American visitor offered to buy the shop off Mr Castelow in the 1960s and have it shipped in it's entirety to the United States. Mr Castelow politely refused, he was adamant his shop would stay in Yorkshire. Now safely housed in Hull Streetlife Museum, it continues to be a major attraction and is still a visitor favourite.


Decorated Whale Teeth

One of these teeth shows a tattooed warrior. On the other side of this tooth is an image called 'Indians Devouring their enemies'. The other tooth is more peaceful and shows a Marquesas woman in her village. These whale teeth depict native people of the Marquesas Islands in the South Seas, one thousand miles north-east of Tahiti. These pictures may have been a record of a sailor’s experience of new cultures. These images may be a personal record of a whaler’s experience. However, they may also have been copied from a book on board his ship. The Marquesas Islands are the furthest island group in the world from any continent. They are 400 - 600 miles south of the equator and approximately 1,000 miles northeast of Tahiti. The Islands were first discovered about 2,000 years ago by Polynesian voyagers. They named the Island group Henua Enana or ‘Ground of the Men’. Human bones have been found with signs that some early natives practised cannibalism. The Spanish were the first Westerners to discover the Marquesas Islands. They recorded the Marquesas as a warlike people who practiced cannibalism. Later, in 1842 the Marquesas became part of the French Colonial Empire. Very little remains of the native Marquesan culture today. The French painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) left France for Tahiti in 1891. He later moved to the Marquesas, where he died. Gauguin was fascinated by the Polynesians, whose culture had already been nearly totally destroyed by the missionaries and colonial administrators.


Decorated Whalebone Plaque (c.1801-1900)

It’s possible that all of the pictures on this bone represented one man’s experience. It reflects the world he lived and worked in. The main picture depicts a whaling ship. Smaller whaling boats can also be seen hunting Sperm whales. The little picture in the top right corner depicts men in the Royal Marines. This image in the top left of the picture depicts the HMS Acorn chasing a Spanish slave ship called Gabriel. In 1807 Britain officially stopped its own role in the slave trade. Britain then used its powerful navy to stop others from trading in slaves as well. Between 1807 and 1866 the Royal Navy captured more than 500 slave ships. This plaque shows just one of these incidents. HMS Acorn was a 12 gun vessel launched on 15th November 1838. Between 1839 and 1843 she was commanded by Commander John Adams off the west coast of Africa. HMS Acorn was hulked in 1861. Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen. Scrimshaw was at its height in early 19th century. A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of Sperm whales. Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. Hull was a major whaling port from c.1750 and the trade ended in 1869. Most of the products of the industry were sent to London. Most surviving scrimshaw is from the 19th century.


Silver Spoon by Robert Robinson, Hull, 1630

This is called a seal top spoon. They often had the seal or badge of the owner on the end of the handle. This type of spoon was very popular in the 1600s. Not everyone would have had a silver one. A cheaper metal called pewter was also used. Robert Robinson made this spoon in Hull. His workshop was in Church Lane, near Holy Trinity Church. This was an area used by many silversmiths before him. This is a Charles I silver seal top spoon with a pear-shaped bowl and a hexagonal shaft. The seal top style was the commonest type of English spoon between the 1400s and 1600s. The earliest recorded silversmiths in Hull were working in the 1400s. During the 1500s gold and silver smiths formed ‘The Guild of Goldsmiths of Hull’. Hull silversmiths being away from London were able to work without the interference of official regulations. There is no record of an assay office in Hull. Silver pieces were normally sent to an assay office to ensure they were of the correct standard. The marks used on Hull silver never had any official recognition. From the 1500s the letter ‘H’ was used. Later, Hull’s town badge of three coronets was adopted for the stamped mark on silver. Many of Hull’s silversmiths were based in the same location on Church Lane (now demolished). This was near Holy Trinity Church. Eleven silversmiths worked at the Church Lane premises at some point, including Robert Robinson.


Silver Wine Cup, Made in London in 1625

Israel Popple gave this cup to Hull’s Merchants' Company in 1648. The Merchants' Company later became extinct. Its silver went to the Town Hall for safe keeping in 1707. Six of these silver cups are still owned by the council and are on display in the Guildhall. The Merchants' Company was a group of traders who had great powers in Hull from 1577. They had a special Merchants' Hall and no one could trade from Hull without their permission. This wine cup is engraved: ‘The guift of Israel Popple to the Marchants hall 1648’. Israel Popple was Chamberlain of Hull in 1629 and Sheriff in 1674. The Kingston upon Hull Merchants' Company was incorporated by Letters Patent dated 11th May 1577. This was under the title of ‘The Governor, Assistants, and Fellowship of Merchants inhabiting the Town of Kingston upon Hull’. This charter gave the merchants great powers and privileges, including the power to make bye-laws. Meetings of the merchants were held in the Merchants' Hall for 120 years. The Hall doesn’t exist any more. The seal, or badge, of the Hull Merchants was a ship with three crowns above it. After more than a century’s existence the Merchants' Company gradually became extinct. On 13th February 1707 Aldermen Hydes, Trippett and Mould were ordered by the bench ‘to take care that the Plate and Books in the Merchants' Hall to be removed to the Town’s Hall for their better security in regard to the Governor’s absence and that Courts there are very seldom kept.’ (B.B. 8 f.567)


The Johnson Salver, Made by Thomas Mangie, York, 1666

This silver salver is a type of tray with a stand. These salvers usually came with a caudle cup and cover. Caudle was warm drink made with wine and eggs. Unfortunately the cup was lost long ago but this has survived. The decoration shows a lion, a unicorn and a dog as well as the Hull town arms in the centre. In the same year this was made there was also the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague. This salver, along with a silver pot and cover, is recorded as being a gift from Alderman Thomas Johnson in 1668 to the city. This was instead of paying a fine for being free from the office of Sheriff. Unfortunately, there is no record of why he wanted to stop being Sheriff but he later became Mayor in 1672. It is engraved underneath: “The gift of Thomas Johnson Merchant 1668 who was major Anno 1672/3 and Maior A gaine Anno 1685/6.” Alderman Thomas Johnson also became an Honorary Brother of the Hull Trinity House in 1689.


Delft Tile

This tile shows a countryside scene in Holland in the 1600s or 1700s. This type of tile is called ‘Dutch blue and white’ or ‘Dutch Delft’. Tiles like these can be seen in the fireplaces at Wilberforce House. Delft tiles were always hand painted. They originally had multi-coloured decoration, including green, purple and orange. From around 1620 simpler blue and white tiles were made. These eventually became much more popular than the coloured tiles. The name ‘Dutch Delft’ comes from the city of Delft in Holland. Delft was one of many cities making tiles and other pottery. At first, tiles and pottery were made in the same factories. Later, Delft specialised in making affordable imitations of costly Chinese porcelain. Tile making was left to other cities, including Rotterdam. Dutch tiles were brought to English ports like Hull in huge numbers. They can be seen lining the fireplaces of many buildings, including Hull’s Wilberforce House. Tiles were rarely used to cover entire walls of Dutch houses. They were used around windows and fireplaces, or as narrow skirtings at the bottom of walls. Sometimes they were used as a dado to stop whitewash being rubbed off the walls onto clothes. The decoration on this tile was made by painting directly onto an unfired glaze. Glaze is a type of liquid or powdered glass used to give pottery a shiny, waterproof covering. Usually, the design was first ‘pounced’ onto the tile with charcoal. This involved using a piece of paper with the outline of the design pricked into it. This paper was laid onto the tile and struck with a bag containing powdered charcoal. This transferred the outline of the picture to the tile. The outline was painted over and filled in with paint. When the tile was fired, the glaze became shiny white and opaque.


William De Morgan Carnation Tiles, Made at Sands End Pottery, Fulham, c.1888-1897

William De Morgan designed these tiles. He was a well known member of the Arts and Crafts movement, which looked to nature for inspiration. William used flower pictures on many of his tiles. He preferred flowers with a simple shape, like this carnation. He often used round or fan-shaped flowers to make patterns. William admired tiles made in Persia (modern day Iran) in the 1400s and 1500s. Like this tile, Persian tiles were decorated with flowers with swirling, curving leaves. Natural forms, especially flowers, were often used to decorate objects made in the Victorian age (1837-1901). Flowers were probably the most popular and frequently produced decoration for tiles. The carnation is a traditional Turkish and Persian flower. It was often used to decorate Islamic ‘Isnik’ tiles made in Persia. William De Morgan’s tiles were inspired by these designs. The picture on these tiles is hand painted using a method invented by De Morgan. However, it has not been painted directly onto the tiles. De Morgan’s workers used a ‘painted paper’ technique. The tile design was painted onto a thin piece of paper. This was done by tracing the outline of the design from a master drawing. The colours were painted in by referring to a coloured drawing or a completed tile. The painted piece of paper was then placed onto a tile covered with a thin layer of porcelain. The back of the paper was brushed with glaze. When the tile was fired, the fine paper was reduced to a film of ash that mingled with the glaze. The porcelain surface, painted decoration and glaze fused together. This made the painted design a permanent part of the tile. The painted paper technique allowed tiles to be decorated with precision, whilst giving the look of hand painting. De Morgan abandoned the usual approach to hand painting tiles. Traditionally, the outline of the design was applied to the tile through a piece of paper pricked with holes. The outline was filled in by painting directly onto the tile.


William De Morgan Tiles, Made at Sand's End Pottery, Fulham, c.1888-1897

The peacock painted onto these tiles has brilliantly coloured plumage. It perches on a berry-covered branch. William De Morgan designed the tiles in the late 1800s. He was a well known member of the Arts and Crafts movement. Arts and Crafts designers were inspired by nature, including birds, animals and flowers. The peacock has often been seen as a symbol of beauty. In Christian religion it is a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and everlasting life. The peacock and its tail feathers were often used as motifs by artists and craftspeople. The peacock was popular with artists working in the ‘Aesthetic’ style of the 1870s and 1880s. These tiles were probably made to decorate a fireplace. Alternatively, they could have been used on a wall, or framed as a picture. In the late 1800s tiles became very popular for decorating cast-iron fireplaces. They were placed either in the hearth or in the side or ‘cheek’ panels. One company advertised slide-out cheek trays as a feature of their fireplaces. This allowed the owner to change the tiles from time to time. Stove and fireplace manufacturers ordered tiles from tile companies to decorate their products. William De Morgan’s tile designs were specially commissioned by such companies.


Set of Tiles by Maw & Company, Shropshire, c.1860

This is one of a set of tiles showing four different tradesmen at work. They are all using their skills to make things by hand. The carpenter is shaping a piece of wood at his work bench. The stone mason is carving a block of stone for a building. The tailor is stitching buttons on a garment with a needle and thread. The navvy is pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks. Navvies were labourers who worked on projects like digging canals or building railways. These tiles are from a series showing 12 trades altogether. The tiles were printed in just two colours: black and grey on a white background. The grey colour is used to show shadows. The letters making up the names of the four men’s trades have been split up and placed in the tiles’ corners. The subject of ‘trades’ was a popular one for tiles. They were made right up to the end of the 1800s. The subject was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement’s idealisation of craft skills and handmade objects. Arts and Crafts was an important stylistic movement from the 1860s onwards. Towards the end of the 1800s, many designers valued things made by hand more than those made by machine. Some looked back to earlier times before the Industrial Revolution and believed medieval trades and crafts were superior. Some tiles were made showing tradesmen in medieval clothes to reflect this belief. Like Maw & Company, many other firms made tiles showing people. These included trades, but also subjects from books like scenes from Shakespeare and Aesop’s Fables. These tiles were used to decorate walls and furniture, such as wash stands, chairs and cabinets.


Longcase Clock by Thomas Henderson, Hull, mid-1700s

This clock is made from four different types of wood: oak, walnut, ebony and sycamore. Thomas Henderson made this clock. He was born in Scarborough in 1712. His father Robert was also a clockmaker. Thomas moved to Hull to set up his own clock making business in Silver Street. We don’t know when the business was established. It closed down in 1767 when clockmaker William Pridgin took over the workshop in Silver Street. Thomas returned to Scarborough. This clock case is made from oak. Most cases were made from oak because it was quite cheap. This clock would have been more expensive because the oak case is covered with a walnut veneer. This clock also has pieces of ebony and sycamore attached in a thin line near the case edge for decoration. Clocks and watches were made in Hull from the early 1700s. Hull had no clockmakers’ guild to regulate and record the trade, so it’s difficult to find out about local clock making. Information comes from surviving examples, newspapers and trade directories. Trade directories were a kind of old fashioned Yellow Pages. The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some local craftsmen had the skills to make all of these parts. Other ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts and marked their name on the clock. Many of the cases for such clocks were probably still made in East Yorkshire, which had a number of skilled joiners. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Skeleton Clock by Thomas Cowham, Hull, c.1841-1851

This clock’s skeleton is on show. Unlike most clocks, the cogs that make its hands turn aren’t covered up. This is why it’s called a skeleton clock. This style of clock became popular in the mid-1800s. It made a decorative feature out of the clock mechanism. This clock was made by Thomas Cowham of Hull. Thomas was a clock and watch maker at 2 Engine Street in 1841 and 4 Engine Street from 1846-1851. Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles at first. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks. By 1820 there were 30 clockmakers in Hull, but there were also new threats to local clock making. By 1800 clock and watch parts were being mass produced in Birmingham. By the 1830s entire clock mechanisms could be bought from Birmingham. This reduced the demand for local clockmakers’ skills. In the 1800s clocks and watches began to be imported on a large scale from France, Germany and America. This destroyed the market for clocks made in Hull. By 1855 Jacobs & Lucas of Hull were advertising ‘Geneva watches, solely by competent foreign workmen.’ Local traders became clock sellers rather than clockmakers, although many could make basic parts and do repairs. We’ll never know which parts of this clock were made in Hull, although the parts would have been put together by Cowham. ‘Cowham Hull’ is inscribed on the clock face, but sometimes clockmakers marked their own name on ready made clock parts. By the date this clock was made, it’s likely that the mechanism was bought ready made, from Birmingham or abroad. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Bracket Clock by John Baker, Hull, c.1760

This is one of the earliest surviving examples of a clock made in Hull. It is a bracket clock, which was a clock made to stand on a table or mantelpiece. The four brass decorations on top of the clock are called finials. These finials are shaped like pineapples. Many finials were removed from their clocks and given to the Government in the early 1940s. They were melted down and used to make weapons for the Second World War. Clocks and watches were made in Hull from the early 1700s. Hull had no clockmakers’ guild to regulate and record the trade, so it’s difficult to find out about local clock making. Information comes from surviving examples, newspapers and trade directories. Trade directories were a kind of old fashioned Yellow Pages. The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some local craftsmen had the skills to make all of these parts. Other ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts and marked their name on the clock. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget. Bracket clocks have short pendulums and mechanisms driven by steel springs. Most people couldn’t afford bracket clocks, as the steel springs were very expensive to make. Most bracket clocks, like this one, have a handle on top. This allowed the clock to be carried into the bedroom at night. This clock also has a cord called a ‘pull repeat’, which makes the clock chime the last hour when pulled. This was a useful way of finding out the approximate time in the dark without having to light a candle. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Evening Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, c.1929

A translucent fabric called chiffon has been used to make this dress. The dress has a navy blue slip underneath to stop people from being able to see through it! Because chiffon is so light, it is the perfect fabric for the floaty frills attached to the dress. There are frills attached to the skirt and to the matching bolero, which was worn to cover up the lady’s shoulders. This dress was made by Madame Clapham, Hull’s most famous dressmaker. Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was regarded as Hull’s finest dressmaker. All of Madame Clapham’s clothes were handmade to order. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies during its heyday in the 1890s and early 1900s. The First World War (1914-1918) had a dramatic effect on Madame Clapham’s business. Ladies swapped dresses for voluntary service uniforms, resulting in declining demand for Madame Clapham’s outfits. Attitudes and social codes changed after the war with women gaining the vote. Young women had more freedom for the former restrictions of dress and society. Madame Clapham’s extravagant feminine designs became less popular as young women adopted the new shorter, straighter fashions of the 1920s. The 1920s look required less material. Layers of lining, long trains and elaborate bodices were abandoned for a simpler and freer style. Although her business declined during the 1920s and 1930s, Madame Clapham was still patronised by her older pre-war clients. Sometimes their unwilling daughters were brought to her salon to be fitted for dresses too. The business became more local as many of Madame Clapham’s London clients looked to Paris for the latest fashions. Madame Clapham’s business also suffered from the growth of ready-to-wear clothing increasingly available from Hull stores such as Thornton Varley. However, she ran her salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967.


Day Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, 1891

This dress was made by Hull's most famous dressmaker for the wife of Robert Jameson, mayor of Hull in 1870-1873. She wore it at her son's wedding in 1891. An embroidered label in the waistband of the dress says: 'Robes et Modes, E Clapham, Kingston Square, Hull.' Madame Clapham liked to be associated with the latest Paris fashions. This is why she used the French words 'robes et modes', meaning 'dresses and fashion', on her labels. Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was widely regarded as Hull's finest dressmaker. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967. Madame Clapham's skill was to select aspects of the latest Paris and London fashions to create her own designs. Each season she bought a selection of sample gowns from the leading fashion houses of London and Paris. She designed her own creations using bodices, skirts and sleeves from different dresses. She had a talent for selecting the right colour, cut and trimmings to suit her client. In the workrooms of her salon Madame Clapham's highly trained workers made clothes to her designs. Their fine needlework earned Madame Clapham her international reputation as a dressmaker. Madame Clapham's most famous client was Queen Maud of Norway, daughter of Edward VII of England. The salon advertised its royal patronage to enhance its exclusivity and prestige. Madame Clapham took pride in the custom she attracted. In an interview with the 'Hull Lady' magazine in 1901 she said: 'To give you some idea as to the large connection I have, I may tell you I make dresses for most of the county and leading society ladies, also a great many for royalty, and I send out dresses to ladies living abroad whom I have never seen.'


Evening Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, c.1920-1929

The simple, straight shape of this dress with no waist was all the rage in the 1920s. Tight corsets, layers of lining, long trains and elaborate bodices were abandoned for a freer style. This reflected women’s new freedom following the First World War (1914-1918). Women gained the right to vote, and some of the former restrictions of dress and society were relaxed. Wearing a dress that showed off the legs like this one would have been unthinkable before the War. This dress was made by Madame Clapham, Hull’s most famous dressmaker. Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was regarded as Hull’s finest dressmaker. All of Madame Clapham’s clothes were handmade to order. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies during its heyday in the 1890s and early 1900s. The First World War had a dramatic effect on Madame Clapham’s business. Ladies swapped dresses for voluntary service uniforms, resulting in declining demand for Madame Clapham’s outfits. Attitudes and social codes changed after the war with women gaining the vote. Madame Clapham’s extravagant feminine designs became less popular as young women adopted the new shorter, straighter style of the 1920s. The typical 1920s style of this dress shows that Madame Clapham did try to adapt to new trends. However, she lost her most fashionable clients as they looked to the Paris fashion houses for the latest designs. Although her business declined during the 1920s and 1930s, Madame Clapham was still patronised by her older pre-war clients. Sometimes their unwilling daughters were brought to her salon to be fitted for dresses too. Madame Clapham’s business also suffered from the growth of ready-to-wear clothing increasingly available from Hull stores such as Thornton Varley. However, she ran her salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967.


Return from the Farm

Evans uses images such as photographs, books and catalogues to create the surroundings for his imagined portraits. He is fascinated with the suburban, painting small perfectly observed scenes with precise outlines. There is a sadness which runs through all of Evans’s work but sometimes they can’t help but appear witty and humorous at the same time. Evans presents us with different situations and leaves us to construct our own meanings and responses. He depicts his characters pursuing hobbies and interests. They always look slightly awkward, with blank expressions on their faces, suggesting that it is not all that it seems. What are they doing? Are they waiting for something or someone? What are they thinking? As a poor, young artist Evans took a job as a gallery technician, giving him an insight into the art world. Does he show himself in the art store, surrounded by artworks, perhaps reminders of the success that he himself seeks as an artist?


Harewood Castle Self Portrait

Jason Brooks works are immaculately produced photo-realist images which he creates using an air-brush. He analyses the whole process of creating it; his subject matter, the materials he uses and the notion of the artist as a craftsman. This results in a very complex images. Harewood Castle Self Portrait was inspired by a Turner (1775-1851) landscape painting at Harewood House. Brooks is very concerned with the notion of Turner’s paintings mirroring the artist’s response to nature just as this piece mirrors Brooks’s response to a Turner. This is Brooks first and only self-portrait, his face appears faintly in the background, almost lurking amidst the piece as a vague presence. It was also important to him that he should be the one to take the photograph of himself in the glass of the Turner and not get someone else to take the shot. That way, he has controlled the process throughout- in keeping with a traditional self-portrait. The frame also appears to be within another frame, adding to the total illusion of this piece. Brooks is aware of the self reflective nature of the piece and feels it is important to have the viewer’s face also reflected in the glass.


An Imaginary Dutch Church Interior

De Blieck was an architect and painter of church interiors, working in Middelburg, Holland. The Ferens' example shows one of his most frequently repeated subjects. Very different from the sombre Flemish night scenes, represented at the Ferens by Pieter Neefs (1601-1675), Dutch church interiors paintings are much lighter in tone and mood. A view from the side of the church, daylight streams in from the windows. The strolling figures and dogs add anecdotal interest. In the background a man is digging a grave. Not strictly architecturally accurate, de Blieck has employed artistic license to exaggerate the monumentality of the building.


Alexander the Great Slaying his General Cleitus

Alexander slaying Cleitus is a rare example of a Dutch mythological painting - landscapes and genre scenes being much more popular. This dramatic scene is also an unusual example of a de Blieck’s work, most of which is church interiors. This imaginary scene of classical architecture is more reminiscent of Italy than Holland, the only Dutch element being the still-life to the left in the foreground. The actual story of the brutal murder by Alexander the Great of his general Cleitus is secondary to the sweeping arches and soaring colonnades of this architectural fantasy.


Annunciation

Born in Brussels, de Champaigne moved to Paris in 1621 and became a Court Painter in 1626. His life and work was deeply influenced by the Jansenists, an austere Catholic sect. The Annunciation shows the moment when the Virgin Mary is told she is to be the mother of Christ (Luke 1: 28ff). Champaigne focuses on the religious intensity of the scene. The stillness of the Virgin and the Angel Gabriel, with their symbolic gestures, contrasts with the flying putti (winged cherubs) circling round the dove of the Holy Spirit. Champaigne’s painting makes an interesting comparison with Maffei’s more dramatic version of the same scene, also on show in this gallery.


Vertumnus and Pomona

Pastoral subjects of nymphs and shepherds in idyllic landscapes were very popular in Bor’s day. This is the story of the wooing of Pomona by Vertumnus, Italian god and goddess of orchards, trees and ripening fruits. Here Vertumnus appears in disguise as an old man decorating Pomona's hair with ears of corn and flowers, symbols of fertility. The painting is a fusion of styles - a Dutch earthiness combined with a classical Italian composition, the three figures of Vertumnus, Pomona and the cupid forming a triangle. The mythological subject has provided the artist with a splendid excuse to paint naked breasts. The female figure is idealised to match the contemporary ideal of womanly beauty. The contrast of age and youth between the lovers was another device commonly used to heighten the erotic connotations of such paintings. Suggestive works like Vertumnus and Pomona were much in demand amongst patrons in the 17th century but they usually masqueraded under their respectable, mythological subject matter.


Old Man Writing

Brekelenkam was a genre painter working in Leiden. Genre pictures were usually small in size and attempted to present life as it really was, not in any way idealised. Brekelenkham specialised in recording people of the lower, middle class involved in homely tasks. These paintings were conceived as a pair. The moral message is one of humble self-improvement.


Old Woman Reading

Brekelenkam was a genre painter working in Leiden. Genre pictures were usually small in size and attempted to present life as it really was, not in any way idealised. Brekelenkham specialised in recording people of the lower, middle class involved in homely tasks. These paintings were conceived as a pair. The moral message is one of humble self-improvement.


Untitled 1980/1

Newsome’s nude is highly stylised and no longer a recognisable individual. Although her eyelids are modestly lowered, the exaggerated shape of her head, with its carefully hatched linaer brush-strokes, juts out uncomfortably close to the spectator. Her head appears cut off from the rest of her body which is immersed in bath water; her shoulders and nipple multiply beneath the ripples. The figurative artist Victor Newsome is very interested in the problems of creating the illusion of real space and depth on a flat surface. He executed a series of paintings and drawings of figures in bathrooms which presented him with the challenge of recreating the reflections and distortions seen in the mirrors and through water.


Portrait of Francis Burdett

This was painted in the 1760s at a time when Cotes had a great deal of competition from other distinguished portrait artists, such as Gainsborough (1727-1788). Cotes was able to maintain his clientele by producing an extremely professional type of portraiture. The likeness was accurate if a little flattering. The dress was fashionable without ostentation, the sitter could thus appear poised and elegant but without self-enhancement. Such portraits never reveal the true character of the sitters with the result that Cote’s reputation died with him.Little is known about this sitter.


A Squadron Going to Windward in a Gale

Brooking is now regarded as the finest English marine painter of his generation. His achievements as a seascape painter can be compared with his 17th century Dutch predecessors. This magnificent seascape with its convincing rendering of a storm and beautifully observed shipping owes almost all of its merits to the inspiration of William van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707), especially in its composition and weather effects. The Baroque rhythms of the composition are entirely different from the calm of the Hull school painters half a century later.


The Whaling Fleet of Sir Samuel Standidge

Although by an unknown artist this is another fine example of the proud Hull shipowner’s fleet in the Arctic.


The Standidge Whaling Fleet (Berry, Britannia and British Queen) in the Arctic

This highly descriptive painting of the whaling fleet of Sir Samuel Standidge is actually a copy, with little alteration other than it is reversed, from the engraving made by Boydell (1719-1804), after the painting by Charles Brooking (1723-59) of the Greenland Whale Fishery. The latter now hangs at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It was painted long after these ships had ceased sailing as a companion to another canvas showing the fleet, of 1788, to grace the walls of the Standidge home and counting house in High Street. Standidge sent the ‘Berry’ from Hull in 1766 to fish for whales. She returned with only one whale but also brought 300 seal-skins. The skins provided him with the capital needed to make him a successful whale-ship owner.


Portrait of a Lady

This enigmatic and beautiful picture has so far resisted identification, either of the sitter or the artist. The handling of the paint is both free and distinctive. The portrait was once thought to be by William Hogarth (1697-1764), one of the most original English artists, famous for his lively, moralising genre scenes. Although this example has a frankness and psychological intensity characteristic of a portrait by Hogarth, its style is not typical of his work. The sketchiness and loose brushwork of certain areas suggest that this is perhaps an unfinished portrait.


The Annunciation

Francesco Maffei is one of the most important 17th century Venetian painters, whose style carried on the great dramatic and painterly tradition of Tintoretto (1518-94) and Bassano (c.1510/18-92). His subjects range from richly decorative allegorical portraits to mythological scenes, often influenced by contemporary opera settings, and imbued with a note of mystery or bizarre fantasy. The Annunciation is from Maffei's later period when his works were characterised by moving religious scenes. Originally painted for the chapel of St. Peter Martyr in Padua, Maffei’s Annunciation makes an interesting comparison with Philippe de Champaigne's (1602-74) version of a similar period, also at the Ferens. Whereas Champaigne's painting is still and intense, Maffei's altarpiece is full of the movement and drama typical of the Italian Baroque. This is best seen in the spiralling body of the Angel Gabriel, a shape repeated in the twisted folds of drapery behind the Virgin Mary.


A View on the Grand Canal

This painting was bequeathed by the former Muriel Wilson, the daughter of Hull's leading Shipping family. It is one of the few undoubted Canalettos in an English municipal collection. The artist made many paintings of the Grand Canal, from slightly different viewpoints, but employing the same distinctive perspective. It is this re-working of subjects that helps to make his work so familiar to modern audiences. Canaletto was the most prolific of the Venetian vedutista or view painters, whose work depicted towns like Rome and Venice. Accurate paintings were in demand by patrons as souvenirs of their 'Grand Tours' of Italy. Later in his career, Canaletto applied a similar treatment to London. His earlier works, amongst which this ranks as one of the best, have more atmosphere, light, warmth and shadow. Details are richly painted and lively figures populate the scene. Stylistically, his views are similar to those of his contemporaries, Francesco (1712-1793) and Gianantonio (1698-1760) Guardi, and their work is sometimes confused.


Fish market

De Beukelaer followed in the footsteps of his artistic uncle, Pieter Aetsen (1507/8-1575) who developed a new type of picture known as the genre piece, depicting scenes of everyday life and surroundings. This is a good example of their manner. The foreground is used as a platform upon which an abundance of still-life is displayed, including fish of all sorts, each so accurately painted that the various species can be identified - salt-water fish on the left and fresh-water fish on the right. The detailed background is typically Flemish. Not only is the townscape painted with topographical exactitude but we can also see in the far distance how the fresh fish were unloaded on the canal bank before being distributed by wheelbarrow to the fishmongers in the market. Recent research from the Dutch National Museum for the History of Fishery has revealed that fish in particular were often used as sexual metaphors in such scenes. One interpretation of the Fish market is that De Beukelaer has portrayed the slice of salmon in a way to suggest that the man’s intentions are rather less than honourable!


Interior with Ladies and Gentleman at Cards

Neer was the son of the moonlight and winter scene painter Aert van der Neer (1603-1667). He specialised in elegant middle-class genre scenes. This picture was painted towards the end of the century when the Golden Age of Dutch art was in decline. Much more stylised and elaborate than earlier Dutch paintings, the fashion and interior decoration of this genre scene is clearly influenced by French styles. The image of the upper-middle class at leisure illustrates that the Netherlands - successfully trading and colonising overseas - was still enjoying its reputation as the richest nation in Europe.


Danäe

Calvaert was first apprenticed to the landscape painter Christian van den Queborne (b.1515). In common with other Flemish artists he then left his home country to continue his training in Italy. Never to return, Calvaert spent most of the rest of his life in Bologna. Danäe is a rare example of a mythological work by Calvaert who painted mostly religious subjects. In Greek legend, Danäe, a mortal princess, was seduced by Jupiter, King of the Gods, disguised as a shower of gold. The Danäe theme was particularly popular with Renaissance and Baroque artists because of its sexual and emotional overtones. Calvaert's inclusion of the draped figure of Danäe is perhaps more subtle, since he crowds his composition with secondary figures to great theatrical effect, taking some of the attention off the central character. Danäe's body, however, does represent the erotic ideal of the age, with her elegant limbs, pert breasts and gently swelling stomach. These features are heightened by her exaggerated pose. The coat of arms in the right hand corner of the canvas is evidence that this picture was painted for Jacob Arnold, Captain of the Papal Swiss Guards.


Portrait of Cornelia Burch, Aged Two Months

This exceptional painting is the earliest portrait in our collection. Its naturalistic style suggests that it is by a Dutch artist and an inscription on the architectural detail (upper right) identifies the sitter as Cornelia Burch, painted in 1581 at the age of two months. It has been suggested that Burch is a corruption of the name 'Burgh' and that the child is the daughter of Thomas, Lord Burgh (1558-97). Burgh was the English Ambassador to Scotland in the late 16th century. Our research into her real identity is continuing. Depictions of such young children in 16th century portraits are extremely rare owing in part to the very high infant mortality rate. Cornelia is presented in elaborate swaddling bands, as was customary for the period. She is displayed upon a handsomely decorated cushion and bearing cloth which suggest that this was a christening portrait. The gold cross and fine rattle-cum-teether, made of a shark's tooth, support this theory. Over her bonnet Cornelia wears a cap that is likely to have been modelled on her mother's.


Winter Landscape

Molenaer’s charming landscape illustrates the direct responses to the locality that set Haarlem’s artists apart from their Utrecht counterparts, whose landscapes favoured the fashionable Italianate manner. To judge by the large numbers that survive, winter scenes of this type must have been extremely popular. No particular town is described and Molenaer generalised all his skies, repeating the same elements from picture to picture. Each little figure, however, is invested with a particular and unique character that conveys a struggle through the icy weather.


The Edge of the Wood

At one time attributed John Constable (1776-1827), one of the greatest English landscape artists, this picture bears no signature and its history remains unclear. To compound the mysteries surrounding this work, during the 19th century completed works by such masters were copied frequently and skilfully. Nevertheless, this painting has a distinguished provenance going back to within two years of Constables’ death. The most likely solution here is that the Victorian owner of the scene, Edward Fitzgerald, sold off his original by Constable (now untraced) and commissioned his friend Thomas Churchyard, an imitator of his, to paint a substitute.


Family Group

For many years this portrait was thought to be French on account of its elegance and the proliferation of beautifully painted flowers amongst the figures. The picture can now with some confidence be attributed to Maubert by comparison with two other group portraits by the artist, which also feature the characteristic flowers. Sadly, the identity of the sitters remains unknown but the costume suggests that they were a wealthy family dressed in the latest fashion, which would in any event betray French influence. There had always been an elaborate symbolism for flowers and in this picture the honeysuckle could symbolise the union of the husband and their two children.


Northfleet near Greenwich

In his lifetime Callcott’s achievement as a landscapist was regarded as considerable and his paintings were acquired by many of the era’s leading collectors. He was popular because he continued the old master tradition of landscape painting. His main inspiration was the artist Claude Lorraine (1600-82). Callcott exhibited at the Royal Academy first at the age of twenty, and then continuously until his death. This landscape was painted towards the end of his career. He has abandoned much of his grand style and turned to a much more naturalistic approach.


Man of War on a Calm Sea

Mitchell was employed by the Navy, hence his specialisation in marine subjects This rather solemn painting represents the continuation of the Dutch 17th century tradition in English 18th century painting. The careful positioning of the silhouette of the ship against the sky harks back to William van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707). At the same time the artists is more interested in the effects of light and composition than in the portrayal of a specific ship.


Shipping on the Medway

The Medway was a favourite haunt of the artist’s. He appreciated the pastoral quiet combined with the concerted activity of the Chatham Naval Dockyard, seen in the background. His views were usually of calm or benign weather conditions which seem to reflect the sense of peace on the river.


Westminster Bridge

This picture marks the end of the topographical tradition begun by Canaletto (1697-1768). Here the artist seems more interested in the weather and the boats than the strict topography of the bridge. The silhouette of Westminster Hall and the Abbey is handled sufficiently carefully to convince topographically but the other buildings seem to be treated in a more summary manner.


The Twin Children of Capt. George Walsh, Master Mariner of Selby, Yorkshire

This painting is known to be of the boy and girl twins of Captain George Walsh of Selby. The view behind the children is of the town of Selby. The trading vessel in the background belongs to Captain Walsh, who was a Master Mariner. The painting is revealing for its inclusion of both Selby and Walsh's vessel behind his children. It is more than simply a portrait of his family, becoming a display of property and social standing.


Head of a Girl

This delightful portrait has always been considered to be by a follower of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) but it can now be attributed to one of the artist’s closest followers, Northcote. There is also some influence of French painting, especially Greuze (1725-1805), whose work was well known in England through engravings. The sitter has not been identified although the rather similar picture in the museum at Saint-Etienne in France has traditionally been called Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton.


The Progress of Civilsation: The Ancient Britons instructed by the Romans in the Mechanical Arts

Briggs studied at the Royal Academy in 1811 and exhibited there from 1814 to 1844. Initially he specialised in uplifting historical subjects, on a large scale. These included themes from Shakespeare and English history. He eventually gave this up in favour of portraits. The Duke of Wellington was one of his famous sitters. As ‘Baron Briggs’ he was ranked first by Thackeray in his List of Best Victorian Painters. The central theme in this painting is the relationship between the noble savages (Britons) and their mentors (Romans). The Britons are shown in archetypal ‘native’ costume, partially covered with animal skins. They gaze at a symbol of civilised life, presented by a Roman. Briggs offers a 19th century interpretation of what these people looked like. Much of this was based on the Bible and classical texts. The painting was formerly owned by John Vincent Thompson, a Hull merchant, who presented it to the Hull Mechanics Institute in 1832 where it occupied pride of place.


The Poacher's Snare

In this painting Buttery has chosen to depict the dramatic moment when a poacher has just been caught red handed. The figure with the gun may be the landowner out shooting, as emphasised by the country house in the background. His rather rustic clothing, however, indicates that he could be the master's gamekeeper. Both poacher and faithful hound look fittingly shamed; the dog hangs his head whilst the poacher, stricken and shocked, holds his hand to his face in a dramatic gesture of remorse. This scene depicts a real life situation of the kind that most of Buttery's contemporaries, such as John Constable (1776-1837) were shying away from in favour of more idealistic and harmonious representations of country life. Charles Buttery was a Hull-based painter who lived off George Street and Savile Street with his brother George, also an artist. Little else is known about him except that he showed works at the 1829 Hull Art Exhibition with George. Charles' other brother Thomas was a 'bird and animal preserver', or taxidermist, in George Street in the 1830s and 40s. A large number of his birds were shown at the 1845 Hull Mechanics Exhibition.


Virgin and Child with St Joseph

The suave depiction of the Holy Family represents the end of the Baroque in Italy just before it gave way to neo classicism in the years after 1750. The robustness of 17th century has given way to a sweetness and sentimentality, which runs through a good deal of Italian early 18th century religious painting. The poverty of Christ’s family is lost in the artist’s quest for smooth surfaces and elegant colours.


View of the South End, Hull, Taken in the Year 1809

Barton had a duel career as an artist/manager of panoramas (large canvases, sometimes placed within a circular building to surround the viewer) and in the last few years of his life as a marine painter in Hull. Like the Dutch before him he combined nautical skill with perfectly painted architecture. Characteristic of his style are low viewpoints and a curious elongation of figures. It is possible that these two paintings were connected with a scheme for a panorama. Barton certainly appears to have been experimenting with the perspective. The Old Harbour, seen in both works, was the sheltered stretch of water between the present-day North Bridge and the mouth of the River Hull, an area also known as ‘the Haven’. It formed Hull’s main mooring point until the completion of the first dock in 1778. The jumble of sails in View of the South End (misleadingly labelled ‘the Citadel’ on the frame) illustrates the congestion at the river mouth as trade developed. Also visible are soldiers lounging near the Old Blockhouse (Citadel) on the east side of the river.


The’s Gravensteen Gate abd the Sint Veerleplein in Ghent, 1833

De Noter was a painter, watercolourist and etcher. He specialised in town scenes, church interiors and landscapes. This minutely painted picture shows part of the historic heart of Ghent. The gate is that of the castle of Gravensteen which was begun by Baldwin Iron Arm in the 9th century and reconstructed by Philip of Alsace from 1180 onwards. The houses in the surrounding square are mostly medieval and are depicted with great attention to topographical accuracy.


The Old Harbour, Hull

Barton had a duel career as an artist/manager of panoramas (large canvases, sometimes placed within a circular building to surround the viewer) and in the last few years of his life as a marine painter in Hull. Like the Dutch before him he combined nautical skill with perfectly painted architecture. Characteristic of his style are low viewpoints and a curious elongation of figures. It is possible that these two paintings were connected with a scheme for a panorama. Barton certainly appears to have been experimenting with the perspective. The Old Harbour, seen in both works, was the sheltered stretch of water between the present-day North Bridge and the mouth of the River Hull, an area also known as ‘the Haven’. It formed Hull’s main mooring point until the completion of the first dock in 1778. The jumble of sails in View of the South End (misleadingly labelled ‘the Citadel’ on the frame) illustrates the congestion at the river mouth as trade developed. Also visible are soldiers lounging near the Old Blockhouse (Citadel) on the east side of the river.


The Stable Door

The Stable Door was painted three years after Gainsborough's (1727-1788) death at a time when the fifteen year old Constable (1798-1865) was still training to be an artist. Whereas these more idealistic artists used people merely as a part of their landscapes, for Morland they were an integral part of his rural genre scenes. He represented rural life as it was, at a time when meat was a luxury exclusively for the middle and upper classes. In The Stable Door for example, rather than depict his country workers as hearty folk, happy with their lot, he shows them slouched and grumpy, lugging heavy sacks and clearly tired from their labours. As a result of his honesty, Morland's work was often criticised. Despite this, his paintings were popular and frequently forged during his lifetime and later.


A Baltic trader off Paull, Hull in the Distance

This is particularly fine topographical study of the Humber bank. The shoreline of Hull can be seen in the distance. The ships in the foreground are two views of a Russian merchantman - Hull had a brisk trade with the Baltic as early as the 13th century. To the right of the scene is the signal station at Paull which controlled the movement of shipping in and out of the Humber, and which Barton has used to give added compositional interest to the painting.


Caught in the Ice

The artist served his apprenticeship as a painter in the George Yard workshop of Thomas Meggitt (1779-1858). Binks would have learnt from him the basic skills of mixing colours and applying paint to wood and canvas. He was probably self-taught as a marine artist, learning from copying and observation. This painting, which bustles with dramatic detail, is thought to show the Hull whaler 'Dauntless', which was lost in ice in the Davis Straits, west of Greenland, in 1829. The ship was owned by John Beadle & Co. and her Master was Cap. Bramham. Although 1829 was a particularly difficult season, 'Dauntless' was the only vessel lost.


Three paddle-steamers, ‘Kingston’, ‘Prince Frederick’ and ‘Calder’ of Selby in Hull Roads

The artist served his apprenticeship as a painter in the George Yard workshop of Thomas Meggitt (1779- 1858). Never developing a distinctive personal style, Binks often collaborated with another of Meggitt’s apprentices, William Griffin (fl. 1800-50). This picture is more than likely one of their joint productions when they were still apprentices, with Binks being responsible for the sea and Griffin, the steamers. The Paull waterfront appears on the left in the background and the Lincolnshire coast on the right. The Hull Roads were mid-river in the deepest stretch of water. They were the most navigable passage in the Humber - ships were unlikely to run aground. They could also anchor here if they did not want come into the port. The ‘Kingston’ was the first locally built steamship to enter sea-going service. Binks and Griffin were the first local artists to paint the early Humber steamers.


The Three-Masted Barque ‘Halcyon’ of Hull

The ‘Halcyon’ was a barque of three masts, weighing 358 tons and measuring 105ft in length. She was built in 1825 by Dykes and Gibson on the River Hull for William Lowthorpe of Welton. Sadly the barque foundered in the same year. Binks was renowned for his paintings of merchant ships around Hull as well as scenes of arctic exploration. The style in which he painted was likened to that of the best known Hull marine artist, John Ward (1798-1849). Both share a certain clarity and precision in their portraits of ships, using a more graphic than painterly style of working.


Hull Whalers in the Arctic

Binks is typical of many marine artists in belonging to a family of marine painters where the tradition was passed down from father to son. He died in 1852 aged fifty-three but was succeeded by his son Thomas A. Binks (fl.1840-60) who also became a prominent Hull artist. There are numerous instances of sons taking over the ‘family business’ of marine painting from their fathers. Some of the most famous include the van de Veldes, the Cookes, the Stanfields and the Cotmans.


The Shipyard at Hessle Cliffs

A Newcastle artist who later moved to London and then Scarborough, Carmichael was not part of the Hull school. After a short spell at sea, he was apprenticed as a shipbuilder before becoming a serious painter. As well as marines, he painted topographical scenes and elements of both these styles are combined in his work: ‘…no living painter more happily combines portraiture (in shipping) with the picturesque.’ Art Journal, 1849. The shipyard depicted was at one time owned by the wealthy merchant family, the Blaydes. By 1822 it was closed down and later landscaped over. This painting was probably worked up from sketches made on-the-spot. One of the vessels shown is the Humber Ferry, a service that ran between Hull and Barton. On the far right is a boat ready for launching.


View of the Port of Hull with the 'Spartan'

Chambers began earning his living at the age of eight, holding coal bags open for miners to fill. At sixteen he went to sea on a Humber Keel. On board he showed great aptitude for painting ships’ timbers and decorating buckets and other fittings. An early talent recognised, he became apprentice to a house and ship painter. Greatly acclaimed in his life-time, the pinnacle of Chambers’ career was gaining the patronage of King William IV. He was to die young, aged thirty-seven. The Ferens owns the only two known works of Hull by Chambers. This is the only signed and dated oil. As a Whitby artist he was invited to Hull to paint the Whitby-built brig, the ‘Spartan’. The vessel was made in the yard of Thomas Brodrick. Chambers’ painting shows the ship in two different views, a common practice in ship portraiture.


‘The Wellington Coach’ (The Newcastle-York-London Mail)

There is very little information concerning the long career of this prolific artist. Cordrey probably worked in London since all his coaching scenes have London as their destination. Coaching scenes were very popular in Regency and early Victorian England but fell out of fashion with the spread of the railways in the years after 1840. The Wellington was the last regular coach running on the Great North Road. It travelled through Ferrybridge, Doncaster and Stamford and arrived at the Bull and Mouth Inn in London.


Portrait of Captain Joseph Boulderson

Devis was the son and pupil of Arthur Devis (1711-1787). He travelled to the Far East, spending a year in Canton. The most remarkable period of his career was spent in Bengal, India, from 1785-95. One his return to England he produced conventional portraits that give no hint of his earlier prowess. Little is known about the sitter in the portrait. Although this portrait is in need of conservation we have decided to include it in the exhibition so that visitors have an opportunity to view it. It has been in this condition for decades, but sadly has not, so far, been a priority for restoration. As with all our works of art, please do not touch. Examples of artworks that we have been able to restore are on show throughout the exhibition.


Copy after Titian’s ‘La Bella’

Despite the experimentation and innovation in English painting during his lifetime, Etty remained untouched by it. He pursued an independent course, copying the old masters and between 1822-23 visited all the main Italian cities. After this, his approach became far more serious and out of step with his contemporaries. To be inspired by Rubens (1577-1640) and Titian (c.1487-1576) made his art an anachronism in its time. Etty retained strong links with York, involving himself in the successful campaign to prevent the demolition of the city’s medieval walls. Etty’s letters to his friend Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) reveal his passion for the original by Titian, one of the artist’s most beautiful and sumptuous works. Etty responded to it with passion but could not replicate the magic of the original. Given its sketchiness there is every likelihood that the artist executed it on the spot.


‘King Charles Demanding Entrance at the Beverley Gate, Hull, April 23, 1642’

Arnald's career lasted over fifty years. He experimented with many different subjects, from landscapes and seascapes to mythological and history painting. He travelled extensively around Britain and took a particular interest in medieval sites. He enjoyed considerable success in his lifetime and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1788, becoming a full member in 1810. The scene depicted here shows the refusal in 1642 by Hull's Governor, Sir John Hotham, to let King Charles I enter Hull at the city gate. Clarendon's ‘History of the Rebellion', Book V, records the story, one of the acts that led to the outbreak of the English Civil War: 'Sr. John Hotham from ye Wall acquainted the King that He durst not open the Gates, being instructed by the Parliament. His Majesty replyed, that if He persisted in ye resolution, He shou’d be obliged to proclaim him a Traitor'. This episode was depicted by many artists and there are several versions, both oils and prints, in the Ferens’ collection.


Loading a Timber Wagon in the Grounds of Cave Castle, Yorkshire

This painting depicts Cave Castle in the village of South Cave, situated about thirteen miles from Hull. Arnald's view shows the surrounding parklands across to the Humber Estuary and towards Lincolnshire. Originally built on the site of an old castle, the building, the only one of its kind still in existence in East Yorkshire, is shown shortly after its renovation in 1791 when the owner, Henry Boldero Barnard, carried out enlargements and 'castellations' in the neo-Gothic style. Arnald, who specialised in such topographical views, travelled extensively throughout the British Isles, Ireland and France. He is known to have visited Yorkshire on a number of occasions and undertook several commissions for his patrons, the Boldero Barnard family. They were an old, well established family of landowners who settled in East Yorkshire in the 13th century. It is possible that this work is the same Cave Castle, Yorkshire exhibited by Arnald at the Royal Academy in London in 1809.


The Hongs at Canton

Chinnery was born in London in 1774. He exhibited a miniature at the Royal Academy at the age of seventeen and subsequently enrolled at the Academy Schools. In 1796 he moved to Ireland where a branch of his family had lived since the 17th century. A successful career followed which included many portrait commissions and landscapes. Chinnery was elected a Director of the Royal Dublin Society and, in 1800, Secretary of the Society of Artists in Ireland. Following the breakdown of his marriage, he later returned to London en route to Madras. He was to spend the rest of his life in the East. Despite initial success he was bad at managing his money and by 1825 he fled his debts and settled in Macao, a trading post on the Chinese coast. This small painting, probably by one of Chinnery’s Chinese followers in its meticulous style, shows the flags of all the different nations that had trading rights in Canton. The whole complex depicted here was destroyed by fire in 1822.


Oriental Scene by Moonlight

These three works are similar in technique and style to one another but are inferior to The Hongs at Canton, which is probably by a different artist. They are in the European style but are likely to be the work of a Chinese artist.


Picturesque landscape with a Man Fishing and Another Sketching Before a Bridge

These three works are similar in technique and style to one another but are inferior to The Hongs at Canton, which is probably by a different artist. They are in the European style but are likely to be the work of a Chinese artist.


A Ship in Rough Seas Near a Chalk Headland

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters and enjoyed probably the longest career of all. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. This picture was produced in the year of his retirement. It belongs to the 18th century tradition in composition and mood as well as for the accurate depiction of the ships.


Oriental scene, East Indies: A procession

These three works are similar in technique and style to one another but are inferior to The Hongs at Canton, which is probably by a different artist. They are in the European style but are likely to be the work of a Chinese artist.


Landscape with Hills, Cottages and Figures

Patrick was the eldest child of Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). His work consists mostly of Scottish landscapes, but after moving to London in 1810 his style became more traditionally English. He combined Italian and Dutch influences to satisfy the conventional tastes of his patrons. His work is now widely represented in British public collections. This small landscape is Italianate but has been modified to suit a northern taste. Whilst the buildings are Italian in style the hills and valleys appear very English. The figures add human interest.


Cloud Study

In an age when landscape painting was considered an inferior art form, Constable was ahead of his time. Ironically, although his paintings are imbued with a love of the English landscape, particularly the scenery around his native Suffolk, he found greater success in France than in England. His scientific approach to nature was greatly admired by the French Impressionists of the later part of the 19th century. Wishing to record exactly what he saw, Constable often painted out of doors. He considered the sky to be the ‘key note’ in a landscape and executed many rapid sketches, such as this Cloud study, capturing the English weather in all its moods.


Landscape with a Woman Crossing a Stream

Patrick was the eldest child of Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). His work consists mostly of Scottish landscapes, but after moving to London in 1810 his style became more traditionally English. He combined Italian and Dutch influences to satisfy the conventional tastes of his patrons. Nasmyth was one of the most forged and imitated artists of his time, so great was the demand for small, traditional landscapes. This landscape is highly naturalistic. Nasmyth has included the dead branches of trees, for example, rather than chosing to ‘tidy up’ his scene. It does have picturesque qualities, however, including the figure of the woman and the path that winds in to the distance


Coast Scene in Picardy near Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme

Bonington was born in England, but moved to France with his family when he was fifteen, where he remained until his early death in 1828. In a working career of little more than six years he perfected a dazzling technique in both oil and watercolour that was the envy of artists on both sides of the Channel. Coast Scene in Picardy, painted when Bonington was about 24 years old, is a fine example of the combined English and French influences at work. The cloud-filled sky and shimmering horizon are part of that English landscape tradition which is in turn derived from 17th century Holland. The boldness and simplicity of Bonington's zig-zagging composition, suggesting limitless distance, owes much to the French artist Delacroix (1798-1863) with whom Bonington shared a studio between 1824 and 1826.


The Eel catcher

Edmund Bristow was the son of an heraldic painter. He appeared indifferent to wealth and fame. He seldom worked to order and sometimes even refused to sell his finished pictures. Bristow was probably satisfied with the distinction that patronage from the Royal family brought him; he worked for the Duke of Clarence, William IV, Princess Elizabeth and Prince George. Despite this prestige, he lived the life of a recluse and died in such obscurity that the Art Journal could find nothing to say about him for his obituary. Most of Bristow's best works are produced on a small scale. He excelled in finely detailed compositions such as the Eel catcher, influenced by the Dutch old masters. His subject matter was wide, from interiors and still lifes to sporting art and pictures of rural life which show a deep understanding of the lives of countrymen and gamekeepers. The basket traps in this painting are very detailed. The bung for emptying the trap can just be seen at the narrow end of the upright basket. Netting traps were also used for catching eels.


Man on Horseback with a Page

De Keyser is credited with having originated the small equestrian portrait, of which this is a good example. Despite its size, there is remarkable character in the faces of both the sitter and his rather dull-witted servant. The dark clothing with only white collar and cuffs seen in both of our de Keyser portraits, is the typical sombre black preferred by Dutch burghers and their wives.The unknown sitter would probably have posed in the artist's studio on a 'dummy' mount, the background and horse being added later.


Limehouse Reach

Anderson was a shipwright by trade. He later moved to London where he exhibited nearly every year at the Royal Academy between 1787 and 1814. His work earned him a considerable reputation in his lifetime. Anderson took as his model the brilliant and tranquil marine paintings of van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) but replaced the Dutch boats and canals with everyday scenes on the Thames and Medway. However, despite the influence of the Dutch master, his oil paintings and watercolours are entirely English in spirit and are closely akin to the work of Thomas Hearne (1744-1817) and Edward Dayes (1763-1804).


Portraits of Rachel Mary and Elizabeth Francis Constable (Mrs Salmond and Mrs Bentinck)

Allen specialised in somewhat conventional portraiture. He attended the Royal Academy Schools and built a successful practice in the north west of England. He was also a founder member of the Liverpool Academy in 1810. The sitters here are the daughters of the Rev. Thomas Constable of Sigglesthorne, Yorkshire and his wife Sarah Goulton. They wear the fashionable high-waisted dress of the Regency period and their hairstyles show a new informality.


Nativity

This painting was previously attributed to Honthorst, the Dutch painter of biblical, mythological and genre scenes who spent ten years in Italy where he was greatly inspired by the work of Caravaggio (1573-1610). However, its style suggests that it was probably painted in Italy soon after 1600. The artist - as yet unidentified - has relied on the Renaissance tradition of night scenes rather than the more obvious Caravaggist approach. The treatment of the figures and fall of light point to an artist more familiar with the Italian style. The Nativity is one of the most commonly depicted scenes in art history. The inclusion of a manger in the scene did not appear until images from the 13th century, and it was only from the 16th century that artists gave particular prominence to the shepherds and wise men visiting the stable.


St. Benedict, Christ, St. John the Baptist

This devotional triptych was perhaps intended for an altar in a private house. Its dark tones suggest that it was painted in Siena in the early 16th century. The exaggerated, elongated figures are characteristic of the anti-naturalistic style associated with Beccafumi, the leading artist in Siena in the first half of the 16th century. These three panels are currently arranged as a triptych but the perspective of the floor would suggest that they were originally arranged one above the other. Such an arrangement would mean that the pictures would have formed the pilaster of a large altarpiece. It was the practice in the Renaissance for the artist to leave the less important parts of a large altarpiece to his assistants especially when the commission involved a large number of different panels. Christ appears in the centre bearing the cross, with a chalice - the symbol of the Christian faith - at his feet. On the right stands St. John the Baptist, typically depicted wearing an animal-hair tunic. He carries a staff, the symbol for numerous saints noteworthy for their travels and pilgrimages. St. Benedict is usually depicted with a long white beard, and dressed as a Benedictine abbot. He is seen here holding wheat, symbolising the bread of the Eucharist, and his book of rules. Recent restoration has revealed the remains of two keyholes centre-left of the Christ suggesting that the paintings were rearranged and adapted as a piece of furniture early in their history.


View of Het Valckhof, Nijmegen

Little is known about the artist’s early artistic activity, and only seven paintings are attributed to him. He appears to have favoured large architectural subjects. Het Valckhof, with its overcast sky and low horizon typifies a particular type of Dutch landscape painting. The name of the castle means ‘Falcon Court’, and it was at this time the most famous in Holland. It was founded as an Imperial Palace by the Emperor Charlemagne (742/3-814 AD).


Still Life

Janssens Elinga worked in Amsterdam at the same time as the gradually declining Pieter de Hooch (1629-83). They both used the same intimist subject matter - domestic interiors of the better-off classes with little human intervention. Janssens Elinga’s career is barely documented and his dates and places of birth are unknown. This Still life is typical of a certain type of composition: everyday, inexpensive objects have been simply arranged to display the painter’s skill in depicting different surfaces. A human presence is implied by the peeled orange skin and discarded pips.


Sailing Boats in a Rough Sea

By the time Bakhuizen painted this stormy picture the great tradition of Dutch 17th century seascape painting was nearing its end. Bakhuizen was paticularly adept at recording the atmosphere of an inky sky. As well as painting marines, for which he is best known, the artist was a portrait painter and engraver. He was very successful during his lifetime, spending his long career in Amsterdam. He had many eminent patrons and it was only in the 19th century that his reputation faltered.


Farm Scene

This modest picture does not seem to be by any particularly distinctive hand. Clearly English, it does not appear to be related to any particular locality. An anonymous note in the gallery files suggests this picture could be by John Berney Crome (1768-1821).


Landscape, River Scene

This picture was originally thought to be Dutch. Its current poor condition makes attribution difficult.


Mountainous Landscape with Figures

This landscape, Italian in influence, represents that the type that remained popular with British collectors into the 19th century.


Portrait of Rosamond Clifford, Mistress of King Henry II

When this work was originally acquired it was believed to be a portrait of Jane Shore, mistress of Edward IV. Fair Rosamond, mistress of King Henry II, was said to have been murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, c.1176. Such portraits are all of much later origin.


A Woman (possibly a member of the Strickland family, formerly called Anne Hyde, Duchess of York)

The resemblance to Anne Hyde, Duchess of York (who was mother to Queen Mary II and Queen Anne) is striking. It has been suggested that this painting was related to the artist Peter Borsselaer (1664-87).


Landscape (Mousehold Heath)

In the past, this picture was been attributed to John Berney Crome (1768-1821). The quality of this painting would suggest that it is by a specific artist of the Norwich School, rather than by an anonymous follower. Current research into minor figures of the Norwich School is still at an early stage.


Portrait of King Charles I

The main type from which the Ferens’ picture is derived is in itself based on the Daniel Mytens (1590-1648) portrait in Durham Town Hall. The date of this rather crude portrait is indeterminate. It is likely to have been made after Charles became King in 1625 as when Prince of Wales he did not have a beard or moustache.


Pistols by William Needler, Hull, c.1849-1867

This fascinating boxed set of pistols has survived completely intact. You can see all the extra items needed to load the guns, prepare them for firing and clean them afterwards. If not properly looked after a gun can become dangerous. It can even fail to fire just when it matters most. These extras include a ramrod, a wad cutter and an oil cup. You can also see the maker’s card in the box: ‘William Needler from Hull.’ These pistols were made by William Needler. William was the son of an innkeeper from Pocklington. William was born in Pocklington in 1820. His trade card describes him coming from London where he was living in 1841 during his apprenticeship. Needler eventually established himself at 26 Silver Street in Hull. He acquired this shop from Hull gunsmith, Samuel Mozeen. Needler produced a wide range of firearms possibly including harpoon guns. Needler’s shop was the scene of a death in 1856. A music seller called William Atkinson asked Needler to load a gun for him. Atkinson then shot himself. An inquest into this returned an open verdict. William Needler’s son, William Stevenson Needler was also a gunsmith who later traded at 26 Silver Street. This is an outstanding cased set of four pistols. Each has a silver escutcheon engraved with a talbot’s head, probably the crest of the Ellerker family. They have Birmingham proof and view marks.


Ivory and Silver Jewel Casket by Katherine Mangie, Hull, c.1685-1697

Katherine Mangie was quite unusual in being a woman silversmith in this period. Her husband Edward Mangie was a silversmith too. When he died in 1685, Katherine became the boss of Edward’s workshop. We don’t know if she actually made the silver herself or was just in charge. Katherine must have been very proud of this box. It is stamped seven times with her special maker’s mark, ‘KM’. Edward Mangie took over the Hull workshop of goldsmith Robert Robinson who died in 1660. In 1661 Edward travelled back to York and married Katherine Spalding. Katherine must have been a strong and sad woman. During her marriage to Edward they had many children that died in infancy, including triplets in 1658. A son did survive, also called Edward but he was only 12 when his father died in 1685. When Edward Mangie died his wife Katherine carried on the business and had her own maker’s mark of ‘K.M.’ The Mangies remained in business in Church Lane until the 1730s but after 1697 very few pieces by them are known. Katherine Mangie died in 1725 at the age of 88. Her son Edward continued to trade as a goldsmith at the Church Lane. He probably retired then and in 1739 he died. He wasrecorded as being a ‘gentleman’. This meant he lived in financial security and no longer had to work for a living.


Coconut cup by James Birkby, Hull, c.1651

Coconut cups were exotic items in the 1600s and were popular with rich people. Coconut shells have been valued by many different cultures. Coconuts are an important part of Hindu religious ceremonies such as weddings. They symbolise usefulness, prosperity and generosity. This cup is made from a coconut shell and silver. It was made by Hull silversmith, James Birkby. Birkby’s workshop was in Church Lane, near Holy Trinity Church. This was an area used by many silversmiths before him. This cup has a silver shield on the front engraved with the arms of the Weever family of Cheshire. The earliest recorded silversmiths in Hull were working in the 1400s. During the 1500s gold and silver smiths formed ‘The Guild of Goldsmiths of Hull’. Hull silversmiths, being away from London, were able to work without the interference of official regulations. There is no record of an assay office in Hull. Silver pieces were normally sent to an assay office to ensure they were of the correct standard. The marks used on Hull silver never had any official recognition. From the 1500s the letter ‘H’ was used. Later, Hull’s town badge of three coronets was adopted for the stamped mark on silver. Many of Hull’s silversmiths were based in the same location on Church Lane (now demolished). This was close to Market Place, near Holy Trinity Church. Eleven silversmiths are known to have worked at the Church Lane premises including James Birkby. In 1645, silversmith Robert Robinson took on James Birkby as an apprentice. After serving his apprenticeship, Birkby bought his freedom in 1651 and established his own business in premises very close by.


Porringer by Thomas Hebden, Hull, c.1675-1695

A porringer is a type of bowl originally used for porridge. They can be made of wood but this is solid silver and finely decorated. On both handles there is small face. Thomas Hebden was a silversmith in Hull. He originally worked as an apprentice to Edward Mangie. Hebden’s workshop was also in Church Lane, off Market Place. Thomas died quite young at 35 but left fine examples of his work like this porringer behind. Thomas Hebden (1660-1695) was originally an apprentice to Edward Mangie at Mangie’s workshop in Church Lane, Hull. After his apprenticeship, Hebden set up his own business on the south side of Church Lane. He became strong competition for Katherine Mangie, Edward’s widow. Hebden traded there from 1681 until his death in 1695 and made both church and domestic plate. Another Hull silversmith called Abraham Barachin worked with Thomas Hebden. After Hebden’s death in 1695, Barachin married his widow. This porringer was presented to the Corporation under the will of Alderman. Col. Rupert Alec-Smith.


Tankard by Thomas Hebden, Hull, c.1680

This silver tankard has a curious inscription on its base: “26 ½ A bitt for yo’ mouse From DA 1684” The meaning of this is unclear but it may have been a special present to somebody from “D.A” in 1684. But who was the mouse? A silver tankard like this would mostly have been for show rather than for practical use. Before there were banks, many people stored their wealth and money by buying pieces of silver like this. Thomas Hebden (1660-1695) was originally an apprentice to Edward Mangie at Mangie’s workshop in Church Lane, Hull. After his apprenticeship, Hebden set up his own business on the south side of Church Lane. He became strong competition for Katherine Mangie, Edward’s widow. Hebden traded at Church Lane from 1681 until his death in 1695 and made both church and domestic plate. Another Hull silversmith called Abraham Barachin worked with Thomas Hebden. After Hebden’s death in 1695, Barachin married his widow. This tankard was presented to the Corporation under the will of Alderman. Col. Rupert Alec-Smith.


Sheriff's Mace by Edward Mangie, Hull, c.1660

This mace was ordered from Edward Mangie, a local silversmith around 1660. It is likely it was always a Sheriff’s mace, a symbolic badge of the Sheriff’s duties. Hull doesn’t have a Sheriff any more. This was abolished in 1974 and we now share one with the East Riding of Yorkshire. Edward Mangie was a silversmith who moved from York to Hull. His workshop was in Church Lane, off Market Place in a building used by many silversmiths before him. This mace was a symbolic badge of rank for the Sheriff. Maces were also used in this way by Sergeants-at-Mace. Some were even used as weapons. On 10th May 1440, a charter by King Henry VI created Hull as a county of itself. By this charter the Burgesses were empowered annually to elect a Sheriff, an officer with special duties in a county. The role of Sheriff of Hull was abolished in 1974 when the County of Humberside was created. The role of High Sheriff of Humberside was created but this was abolished itself in 1996. For ceremonial purposes Hull is considered part of the county of East Yorkshire and now shares the same Sheriff. Edward Mangie was lucky with his timing when he moved to Hull in 1660. With the Restoration of Charles II the same year, many people started ordering new silver and spending money again. The years before this had been difficult times for silversmiths and craftsmen.


Sampler by Shipnarh Cotton Green, Hull, 1884

Alphabets like the one on this sampler appeared on children’s samplers from the 1600s to the 1900s. Teachers hoped that girls would improve their sewing whilst learning the alphabet. The girl who made this sampler has been very careful to fit the entire alphabet in. Others weren’t so skilful. Some girls ran out of room so the last few letters were left out. Others continued the alphabet so it overflowed into the decorative border. This sampler was made by an eleven year old pupil at Miss Fawcett’s School at 25 Grimsby Lane, Hull. Needlework was an important part of the curriculum for girls in the 1800s. In most schools needlework exercise books were kept with examples of children’s work stitched or pinned to the pages. The first page of the book nearly always contained a cross stitch sampler with numbers and alphabets. The number of surviving samplers embroidered with a school’s name shows how popular they were as a teaching method. Samplers showing maps were made to teach Geography. Darning samplers were used to teach the different stitches needed to mend clothes. Children were expected to sign their work as a testament to their needlework skills. Household linen was often marked with embroidered initials and a number. Another reason for teaching girls to sew numbers and letters on samplers was so they could help with this task. By the early 1800s girls were taught marking at school as a separate needlework class. Teaching marking seems to have become the main purpose of making samplers. In John Walter’s ‘English and Welsh Dictionary’ (1828) a sampler is defined as ‘a marking alphabet wrought by girls at school’. By the late 1800s hardly any samplers were made by adults. Most samplers were made in schools and orphanages. Unlike this decorative pattern, many had just alphabets and numbers inside a simple border pattern. Teaching needlework by making samplers died out in the 1920s.


Sampler by Elizabeth Pashley, Hull, 1854

This sampler illustrates a verse from the Bible about Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible passage at the top of the sampler is embroidered in the centre. Animals, birds and plants from the Garden of Eden surround it. The two figures on the right are Adam and Eve. They are being kept out of the garden by a cherub with a sword, also mentioned in the verse. This sampler was made by Elizabeth Pashley, aged 14 in Hull. Samplers have been made for at least 1000 years. Sampler making probably originated in Asia and travelled across Europe. Samplers were made in England from the late 1400s. Samplers were originally cloths on which assorted stitches and patterns were embroidered. These cloths were used as a reference for future work. From the 1700s printed pattern books were available with detailed instructions for embroidering patterns and motifs. These books could be used as a reference instead of samplers. Samplers were no longer of practical use and became a fashionable form of decoration displayed in a frame. Pattern books began to be produced to help people make samplers too. Miniature pattern books became popular from the mid-1800s. They were probably printed for children. For example, ‘The Embroidery and Alphabet Sampler Book’ measured 5.7cm by 7cm. Its cardboard cover enclosed a strip of paper 1.4 meters long folded into 15 sections. Each of these sections contained small patterns, including animals, houses, flowers and girls’ names. The most popular patterns for decorating samplers were flowers in pots, birds, animals and verses. All of these are included in this sampler. Almost every sampler had a border. Borders were usually made of flowers, like this one, or strawberry patterns. Inscriptions on samplers covered many subjects, but verses from the Bible were most popular. This reflected the dominance of Christianity in Victorian society.


Heart Amulet from Ancient Egypt, c.1500BC

This amulet was designed to protect the heart. It was used during the mummification process of a dead body in Ancient Egypt. The heart was a special organ and had to be left in the body. They believed it would be weighed against the feather of truth to see if they could enter the Afterlife.

The brain was not thought as important and was removed with a hook. Other organs like the liver were removed and preserved in jars.

This carnelian bead was included in the mummy wrappings if the heart was damaged during mummification. The Egyptians thought the heart was the centre of intelligence and emotion. It was left in the body during mummification. If it was removed by mistake it was sewn back into place.

Four chapters of the Egyptian Book of the Dead discuss why the heart should not be separated from the body. The weighing of the heart against the feather of truth would decide whether the deceased could enter the Afterlife.

Heart amulets became some of the most important type of amulet in this process. One or more were placed on the bodies of nearly all mummies. Some examples are shaped like a heart. Others have a scarab shape as the beetle was associated with rebirth.

Red carnelian was often used for heart scarabs but green and blue stones were also used.

Stone canopic jars were made to store the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines of a mummified body. In later years the removed organs were separately preserved and placed back in the body.


Glass vase, 1857

The full inscription on this glass vase is: "For My dear Parents Mr and Mrs Gawtry, From their son, Master of the Secret, Farewell Father & Mother for the present 1857". On the other side is an engraving of the Secret and the inscription "Secret of Hull". This is a farewell gift from a sailor to his parents, Mr and Mrs Gawtry. The Secret was a Hull ship which can be seen on the glass vase. Going to sea was a dangerous job, especially in the days of sail. Stormy seas could easily overwhelm sailing ships and ship wrecks were common. Master Gawtry obviously wanted to reassure his parents that he would be coming home again.


Bowl, possibly made in Liverpool, c.1797

The Lisbon Packet was a ship that belonged to a Hull family called Haire. It was built in 1783 and stayed in the family until it went missing in 1806. Its first Captain was Samuel Haire, followed by B.L. Haire, who is named on this bowl. A packet was a ship that sailed a lot between the same two places. In the 1700s they were used to carry post around Europe and beyond. They were also used for goods and passengers.


Bowl made in Elsinore, Denmark, c.1908

This is a Danish porcelain bowl. It is inscribed 'May Prosperity Attend Capt. W. Newman and Success to the Rinaldo of Hull". The ship the Rinaldo was made in Hull at Earle's shipyard in 1872. It was owned by the Wilson Shipping Line in Hull but later sold to Danish owners. Unfortunately, this bowl didn't bring the luck it was meant to. In 1908 the Rinaldo ran aground on passage from Riga to Hull.


Ship's figurehead, made in Scotland, c.1837

The Sirius was a Transatlantic paddle steamer. In 1838 it became the first ship to complete an east-west Atlantic crossing under steam power. The Sirius' crossing took 19 days. It was only four hours ahead of the Great Western steamer designed by the famous engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This would have greatly annoyed Brunel. His Great Western covered the journey four days quicker, but set out too late to catch the Sirius. The Sirius was shipwrecked in 1847, on a journey from Glasgow to Cork. It was shipwrecked off Ballycotton Head near Dublin, with 19 crew and passengers lost. In 1904, the wreckage was salvaged by divers. This figurehead was one of the items saved. It was donated to Hull Museums by Alderman Thompson.


Shop sign, possibly made in Hull, c.1848-1889

This sign used to be outside a shop in Hull. The shop sold charts and equipment for use on ships. Signs like this would have been useful at a time when many people couldn't read. They would have also helped foreign sailors visiting the docks. This sign was probably made in Hull as it was displayed outside a shop in the city. The shop was Harrison's, which sold nautical instruments, charts and ships' stores. They were based at 7 Dock Street (near Queen's Gardens, which used to be a dock). As Dock Street was narrow, this sign was displayed high so it could be seen.


Wheelbarrow by Richardson & Sons, Hull, 1862

This rhino helped people in Hull go to the seaside. The rhinoceros shaped wheelbarrow was used to start a railway line from Hull to Hornsea, on the coast.

The man who officially started the railway was Joseph Wade. His family badge had a rhino on it so this wheelbarrow was made especially for him. Joseph was allowed to keep the wheelbarrow as a souvenir. It was made by a firm in Hull called Richardson & Sons.

This wheelbarrow is made from high quality walnut. The rhino’s body has been carved or stamped to create a rough texture. This represents the rhino’s coarse hide.

The rhino design has been adapted to the function of the wheelbarrow. The rhino’s forelegs are raised to hold the pinion of the carved wooden wheel. The rhino’s hind legs act as the legs of the barrow.

The Hull to Hornsea Railway opened on 28 March 1864. It allowed business people who worked in Hull to live in Hornsea and travel to work. The railway also attracted holidaymakers to Hornsea.

The wheelbarrow was specially made by Richardson & Sons. Richardson & Sons was Hull’s largest furniture maker in the 1800s. The founder Thomas Richardson first appears in trade directories (the old fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages) in 1822. He was listed as working in Castle Street, where he remained until 1840.


Puzzle Jug, c.1600-1750

This jug is a puzzle. The challenge is to drink the contents without spilling them. It sounds simple enough, but the jug’s neck is full of holes. Surely it’s impossible to drink without liquid spilling out?

The solution is that the jug has a hidden tube running round the rim and down the handle. The drinker must suck from one of the three spouts on the rim. The other two spouts have to be closed off first.

Puzzle jugs were a popular source of entertainment in homes and taverns, especially in the 1700s and 1800s. They were developed from earlier drinking puzzles, such as the fuddling cup.

Fuddling cups were made up of three or more cups linked together with tubes. The challenge was to drink from one of the cups by tilting it, without spilling the contents of the other cups. The solution was to drink from the cups in a particular order.

The challenge of drinking from a puzzle jug was often set out in a rhyme on the side of the jug. In comparison, the phrase painted on the side of this jug is simpler: ‘Remember thy end’. This phrase has associations with death and the Christian belief in a day of judgement by God. We don’t know why such a serious phrase was painted onto the jug; it’s a puzzle within a puzzle.


Evening Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, c.1930-1932

This dress looks simple, but the velvet fabric is specially cut to give a flattering fit. The skirt and bodice are gathered towards a diamond-shaped piece of fabric on the dress front.

The full skirt is bias cut. This means the fabric has been cut diagonally across the grain. Cutting fabric like this makes it more flexible, so it clings to the person wearing it. The skirt measures over three and a half metres around the hem.

This dress was made by Madame Clapham, Hull’s most famous dressmaker.

Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was regarded as Hull’s finest dressmaker. All of Madame Clapham’s clothes were handmade to order. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies during its heyday in the 1890s and early 1900s. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967.

Madame Clapham’s skill was to select aspects of the latest fashions to create her own designs. Each season she bought a selection of sample gowns from the leading fashion houses of London and Paris. She designed her own creations using bodices, skirts and sleeves from different dresses. She had a talent for selecting the right colour, cut and trimmings to suit her client.

Madame Clapham’s workers did all the sewing. Their fine needlework gained her an international reputation as a dressmaker. In contrast to the luxurious salon and fitting rooms, the workrooms were cold and bare. Madame Clapham was a strict employer with high standards, and the pay for workroom girls was low. However, they took pride in their work and received good training.

There were lots of superstitions in the workrooms. Scissors falling to the ground pointing downwards foretold a funeral. A garment dropping to the ground was a sign that it would receive approval from the client.


Model of Wilberforce House by Waterfall Heraldic China, c.1906-1927

This ornament was made as a souvenir of Wilberforce House Museum in Hull. Wilberforce House was the first British museum to explore the history of slavery and its abolition. It opened to the public in 1906.

The house at 25 High Street is special because the anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce was born there in 1759. He spent part of his childhood at Wilberforce House.

Wilberforce House is one of the oldest buildings in Hull. It was built around 1660 by William Catlyn for Hugh Lister. The Listers were a powerful family in Hull. The house was extended in the 1730s and 1760s to make the building that exists today.

Hull merchant John Thornton lived at 25 High Street in the early 1700s. William Wilberforce’s grandfather came to Hull to work as an apprentice for him. Wilberforce’s grandfather married John Thornton’s daughter Sarah in 1711. He eventually bought 25 High Street in 1732.

William Wilberforce was born in one of the upstairs rooms on 24th August 1759. To celebrate his birth, his family decorated the ceiling of the main stairway with the family crest, the eagle.

William Wilberforce was forced to sell the house in the early 1830s to pay off his son’s business debts. Before Wilberforce House became a museum, it was rented out to merchants as offices.

The house was bought by Hull City Council in 1903, after a campaign by Councillor John Brown to save it. When Wilberforce House opened as a museum on 24th August 1906 it displayed objects relating to Wilberforce, slavery and local history.

During the Second World War Wilberforce House escaped bombing raids that destroyed the houses opposite and the warehouse behind. The museum was completely redeveloped to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade in 2007.


Donkey Cart, Sicily, c.1925

Brightly painted pictures are on every surface of this cart. There are pictures of people at festivals, fruits, flowers and angels.

A donkey would have pulled this cart on a fruit farm in Sicily, an island near Italy. The Sicilian name for this type of cart is a ‘caretta’. Carettas were passed down through families. Each generation added more decoration. That is why the caretta is covered with so many pictures.

Carettas were mainly used for transporting fruit from the orchards to the markets. They also carried passengers at festivals. Families took great pride in decorating their carts for festivals.

Even the spokes of the wheels of this caretta have been painted with flowers, fruit, animals and butterflies. A tiny carved and painted cherub has been added to each spoke.

The rear panel of this cart shows a caretta being used at a festival. The caretta in the picture is being pulled by a horse wearing an ornate harness and plumes. Several people are riding in the caretta, including a man playing a guitar. This scene shows how carettas were a focus for festivities and fun in Sicilian life.


'Dave Bowie' boob tube made in Hull, 1973

A devoted David Bowie fan has stitched every sequin of this boob tube by hand to make an original creation. It makes a bold statement about her taste in music. Perhaps it was made specially to wear to a concert.

It’s strange that the sequins say ‘Dave’ rather than ‘David’. Maybe this was deliberate. It’s more likely that the person making it ran out of room and had to shorten the name!

David Bowie was born David Jones in 1947. He is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, arranger and sound engineer. He has been writing and performing music for five decades. David Bowie is known for frequently re-inventing his music and image. He is widely regarded as an influential innovator, particularly for his 1970s work. He has sold an estimated 136 million albums, and is one of the top ten best-selling acts in UK pop history.

David Bowie has also been successful in other areas of the arts. He is an actor, music video director and visual artist. In the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, David Bowie ranked 29th.

Mick Ronson, a major collaborator with David Bowie from 1970 to 1973, was born on Beverley Road, Hull in 1946. He played lead guitar in Bowie’s Spiders from Mars band. Mick Ronson played many other instruments, as well as being a composer, arranger and producer.

Mick Ronson released three solo albums after leaving David Bowie’s entourage in 1973. He also guested on various artists’ releases. Mick died in 1993 at the age of 46. The Mick Ronson Memorial Stage was built in Queens Gardens, Hull in his memory.

David Bowie played twice in Hull. His first performance was at the ABC Cinema in 1964, when he was known as Davie Jones. His second performance was with his band ‘The Hype’ at Hull University in 1970. The Hype included Mick Ronson on lead guitar.


Footman's uniform, Wilkinson & Son, London, late 1800s - early 1900s

Footmen were expensive servants at grand houses. Employing footmen was a way of showing your wealth. Their uniform, or livery, was very showy. Their employers liked them to be seen and to look decorative.

This uniform was probably made in the early 1900s, but its style is very old-fashioned. Footmen’s livery was usually in the style of a gentleman’s costume from the previous century. This was so they would look smart but not be mistaken for guests in the house.

This uniform, with its fancy silver braid decoration, would have been a footman’s very best clothes. Footmen had two other grades of outfit, depending on what job they were doing. This outfit would have been worn when the footman was on show to house guests.

Footmen were status symbols because they were expensive to employ. Male servants had to be paid more than female servants. Maintaining footmen’s smart appearance was also expensive. For example, in the 1700s they wore wigs covered with hair powder. A special tax had to be paid on the hair powder.

From the late 1700s onwards, footmen were employed to do physical tasks like carrying visitors’ bags. They had varied duties, including cleaning lamps or even pulling their drunken master from under the table.

In earlier years footmen were employed as runners. They would run alongside their masters’ carriages and run with messages. They often covered huge distances in a day. Traditionally they carried a large staff, both as an aid and as protection. They would sometimes carry a boiled egg and some wine in the head of the staff for sustenance.

Many traditions were associated with footmen. Even when their job was no longer as a runner, they were often selected for the quality of their calf muscles. Some London footmen even wore false calf muscles inside their stockings. Footmen were usually called John or John Thomas, despite what their real names were.

Today only a few households still have footmen, including the Royal Family.


Pair of tiles by Menasque Rodriguez, Seville, Spain, c.1900

These matching tiles make a pattern like a sunburst when they’re put together. The tiles were inspired by ‘Moorish’ style. The Moors were people from North Africa who ruled Spain from the 700s to the 1400s. They were Muslims so their style was influenced by Islamic art.

These tiles look quite like Moorish tiles made over 300 years earlier. Similar tiles decorated the Alhambra Palace in Spain where Moorish kings lived.

These tiles imitate a method used to make Spanish tiles in the 1500s. The method allowed colours to be painted on a single tile without them mingling together. This was known as ‘cuenca’ and was an early form of moulding.

First, a mould was made for the tile which had lines cut into it. The soft clay tile was pressed against this mould. The clay would seep into the cut lines of the mould. This made a raised pattern outline on the clay, with hollows in between that could be filled in with colour. The raised outline stopped the colours from spreading into one another.

This tile imitates the traditional cuenca method, but was actually made using the more modern ‘dust-pressed’ method. This method was introduced in 1840 in Britain. A tile was made by combining clay dust with a small amount of moisture in a mould. The clay and moisture were forced together in a tile press so they stuck together. The tile was then dried and fired.

The design over this two tile panel has a complete ‘sunburst’ motif in the centre. There is a quarter sunburst motif at each corner. These four corners become whole motifs when joined with other tiles. These tiles could be used to make a continuous all-over wall pattern.


Anglo-Saxon Brooch, AD 500-599

The Anglo-Saxons loved to put faces and animals into their decoration. This may have been for religious reasons. If you look carefully at this brooch you will see a face with a moustache. There is also a bird’s head on each tip. This brooch may have been used to hold clothing together but it was also for decoration.

The Anglo-Saxons were master craftsmen. They were very skilled at metalwork and other crafts such as pottery, glass and decorative books.

This brooch was found at Hornsea on the East Yorkshire coast. Another very similar one was found at Driffield a few miles inland. These are displayed side by side at the Hull & East Riding Museum.

The Anglo-Saxons were immigrants to Britain and many people have speculated about why they came here. They may have been refugees from barbarian tribes in the East or forced by climatic change and rising sea levels. Many people think they came as mercenaries, paid to keep out other invaders after the Romans had left.

Germanic tribes had provided soldiers for Rome before and British rulers turned to these tribes for help. They were the Saxons, Angles and Jutes. These came from modern day Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

Britain became divided into separate kingdoms. Yorkshire’s Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were Bernicia, Deira and Elmet. The end of Roman rule had left a power vacuum which the Anglo-Saxons filled. Their influence on culture and language is still around today. Our country is called England because it was the land of the Angles.

Two of the best know examples of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship are the Sutton Hoo burial treasures and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Sutton Hoo treasures were discovered in a burial in Suffolk. They are now a highlight of the British Museum’s collection. The Lindisfarne Gospels are originally from Northumberland and are now in the British Library.


The Humber Street Madonna, c.1401-1450

This silver figure of Mary with the baby Jesus was found in Humber Street in Hull. Archaeologists were digging there to learn more about the past. It is only 5.7cm high and was probably part of a larger shrine to the Virgin Mary.

During the Middle Ages many people worshipped Mary and thought of her a kind of Goddess. Many churches and monasteries were dedicated to her. This is still the case in many Catholic countries.

This silver figure was discovered during an excavation in 1964, near the site of the medieval walls of Hull. It was found in the 16th century rubbish levels, along with many pottery sherds. The Humber Street Madonna is a fragment separated from a larger object such as a shrine. It has been identified as English work from the first half of the 15th century (1400s).

At the time this figurine was left in the city’s rubbish England was undergoing the great religious changes of the Reformation. In 1533 Henry VIII passed legislation making him Head of the Church of England and removing the Catholic Pope's influence. All the monasteries in England were closed and their gold and riches were claimed by the King.

After the Reformation decorated crosses and crucifixes were forbidden and many shrines to Mary were removed or destroyed. English Reformers returned to a simpler form of worship. Crown commissioners confiscated or destroyed much of the gold and silversmiths' work in the medieval churches.

Before the Reformation there were shrines to Mary throughout the British Isles and some still survive today.

Before the Reformation, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries had seen a huge growth of the cult of the Virgin Mary. This movement found its largest expression in French cathedrals which are often dedicated to "Our Lady”. Many cities also placed themselves under her protection.


Chafing Dish, Saintonge, France, c.1501-1600

This is a kind of medieval barbeque called a chafing dish.   It held burning charcoal and could be used for heating food in the kitchen or dining room.

This is  a pottery chafing dish made in Saintonge in south west France.  In later years chafing dishes were made from silver and copper.  This one was found in Hull.  Lots of Saintonge pottery was imported into Britain and northern Europe.

This is 16th century chafing dish made from Saintonge ware pottery.  It was excavated on Grimsby Lane, Hull.

During the Middle Ages many areas of France exported pottery to Britain.  Some of this pottery came from the Saintonge area of south-west France.

Pottery from Saintonge was made from a fine clay.  The clay also had a low iron content which meant that it produced pots with a cream colour. The trade in pottery from the Saintonge area to Britain began in the 13th century (1200s) and lasted for 500 years. At the start of this period the English ruled neighbouring Gascony.

Saintonge ware has a hard, smooth, cream coloured fabric with a bright green speckled glaze on the exterior.


Anglo-Saxon Pendant, AD 600-700

This gold pendant must have been a special piece of jewellery. It was buried with a rich woman over 1300 years ago. She was buried at Garton in East Yorkshire with many other fancy items. The red stone in the middle of this brooch is a garnet. The fine gold work is called filigree.

The Anglo-Saxons were master craftsmen. They were very skilled at metalwork and other crafts such as pottery, glass and decorative books.

This pendant was found in the grave of an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman at Green Lane Crossing at Garton, East Yorkshire. The fine gold filigree work on this brooch is a great example of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and detail.

The Anglo-Saxons were immigrants to Britain and many people have speculated about why they came here. They may have been refugees from barbarian tribes in the East or forced by climatic change and rising sea levels. Many people think they came as mercenaries paid to keep out other invaders after the Romans had left.

Germanic tribes had provided soldiers for Rome before. British rulers turned to these tribes for help. They were the Saxons, Angles and Jutes. These came from modern day Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

Britain became divided into separate kingdoms. Yorkshire’s Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were Bernicia, Deira and Elmet. The end of Roman rule had left a power vacuum which the Anglo-Saxons filled. Their influence on culture and language is still around today. Our country is called England, because it was the land of the Angles.

Two of the best known examples of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship are the Sutton Hoo burial treasures and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Sutton Hoo treasures were discovered in a burial in Suffolk. They are now a highlight of the British Museum’s collection. The Lindisfarne Gospels are originally from Northumberland and are now in the British Library.


Alabaster carving of Christ, made in Nottingham or York, c.1450

This carving tells the dramatic story of Christ’s Resurrection. It was made for a church and helped to tell the story to people who couldn’t read.

Christ had been killed on the cross but later came back from the dead. He strides out of his tomb, dazzling the sleeping soldiers guarding the tomb. The soldiers’ faces and dramatic poses and gestures make the scene emotional. It is rare to see faces so full of character in a carving like this.

The subject for this carving is taken from St Matthew’s account of the Resurrection of Christ in the Bible. Because Christ had been predicted to rise from the dead, Pilate asked soldiers to guard the tomb. He was afraid that Christ’s followers would try to remove the body and falsely claim a Resurrection. According to St Matthew, Jesus opened his own tomb:

‘His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake and become as dead men.’

This plaque was made as a retable, a decorated panel at the back of an altar. Religious images conveyed Christian messages at a time when few people could read.

Alabaster is a soft material derived from gypsum that is easy to carve and polish. It was used for religious carvings partly because it is associated with Christian themes. In the Bible, the vessels that held Christ’s mourners’ tears were made of alabaster.

Alabaster for sculptures came from quarries in Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Most medieval alabaster carving is found in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire churches.

English alabaster was famous throughout Europe and was traded all over the continent. Many pieces passed through the bustling medieval port of Hull. This piece eventually found its way to France. It was included as part of an altarpiece in the chapel of the chateau at Breuil-Benoit.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the National Art Collections Fund and Friends of the Ferens Art Gallery.


Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw) by Frederick Myrick, USA, 1829

This whale tooth displays a curious poem that sums up the whaler’s approach to life:

“Death to the Living, Long Life to the killers,
Success to Sailors' Wives & Greasy Luck to the Whalers”.

This tooth is one of a famous series. They are by Frederick Myrick and show the Nantucket whale ship the Susan. There are at least seven known Susan teeth. Five of these are in Nantucket in the US.

The Susan was built in 1826 and was lost in the Arctic in 1853. This tooth depicts the Susan off the coast of Japan. Frederick Swain was the Master of the Susan.

One side of the tooth depicts a whaling ship hoisting blubber, with two whaleboats on the horizon. On other side of the tooth is a profile of a whaling ship with smoke. Three whaleboats are on horizon, whale profile, spouts and tail.

Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone or teeth. A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of Sperm Whales.

This tooth is part of a collection that formerly belonged to Kathleen Eleanor Tizard. The collection was donated to Hull Museums by K.E.Tizard’s son in November 1999.

There are several inscriptions on this tooth. They are:

“Susan on the coast of Japan”.
“Death to the Living, Long Life to the killers, Success to Sailors' Wives & Greasy Luck to the Whalers”.
“E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
“Engraved by Frederick Myrick on board the ship Susan Ja.27 1829.”
“The Susan boiling and killing sperm whales”.
“The Ship Susan of Nantucket Frederick Swain Master”.


Hull's Great Mace, made in London, 1776

The Great Mace is a symbol of the Lord Mayor’s power. It is carried in front of Hull's Lord Mayor on important occasions. The Mace is also placed across the front of the Lord Mayor during council meetings.

The Great Mace is silver gilt which means it is gold-plated silver. The civic mace in England was originally a war mace. Smaller examples were once used as weapons and to show who was in charge.

The mace is carried as a symbol of deputed royal authority. This is why many carry the Royal Arms. The Royal Arms on this mace are those of the House of Hanover, 1714-1801. These Royal Arms were often placed at the handle of the mace. Through time, as maces have grown in size and decoration, these Royal Arms have become more elaborate. Because of this the mace can often look like it is being carried upside down.

This is not the first mace that Hull has had and many existed at much earlier dates. For example, the Chamberlian’s Roll for 1427-28 mentions four sergeants-at-mace.

This Great Mace of Hull originates from an order of the Bench of 10th September, 1776. This stated that a “large new mace” be bought under the direction of ‘Mr Mayor’. The bill shows that it was bought through silversmith Stephen Bramston of Kingston upon Hull, at a cost of £76 14s.0d. Payment was received by Bramston on 9th April 1777.

Stephen Bramston (1720-1783) was both Chamberlain (1758) and Sheriff (1770). He was made free in 1753 by patrimony to silversmith Hawse Bramston.


Anti-slavery needlework panel, c.1836

The dramatic picture of an African in chains dominates this piece of needlework. The poem on the panel describes the slave ships that carried kidnapped Africans across the Atlantic in terrible conditions. It calls them ‘dark floating dungeons’.

The panel would have been made by a lady who wanted to end slavery. Many people fought to abolish slavery worldwide in the 1700s and 1800s.

The transatlantic slave trade was abolished by the British Parliament in 1807. Slavery itself was officially abolished throughout the British colonies in 1833, but it continued to be legal in other countries. The USA didn’t abolish slavery until 1865. This was why Abolitionists continued to fight for the freedom of slaves well into the 1800s.

The image of the kneeling slave in chains shown on this panel has a long history. It was used by the Quakers and the early Abolitionist movement as its emblem in the 1700s. The kneeling slave emblem showed the enslaved African as passive to provoke sympathy from white Europeans. This was not a true reflection of all enslaved Africans. Many actively fought against their own enslavement.

The kneeling slave design was reproduced on a variety of goods, including snuff boxes, bracelets and hairpins. People bought these goods to show their support for the Abolitionist cause.

Thomas Clarkson, a leading slavery Abolitionist, wrote about the kneeling slave emblem:

‘Some had them inlaid in gold on the lid of their snuff-boxes. Of the ladies, several wore them in bracelets, and others had them fitted up in an ornamental manner as pins for their hair.’

This needlework panel was originally used as the cushion of a chair. It shows that the kneeling slave continued to be a well known emblem for the anti-slavery movement in the 1800s.

Purchased by Hull Museums with the assistance of the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Evening dress, c.1805-1810

This dress is a beautiful example of late Georgian fashion. Its luxurious fabric and heavily embroidered bodice and sleeves are typical of fashions from 1805-1810.

The Late Georgian period lasted from 1760-1811, when George III ruled Britain. After the heavy fabrics and tight-waisted dresses of the earlier Georgian period, fashions changed. Dresses from the late 1700s and early 1800s used light, soft fabrics. Waistlines rose from a tightly corseted waistline to this high waisted style, called ‘Empire Line’.

No information remains about the owner of this dress, but it would have been worn for a special occasion. Perhaps it was made for a dance, an elegant dinner, or a high society social event.

If the dress was worn locally, it may have graced one of the fine buildings that survives in Hull today. The home of one of Hull’s rich merchants would have been an appropriate venue. Merchant houses surviving in Hull’s High Street include Maister House and Blaydes House.

The dress is of such high quality that it was probably professionally made. There were no makers’ labels attached to dresses at this time, so it is impossible to say who made it. For those making a dress in Hull, there were many shops and warehouses selling fabrics. These included Rudston and Amery, who advertised themselves as ‘linen drapers, haberdashers and importers of Irish linen’.


Glass goblet, 1800

The horses on this goblet are galloping towards a roadside inn, pulling a coach full of passengers. The coachman is whipping the horses, making them go faster.

The words cut into the glass tell us that it shows the coaching route between York and Hull. Before railways were built in the mid-1800s horse drawn coaches carried passengers all over Britain. They were the quickest way to get around.

Before railways were built, a national network of horse drawn coaches linked towns and cities. Hull’s only direct coach service was to York – the service shown on this goblet. Coaches from York travelled towards Newcastle, Sunderland, Whitby, Scarborough and London.

A shorter way of getting from Hull to London was to take the ferry across the River Humber to Barton. Coaches for London were timetabled to meet passengers arriving from Hull by ferry.

There were two main coach networks: stage coaches and mail coaches. Stage coaches were introduced to meet the travel needs of the middle classes. They were aimed at people who couldn’t afford their own coaches.

Stage coaches travelled between roadside inns which functioned 24 hours a day. The inns were often owned by coach proprietors. Mail coaches carried post between inns and also took passengers. They offered the fastest and safest means of transport.

Coaches may have been the most efficient means of transport before railways but they certainly weren’t the most comfortable. Vibrations from the road made coach travel a painful experience. As the engraving on this goblet shows, drivers put speed before the comfort of the passengers.

Passengers were carried inside and outside the coach with outside being cheaper. Outsiders usually travelled on the coach roof. There were no seats at first so passengers were given handles to hold on to. These weren’t much use and passengers were sometimes thrown off the coach as it lurched along the road.


Flint blade, East Yorkshire, c.3000BC

This stone blade was never meant to be used. It was made over 5000 years ago to be special and look impressive. It is so finely crafted and thin that it would have broken if used normally.

This may have been a special object used in ceremonies. It was buried with someone in East Yorkshire to show how important they were. This blade shows how people have always wanted to make special objects.

This is a ceremonial flint, also known as a ‘plano convex knife’.

5000-4500 years ago there were changes in the way people treated some of their dead. People of Yorkshire began burying their dead with objects which showed the status of the person in the community. This reflected the power of individuals to control communities and establish traditions.

The ‘important’ dead were mostly buried individually in shafts and pits. The grass was then covered by round barrows.

In 1890 a barrow known as Duggelby Hove was excavated by J.R.Mortimer. It contained three adults with rich objects, buried in a deep pit cut into the hard chalk. This blade is one of these objects.

John Robert Mortimer (1825-1911) was a East Yorkshire corn merchant. He became one of the most successful and highly-regarded archaeologists in England. Mortimer collected a broad range of prehistoric artefacts found on the Yorkshire Wolds. These were mainly discovered by farm workers. He taught them to recognise ancient artefacts and rewarded them for their discoveries.

From the 1860s Mortimer became involved in the excavation of ancient burial mounds. He excavated 360 of them with the assistance of his brother, Robert. The finds from these barrows formed the basis of a private museum opened by him in Driffield.

Following his death, the collection was purchased by Hull Corporation. Many of its treasures can today be seen in the galleries of the Hull & East Riding Museum.


Bronze Age beaker, East Yorkshire, c.2000BC

Some of the decoration on this pot was made with fingernail marks. If you look carefully you can see the marks someone made over 4000 years ago. It shows us that people have always liked to decorate special objects.

This pottery beaker would have been filled with a drink called mead. It was buried with an important person’s body. The drink was to help them in the after-life, the place they went to when they died.

This beaker is from an excavation by J.R.Mortimer at Garton Slack, in East Yorkshire.

In North West Europe the custom of placing pots in graves became popular in the Neolithic period. 4500 years ago you might have been buried with a beaker of mead like this. These beakers are from a period between the stone age and the bronze age. The people of this period are sometimes nicknamed the “beaker people” as we know little else about them.

However, 4000 years ago you might have been buried with a food vessel with porridge or ale. Around 3500 years ago you would have been cremated and put in the pot yourself.

Some graves were deliberately dug in older barrows, linking them to their past and ancestors. The process was to say ‘farewell’ and to prepare the body for the afterlife. Death was seen as a stage in a journey, not the end.

John Robert Mortimer (1825-1911) was a East Yorkshire corn merchant. He became one of the most highly-regarded archaeologists in England. Following his death, the collection was purchased by Hull Corporation. Many of its treasures can today be seen in the galleries of the Hull & East Riding Museum.


Jet necklace and button, East Yorkshire, c.2500-500BC

This necklace and button are made out of jet. Jet was thought to contain magic. If you rub jet it can pick up fluff and sawdust. We now know this is because of static electricity but it must have seemed pretty weird 3000 years ago.

Jet was thought to attract good fortune because of its magic. It was highly valued. This necklace must have belonged to a well-off lady. The button was found in a man’s grave, placed under the skull.

Jet items were traded all over North Western Europe. East Yorkshire was the centre for jet working. This was due to the major supply at geological outcrops near Whitby.

Jet buttons were skilfully shaped and drilled with a V-shaped hole. They were worn as decoration and to fasten clothing. They are usually found in men’s graves. The jet discs are sometimes placed ritually behind the skull.

The jet necklace is from Middleton-on-the-Wolds in East Yorkshire. It is restrung with modern wooden spacer beads and dates from the Bronze Age, 2500-600 BC.

Jet is a semi-precious stone which when polished becomes a deep opaque black. This rich black colour never fades. It comes from a rare and hard from of fossilised wood. The wood came from a type of monkey puzzle tree.


Egyptian amphora, c.2500BC

This amphora was once used for storing liquids. There are straw marks on its outside from when it was made. They were made with pointed bases and stored by standing them in sand.

The first pots were made by smoothing layers of clay together. Potters learned to make this process easier by using a wheel. This Egyptian amphora was made on a potter’s wheel. This involves throwing clay onto a spinning wheel and shaping it with your hands.

This amphora is a reddish colour that is very common on Egyptian pottery. This is because of the reddish clay found near the River Nile. Many Egyptian pots that have survived were placed in graves, containing foods as offerings for the after-life.

When a coil pot is made up by hand it is impossible to make it perfectly round. The solution to this problem was the potter's wheel. It is a crucial invention in the history of ceramics. The potter’s wheel probably developed gradually from a platform on which the potter turns the pot before shaping another side.

The potter’s wheel is thought to have been invented at the same time as the normal wheel. This was 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia (Iraq). Egyptians then used this technique for thousands of years.

The technique was at first just a faster method of coiling. Village potters still use this method in some parts of the world. The earliest turntables were probably not very free-turning. Improvements increased the speed and power of the wheel. Eventually it become possible for a potter's wheel to be used for "throwing" a pot.


Penannular ring, East Yorkshire, c.1150-750BC

This is a ring from Thwing in East Yorkshire. It is about 2500 years old. Archaeologists call it a penannular ring. It may have been used as an ear-ring, a nose-ring or as a hair ornament.

If you look closely you can see two types of gold on it. This shows how much skill and effort went into decorating items, even as long ago as this. Somebody must have been quite annoyed when they lost it.

This gold penannular ring from East Yorkshire was discovered by a metal detector and declared Treasure in 2003.

The ring appears to be made from striped yellow and pale gold. Analysis has revealed that this gold was applied over a base metal core with great skill. This dates from the late Bronze Age, 1150-750 BC. It is 1.8cm wide.

The purchase of this by Hull Museums was made possible with contributions from the National Art Collections Fund in 2003.


Brooch, made in Roman Britain

This salmon shaped brooch was found near Hull at South Ferriby. Roman women wore a lot of jewellery. Their clothes changed very little so they relied on jewellery and hairstyles to look different from other women. The richer you were, the more fancy jewellery you wore.

The most common kind of Roman jewellery was the brooch. They were popular because their clothes weren’t sewn and had to be pinned together with decorative clothes pins.

Other brooches like this have been found in the Humber and Lincolnshire region. Costume in Roman Britain showed a mixture of Roman and Celtic tastes. Woman of all social classes wore jewellery and brightly coloured items were especially popular.

The famous Roman writer Livy wrote in 195 BC that, “elegance, finery, and beautiful clothes are women's badges, in these they find joy and take pride”.

He was referring to arguments against the Oppian Law. The Oppian Law was a wartime measure which restricted the finery that Roman women could wear. It caused the first recorded demonstration by women. Aristocratic Roman women took to the streets in 195 BC to call for an end to the law. They were successful and the law was repealed.

Fashionable upper-class women wore large amounts of jewellery. Necklaces and bracelets were made out of brightly coloured glass, polished stones and precious metals. Gold bracelets in the form of coiling snakes were popular. Roman women also wore ear-rings and friendship rings.

Functional clothes pins were also worn as jewellery, such as this brooch. Decorated hair-pins were also popular. Roman women had mirrors made of highly polished metal so they could check that all of these additions looked good.


Roman 'leech' brooch, made in Italy

This is called a leech brooch because its shape is like a bloodsucking leech. Roman women wore a lot of jewellery. Their clothes changed very little so they relied on jewellery and hairstyles to look different from other women. The richer you were the more fancy jewellery you wore.

The most common kind of Roman jewellery was the brooch. They were popular because their clothes weren’t sewn and had to be pinned together with decorative clothes pins.

The famous Roman writer Livy wrote in 195 BC that, “elegance, finery, and beautiful clothes are women's badges, in these they find joy and take pride”.

He was referring to arguments against the Oppian Law. The Oppian Law was a wartime measure which restricted the finery that Roman women could wear. It caused the first recorded demonstration by women. Aristocratic Roman women took to the streets in 195 BC to call for an end to the law. They were successful and the law was repealed.

Fashionable upper-class women wore large amounts of jewellery. Necklaces and bracelets were made out of brightly coloured glass, polished stones and precious metals. Gold bracelets in the form of coiling snakes were popular. Roman women also wore ear-rings and friendship rings.

Functional clothes pins were also worn as jewellery, such as this brooch. Decorated hair-pins were also popular. Roman women had mirrors made of highly polished metal so they could check that all of these additions looked good.


Roman mosaic, Rudston, East Yorkshire, c.300-400 AD

The figure in the middle of this mosaic is the winner of a chariot race. He can be seen in his chariot pulled by four horses. We can tell he won because he is holding his winner’s crown.

Wealthy Romans decora6ted their floors with mosaics. These were made of cubes of stone called tesserae. This mosaic shows people and animals but some were just patterns. This mosaic is from a house in Rudston, East Yorkshire.

The central panel of this mosaic depicts a victorious charioteer. He is standing in his quadriga (four horse chariot) holding his symbols of victory. These are a palm tree frond and a wreath, the winner’s crown. There is a grey hat on his head which was a crude type of crash helmet. The red colour of his tunic shows him as a charioteer of the russata factio, the ‘red team’.

The charioteer is surrounded by four circles and four rectangles. In each circle was a portrait of a woman’s head. These represented the four seasons. The portrait representing Spring is to the top right of the charioteer. This image of ‘Spring’ is known as a particularly high quality piece of mosaic work. The image of ‘Winter’ is missing and would probably have worn a hooded cloak.

The Roman displays at Hull contain mosaics from villas to the north and south of the Humber. These mosaics are of a high quality and illustrate what a wealthy villa owner might aspire to. They are reckoned to form the best single collection of Roman mosaics in northern Britain.


Roman gold earrings, c.100-400 AD

Roman women wore a lot of jewellery. Their clothes changed very little so they relied on jewellery and hairstyles to look different from other women. The richer you were the more fancy jewellery you wore. Brooches, necklaces and bracelets were all popular as well as ear-rings like these.

These solid gold ear rings were all found to the east of York. The Romans started the city of York making it a major settlement. They called it Eboracum.

These gold ear-rings were found at Sutton-on-Derwent and Barmby Moor, near Pocklington to the east of York. They date from between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. One has a green glass stone and another fine, granular decoration. The third is a simple hoop style. They were bought by Hull Museums with money from the donation boxes.

Roman woman of all social classes wore jewellery and brightly coloured items were especially popular.

The famous Roman writer Livy wrote in 195 BC that: “[…] elegance, finery, and beautiful clothes are women's badges, in these they find joy and take pride”.

He was referring to arguments against the Oppian Law. The Oppian Law was a wartime measure which restricted the finery that Roman women could wear. It caused the first recorded demonstration by women. Aristocratic Roman women took to the streets in 195 BC to call for an end to the law. They were successful and the law was repealed.

Fashionable upper-class women wore large amounts of jewellery, including ear-rings and friendship rings. Gold bracelets in the form of coiling snakes were popular.


Roman wall plaster, Brantingham, Yorkshire, c.300-400 AD

This wall decoration has been reconstructed from many pieces of broken plaster. It is a rare example of Roman painted wall plaster. The picture of the woman is probably meant to be a goddess or a member of the Roman Imperial family.

This wall plaster would have decorated a Roman villa and had to be painted straight onto the wall. As well as looking nice, it showed off how rich the owners were.

This Roman wall plaster is from a Roman villa at Brantingham, Yorkshire. It was found in two large pieces and two further groups of smaller pieces. As part of reconstruction missing areas have been repainted.

Despite looking quite modern, the style of the woman and painting dates from the fourth century AD. The figure is also set within a medallion or circle. This was commonly used by Roman craftsmen in paintings, mosaics and sculpture. Plainer architectural motifs without people were more common in plaster paintings. This shows how the owners of this villa aspired to be upper class. Along with the mosaic in their villa, it must have been quite imposing.

The production of plaster in Roman Britain included the use of lime and a fine aggregate like sand. Artists painting plaster mostly used the fresco technique. This involves painting onto the plaster while it is still damp which helps the image to survive better. Another technique called tempera was also used sometimes. This involves using pigment with an organic binding medium, which helps the paint to stick to the plaster.

Pigments could come from a variety of sources. Black could come from charcoal or lamp black. White came from white lime and red from oxides of iron. The woad plant provided blue. Purple was one of the most expensive colours, coming from the Murex species of shellfish. As purple was so expensive and special, only the Roman Emperor was allowed to wear it.


Suede shoe, c.1640-1650

The shape of this shoe’s heel is unusual. The flat leather sole underneath the high heel was probably designed to raise the shoe further off the ground. This served a useful purpose, protecting the delicate suede from the mud and dirt of the streets.

Shoes with high heels were first worn by rich nobles in France in the 1500s. The fashion gradually spread among royalty and rich people throughout Europe. High heels were worn by both men and women.

No one knows exactly who invented high heels or why. Shoes that were raised above the ground were worn in ancient times, but they were probably a kind of platform. Early platform shoes were very difficult to get around on. Eventually someone discovered that by making the heel higher than the toe you gained height while still being able to walk.

For many centuries only the nobility wore high heeled shoes. High heels were completely unsuitable for farm work and manual labour. They were also very expensive as they were made of richly decorated leather, satin or velvet. It wasn’t until the 1700s that high heeled shoes were widely worn by the middle classes. Even then, they had lower heels than the shoes worn by the nobility.

Poorer people continued to wear plain, flat shoes. The design of these shoes had changed very little since the early Middle Ages. The shoes covered the whole foot up to the ankle. They slipped easily on and off, and fastened with a flap at one side secured by ties or a toggle. Working people also wore slip-on wooden clogs. Clogs were cheap, hardwearing, and kept the feet warm and dry when working on wet or frozen ground.


Statuette of King Charles II, c.1660

Charles II was king during the Great Fire of London, the Great Plague and the Restoration period. This period saw an increase in craftsmanship and displays of wealth.

Before the English Civil War Charles II’s father was turned away from Hull’s city walls. This was King Charles I who was executed after the civil war. His son Charles II eventually became king in 1660. This statuette might have been a reminder that the royal family was back in charge.

This is a painted terracotta sculpture of King Charles II. Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 following the period of the Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell. This statuette may have been a model for a much larger statue. It is contemporary with the Restoration period but how it came to Hull is unclear.

The statuette may have been a reminder to Hull about where its future loyalties should lie. However, it may also have been bought by a local Royalist keen to disassociate himself from his city’s recent past.

In 1642 Charles I had tried to enter Hull and was refused entry by Sir John Hotham, acting on Parliament’s orders. Charles I was trying to get at a large munitions store which would help in the looming Civil War. After a day of negotiations he denounced Hotham as a traitor and left. Following this public defiance to the King, the next reigning monarch to visit Hull was Queen Victoria in 1854.


Sergeant's silver mace, 1651

This mace holds an important secret. On its end are the Royal Arms of King Charles I. This end comes off and on the other side are the Commonwealth Arms representing Oliver Cromwell. These were opposite sides in the English Civil War.

The mace was made when Cromwell was in charge of England. When King Charles’ son, Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 the end was turned over. This was re-engraved with the King’s Arms to avoid any trouble.

In 1642 Charles I tried to enter Hull a6nd was refused entry. He was trying to get at a large munitions store which would help in the looming Civil War. When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 it would be important for Hull’s welfare to show its support. Especially having previously defied his father.

To have an official mace bearing the arms of the Commonwealth would have been a serious mistake. Rather than replacing it on this mace, the expensive silver was simply turned over and engraved with the Stuart Arms. Perhaps this hid someone’s true feelings as well?

This mace was a badge of rank for Sergeants-at-Mace. Some were used as weapons as well. There were Sergeants-at-Mace in Hull as early as 1440. The duties of the Sergeant-at-Mace may have changed from time to time. Elizabeth I in one charter in 1598 includes a provision for Sergeant’s-at-Mace. This is repeated in later charters, that the Mayor and Burgesses “shall and may” appoint Sergeants-at-Mace as they find necessary.


Snuff box, 1665

This is a snuff box made of wood and horn. An inscription reads, 'EITHER LOVE MEE OR LUV MEE NOT'.

This has changed from its original inscription which would have been, “If you love mee lend mee not”. Perhaps the person who restored it had other things on his mind than just losing his snuff box.

Snuff is powdered tobacco. People kept it in small boxes and sniffed it in pinches or off their thumbs.

This item was purchased in 1915 with a V&A Purchase grant.

Nasal snuff is finely ground, flavored tobacco. On his second voyage to America Christopher Columbus saw native Taino-Indians sniffing tobacco. In later years an Italian monk is believed to have introduced this to Europe.

In the 16th century taking snuff tobacco became very popular in the French royal court. This was mostly for medicinal qualities but it soon became a simple and pleasurable habit. It became fashionable amongst royalty and aristocracy throughout Europe.

During the 17th century snuff taking became more popular in Europe. Snuff became increasingly popular in England after Charles II introduced it in 1660.

Despite its popularity with some, others were strongly against snuff and tobacco. In the 17th century Tsar Michael I of Russia ordered that snuff takers should have their noses cut off. Smokers were to have their lips slit and be whipped for the first offence and executed for the second. During this period Pope Urban XIII ordered that anyone found guilty of taking snuff in church should be excommunicated.


Wine bottle, 1670-1680

This bottle once held wine. Glass containers only began to be used for wine at the start of the 1600s. Before that wine was stored in wooden barrels and customers collected wine to take away in leather or pottery jugs.

This is a ‘sealed bottle’ because it has a circular seal on its side containing its owner’s initials, WH. Wealthy men liked to collect wines in specially made bottles marked with their name or initials.

This bottle’s seal was made by applying a small globule of molten glass during manufacture. The globule was then stamped with a metal seal. Seals might bear the owner’s name, initials or crest, the name of a town or village, or the date.

Seals were first used on bottles by wealthy men in the mid-1600s. They had their wine bottles refilled at local taverns, so seals allowed them to keep their own bottles. Eventually inns, wine merchants, distillers and shipping agents had their own seals for bottles too.

The shape of wine bottles has evolved over time, from the ‘shaft and globe’ type to the straight-sided cylindrical bottles we use. This is a very early example of an ‘onion type’ bottle. It is called an onion type because of its onion-shaped body. The first onion bottles appeared around 1670.

The ‘shaft and globe’ bottle first appeared around 1630. It had a very long neck, which made it unstable. Over time the neck became shorter and the body widened to an onion shape, like this one. Onion bottles reached their widest around 1715. From the onion type, bottles developed into a ‘mallet shape’ with a squarer body. From then on, wine bottles became taller and thinner with each decade.

The glass that onion bottles are made from is often called ‘black glass’ because it is so dark. In fact, onion bottles are made from dark greenish-brown glass. This bottle’s true colour can be seen when it’s held up to the light.


Wedding dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, 1892

The wife of Sir Arthur Atkinson of Hull wore this dress at the couple’s wedding in 1892. It is decorated with bunches of fake orange blossom made from wax at the neck and hem.

Madame Clapham made this dress. She was Hull’s most famous dressmaker. Madame Clapham’s workers were superstitious. When they made a skirt for a wedding dress they would sew a strand of their hair into the hem. They believed this would bring good luck to the bride.

Rich and fashionable ladies had dresses for special occasions made at Madame Clapham’s salon. Madame Clapham received many wedding orders. She often created dresses for the bride and bridesmaids, as well as some of the guests.

Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was regarded as Hull’s finest dressmaker. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967.

Madame Clapham was an imposing figure, always dressed immaculately in black or navy. Her floor length dresses with trains, which she wore long after they were fashionable, rustled as she moved around the salon. She left behind the perfume of lavender that she wore.

Emily Clapham had piercing blue eyes, rosy cheeks and long blonde hair piled elaborately on top of her head. She was polite but firm with her clients, and ran a very strict regime in her workrooms. Her highly trained staff produced the fine needlework that earned Madame Clapham her reputation as a dressmaker.


Bust of an enslaved African by W.T. Copeland, Staffordshire, after 1847

This sculpture of an enslaved African was made at least 14 years after slavery was abolished in Britain and its colonies. It was probably made for the American market during their Civil War.

The American Civil War was partly based on the issue of slavery. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, slavery was finally abolished in the US. This bust shows how English businesses made the most of foreign customers and political issues.

This sculpture is made from Parian. Parian is a white, unglazed pottery that looks similar to marble. Pottery manufacturers Copeland & Garrett introduced Parian at their Staffordshire factory in the early 1840s. Figures made from Parian soon became very popular.

Copeland and Garrett’s partnership ended in 1847, and production was continued by W.T. Copeland. The name Copeland soon became synonymous with Parian pottery.

Hundreds of thousands of Parian pottery figures and groups were made by Copeland and other manufacturers. They wanted to share the success that Parian had brought Copeland. Genuine Copeland Parian figures like this one can be identified by the name ‘COPELAND’ stamped on them.

Slavery was officially abolished in Britain and the British colonies in 1833, but it remained legal elsewhere. The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society was set up in 1839 to encourage other countries to abolish slavery. The society asked for a ban on slave-made products and held the first world Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840.

Many British people showed their support for the abolition of slavery by buying decorative objects with an anti-slavery message. Displaying objects like this sculpture would have been a visible way to show how you felt about slavery.

The American President made an Emancipation Proclamation against slavery in 1863. In 1865 slavery was abolished in the United States. In many other parts of the world slavery continued and still does today in many forms.


Tile by Minton Hollins & Co, Staffordshire, c.1880

This symmetrical tile showing a pair of white doves was made when Queen Victoria was Queen of England. Many Victorian designers adapted decoration they found in old medieval buildings, especially religious buildings like churches. This Victorian style is called ‘Gothic Revival’.

Pictures of doves were popular in Christian places of worship as they stood for peace and God’s Holy Spirit. Some medieval tiles were made with doves on them. Perhaps a medieval tile inspired this one?

A medieval tile decorated with two symmetrical doves was found at Meaux Abbey, near Hull. Other tiles with doves have been found in other areas of the country. In the Victorian period, designers working for tile companies looked at medieval designs and made new tiles based on them. The tiles they made were mostly for floors and were known as ‘encaustic’ tiles. This tile was made for a wall.

The tile has been moulded so the picture is slightly raised or ‘in relief’. This makes it stand out more from the green background. This tile is unusual because it is coated with a type of ‘celadon’ glaze. Celadon is a translucent pale green glaze. It was originally used to coat Chinese porcelain. European makers used celadon glaze to imitate Chinese pottery.


Foot warmer, c.1700-1850

This pottery foot warmer is an old-fashioned hot water bottle. It would have been used to warm the feet of someone travelling in a horse drawn coach. Hot water was poured into the top and the bottle sealed up. Other foot warmers used hot coals, or were heated in a stove before use.

Travelling in a horse drawn coach was cold, draughty and uncomfortable. Warm clothing, rugs and a foot warmer were essential, especially at night or in the winter.

Horse drawn coaches were the best way to get around Britain before railways were built in the mid-1800s. A national coach network linked towns and cities. Hull had a direct coach service to York. From York there were coaches travelling towards Newcastle, Sunderland, Whitby, Scarborough and London.

A shorter way of getting from Hull to London was to take the ferry across the River Humber to Barton. Coaches for London were timetabled to meet passengers arriving from Hull by ferry.

Coaches may have been the most efficient means of transport before railways, but they certainly weren’t the most comfortable! Vibrations from the road made coach travel a painful experience. Passengers were carried inside and outside the coach, with outside being cheaper.

Outsiders usually travelled on the coach roof. There were no seats at first, so passengers were given handles to hold on to. These weren’t much use, and passengers were sometimes thrown off the coach as it lurched along the road.

Travelling by coach in the winter could be dangerous. In 1806, a very cold winter, a guard on the Bristol mail coach was frozen to death. Heavy snow could leave coaches stranded or even buried. In these conditions a foot warmer would have provided little protection against the cold.

The worst coaching winter was 1836-37. A snowstorm that continued for a week after Christmas left only two mail coach routes open. The snow was higher than the roofs of the coaches. In places there were snow drifts over seven metres high.


Painted coach panel, c.1700-1850

This painted wooden panel was once part of the door of a horse drawn coach. Coaches were a popular way to travel around Britain before railways were built in the mid-1800s.

The shield has been hand painted with great skill. It shows a lion and three herons. The word ‘Cave’ below the shield tells us that the coach passed through South Cave or North Cave on its journey. South and North Cave are villages to the west of Hull.

Before the railways were built, a national network of horse drawn coaches linked towns and cities. Hull had a direct coach service to York. Coaches from York travelled towards Newcastle, Sunderland, Whitby, Scarborough and London.

A shorter way of getting from Hull to London was to take the ferry across the River Humber to Barton. Coaches for London were timetabled to meet passengers arriving from Hull by ferry.

There were two main coach networks: stage coaches and mail coaches. Stage coaches were introduced to meet the travel needs of the middle classes. They were aimed at people who couldn’t afford their own coaches.

Stage coaches travelled between roadside inns, which functioned 24 hours a day. The inns were often owned by coach proprietors. The inns were where horses were changed and passengers ate and rested. Mail coaches carried post between inns, and also took passengers. They offered the fastest and safest means of transport.

Stage coaches were operated by many different companies. Competition between companies encouraged the development of beautifully built and decorated coaches. Their magnificent exteriors were painted gold, blue, white and crimson. The name of the proprietor and coach and the towns and inns where it called were painted on the panelling. The decoration on this panel was probably just a small part of a richly decorated coach.


Tile, possibly made in East Yorkshire, c.1201-1400

This medieval tile is from Hull’s Holy Trinity Church. It shows the alphabet and is a clue to part of the church’s past. The first schools in England were run by the church. This was at a time when most people couldn’t read.

The tile was probably made locally but not in the centre of Hull. Potteries were usually based on the edge of towns or in the countryside. This was because of the risk of fire and pollution.

Schools in towns were first run by the Church. Formal education for everyone is only a very recent event. In history, education has been for the lucky few and rarely for girls.

As aristocracy, medieval knights were expected to be educated and were looked down on if they were illiterate. Girls were almost exclusively ignored apart from the daughters of the rich and powerful.

There were many different kinds of schools in medieval England. This included small, informal schools held in the local parish church. This may be the kind of schooling held at Holy Trinity Church.

There were also song schools at cathedrals, almonry schools attached to monasteries, chantry schools, guild schools and grammar schools. The subjects studied were limited to basics such as learning the alphabet, and religious rites. There were also lessons such as the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins. The grammar schools also studied Latin grammar.

Bricks, tiles and pots of clay were fired in kilns. Tile-works and potteries were in suburbs or rural places because of the risk of fire and pollution. There were known potteries in Beverley. New colours and forms were created as potters met a demand for affordable beauty that was decorative and functional.

Hull’s Holy Trinity Church is over 700 years old and is England’s largest parish church. Inside its historical interior is a marble font from 1380. William Wilberforce, the 18th century anti-slavery campaigner, was baptised here.


Terracotta candlestick, probably made in Holland, c.1401-1500

This candlestick is a symbol of Hull’s links to other countries. The candlestick was made in an area known as the Low Countries. This includes Holland and Belgium.

With good links to the sea, Hull has always imported lots of goods from other countries. This candlestick may have been shipped to London first and then up the coast. Goods shipped into Hull at this time included wood, fish and wine. There were also luxury items like amber, tapestries and candlesticks.

This type of pottery is known as Low Countries redware. The Low Countries is an area of Europe that includes Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

During the medieval period rural areas inland were often more remote than coastal towns and ports. It was easier to travel by water and contact with other countries was nothing new. Hull’s direct international trade was mainly with its nearest neighbours across the sea. These were Scandinavia, Germany, the Low Countries and France.

In the early 14th century Hull had connections with the Low Countries more than with any other part of Europe. This was due to the major wool exports from Yorkshire. In the late 14th century wool became less important but the Low Countries were still an important trade link. Trade was now mostly through Calais with Flemish ships rarely coming direct to Hull.

Imports to Hull were always more varied than exports. They included foods, wine, raw materials and consumer goods. Fish was among the major imports from Scandinavia and Iceland. Wine and timber were also major imports.

Imports into Hull also included foreign manufactured goods for the wealthier people in society. There were cloth and linens from Holland and Germany and wooden and metal goods from Germany and France. Low Country pottery and stoneware industries provided pots, jars, dishes, tiles and candlesticks. Luxury goods were also imported such as amber, rosary beads, silk and tapestries as well as glass.


Tankards by Marmaduke Best, York, 1671

The money to pay for these tankards was left to Hull by William Dobson in 1666. His family arms are engraved on their sides, alongside Hull’s town arms. Both tankards are inscribed:
“The gift of William Dobson Alderman twice Mayor of this Towne Anno 1666.”

A silver tankard like this would mostly have been for show rather than for practical use. Before there were banks, many people stored their wealth and money by buying pieces of silver like this.

Flagons were originally made for ritual use in church. They were later adapted for more general use, especially for holding beer, and were then called a ‘tankard’. Beer was often drunk instead of water as it was far safer.

These two tankards were made for show and it is unlikely they were ever used. They would have been extremely expensive to make. It was a notable gesture by Alderman Dobson when he left the money for the tankards to the city.

These tankards were bought as the result of a specific bequest to the Corporation of Hull in the will of William Dobson in 1666. They have been in uninterrupted possession of the Corporation since.

William Dobson (died 22nd October 1666) was an Alderman and a Merchant Adventurer of Kingston upon Hull. He was Chamberlain in 1633, Sheriff in 1638 and Mayor of Hull in 1647 and 1658. He was also a Royalist.


Wine cup, London, 1607

Robert Berier gave this cup to Hull’s Merchants' Company in 1649. The Merchants' Company later became extinct. Its silver went to the Town Hall for safe keeping in 1707. Six of these silver cups are still owned by the council and are on display in the Guildhall.

The Merchants' Company was a group of traders who had great powers in Hull from 1577. They had a special Merchants' Hall and no one could trade from Hull without their permission.

This wine cup is engraved: ‘The gift of Mr Robert Berier to the Marchats Hall 1649’. Robert Berrier was a leading figure in Hull. He was Chamberlain in 1629, Sheriff in 1640 and twice Mayor of the city, in 1656 and 1671.

The Kingston upon Hull Merchants' Company was incorporated by Letters Patent dated 11th May 1577. This was under the title of ‘The Governor, Assistants, and Fellowship of Merchants inhabiting the Town of Kingston upon Hull’. This charter gave the merchants great powers and privileges, including the power to make bye-laws.

Meetings of the merchants were held in the Merchants Hall for 120 years. The Hall doesn’t exist any more. The seal, or badge, of the Hull Merchants was a ship with three crowns above it.

After more than a century’s existence the Merchants' Company gradually became extinct. On 13th February 1707 Aldermen Hydes, Trippett and Mould were ordered by the bench ‘to take care that the Plate and Books in the Merchants' Hall to be removed to the Town’s Hall for their better security in regard to the Governor’s absence and that Courts there are very seldom kept.’ (B.B. 8 f.567)

This silver wine cup is one of six pieces of silver from the Merchants' Company that are on display at the Guildhall.


Silver tankard by Edward Mangie, Hull, 1660

This is one of only four known tankards made by Edward Mangie. Edward was a silversmith who moved from York to Hull in 1660. His workshop was in Church Lane, just off Market Place, in a building used by many silversmiths before him.

A silver tankard like this would mostly have been for show rather than for practical use. Before there were banks, many people stored their wealth and money by buying pieces of silver like this.

Edward Mangie was lucky with his timing when he moved to Hull in 1660. This was the same year King Charles II was restored to the throne. Before this, elaborate pieces of silver were frowned upon during the Commonwealth and the rule of Oliver Cromwell. This led to hard times for silversmiths and similar craftsmen. This all changed with the Restoration and many people started ordering new silver and spending money again.

Edward Mangie had taken over the workshop of goldsmith Robert Robinson who died in 1660. In 1661 Edward travelled back to York and married Katherine Spalding. Katherine must have been a strong and sad woman. During her marriage to Edward they had many children that died in infancy, including triplets in 1658. A son did survive, also called Edward, but he was only 12 when his father died in 1685.

When Edward Mangie died, his wife Katherine carried on the business and had her own maker’s mark of ‘K.M.’ However, it is not known whether she actually made the silver herself or was simply the owner of the business.

The Mangies remained in business in Church Lane until the 1730s, but after 1697 very few pieces by them are known. Katherine Mangie died in 1725 at the great age of 88. Her son Edward continued to trade as a goldsmith at the Church Lane premises for the next nine years. He probably retired then and in 1739 he died, recorded as being a ‘gentleman’.


Pair of tiles by Minton, Hollins & Co., Stoke on Trent, 1871

These tiles are part of the first range of tiles with Turkish-style decoration made in England.

People travelling to Turkey in the mid-1800s collected beautifully patterned objects like vases and carpets. Some British museums also admired and displayed these kinds of objects. Many designers saw these objects in museums and used the styles and colours in their own work.

These tiles have a symmetrical design of flowers in a vase. The style and colours were inspired by pottery designs made at Isnik (now Nicaea) in Turkey in the 1500s. The flowers are carnations and tulips, traditional Turkish flowers.

Colin Minton Campbell, one of the owners of Minton Hollins & Co, bought some Isnik tiles from Paris in 1858. He bought more Turkish tiles from Constantinople (now Istanbul) around the same time. He took them back to his factory, where they eventually influenced the factory’s tile designs.

The motif of flowers in a vase is found in decorative designs produced in many countries west of India. It occurs frequently in Islamic tiles from countries like Turkey, and on Dutch and English blue and white pottery.

Minton, Hollins & Company began making tiles like these in 1871. Other factories had made individual tiles influenced by Turkish designs before this. However, Minton Hollins was the first to produce a whole range of Turkish-inspired tiles. After this, more tile makers began making tiles loosely based on designs from Turkey or Persia (modern day Iran).

The decoration on these tiles has been made by printing a black outline of the design. The outline has been filled in with blue, green, turquoise and orange paints and covered with a clear glaze.


Pair of tiles, Spain, c.1501-1600

The patterns on these tiles have raised outlines made using a method called ‘cuenca’. Cuenca was used in Spain, especially in Seville, in the 1500s.

Making tiles with raised outlines using the cuenca technique left spaces that could be filled with colour. ‘Cuenca’ means ‘hollows’ or ‘bowls’ in Spanish and refers to these spaces. The raised outlines on these tiles have stopped the different colours running into each other.

The cuenca technique involved making a mould with the outline for the tile pattern cut into it. When the soft clay tile was pressed against the mould, the clay squeezed into the cut lines. This made a raised outline on the tile that could be filled with colours after the tile was fired.

These two rectangular tiles form a repeating pattern. The design includes a long ‘four-lobed’ shape known as a quatrefoil. There are green scrolls in the corners of the tiles. These scrolls become stems with leaves for a blue flower motif when the tiles are joined up.


Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw), USA, c.1801-1900

Scrimshaw is the art of the whale hunter and is made with whalebone. A lot of scrimshaw is from America, especially pieces made from sperm whale teeth like this.

Scrimshaw was a way for whalers to express their world, their loneliness and general interests. This tooth shows a ship and a lady. In the past people had to hunt whales for a living. Not many countries hunt whales today. It makes them rare and is thought cruel.

Sperm whales were hunted in the South Seas and America. These were much more dangerous than Arctic whales and often tried to fight back and defend themselves. Many whaleboats were crushed in their jaws or overturned.

Great sperm whales hold many records. They are the deepest diving mammal, reaching depths of more than 1000m. They are also the largest toothed whale and have the biggest brain in the animal world.

One side of this tooth shows a fashionable lady holding a parasol. On the other side of the tooth is a fully rigged ship with a Stars and Stripes streamer.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. To understand scrimshaw it is important to understand the life of whalers.

Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took time and helped to express the world you lived in would have been a welcome hobby.

Women naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw but these are usually very respectable images. As most scrimshaw was meant to be seen once back on shore, few erotic images survive. Images from fashion catalogues were often copied, and ladies in long dresses were the acceptable pin-ups of the day.

This tooth is part of a collection that formerly belonged to Kathleen Eleanor Tizard. The collection was donated to Hull Museums by K.E.Tizard’s son in November 1999.


Fijian tabua

This tabua is a Sperm whale’s tooth. It is regarded very highly in Fijian tradition. They are worn as ornaments and are given in ceremonies between two groups. This can be for weddings, tribal meetings or state occasions.

Once given, the tabua is regarded as a sacred bond. It is a symbol of peace and quarrels can be solved with its presentation.

Fiji is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between the Equator and the South Pole.

This Fijian Tabua is made with two Sperm whale teeth. They are perforated at the base and tied with vegetable fibre cord. There is no record of what ceremonies they were once linked to.

Fiji is a group of approximately 330 islands, with about one third being inhabited. There are two major islands - Viti Levui and Vanua Levu.

People first settled at Fiji about three and a half thousand years ago. According to Fijian legend, the great chief Lutunasobasoba led his people to the new land of Fiji. Many historians agree that people came into the Pacific from Southeast Asia. Here the Melanesians and the Polynesians mixed and created a highly developed society.

The European discoveries of the Fiji group were accidental. The first of these discoveries was made in 1643 by Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer. It was later discovered by English navigators, including Captain James Cook.

Captain William Bligh also sailed through Fiji in 1789 and recorded the islands in detail.

The first Europeans to live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements. Sandalwood traders and missionaries came to Fiji by the mid 19th century.

Cannibalism was practiced in Fiji at that time but it disappeared as missionaries gained influence. A chief Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in 1854. The rest of the country soon followed and tribal warfare came to an end. However, much of Fijian culture has survived.

Fiji has been independent from Britain since 1970.


Decorated whalebone plaque, c.1848-1900

This plaque shows a Greenland whale being caught by some whalers. This was one of several different types of whale known as the ‘Right Whale’. They were slow, non-aggressive and floated when killed. This made them the ‘right’ whale to hunt.

Following hunting, Greenland whales are still endangered. They can live for 200 years, making them one of the longest living animals on earth. A new threat for this whale is global warming, which threatens its food supply.

This whale jaw bone plaque has a distinct criss-cross framing, with parts filled with red and blue pigment. There are also mermaids with mirrors on each corner.

The main picture is a whaling scene with a Greenland whale rising from the water. It is being attacked by a whaleboat with five men, and another whale in the foreground is also being attacked. In the background is a whaling ship with icebergs.

Whaleboats with five men were used by Tasmanians who hunted whales in the North Pacific after 1848. This would indicate that this plaque is from this kind of whaler.

The Greenland whale is also known as the Bowhead whale. It is one of three species that were known as the ‘Right Whale’ to whalers. The three species include Balaena mysticetus (Greenland Whale, Arctic Right Whale and the smaller Black Right Whale). The second species is Eubalaena glacialis (Northern Atlantic Right Whale, Biscayan Whale or Nordcaper). The third species is Eubalaena australis (Southern Right or Black Whale).

The Greenland, or Bowhead, whale can have a life span of up to 200 years. This makes them among the largest and longest lived animals on Earth. They remain endangered today. A new threat is from their food supplies of amphipods and other tiny creatures being affected by global warming. It is possible that an old Greenland whale today has lived to see both threats to its existence.


Search Tips and Help

Getting the most from searching the collections. #SUBHEADING#Quick Search#SUBHEADINGEND# Simply enter a keyword using the search box on every page to discover hundreds of stories and more than 50,000 objects currently in the database some searches can produce a large number of hits. #SUBHEADING#Advanced Search#SUBHEADINGEND# The advanced search options allow you to be more specific in your enquiry - for example you can search .. for limit the search to one of more of the museums or to a named collection using the drop down lists. #SUBHEADING#Displaying the results#SUBHEADINGEND# Search results are displayed using the gallery view and you can chose how many thumbnails are displayed on the page at one time using the 'Display' dropdown box. If you prefer you can simply change from this view to a simple list view by clicking on the Change View: List View link #SUBHEADING#Search Summary Results#SUBHEADINGEND# To try and make the search more useful we have introduced a number of features: - You can choose how many items you wish to display on the page by using the display drop down menu. - Simply click on any thumbnail image to take you to a detailed record page where more information is given about that particular artwork. The detailed record page gives more information about the artwork you have chosen. If you click on the enlarge image option, a larger version will appear on a new page. #SUBHEADING#Search Tips#SUBHEADINGEND# - The system is not case sensitive (i.e. Matisse and matisse will both be recognised). - Where you see the symbol '&' it does not mean 'and,' but is used for data separation. - Check the spelling of the word that you are using. Try to limit your search to one word if you are unsure of the spelling of a particular object or person. - If you put the symbol '@' in front of your search, the results will include all the phonetic results similar to that word (e.g. maddox brown, madox brown). - The best way to search on a phrase is to use " " quotation marks around part of the phrase (e.g. entering "Friends" will retrieve information about The Friends of Ferens Art Gallery). - Try to give as much accurate information as you can. Using the drop down menus in detailed search may help you to focus your query.


Detail from painting (image/jpeg) A Zeeland States yacht firing a salute off the Oude Hoofdpoort, Rotterdam

This painting by Jacobus Storck entitled 'A Zeeland States yacht firing a salute off the Oude Hoofdpoort, Rotterdam' painted around the 1670s is a lively picture of a bustling port. It captures the movement of the sea and wind well and the colours are still fresh and vibrant. All the Dutch flags flying from masts and the general liveliness of it speak of self-confidence and national pride. #SUBHEADING#Painting ships#SUBHEADINGEND# Marine painting was a difficult genre for painters to master. Not only did they have to be a good painter, they had to have a detailed knowledge of the structure of ships, of seamanship and of the sea. The behaviour of ships in the wind and certain conditions had to be depicted just right, as you could guarantee there would always be someone who would point out all the mistakes, just as the last paint stroke was drying. With that said, this painting is interestingly less detailed than other 17th century, Dutch specialists and later painters. Storck seems a bit more relaxed in his paint strokes and approach, which would be this paintings success, depicted a real port. He seems to have captured the invisible wind remarkably well, with the sails, flags, clouds and leaning ships all suggesting a brisk wind from the left of the picture. #SUBHEADING#Jacobus Storck#SUBHEADINGEND# Jacobus Storck (1641-c.1688) was born in Amsterdam and is known to have been working there in 1684. He is considered to be the older brother of the more prolific and longer-lived Abraham Storck. A relatively small number of pictures have been attributed to Jacobus and these suggest that he visited various places in the Netherlands, including Antwerp and Rotterdam, such as this picture. Jacobus Storck's entire career has been reconstructed from signed and dated paintings, rather than documentary evidence. #SUBHEADING#Dutch Golden Age#SUBHEADINGEND# 17th century provides works of art that became very popular in English collections in the 18th century, especially landscapes and marine paintings. It wasn't just the quality of work that was produced in the Dutch Republic that left a lasting influence, it was the quantity too. The average Dutch man in the 17th century was wealthier than his counterpart in any other country, including England. And like any maritime state that made money in this period, slavery formed part of that wealth, along with spices such as nutmeg and cloves. #SUBHEADING#The Yacht's of Rotterdam#SUBHEADINGEND# All this wealth and self-confidence naturally led to the flourishing of art, with more money for commissions and general purchasing. This Zeeland states yacht on the right of the painting is a pleasure boat. 'Yacht' is a Dutch term that came into the English language at the time of Charles II. Traditionally a yacht is a 'vessel of state, usually employed to convey princes, ambassadors or other great personages, from one kingdom to another'. With cannons firing a salute in a statement of self-confidence and prowess, is this painting the record of an important visit or a celebration of a merchant's wealth, depicted just off one of the busiest ports in Holland? All the other boats in the picture are commercial vessels and the Oude Hoofdpoort is itself, a major gateway to business. Hull has strong links with Rotterdam, and many goods are shipped across the world to Rotterdam and then across to Hull docks. With these strong links across the water, it is no surprise that here at the Ferens we have a particularly good collection of Dutch works.


compass detail (image/jpeg) Detecting Direction

One of the most important aspects of navigation was knowing which direction the ship was travelling in. However, this was not simply a case of pointing the vessel in the right direction and hoping for the best. Forces such as sea winds and swell could always combine to push a ship off course. Sailors therefore needed an instrument which allowed them to keep detecting their direction. #SUBHEADING# Compass craze! #SUBHEADINGEND# The compass has for centuries been one of the most widely used and enduring of all navigation instruments. It is believed that Europeans began using compasses from about the 12th century, but people in other places were using them well before. Compasses are normally used to show direction, but variations on the model have been used for other purposes. For example, a Chinese geomantic compass in the Hull Maritime Museum collection was used for divination. The compass was one of the first instruments which allowed sailors to begin leaving sight of the land. If they knew which direction their destination was and they had a compass to keep on track, they had at least some chance of getting there! The compass collection at Hull Maritime Museum ranges from the very simply crafted to the very decorative and precisely-made, and from tiny pocket-sized pieces to those which not even the largest pocket could carry! Some are in wooden circular drums, some in leather cases and others in square hinged boxes. #SUBHEADING# All directions #SUBHEADINGEND# A compass recorded whether a ship was travelling North, South, East, West or somewhere in-between! The directions were labelled on a 'compass rose' - a piece of card which a wire needle spun either below or above. Sometimes, the compass was mounted on 'gimbals' which allowed the compass to tilt so that it was not affected by the movement of the ship. The compass needle, being magnetic, was attracted to the Earth's magnetic north pole so always pointed in that direction. By looking at it sailors could always tell where north was and therefore which direction they were travelling in. However, from the 19th century ships' hulls began to be made of iron, and this metal interfered with the compass' ability to work. This could be fatal if a deviation in the compass reading caused a vessel to go off course. A device called a binnacle was invented to correct this error. This was a tall tower which housed the compass in the top and contained various iron components which corrected the magnetic deviation. Over time, a compass could lose its magnetism and would therefore stop working. A lodestone was stroked over the needle to help it re-magnetise. This was a natural magnetic stone which was bound in a metal such as copper. Lodestones were popular in the seventeenth century until they were replaced by man-made magnets during the eighteenth century.


navigation aid detail (image/jpeg) Locating Location

Once sailors began to venture beyond sight of familiar coastal landmarks, they needed to know exactly where they were located in order to ensure they kept on course. Hull Maritime Museum holds a number of different types of instrument used to find and chart location. #SUBHEADING# Optical Options #SUBHEADINGEND# Telescopes were invented in the early 17th century and soon became widely used. Sailors found them useful for looking into the distance to see the far-off coast, other ships or events at sea. By doing this, they could not only find out where they were but also avoid danger. Telescopes are made of a number of curved glass lenses inside a tube which magnify what the eye can see. A number of telescopes are in the Hull Maritime Museum collection, some of which were used at sea and others which may simply have been fashionable collectables used by high-society gentlemen. #SUBHEADING# Sighting the Skies #SUBHEADINGEND# The Earth moves in a known pattern, so we can predict its position in relation to the Sun and stars. A sailor could therefore measure the height (or altitude) of the Sun or a star from the horizon to find out his own latitude (that is how far North or South he was on the Earth). From the 17th century the quadrant was used for this purpose. A sailor would look through the pinhole sights at the Sun or star and measure its angle on a scale. He then transferred this reading into a latitude measurement. In the late 18th century octants and sextants became a common means of measuring latitude. The sailor looked through a hole towards a 'horizon' glass which was half covered with a mirror. Through this he could see the horizon. He then moved the 'index' arm until the Sun or star shone into the 'index' mirror and its image was reflected into the horizon glass mirror. When this happened, he read a measurement off a scale to find the altitude. He then used mathematics to change this measurement into latitude. Octants were popular because they were cheap and reasonably accurate. They were usually wooden and contained a series of mirrors and scales which the sailor used to obtain a reading from which he could calculate latitude. Sextants worked on a similar concept but on a different scale and were usually made of metal. Later instruments for recording position, some of which in the collection date to the 20th century, have included azimuth mirrors which were used to take bearings. Once measured, seafarers recorded their position at sea on a chart using various scientific instruments. Hull Maritime Museum holds dividers and parallel rulers which were used for this purpose.


Detail of a telescope (image/jpeg) Navigating the World's Waters

People have been travelling across the world's waters for thousands of years. After leaving port, sailors can journey hundreds of miles before they see land again. Today they use electrical equipment to find their position at sea. Before this was invented they had to use simple instruments to find and record their location. Hull Maritime Museum contains a range of navigation aids used to travel around the world, some of them being used as early as the 17th century. Some bear the names of highly acclaimed instrument makers, as well as those of local dignitaries who owned them. #SUBHEADING#Navigation aids#SUBHEADINGEND# When sailors started to venture away from the coast they needed to know how to navigate around the world safely, and for this they used very simple aids. These included the compass (to discover direction), the sandglass (to tell the time) and the sounding lead (to find the depth of the sea). Sailors had to wait for developments in subjects like science, mathematics and astronomy in the 15th and 16th centuries before they could make reasonable headway across the vast oceans. Then they could begin to rely on the sun and stars to guide their way. Navigation aids often required great skill to use, especially in bad weather, and many ships had full-time navigators onboard. They would make readings with various instruments and then plot the ship's position on a chart to check that the ship was on course to its destination. #SUBHEADING# Maps and charts #SUBHEADINGEND# From at least medieval times, when sailors began to produce nautical charts, we know that they had some idea of what the world looked like. Although their knowledge was very limited at first, globes and charts were periodically produced which showed a growing understanding of the Earth's geography. Hull Maritime Museum contains a miniature globe from the early 18th century, made by Charles Price who worked in London. It is in a shark-skin and wooden case which depicts a celestial view of the stars. A more detailed and accurate view of the world was being reached during the 19th century, which is reflected in George Pocock's inflatable globe. As scientific and mathematical breakthroughs were made, navigation aids became more and more complex in design. Old ideas were updated and new types of instruments were brought in. Even when electrical equipment such as radar was introduced in the 20th century, sailors still often kept an old trusty manual aid onboard in case of emergency! Today, systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System) enable sailors to pinpoint exactly where they are on the earth within the space of a few metres using satellites.


Detail from shop sign (image/jpeg) Signs that brightened up the town!

Before the ability to read became widespread, symbolic trade signs were often placed above shop doorways and served as a visual aid to inform would-be customers about the types of wares sold inside. These signs were often brightly coloured and must have been a sight to behold dotted about the town. One of the few survivors still in use today is the barber's red and white striped pole. This advertising technique was important in a port like Hull, where people were arriving from all over the world speaking many different languages and might not be able to read English. #SUBHEADING# Instrument Maker's Shop Sign #SUBHEADINGEND# The sign shown here was placed above the shop of Mr. Harrison of Dock Street, Hull, close to the premises of Hull Maritime Museum. The shop opened in the mid 1800s and sold nautical instruments, charts and ship stores. The sign remained there until about World War I. The figure would have been placed high up so it could be seen by crews on ships coming into Queens Dock as well as people walking along the quays. Similar signs were fixed outside shops down streets such as Lowgate and High Street. This example is made of carved wood which is painted with the typical uniform of a naval officer between 1825 and 1850 - a black bicorn hat with gold braid, a blue coat with gold epaulets and braid, and white trousers with a sword. He holds an octant, which was a type of instrument used to navigate a ship. It could find a ship's latitude position by measuring the height of the Sun or a star. Charles Dickens mentioned a similar figure in his book Dombey and Son and called it the 'little timber midshipman'. #SUBHEADING# A Piece of Art #SUBHEADINGEND# The wooden figure is interesting for its artistic merit as a symbol of craftsmanship, and is a piece of what might be called folk art. It was visually appealing whilst also being durable enough to withstand the outdoor weather. Unfortunately we do not know who the maker is. The sign is also interesting for what it represents - a time when British consumerism was growing and retail outlets becoming widespread. The early nineteenth century brought an increase in both the number of shops and recognisable retail districts in towns and cities, and in the range of goods available. Only those who could promise utmost quality in goods were given the right to show such figures above their doors. It was a period which saw the linking up of mass production and craftsmanship.


Walter Castelow (image/jpeg) Mr Walter Thomas Castelow

Walter Thomas Castelow was born, 16th January, 1876 in Kirkgate, near Leeds. Castelow was locally educated at Middle Class School, Vernon Road, Leeds, before attending the Yorkshire College, now Leeds University. Working life began in 1894, when at the age of 16 he signed indentures as an apprentice for Messrs. Abbot and Anning, of Fenton Street, Leeds. #IMAGE# Three years later the young Mr Castelow qualified as a dispensing chemist from the University of Edinburgh, and soon after went into partnership with Johann Reinhardt of Victoria Street, Leeds. In 1907 Mr Castelow began business on his own and moved into the premises at 159 Woodhouse Lane. #SUBHEADING#Retire? Why Should I?#SUBHEADINGEND# Mr Castelow was a well respected and admired chemist; not only by his contemporaries but also by the community he served so tirelessly. As England's oldest practising chemist Mr Castelow featured in numerous local and national newspaper articles and even on the television. Despite such attention and acclaim, Mr Castelow never had any thoughts of retirement, simply remarking 'Why should I?' He was truly committed to his job; he never took a holiday away from work and was determined to maintain his long business hours even in his advanced years, opening 9pm weekdays, 11pm Saturdays and even opening on Sunday's. He served with such dedication that many customers were to become firm friends, even referring to the old man as 'Dad'. Walter Thomas Castelow died on May 30th, 1974 at the age of 98. As his obituary read 'Almost up to the last, he remained the most charming, interesting and industrious chemist... the help, encouragement, and assurance that he gave must have gone out to many thousands of people during his long career.


Rank's monogram (image/jpeg) J. Arthur Rank - 'The Man Behind the Gong'

J. Arthur Rank was born in Hull in 1888 into a devoutly Methodist family. His father, Joseph, had founded a flour milling business in 1875, which had started with a rented windmill on Holderness Road, Hull. The company prospered and was a substantial business by the time of his death in 1943, leaving his three sons and four daughters as millionaires. J. Arthur himself was always declared a 'dunce' by his father, who claimed he would never succeed in life beyond working his way up in the family flour mill. He attempted to establish his own business, 'Peterkins Self-Raising Flour', but this venture failed and he returned to his father's company. Joseph Rank's Flour Mill can still be seen today on the banks of the River Hull next to Drypool Bridge, a testament to a prominent local business. The Rank flour business eventually acquired the Hovis McDougall Company in 1962 to become Ranks Hovis McDougall Ltd. #SUBHEADING# The Methodist Cause #SUBHEADINGEND# J. Arthur inherited his father's Methodism, and he was a life long Sunday School teacher and President of the National Sunday School Union. By the time he was middle aged, he had wealth, a family and social standing, but lacked a crowning glory of personal achievement, and rather harshly had been criticised as having no great aesthetic or cultural interests. A concern expressed by the Methodist community of the detrimental influence of the film industry on Britain and family life gave him the idea of producing films for religious and moral instruction. He established his own film company with the intention of doing just that, but quickly realised that this subject was unlikely to prove very profitable. #SUBHEADING# Brief Encounter to Success #SUBHEADINGEND# The subjects and appeal therefore had to be widened, and J. Arthur went on to produce many films at his purpose built Pinewood Studios which have become legendary in film history. Famous early Rank and Pinewood creations include Brief Encounter, Red Shoes, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and Henry V. J. Arthur did more than make a couple of films, with the Rank Organisation he established dominating the British Film Industry from the 1930s to the 1950s. The Rank Organisation not only made the films, but owned the studios, was responsible for film distribution at home and abroad, and owned a large chain of cinemas. Ranks' main cinema circuit, Gaumont was combined with Oscar Deutsch's ODEON chain in 1942 after his death (ODEON stands for Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation). #SUBHEADING# What a Carry On...#SUBHEADINGEND# By the 1960s the Rank Organisation had fallen on bad times. American investment declined as television became increasing popular drawing audiences away from cinemas. The studios remained afloat through the production of the Doctor and Carry on series and it was also home to Britain's most iconic spy - James Bond. The company lost its dominance in the British Film Industry, but Pinewood studios is still going strong, and the Rank Organisation diversified into Xerox photocopying. J Arthur himself had also fulfilled a great personal achievement as the 'man behind the gong', the Rank Organisation film trademark, and had personally given away 100 million pounds to Methodist causes within his lifetime.


detail from a navigation aid (image/jpeg) Telling the Time

Early oceanic travellers used a sandglass to tell the time. They had to keep a very close eye on this because if the sand filtered through and they didn't turn it back over immediately, they would automatically lose track of time. A sailor had to watch it all of the time! With scientific improvements in the 15th and 16th centuries, reasonably accurate time-telling aids began to be produced. These could often only be used in the specific latitude for which they were made, which often gives us an idea of where they were produced and where they were used. During the day, instruments could work with the Sun's rays to produce readings, much like a sundial. Instruments such as the diptych dial, the Augsburg dial (so-called because it originated in Augsburg, Southern Germany) and the equinoctial dial relied on this concept. Many became fashionable accessories of the wealthy classes as well as practical maritime aids. #SUBHEADING# Reading the Sun and Stars #SUBHEADINGEND# Diptych and Augsburg dials were small pocket-sized instruments. The former were often decorated with hand painted paper pictures of flowers and garlands, and the latter engraved with various patterns. Both types were mainly produced in southern Germany, often by renowned craftsmen who signed their name to their works. They relied on the sun shining on a 'gnomon'(or type of rod). This cast a shadow onto an hour dial so the reader could tell the time. The Augsburg dial shown here lists various cities in Germany, as well as Paris, Rome and London, on the underside of the dial. This shows that the dial was intended for the German market but could be used at various latitudes across Europe. The equinoctial dial could be used anywhere in the world so was very useful at sea. This example was made in London by Richard Glynne who worked as a mathematical instrument maker from the early 18th century. Its shape represents the Earth. A sailor would suspend the dial and turn it until the Sun shone through the hole in the cursor. This cast a ray of light onto the hour ring and showed him the time. At night there was no Sun available to aid readings. The 'nocturnal' enabled sailors to overcome this problem. This instrument could instead be used by viewing the Great Bear and Little Bear star constellations through its centre and adjusting a number of dials to the appropriate positions. #SUBHEADING# Mechanical Inventions #SUBHEADINGEND# From the 18th century, the invention of mechanical clocks began to take over from more manual aids. These gave much more accurate readings and required less skill to read. A local joiner from Barton-upon-Humber, John Harrison, was the first person to make a clock which could cope with the movement, bad weather conditions and changing time zones at sea. He did this in the early 18th century and it was a breakthrough for sailors. For the first time ever they could calculate their longitude (their position East or West on the Earth).


Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple

#SUBHEADING#William Roberts the artist#SUBHEADINGEND# William Roberts was an interesting, talented and reclusive artist; a shy retiring man who was at the centre of major art movements of his time and a friendly associate of Lawrence of Arabia. An eccentric figure obsessed with routine, yet forthcoming in defending himself from criticism. As William Roberts developed as an artist he retreated from society and always seemed to be an observer, never a participant. The cartoonish nature of his images and characters can sometimes contradict the seriousness of the subject matter and the artist himself. He led a quiet life with his wife and son; his working life lasted almost 70 years from c.1910 - 1980. He was still working when he was over 80 years old. His work celebrated life of ordinary human beings, home, work, play and war. Also portraits, satires, and works inspired by religion and mythology. He was a highly original artist. William Roberts was born shortly before the start of the Boer War, 5th June 1895, in Hackney in London. His father, Edward, was a carpenter. William showed a great talent at an early age. During the war he continued to draw, as and when he could, sending pictures back to friends and colleagues to sell, including (brother-in-law) Jacob Kramer and (poet) Ezra Pound. In later years Robert's artistic approach was a more figurative one, and in the 1920s when this painting was done, he evolved his own distinctive style of tubular shaped people arrayed in rhythmic patterns. #SUBHEADING#The Painting#SUBHEADINGEND# Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple within 7 Deadly Sins exhibition thought-provoking subject matter. It depicts the beardless Christ confronting Avarice yet at the same time displaying anger himself. Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple is typical plain with a simple back-drop for solid sculptural figures. In Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple, William Roberts arranged the elements in the picture in strict vertical lines. Figures echoed in columns, Christ central without a beard. However, WR was to finally be accepted and his recognition by the Royal Academy meant a lot to him. In 1958 he became an Associate of the Royal Academy, getting accepted through the casting vote of the President. In 1966 he became a full member of the Royal Academy, finally accepted within the artistic establishment. #SUBHEADING#Laurence of Arabia#SUBHEADINGEND# Lawrence of Arabia was a big fan of William Roberts portraiture. His patronage provided a much needed financial boost to William Roberts during this period. Lawrence allowed the Roberts family to holiday at his cottage at Clouds Hill, in Devon. There were annual visits up until Laurence's death in 1935. Sometimes Laurence would visit them there, including his last year when he arrived on his motorbike (to be fatal) and leant books to John Roberts. #SUBHEADING#End of his Life#SUBHEADINGEND# William Robert's died quite suddenly on 20th January 1980, the year the Ferens Art Gallery purchased the painting. The artist worked until the end, the last day of his life he left on his drawing board a sketch of the donkey rides at a fair on Hampstead Heath, London.


Detail of heart-shaped pin cushion (image/jpeg) Decorated with Love

#SUBHEADING#Love Tokens#SUBHEADINGEND# Love tokens were a way of letting someone know your intentions without saying the words out loud. Love tokens were usually hand made and simple in design but highly decorative. During the 18th and 19th century coins were used as love tokens. They were handmade by suitors who gave them to their sweethearts. Poorer working class young men made their tokens from copper coins; wealthy young men used silver or even a gold coin. #IMAGE# Love tokens sometimes consisted of a coin which had been worn away on both sides by a young man. The blank discs were then engraved with the man's name or his sweethearts name with decoration such as hearts and bows and arrows. These love tokens were made by often illiterate unskilled men so it's remarkable how decorative they were. They are found often by metal detectors but whether they were lost of thrown away by the lady it is uncertain. #SUBHEADING#Pin Cushion#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# This heart shaped decorative pin cushion, marked 'East Yorkshire Regiment XV, battle honours in surrounding wreath at Wilberforce museum. The cushion had been sent by a soldier in the First World War to his sweetheart. The cushion consists of a copper coloured border, blue pins, and pink ribbons with printed sayings, pink rose border and blue back. #SUBHEADING#Romance and Scrimshaw#SUBHEADINGEND# Scrimshaw is the creation of handiwork by whalers made from the by products of harvesting marine mammals. It is generally made out of bone and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. It takes the form of elaborate carving in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engravings highlighted using a pigment of lamp black or India ink.The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships around 1817 to 1824 and survived until the ban on commercial whaling. Hull seamen used Baleen and walrus tusks. They were lovingly carved with suitable pictures and words of endearments for their wives or sweethearts. The museum collections include two snuff boxes made from horn and cedar wood with romantic inscriptions including 'either love mee or love mee not'. whilst a second bearing the date of 1712 says 'Lend mee not if you love mee'. #SUBHEADING#Knitting Sheaths and love#SUBHEADINGEND# Knitting sheaths were given as love tokens in the same way as welsh spoons. Some were elaborately carved by a suitor and given to his sweetheart. The knitting sheaths did serve a practical purpose and would be worn on the right side of the body at an angle. In the sheath would be placed the end of the knitting needle, leaving the left hand to work the yarn on the other needle.#IMAGE#The sheath was supposed to hold the weight of the wool, thus preventing the hooks from falling of the end of the knitting needles.The collections include two knitting sheaths featuring hearts in-laid in the wooden handle. One of the sheaths even has a scroll curled end in the shape of a heart with a small 'window' in which a love message could be written on paper and inserted.


Eileen

Redpath graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1919. She spent fifteen years living in France where she painted very little. Her reputation as an artist developed much later in life. Following her return to Scotland in 1934 she quickly became a prominent figure within the Scottish, and later the British art scene, exhibiting regularly and being elected to an increasing number of distinguished art societies. She was the first woman painter to become a full member of the Royal Scottish Academy. Redpath was renowned for her loose handling of paint as demonstrated in this portrait. Her interests as a colourist were also significant and were reflected in the many bright and vivid landscapes and still-lifes she produced. Eileen is, by contrast, a more subdued work. The picture is dominated by the curves of the chair and table coupled with the bold pattern of the dress. The usually important parts of a portrait, like the hands and face, are blurred to create an air of calm that surrounds the young woman. The sitter is Mrs Mitchie, who was Redpath's daughter-in-law.


The Deposition

Ribot was a painter of genre and history scenes, portraits and still lifes and an accomplished watercolourist. Following the death of his father he moved to Paris, and later spent three years in England. He then returned to Paris where he made copies from the work of Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), one of the most important pre-Revolutionary French painters. He won several medals for his work and was admired by a wide public, particularly for his religious paintings. The Deposition shows the Virgin Mary grieving for Christ after his removal from the cross. In its sombre tones and the earthy realism of the figures it reflects Ribot's admiration for the work of Gustave Courbet (1819-77) and the influential Spaniard Diego Velazquez (1599-1660). The strong triangular composition is an artistic convention for the depiction of the Virgin and Christ after his death. The title given to such representation is 'the Pieta'. At his death Christ becomes 'The Body of Christ', and it is the physical nature of his passing that Ribot's figures emphasise, whilst the lighted faces of the Virgin and Christ allude to the spiritual.


Priest Carrying the Blessed Sacrament

Nicknamed the Scottish Canaletto, Roberts was a prolific painter and inveterate traveller, visiting Spain, Tangier and the Holy Land. His early beginnings as a theatrical scenery painter helped him render the dramatic nature of the ancient monuments and religious sites he visited abroad. His pictures reflect a growing religiosity in England : anything with Biblical or religious associations was received favourably in mid-19th century Britain, as were oriental themes. This painting was originally catalogued as 'Eastern Scene' but has since been renamed Priest Carrying the Blessed Sacrament, as it is thought to represent the ceremonial procession prior to the celebration of the Eucharist.


La Belle Jaune Giroflée

Emma was the daughter of Norwich artist, Anthony Sandys (pronounced 'Sands') and the sister of the better known Pre-Raphaelite related artist, Frederick Sandys (1829-1904). Her father was responsible for her early training as an artist but it is the work of her brother who influenced her most in terms of style, subject matter and a highly finished technique. In also sharing Frederick's props and frames, much of Emma's work has often been mistaken for her brother's. It is only recently that her work has started gaining more recognition. La Belle Jaune Giroflée is typical of Sandys' work. She painted mostly half-length decorative portraits of women in oil or chalk. Like so many aesthetic paintings of the time, this work has colour as a central theme. The warm yellows and oranges of the background flowers lead the eye to the rich amber of the necklace. It was common for Frederick to add flowers as a decorative scheme in the background of his portraits, a practice which Emma would have been inspired by. For most of this century, La Belle Jaune Giroflée was presumed to be by Frederick rather than Emma Sandys, partly due to the frame, which was originally designed for her brother. Giroflée is the French name for stock, or gilly flower, but these are not the flowers depicted in this picture. Girofle (without the accent), however, is the clove plant, which may be an allusion to clove-scented plants that the flowers and foliage in the picture do resemble. It is more likely that the reading of the title takes the old French meaning of the word, carnation, used by artists to symbolise of loss or sorrow and therefore befitting the wistful gaze of Sandys' subject. Frederick Sandys' drawing, The Tangled Skein, is in the collection of the Ferens Art Gallery.


Kate Reclining

De Sausmarez was best known as a portrait painter, who exhibited at the Royal Academy, and elsewhere. He was Head of the Fine Art department at Leeds University in the 1950s, and was a friend and teacher of Bridget Riley (b.1931) in the 1960s. In a letter to the Ferens of 1953 De Sausmarez refers to this work as 'certainly the best example of my work during the 1950-52 period'. The sitter is the artist's wife, shown in a formal, almost classical pose. Although the handling of the paint is rather broad, it also has a certain formality, as the brush-strokes are applied quite deliberately, each one helping to define the structure of the form. The painting shows traces of Sickert's (1860-1942) long-lasting influence.


The Diana stuck in the ice (image/jpeg) The Diana

#SUBHEADING#Hull's last whaler and its Arctic adversity#SUBHEADINGEND# By the late nineteenth century there were few Hull whaling ships left. The Crimean War had driven oil and bone prices sky high it was seen as a good (and last) opportunity to resurrect the whaling trade. The Diana was one such whaling ship. She was a 350 ton German-built vessel captained by John Graville. #SUBHEADING#Diana heads North#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# In May 1866 despite a recent fruitless voyage the Diana, re-provisioned, left again in the hope of finding bountiful waters. The ship headed north and although they caught a small number of whales, the dense ice and whale shortage led Captain Graville and his crew to begin their homeward journey. Gales and thick ice hampered their journey throughout and preparations were often made for abandoning the ship. In August they came across the whale ship Intrepid and its Captain explained that the homeward journey was proving difficult and that they were changing their course. Though the Captains agreed to journey together the Intrepid pulled away into clear waters leaving Diana to cope with harsh winds and dangerous ice floes. The crew's hopes were continually raised and dashed with conditions improving only to worsen soon after. Food was rationed as the seriousness of their situation became increasingly obvious. Fuel was also in short supply and so parts of barrels, upper masts and seal clubs and any other sources of wood were used. #SUBHEADING#Into the Ice pack#SUBHEADINGEND# In September the decision was made to take the ship into the ice pack and trust that the Atlantic drift would take them southwards. By the end of October they passed land known to have a settlement but their efforts to hoist flares went un-noticed. In December the crew removed everything that could be moved from the badly damaged ship and laid it out on the ice. Spare materials were used to erect tents and make the unbearable conditions as comfortable as possible. However, the exhausting process of moving everything was to be repeated whenever ice broke around the ship. #IMAGE# Despite their circumstances the crew celebrated Christmas with small portions of plum duff, meat and biscuits which had been saved for the festivities. Unfortunately, the raised spirits were short lived as on Boxing Day Captain Graville died at the age of sixty four. Sadly there were more deaths to follow that of the captain's. #SUBHEADING#Drifting Southwards#SUBHEADINGEND# Gradually the ship drifted southwards, as the crew had hoped. The waters cleared of ice and by early March sails could be set. This was not to say that it was plain sailing by any means. The ship was regularly battered by loose lumps of ice and the crew were deteriorating quickly. Finally, on the evening of the 1st April 1867 the crew had their first sighting of the west coast of Shetland and the next day arrived into Ronas Voe. In total thirteen of the Diana's crew died, eight (including the Captain) passed away on deck and the others died soon after their arrival. The Diana's disastrous voyage signalled the end of Hull's whaling industry.


The First Born, 1913

This immensely popular painting attracts numerous enquiries from people all over Britain. The 'first born' of the picture was one week old Muriel Thompson (now Holtby), the daughter of a Beverley police constable. The mother was a Mrs Utteridge and the figure of the father a Mr Constable, who tragically died before Elwell had painted the father's loving gaze. He frequently used local people as models to suggest an ideal or type; here, in a romanticised picture of married life, the 'ideal' mother, doting father and 'perfect' baby. Elwell studied art in Antwerp and Paris. Amongst his contemporaries were the many British artists who were at that time exploring their own reactions to French art, such as those of the Newlyn School. The warm, dappled light that illuminates 'The First Born' reveals Elwell's own brand of English Impressionism. Overall, however, his realistic, technically skilled style remained constant throughout his career, during which he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy. In many ways his works continue the kind of realism combined with idealisation that is typical of late Victorian narrative genre painting.


Hull Museums - events

Hull Museums has a comprehensive programme of events and activities through-out the year ....

Click on the name of the museum to see a list of events there:

- Ferens Art Gallery

- Guildhall

- Hull and East Riding Museum

- Hands on History

- Maritime Museum

- Streetlife Museum

- Wilberforce House Museum

- Learning Centre

 

Whilst every effort is made to keep this information correct - Hull City Council cannot accept responsibility for any errors, omissions, alterations or cancellations, which occur.As details of all events can change at short notice, it is advisable to check with the organisers that the event is going ahead before attending. Telephone numbers are given where possible on the event details page.


badge detail (image/jpeg) The East Yorkshire Regiment: From the West Indies to the Western Front

#SUBHEADING# Raising a Regiment #SUBHEADINGEND# The East Yorkshire Regiment was formed on the 22 June 1685 and took part in the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Malpaquet, and Oudenarde before fighting in the American War of Independence from 1776 to 1778. #IMAGE#It was at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777 that they gained their nickname 'The Snappers' - men snapped small powder charges to confuse the enemy into thinking they had more ammunition than they actually had, helping them win the battle. Over the next 100 years the Regiment served in the West Indies; holding off the French from Martinique and Guadeloupe, saw action in the Afghan War and suffered many casualties in the Boer War. With the outbreak of the First World War the Regiment grew to 19 battalions including four 'Pals Battalions'. The Regiment won four VC's and many other decorations. At the end of war in 1918 some of the battalions served in Iraq, India and North China and in 1935 the Regiment was granted the title of 'The Duke of Yorks Own'. With the outbreak of the Second World War battalions served in France, the Middle East and Sicily. The 2nd and 5th battalions took part in the initial assault on the Normandy beaches where they made up a third of the total British Force in the first assault wave. 65 men were killed and 141 men were wounded on that first day. The Regiment were also involved in the final advance to Burma prior to the Japanese surrender in August 1945. The Regiment was combined with the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1958. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING# Pals battalions #SUBHEADINGEND# At the outbreak of the First World War Lord Kitchener was faced with the task of encouraging men to join the British Army. Sir Henry Rawlinson suggested that more men would enlist if they knew that would be serving with someone that they knew. With the promise that men could serve with their friends and work colleagues a battalion was formed in London with over 1,500 men. The success of this led to battalions forming in Liverpool and Derby. It was in Derby that the term a 'battalion of pals' was first used. Towns and cities all over Britain were then encouraged to organise recruitment campaigns that promised men that they could serve with people they knew and during the next month over fifty towns in Britain formed pals battalions. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING# Hull Pals #SUBHEADINGEND# The first Hull Pals battalion was formed on the 29th August 1914 at Wenlock Barracks and formed part of the East Yorkshire Regiment. Within three months Hull had four 'pals' battalions. All 'pals' battalions had their own nickname. The 10th (Service) battalion called themselves the Hull Commercials. The three battalions that followed were called the Hull Tradesmen (11th (Service) battalion), the Hull Sportsmen (12th (Service) battalion) and the T'Others (13th (Service) battalion). The Hull Pals also won two Victoria Crosses in the First World War. They were awarded to Pte John Cunningham of the Hull Sportsmen battalion on the 13th November 1916 for his heroic actions in the Battle of the Somme and 2nd Lt. John Harrison of the Hull Tradesmen in Oppy, France on the 3 May 1917. 2nd Lt. John Harrison was tragically killed in the assault that led to his award. His wife Lillian was presented with his Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace by King George V in 1918. Further reading http://www.yorkshirevolunteers.org.uk/pwo.htm


Roman oil lamp, Eastern Mediterranean

This unusual looking item is a Roman oil lamp. They were decorated in many different ways. They were filled with olive oil. A wick was then put into the hole at the front and lit. A small flame created the light and slowly burned the oil in the lamp. Oil lamps weren't used as much in Britain as elsewhere. Olive oil was very expensive because it wasn't made here. Being so far from Rome sometimes left us in the dark. This lamp was found in the Eastern Mediterranean area. Oil lamps have a long history in the Mediterranean region. Ceramic lamps were used around the Mediterranean from 2000 B.C through to the Middle Ages. Olive oil was the usual fuel for oil lamps and this was imported in amphoras by boat. The imported oil was expensive and burning it was a luxury. Fewer lamps are found in Britain because oil was so expensive and difficult to get hold of. In the 3rd century disorder in Spain cut the supply of olive oil to Britain. Oil lamps were one of the most common household items in the Roman empire. Lamps could be made out of stone, shell or other materials. Lamps could be decorated with almost any scene, including gods, animals and patterns. The lamp used a wick made from linen or papyrus. This was inserted into the body of the lamp. The end of the wick rested in the nozzle. The oil was then poured into the lamp. The wick was lit and a small flame burnt at the end it with the oil constantly refuelling it. Lamps were also buried in tombs and graves along with other items. They could also be used as offerings to the gods.


Roman Oil Lamp from the Eastern Mediterranean

This unusual looking item is a Roman oil lamp. They were decorated in many different ways but we can only imagine why this was made like a foot.

Oil lamps were filled with olive oil. A wick was then put into the hole at the front and lit. A small flame created the light and slowly burned the oil in the lamp. Oil lamps weren't used as much in Britain as elsewhere as olive oil was very expensive.

This lamp was found in the Eastern Mediterranean area. Oil lamps have a long history in the Mediterranean region. Ceramic lamps were used around the Mediterranean from 2000 B.C. through to the Middle Ages.

Olive oil was the usual fuel for oil lamps and this was imported in amphoras by boat. The imported oil was expensive and burning it was a luxury. Fewer lamps are found in Britain because oil was so expensive and difficult to get hold of. In the 3rd century disorder in Spain cut the supply of olive oil to Britain.

Oil lamps were one of the most common household items in the Roman empire. Lamps could be made out of stone and other materials. Lamps could be decorated with almost any scene, including gods, animals and patterns.

The lamp used a wick made from linen or papyrus. This was inserted into the body of the lamp. The end of the wick rested in the nozzle. The oil was then poured into the lamp. The wick was lit and a small flame burnt at the end it with the oil constantly refuelling it.

Lamps were also buried in tombs and graves along with other items. They could also be used as offerings to the gods.


Cup and saucer, probably made in Hull, 1857

In 1857 Martin Samuelson set up a shipyard at the mouth of the river Hull. This cup may have been made to celebrate this. The SS Lord Cardigan was made by Samuelson’s and launched in their first year.

Hull has a long tradition of ship building. One of the major shipbuilders in Victorian times was Samuelson’s. They were based at ‘Sammy’s Point’ which is where the Deep is today.

The saucer is inscribed, 'Martin Samuelson, February, 1857'.

In 1857 Martin Samuelson set up a shipyard at the mouth of the river Hull. This was on the east bank, the former site of the Hull Citadel. On one memorable day, 29th October 1863, four vessels were launched by Samuelson’s. These were the Countess of Ripon, her sister ship Lighting, the Earl de Grey and Ripon and steam tug, Solferino.

As a result of financial problems, Samuelson’s shipyard closed but reopened in 1864 as Humber Ironworks. However, Humber Ironworks failed two years later.

On 21st April 1865, Isabella Simpson, stewardess of the SS Lord Cardigan, was fined £100 and 27s 6d costs. This was for smuggling 20 lbs of tobacco, 14 oz of cigars and a pound of tea. In default of payment, she was sent to Lincoln Castle during Her Majesty´s pleasure.

The SS in SS Lord Cardigan stands for ‘steam ship’.

Lord Cardigan, who this ship was named after, commanded the charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, 1854.


detail from Swastika mosaic (image/jpeg) The Rudston Swastika Mosaic

This remarkably complete mosaic is known as the Swastika or Geometric Mosaic and was found in 1933 at the Roman villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire. It came from the central room of the same house as the Venus and Aquatic Mosaics which are also displayed at the Hull and East Riding Museum. The mosaic measures 2.75m square and dates to the later 3rd century AD, the same date as the Venus Mosaic. #SUBHEADING#Swastikas and Endless Knots#SUBHEADINGEND# The central motif consists of four 'swastika-peltae', each made up of four peltae arranged in the form of a swastika around a central endless knot. The swastika theme is continued in the meander around the edge, executed in blue and white tesserae. The swastika is an ancient symbol, long pre-dating its use in Nazi Germany. #SUBHEADING#Oops!#SUBHEADINGEND# Look closely at the red triangles that border the inner edge of the central square. The top and the right-hand side are bigger than the other sides. This suggests that the fringe was composed by two craftsmen starting together at the bottom right and working round to the top left corner. The probably weren't too happy when they realised that the two halves didn't match! #SUBHEADING#And Again!#SUBHEADINGEND# At first glance the meander pattern around the edge looks symmetrical but take another look... It's not quite right! But don't be too scathing, this sort of pattern must have been incredibly difficult to pull off!


tile detail (image/jpeg) Dutch Tin Glazed Tiles

The museum collections include many tin-glazed tiles made in Holland in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries. The tin glaze made the tile's surface opaque white, very hard, shiny and waterproof. The process was first used on ceramics in the Middle East from around 1000 BC. Knowledge of it spread from North Africa and into Europe via Spain and reached Holland by the fifteenth century. #SUBHEADING#Decorating the Tile#SUBHEADINGEND# The decoration was painted into the powdery glaze on the tile surface before it was fired. This sank into the glaze in the kiln and so is termed 'in-glaze' decoration. Dutch tiles and other ceramics that were made in this way were often hand painted with blue designs and are often known as 'blue and white'. Blue and white ceramics were first made to imitate costly Chinese blue and white porcelain that were being shipped to Europe by the East India Company in the seventeenth century. It was most successfully imitated in the Dutch town of Delft and so it became known as 'Dutch Delft'. #SUBHEADING#Subjects#SUBHEADINGEND# Landscapes were a popular subject for tiles with the simple sketch scenes providing a glimpse of the rural landscape of Holland of the time. Many tiles have stylised corner patterns that are called 'ox-head' motifs. Boats or ships on water were also popular designs whilst others featured natural images such as flowers, animals and birds including some mythical creatures. Simple, sketchy motifs were often used but sometimes more complex images with more detail were produced. The workers who painted the tiles were not accomplished artists. They often copied or based their paintings on works that had been produced by well-known artists. They often used a method called 'pouncing' to make an outline of the design on the tile which could be used as a guide. This involved using a piece of paper that had the outline of the design pricked into it. This paper was laid on the tile and struck with a bag containing powdered charcoal, which transferred the outline to the tile. #SUBHEADING#Colours that were used#SUBHEADINGEND# Many tin-glazed tiles were painted with colours other than blue, tiles featuring multiple colours are usually referred to as 'polychrome' tiles. During the eighteenth century, some tiles were painted using a manganese oxide which produced a purple-coloured design. This tile depicts the Biblical scene of Christ being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. Biblical scenes from both Old and New Testaments were popular subjects. #SUBHEADING#Tile Production #SUBHEADINGEND# Rotterdam was one of the main centres for tile production, making millions of tiles. Dutch tiles were imported in great numbers through English ports including Hull. As well as these imports, tiles influenced by the Dutch style were also produced in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, especially in Bristol, London, Liverpool and Glasgow often as result of Dutch potters moving to England. The tiles and other ceramics that were made are known as 'delftware', spelt with a lowercase letter 'd'.


Portrait of Andrew Marvell (image/jpeg) Andrew Marvell (part 1)

Andrew Marvell is known as a great poet and politician of his time. Locally he is viewed as a prominent historical figure and his most famous poem, 'To His Coy Mistress' has been hailed as one of the most searching seductive poems in the English language. Andrew Marvell himself still remains something of a mystery with surviving letters and contemporary references reveal little of his personality. He was friends with Royalists yet held Puritan views. His political affiliations also appeared to be contradictory as he served as MP for Hull under both Thomas Crowell and King Charles II. #SUBHEADING#Early Days#SUBHEADINGEND# Andrew Marvell was born in Winestead, near Hull in March 1621 with his father, also named Andrew, was a curate. The family including Marvell's three sisters, Anne, Mary and Elizabeth moved to Hull when Andrew Marvell Snr was appointed Master of the Charterhouse and Lecturer at Holy Trinity Church in Hull. Although there is no documentary evidence, Marvell would most certainly have attended Hull Grammar school, where he would have learnt Latin. School days in the 17th Century were much longer than today. Lessons normally began around 6am, with a two hour break from 11-1, and finishing around 5 or 6 in the evening. #SUBHEADING#Church career abandoned#SUBHEADINGEND# At the age of 12 Marvell went to Trinity College Cambridge and was awarded a BA at the age of eighteen. It is thought that he intended to follow in his father's footsteps with a career in the church. However, in 1641 Marvell left Cambridge following the death of his father in a boating accident whilst crossing the River Humber to Barton. The death of his father forced Marvell to make his own living and he did so by becoming a tutor to young gentleman taking the Grand Tour in Europe and learnt four languages. The position of a tutor was not a prestigious one, (comparable with the position of governess in Victorian times) and he remained a tutor well into his thirties. #SUBHEADING#Civil War#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell's time abroad coincided with the un-rest during the Civil War especially after King Charles I was denied entry in to the city of Hull in 1642. When he returned to Hull in the late 1640s he became tutor to Mary Fairfax, the sole daughter and heir of Lord Fairfax, who was Commander of Cromwell's New Model Army until 1650. After a few years he left to become tutor to William Dutton, protégé and ward of Oliver Cromwell. In 1657 he was appointed to assist Milton in the post of Latin Secretary of State. #SUBHEADING#Poetry#SUBHEADINGEND# Although Marvell had begun writing poetry whilst at Cambridge, it was during his time as tutor that he wrote some of his most famous poetry, including To his Coy Mistress. He also wrote a poem to celebrate the first anniversary of the government under Oliver Cromwell in 1654. He used Lord Fairfax's house as inspiration to write Upon Appleton house, The Garden and the Mower Poems.


Portrait of Andrew Marvell (image/jpeg) Andrew Marvell (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#A conscientious MP#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell was a very professional MP for Hull and was continually corresponding with constituents and local businesses and campaigned on behalf of Hull Corporation in matters of wine licenses, excise and the discouragement of foreign shipping. #SUBHEADING#Parliamentarian or Royalist?#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell's political loyalties are difficult to assess. After Cromwell's death in 1658 and the collapse of the Protectorate, Marvell was re-elected as MP for Hull under the restoration government and remained MP until his death in 1678. With both Parliamentarian and Royalist friends he wrote from both perspectives including his sensitive treatment of King Charles' Execution in 'Horatio Ode' and verses against the corruption of the monarchy. #SUBHEADING#Metaphysical poet#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell is often referred to as a metaphysical poet, meaning he used wit and unusual metaphors to make his point. His anonymous prose satires criticizing the Monarchy and Catholicism show that he was clearly adept at political manoeuvring and working with the current system, and he was instrumental in saving Milton from an extended jail sentence and possible execution after the restoration. #SUBHEADING#Controversial to the end#SUBHEADINGEND# Despite his poetry and his adept political life, we actually know very little about Marvell's personality or appearance. The only contemporary account describes him as "of middling stature, pretty strong set, roundish faced, cherry cheeked, [with] hazel eye[s]". Surprisingly for a poet, he was claimed to be a man of few words, but on the rare occasions he spoke out in Parliament he often spoke with violent emotion. He also had a fondness for wine, although preferred not to drink in company, but alone to "refresh his spirits and exalt his muse". #SUBHEADING#Mysterious death and financial controversy#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell died suddenly in August 1678 of tertiary ague, an erratic fever that would attack on alternate days. The suddenness of his death sparked suspicions that he had been poisoned by the Jesuits (one of the groups Marvell satirised in his prose), but as his work was published anonymously, this seems unlikely. A book of his poetry was published in 1681 by a Mary Palmer, who claimed to be his wife by secret marriage in 1667. She was actually his landlady attempting to prevent the small estate left by Marvell going to his business associates creditors. #SUBHEADING#Legacy#SUBHEADINGEND# Marvell's political career overshadowed his poetry for nearly 200 years. Apart from "The First Anniversary" (1655) to mark Cromwell's first year of rule, Marvell didn't publish any named works in his life time; and no poetry in his own hand survives. After his death, his poetic and literary style was going out of fashion, and it wasn't until the mid Victorian period that his work began to be read more widely, and not until the early 20th century that he was recognised as a great lyrical poet. In 1921 Hull celebrated the tercentenary of his birth with city wide celebrations, and Hull University published a book of essays on tercentenary of his death in 1979. A statue of Andrew Marvell can be found in Trinity Square, outside the Old Grammar School that he attended as a child.


detail from clothing ration book (image/jpeg) 1940s Fashion - Rationing and Making do

Rationing wasn't just for food. Many commodities, including clothes, petrol and household goods were rationed to ensure fair distribution of valuable and scarce resources. As with many items, cloth and raw materials couldn't be imported, so the amount of clothes people could buy had to be controlled by a rationing system, introduced in 1941. Each person was allowed 66 coupons per year (later reduced to 48), which added up to a complete outfit. However some essential items didn't require coupons, such as boiler suits, workers overalls and baby's clothes under four months old, and the sale of second hand clothes was permitted. Sewing thread and mending wool were also un-rationed, and women were urged to take their old clothes or recently bought second hand ones, and alter them to fashion new ones. Clothes rationing continued until well after the war had ended in 1952. #SUBHEADING# "Make do and mend" #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Mrs Sew and Sew, a handy seamstress character created by the government, encouraged women to "Make do and mend" the items they already owned. Everything needed to be made to last as long as possible, and there was no excuse for being wasteful. It also encouraged women to be creative with their dressmaking for the family. Old bedspreads could be made into coats, two worn dresses could be pieced together to make a new one, and men's old suits and trousers could be made into a woman or child's outfit. Some women were very creative, and used unconventional materials such as making hats from newspapers. Others, who were fortunate enough to get their hands on the remains of a silk parachute, could make underwear, nightwear and even wedding dresses from the material. Handy leaflets gave advice on how to take care of woollens, how to get the best wear from your shoes and how to cover unsightly holes with decorative patches. The principle of minimising waste was a campaign that was extended into other areas of government campaigns as well. With everything in shortage, it was important to ensure everything was used to its full potential in support of the population's morale and collective war effort.


Sir James Reckitt

#SUBHEADING#The Paternalist Philanthropist#SUBHEADINGEND# James Reckitt, the youngest son of Isaac is best known in Hull through his legacy of charitable causes and gifts to the people of the city. He had a very strong social conscience, and devoted much of his time, energy and if necessary personal capital to improving quality of life for the residents of Hull. He headed the campaign for free provision of public libraries in Hull, and when the local authorities failed to provide one he financed the purchase of one himself on Holderness Road in Hull. He assisted in setting up Hull's Royal Infirmary and was a chairman from 1900 until his death in 1924. In 1894, he was offered, and reluctantly accepted a Baronetcy. #SUBHEADING#A village for his workers#SUBHEADINGEND# James Reckitt's most substantial gift to his workers was the creation of Garden Village. He provided £100,000 for the provision of 600 purpose built houses with gardens located close to the factories. The idea was to provide healthy and comfortable domestic arrangements in a village like community. The provision of space, a village hall for religious services and public events, and garden areas were considered to provide health and happiness for his workers, which would naturally make them more content and therefore productive. They were also provided at much lower cost then less adequate housing without garden space in the rest if the city. #SUBHEADING#Special provision for the elderly#SUBHEADINGEND# Within the village were three lots of almshouses donated at various times by different members of the Reckitts family. The James Reckitt Village Haven, the last to be created in 1924 and donated on his 90th birthday, consisted of 12 houses which were specially designed to provide ultimate comfort and minimum housework possible. Priority was given to elderly Quakers and ex-employees of the company, who were charged no rent, and were given small weekly allowances supplemented by extra gifts such as bags of coal. #SUBHEADING#Garden Village today#SUBHEADINGEND# Garden Village still exists today, although the share holders sold the village to the Bradford Property Trust in 1950, who then sold-off the houses to tenants as the years progressed. As transport became cheaper and the use of the motor car more widely available, it became less important to live conveniently close to work. The Garden Village is a conservation area, and in 1994 all the James Reckitts Almshouses were given listed building status.


detail of boneshaker bicycle (image/jpeg) The Boneshaker Bicycle

It was two French brothers, Ernest and Pierre Micheaux in 1861 who first thought of fixing cranks and pedals to the front of an old hobby horse bicycle. This made it faster and less strenuous to ride. The earliest Velocipedes as they were called had horizontal frames, like the hobby horse, but later machines used downwards curving frames joined to the rear axle. On both types the seat was mounted on a separate wooden or metal spring. This made the seat more comfortable but the wooden wheels and iron rims still caused the handlebars to shake, hence the name 'boneshaker'. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Weights#SUBHEADINGEND# Boneshaker's had an average weight of just 60 pounds and was capable of eight miles per hour but riding them was not easy. Mounting was a problem, early manuals advised running alongside and vaulting into the saddle. The size of the front wheel made the pedal action unpleasantly fast; to keep them on a straight course the rider had to resist the sideways movement of the front wheel as he pressed down on the pedals. They were around $100 to buy so unaffordable for the working classes. #SUBHEADING#Improvements#SUBHEADINGEND# Some improvements were made during the years 1868-1870, fitting a step to the frame made mounting and dismounting easier, it also made the machine faster by allowing riders to use models with larger front wheels. Machines like the Phantom brought advances in lighter frame design, the use of rubber on the wheel rims and wheel suspension with wire spokes. This invention was the key to the next stage of cycle development. #IMAGE#


The Hull Tapestry, Made by the Hull Tapestry Group, 1991-2007

This is one panel from a tapestry that took 16 years to make. The complete tapestry has 19 panels and shows the history of Hull. The Hull Tapestry Group is a group of volunteers who made the Hull Tapestry. Their ages range from 25 to 80 years old. Over twenty different types of stitch have been used on the panels, some with unusual names. These include the tent stitch, the cross stitch, the diagonal Parisian and the encroaching Gobelin. The designer of the Hull Tapestry is Pat Mackrill. In 1953, as a young artist called Patricia Field, she also completed two murals for the Guildhall which can still be seen near the silver cases. The subjects for the nineteen panels are as follows: The Monks of Meaux, Charles I at the Beverley Gate, Hull Fair and Markets, Education, Art, Music and Literature, Fishing Fleet, Shipping, Whaling, Trinity House, Dock Development, William Wilberforce, Amy Johnson, Andrew Marvell, Industry, Public Health, The Blitz, Transport, New Buildings, The City Insignia,


whaling weapon detail (image/jpeg) Whaling Weapons

Catching whales was difficult and dangerous work. Getting close enough to the whale to get a line attached and then kill it was continually hampered by rough weather and fighting whales that would often dive below the ice to escape. As a result the whalers came to rely on the effectiveness and efficiency of their weapons. These weapons varied from hand held weapons to explosive devices. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Hand harpoons#SUBHEADINGEND# The function of the harpoon is simply to fasten a line to the whale. The British 'iron' had two barbs each with a small reverse barb or 'stop wither'. The withers catch hold of the muscle fibres and tendons of the whale and prevent the harpoon from dragging out. Experiments with new types of gun common place but projecting a gun harpoon so that it entered the whale as nearly vertically as possible was problematic as a result the hand harpoon remained a popular weapon and was in use throughout the entire era of commercial open boat whaling. The Temple Iron became a popular harpoon with whalers. It was adapted by Lewis Temple, an American, in 1848. It was a simple design whereby a small wooden pin fastened a hinged barb to the harpoon, when the harpoon is drawn out of the whale the pin breaks and then the hinged barb swings outwards to hold fast. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Harpoon gun#SUBHEADINGEND# The harpoon gun was first invented in 1731 but was not widely used until the nineteenth century. A gun harpoon was inserted into the barrel of the gun and once fired into the whale would serve the same purpose as the hand harpoon. Harpoons were often 'tagged' so that the identity of any particular harpoon could be verified in case the ownership of any whale was disputed. Usually harpoons were stamped with the name of the ship to which it belonged and often marked with the date. #SUBHEADING#Lances#SUBHEADINGEND# The lances were thrust into the whale's vital organs; a spout of blood form the blow hole would usually indicate the impending death of the animal. #SUBHEADING#Whaling crossbow#SUBHEADINGEND# The whaling crossbow was an enlarged version of the medieval weapon and has a swivel so that it could be mounted in a whaleboat. The crossbow was used as an alternative method to the early harpoon gun and from 1768-1788 the Society of Arts offered rewards for an improved crossbow. One of these crossbows survived and is currently on display in the Hull Maritime Museum. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Bomb lance#SUBHEADINGEND# From the 1850's onwards shoulder guns were used to shoot bomb lances at the whales. The bomb lances were filled with explosives and would explode soon after entering the body of the whale. The Balchin bomb lance was fired from a swivel harpoon gun and was in use throughout the 1860's. It was made to be smaller in diameter to prevent it from sticking in the gun barrel. A cylinder containing a fuse match was inserted at the back of the lance and this was ignited when the main charge of the gun was fired. The match was designed to burn a certain length of time so that the lance explodes once it had hit the whale.


Roman glass bottle, Jerusalem, Israel, c.300-500 AD

Glass blowing is a process that involves blowing air into red hot glass. The Roman empire used glass blowing skills to make delicate luxury items such as this flask. The colourless body and green glass decoration mark it out as something special.

Glass is naturally a blue-green colour and has to have an extra process done to it to make it clear. This type of glass was reserved for special pieces like this.

This Roman glass flask was excavated in Jerusalem, Israel. It was collected by Arthur E. Hastings Crofts of Bradford. Crofts sold his collection of Roman glassware and pottery to Hull Museums in 1925.

Romans used glass flasks to drink from and to serve drinks at the table. Fine glass vessels were also given as grave goods. Most Roman glass vessels that have survived intact have been preserved in graves.

We will never know if this particular flask is from a grave. When an incendiary bomb hit the Municipal Museum during the Second World War, all the collection records were destroyed.

Glass was plentiful in the Roman era and a revolutionary method of making it was developed. In the first century BC people discovered that molten glass could be inflated into a huge variety of shapes.

Previously glass had been restricted to small luxury items made by a casting process. This was expensive and time consuming. Suddenly glass vessels were a cheap, practical and attractive alternative to pottery and metal containers. Mass-produced glass was born.

Glassblowing probably began in Syria and spread quickly throughout the Mediterranean region. Gradually it reached northern Europe. Many areas of the Roman Empire like Britain lacked the raw materials to make glass. To solve this problem broken glass was shipped all over the Empire to be re-melted and made in vessels. The system for collecting broken glass was similar to modern bottle banks.


Sailing Vessels Off the Coast

Having lived abroad for 27 years, Somerscales returned to England in 1892. At that time he was a totally unknown artist in this country but he was quick to attract lots of attention with his paintings. From 1893 until a few years prior to his death in 1927, Somerscales exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy. Sailing Vessels Off the Coast shows the artist's skill in depicting the masts and rigging of ships using a broad, painterly style ideal for capturing the movement of waves. The use of energetic and well defined brushmarks for painting the sky also creates a gusty atmosphere to the scene.


H.M.S. Clio, 1923

The wooden steam corvette H.M.S. Clio was built for the Royal Navy in 1858 at the Sheerness dockyard. She measured 200 x 40 feet at a total of 2,306 tons. She did not see much action, although she sailed around the world. In 1876, having already seen eighteen years of service, she was sold to the Border Country Training Ship Company of Bangor, Wales. Young trainee sailors would often take the Clio along the north coast of Wales down to the south Devon coast. In this painting, Somerscales skilfully captures the sense of a vessel being supported by a vast ocean with dark, translucent waves used to create depth. This sense of weight and volume is characteristic of much of Somerscale's work.


Off the Canaries (British Cruiser Auxiliary Steam)

Off the Canaries was probably painted on Somerscales' return journey back to England. He had been living abroad for almost thirty years having settled at Valparaiso in Chile. In 1890, just two years prior to the date of this painting, the death of his daughter Alice had seriously disturbed the family and in particular his other daughter, Sophia. This, coupled with the fact that his sons were reaching university age, led to the decision that they should return to his native country.


Deux Plans Virtuels, 1965

Text needs editing Soto is a Venezuelan artist who, in the 1950s, began a series of personal experiments to explore the relationships between shape, colour and sound. He took inspiration from the carefully planned, hard-edged abstraction of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). His early relief's comprised of highly organised bands of black and white, or another colour, which acquired visual 'life' through extremely simple but dazzling means. In 1955 he 'invented' his own type of kinetic sculpture, adding true movement to the equation. He developed this throughout the 1960s incorporating the thin, vibrating wands seen in the Ferens' piece, to give a subtle third dimension to his work. Soto played a prominent role in the Kinetic Art movement of the 1960s. Deux Plans Virtuels typifies much of Soto's work of this decade with its use of wiring and suspended forms, set against a striped background. In this piece he uses the striped background's special optical effects, in appearing to attack and partly dissolve the rods suspended in front of it. This 'visually jarring' effect is enhanced by both the movement of the rods and the viewer's own body. Venezuelan artist, Soto, played a prominent role in the Kinetic Art movement of the 1960s. His work at this time often used wires and other metallic elements as well as striped backgrounds. As with Deux Plans Virtuels, the effect of the striped background is strange in appearing to attack, and partly dissolve, the forms, placed in front of it. This 'visual jarring' effect is enhanced by any movement of the spectator's body or head. Influenced by the Russian Constructivists and the work of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) in particular, Soto shared their desire for a pure abstract art form. His work during the 1960s sought to be wholly independent of the natural world, and any references to it.


Cleopatra

Weekes started out as an assistant to the great early 19th century sculptor, Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841). He took over Chantrey's studio after his death and went on to become an established portrait and monumental sculptor, regularly exhibiting at the Royal Academy and at the British Institution. For many centuries Egypt has been a constant source of inspiration to British artists. The study of Egyptology increased during the 18th century as the result of important archaeological discoveries. In an age of expanding Empire the Victorians were fascinated by 'exotic' oriental cultures. The subject of Cleopatra - the Queen of Egypt, renowned for her beauty and intelligence - was a particular favourite.


Reclining Figure

Having served in the First World War for two years, Smith returned to London in 1919 wounded and shell-shocked. He led a reclusive existence in a Fitzroy Street attic before moving to Cornwall where he remained for two years in a state of nervous unease. From 1921 through to the early 1930s Smith divided his time between London and Paris. During this period he painted many nudes and is one of the few English painters to excel in this genre. Smith painted thickly and fluently, sometimes using his fingers. The combination of sensual form and colour, particularly in his nudes, has been compared with those of the French artist, Delacroix (1798-1863).


r38 postcard (image/jpeg) R.38 Airship: Disaster Over the Humber

#SUBHEADING# The Largest Airship in the World #SUBHEADINGEND# During the latter stages of the First World War a number of airships had been commissioned by the Government. The order for the R.38 was taken up by Short Brothers at Cardington in February 1919 and work started on what promised to be the largest airship in the world. However, with the end of the First World War England's economy slumped and the Treasury had to re-evaluate its spending. Naturally this led to problems with the construction of the R.38. (Other airship orders were cancelled and most of the existing airships were either sold off or broken up). Consequently, the order for the R.38 was cancelled and Short Brothers were compensated for the loss of the contract. #SUBHEADING# Construction Begins #SUBHEADINGEND# At the end of the war German airships were divided between the European allies as laid out in the Treaty of Versailles. The Americans decided that they wanted a large rigid airship and so the R.38 contract was offered to them in October 1919. For 2.5 million pounds the British agreed to build the R.38 and train its crew and officers. #IMAGE# The Americans agreed and a delivery date of 'late 1920' was arranged. Progress was slow on the construction of the ship and she was finally completed on the 7th June 1921. Because of this delay and the pressure to get her flying there was no chance to change her registration from R.38 to the American ZR2. Therefore, she flew with the US insignia markings on the outer cover and also her British registration R.38 on her first flight, the plan being to convert her to ZR2 when she reached Howden. #SUBHEADING# Disaster strikes #SUBHEADINGEND# Doubts about the airships strength arose after she sustained damage during the flight between Cardington and Howden but after her fourth trial flight the R.38/ZR2 was ready the fly to Pulham, Norfolk. On arrival at Pulham the R.38/ZR2 was unable to land as the airfield was obscured by fog and when the fog had not cleared by the next morning it was decided that they should return to Howden and carry out some more trials en route. #IMAGE# It was whilst carrying out this test flight over the Humber on the 24th August that disaster struck. The airship broke into two after the ship seemed to crumple in the middle. There were two explosions in the front section which caused the deaths of forty-four crew. Five members who had been in the tail section survived. Original reports suggested that the airship had structural weaknesses which caused the crash but the Board of Inquiry offered no technical opinions on the crash. The Americans were offered the R.36 as compensation but it was estimated that they lost almost two million dollars as a result of the disaster. There is a memorial in the Western cemetery on Spring Bank West, Hull, to commemorate all those who lost their lives. Further reading http://www.aht.ndirect.co.uk/airships/r38/


Dining chairs by Robert Wright, Bond Street, Hull, c.1810-1830

The decoratively carved back of this chair is called a ‘rope-twist back’. This is because the central piece of wood has been carved to look like a thick length of woven rope. At the time this chair was made, there were no machines to carve wood. Every part of the carving would have been done carefully by hand. This chair is part of a set of four matching dining chairs, which are all part of Hull Museums’ collection. There are probably many surviving pieces of Hull furniture that will never be identified. This is because most pieces were not marked with their maker’s name. This chair has the name ‘R. Wright’ punched underneath the seat frame. Robert Wright was one of many Hull furniture makers in the 1800s. It is difficult to find information about these makers because so few written records survive. Most of what we know comes from local trade directories. Trade directories were the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. Robert Wright is first mentioned in the 1791 Hull directory, when he was a joiner in Blanket Row. From around 1810 he was a cabinet maker at 20 Bond Street. From 1823-1831 he is listed in local directories at 38-39 Bond Street. This chair was made at one of Robert Wright’s Bond Street workshops. After 1831 Wright disappears from trade directories, which probably means that he had died. Like most other furniture workshops in the 1800s, Robert Wright’s workshop was probably a small family business. Small workshops had little capital and couldn’t afford to make much furniture for stock. Throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s every piece of furniture was made to order. Later in the 1800s more confident furniture makers made display pieces for their shop windows. Like many small furniture makers at the time, Robert Wright also practised other trades to make a living. Trade directory entries show that he was also an upholsterer and undertaker. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Chairs by Robert Wright, Bond Street, Hull, c.1810-1830

Most furniture made in Hull in the 1800s will never be identified. This is because pieces were not marked with their maker’s name. This chair is unusual because it has the maker’s name and address punched on its frame. The chair was made by Robert Wright, whose workshop was in Bond Street, Hull. The rich, dark wood used to make this chair is mahogany. Mahogany was brought to Hull by boat from South and Central America. Robert Wright was one of many Hull furniture makers in the 1800s. Most of what we know about these makers comes from local trade directories. Trade directories were the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. Robert Wright is first mentioned in the 1791 Hull directory when he was a joiner in Blanket Row. From around 1810 he was a cabinet maker at 20 Bond Street. From 1823-1831 he is listed in local directories at 38-39 Bond Street. After 1831 Wright disappears from local trade directories which probably means that he had died. Although this chair was made locally the mahogany used to make it came from thousands of miles away. Mahogany for making quality furniture had begun to be imported into London from Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras in the 1720s. It was difficult to buy mahogany in Hull with most consignments coming from London via the coastal trade. This changed in the 1770s with increasing demand for mahogany from local furniture makers. The demand encouraged Hull timber merchants to specialise in importing exotic hardwoods from South and Central America. These merchants traded mahogany throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire. They used the network of waterways flowing into the Humber to transport the wood. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Desk by Audas & Leggott, HUll, c.1880

One of Hull’s most important furniture makers made this solid mahogany desk in the late 1800s. The desk’s writing surface is padded with green leather, with a decorative gold pattern around the edge. Hull’s excellent trade links via its port meant that long before 1800 it was the regional centre for furniture making. Previously Beverley and York had been the local centres of furniture production. Many high quality pieces like this desk were made in Hull in the 1800s. Audas & Leggott was one of Hull’s most important furniture makers in the late 1800s. The firm operated from around 1860 to 1889. Audas & Leggott was established by Thomas Audas and George Leggott. The firm is first listed in trade directories (the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages) in 1861. The 1861 trade directory tells us that Audas & Leggott’s furniture was made in Naylors Row, Drypool. The firm’s show room was at 9 Paragon Street. Later, Audas & Leggott occupied further premises in Savile Street. From 1867-1889 the firm’s main address was 17 Paragon Street. From 1882 Audas & Leggott was described in trade directories as cabinet makers, designers, carvers and decorators. This shows that the firm had expanded to offer a range of services to customers. According to James Joseph Sheahan’s ‘History of Hull’ (1864), Audas & Leggott opened its Paragon Street show room in 1860. The building that became the show room had been built as a Christian temperance church. It then became a dancing saloon, with a very bad reputation. Sheahan was pleased that Audas & Leggott had taken over the building. The firm must have been well respected in Hull. Audas & Leggott’s status in Hull is also suggested by its commission to make a set of chairs for St Luke’s Church. The pine communion chairs were made before the consecration of the building in 1862. Unfortunately they no longer survive as the church was destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Chiffonier by Robert Wright, Bond Street, Hull, c.1830

The narrow shelf at the top of this cabinet would probably have been used to display precious pieces of china. The shelf has been made ornamental as well as practical, with decoratively carved wooden supports at either end. Hull was the regional centre for furniture making in the 1800s. Long before 1800 it overtook Beverley and York as a producer of good quality furniture. This was because Hull’s port made it easy for furniture makers to get timber from abroad. Robert Wright was one of many Hull furniture makers in the 1800s. It is difficult to find information about these makers because so few written records survive. Most of what we know comes from local trade directories. Trade directories were the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. Robert Wright is first mentioned in the 1791 Hull directory, when he was a joiner in Blanket Row. From around 1810 he was a cabinet maker at 20 Bond Street. From 1823-1831 he is listed in local directories at 38-39 Bond Street. This chair was made at one of Robert Wright’s Bond Street workshops. After 1831 Wright disappears from trade directories, which probably means that he had died. Like most other furniture workshops in the 1800s, Robert Wright’s workshop was probably a small family business. Small workshops had little capital and couldn’t afford to make much furniture for stock. Throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s every piece of furniture was made to order. Later in the 1800s more confident furniture makers made display pieces for their shop windows. Like many small furniture makers at the time, Robert Wright also practised other trades to make a living. Trade directory entries show that he was also an upholsterer and undertaker. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Silver skillet by James Birkby, Hull, 1650

This is a skillet which is an old fashioned name for a saucepan. Skillets are usually a rounded bowl on legs like this. This is quite a fancy, silver skillet. Some would have just been made in pot or ordinary metal.

This was made by Hull silversmith James Birkby. Birkby’s workshop was in Church Lane, near Holy Trinity Church. This was an area used by many silversmiths before him.

Many of Hull’s silversmiths were based in the same location on Church Lane, Which is now demolished. This was close to Market Place, near Holy Trinity Church. Eleven silversmiths are known to have worked at the Church Lane premises including James Birkby.

In 1645, silversmith Robert Robinson took on an apprentice called James Birkby. After serving his apprenticeship, Birkby bought his freedom in 1651 and established his own business in premises very close by. James Birkby died at the age of 32.

This is a plain circular silver skillet with a cover on three paw-feet. The side of the skillet is engraved with a coat of arms belonging to the Hawkesworth family. There is also an inscription in Latin:

‘Ex dono Walter Hawksworth, Jenero & Ecclaesia de Hawksworth in Comitat Yorkshire Ano Domi 1650’.

This was purchased from Christies in London in November 1994, with grant-aid from the Rupert Alec Smith Fund. The skillet belonged to William Randolph Hearst. It was taken from St. Donat’s Castle, Wales prior to being sold at Christies in 1938. It was then sold to Major Rex Benson and then again at Sotheby’s in 1944 to How of Edinburgh.


Pearlware Jug, c.1811

This jug shows a boxing match between Tom Molineaux and Tom Cribb in 1810. Molineaux had been a slave in America. He gained his freedom when he made a plantation owner lots of money through boxing.

Tom came to England to earn money as a boxer and to fight English champion Tom Cribb. They fought for 39 rounds until both men were exhausted. Molineaux collapsed and Cribb was declared the winner. Both fighters impressed the public and Molineaux became a celebrity.

Tom Molineaux was born in 1784 as a slave in Virginia. He was trained by his father Zachary Molineaux and boxed with other slaves as entertainment for the plantation owners. His own plantation owner won a hundred thousand dollars on Molineaux and then granted Tom his freedom.

In 1810 Tom worked his passage on board a ship to England hoping to earn money prize fighting. Boxing was one way in which black people could gain wealth and social status in Britain at that time.

In December 1810 Molineaux fought Tom Cribb the English champion. In the 28th round Molineaux appeared to have knocked out Cribb. However, some people argued that he had been hiding lead bullets in his fists. This was disproved but gave Cribb time to recover.

Molineaux later slipped and hit his head on one of the ring posts which weakened him. By the 39th round he was unable to defend himself any more and Cribb was declared the winner. A modern boxing match only lasts a maximum of 12 rounds of three minutes.

At a rematch a record 15,000 people watched the fight. Cribb had trained harder for this fight and Molineaux was eventually knocked out after his jaw had been broken.

Tom Molineaux still became something of a celebrity and gained admiration. However, he later died penniless in Dublin in 1818.


Anti-slavery vase, possibly by Coalport, Shropshire, c.1790-1820

The picture on this vase shows a woman being sold as a slave. The picture may be a scene from the legend of Inkle and Yarico. The story was about a woman being sold as a slave by the man she loved. It was a popular and well known story in Britain in the 1700s.

The vase was made to encourage support for the anti-slavery campaign of the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Many people believed the legend of Inkle and Yarico was a true story. The story was first introduced to Britain by a journalist in the ‘Spectator’ in 1711.

According to the story, Thomas Inkle was a young British merchant who sailed for the West Indies in 1647. His ship ran into trouble and landed on the American mainland. Here he met Yarico, a native American woman. They fell in love and lived together for several months. However, when Inkle found a ship to take him to Barbados, he sold Yarico as a slave. At the time Barbados was dominated by European sugar plantations worked by slaves.

The story of Inkle and Yarico was made into an opera by George Colman. Colman changed the ending so that true love prevailed and Inkle took Yarico out of slavery. This made the story even more appealing to abolitionists.

It isn’t clear which pottery factory manufactured this vase but it may have been made at Shropshire’s Coalport factory. John Rose established the Coalport factory on the banks of the River Severn around 1797. It specialised in fine porcelain.

The vase closely resembles some early Coalport pieces from 1797-1815. Few early Coalport pieces were marked with the maker’s name, so they are hard to identify. To add to the confusion, John Rose’s brother Thomas ran a rival factory at Coalport. It produced porcelain that was very similar to the products made at John Rose’s factory. John Rose bought this rival factory in 1814.


Close-up detail of Britain's Oldest Ball (image/jpeg) The Oldest 'Ball' in Britain

As a city mad on its ball sports, whether they be round or oval, it is interesting to note that Hull is also the owner of the oldest ball in Britain. However, far from it being a football or a rugby ball, it is in fact a wooden bowling ball dating back to the thirteenth century. The ball or bowl is thought to be the oldest purpose built ball for sports in the country, and although called a ball, it is far from being ball-shaped. Made of solid wood it has one face that is almost flat. Although at first it was thought to be broken, its unusual shape is now thought to be intentional. The bowl was excavated in the early 1970's from the site of a timbered hall on the corner of High Street and Blackfriargate in Hull. It was found in the remains of stable litter where the water-logged conditions helped to preserve it. The site had been owned by the monks of Meaux Abbey, who owned the port of Wyke before it became Kingston Upon Hull in 1299, so it is possible that the ball is older than the city itself. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#The game of half-bowl #SUBHEADINGEND# Although called a bowl, it would not have been used on a green, and resembles the game of skittles today. Believed to have been used in a game called half-bowl, the unusual shape of the bowl allowed it to be bowled in a curving arc. Twelve pins would be set in a circle with one pin in the centre and one on each side of the circle. The object of the game was to knock down the twelve pins but only after the pin at the far side of the circle had been knocked down first. In Hertfordshire it was known as rolly-polly and a similar version of this game still survives, with versions being played in Spain, Belgium and Holland. As Hull had many trading links with these countries during the medieval period, it is possible that the game was introduced from the continent. #SUBHEADING#Banned by the King#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the more interesting facts associated with the bowl is that it was one of several games banned by King Edward IV in 1477, mainly because it was a distraction and promoted gambling. If this is so, is it possible that Hull's monks were involved in gambling, completely against the laws of all monastic orders?! To this day it still has its fair share of attention, as well as being held by medieval monks amongst others, it has more recently been held by TV presenters Richard and Judy and has featured on their Channel Four show. For a plain wooden ball measuring no more than 10cm across, its story gives us an interesting insight into the world of Medieval Hull.


(image/jpeg) Right Up Your Street


freedom centrepiece (image/jpeg) The Freedom Centrepiece 2007

#SUBHEADING#The Freedom Centrepiece 2007#SUBHEADINGEND# In 2006 Hull Museums commissioned silversmith Jocelyn Burton to produce a major silver centrepiece. This was part of the commemorations for the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in 2007. This will be a lasting testament to freedom and will hopefully be around for the tercentenary. The centrepiece was funded by the Alderman Rupert Alec-Smith Fund and the Wilberforce 2007 Programme. Three leading silversmiths were commissioned to produce a forward looking design that concentrated on the theme of 'freedom'. A panel selected Burton's as the winning one. The panel was made up of experts in silver, slavery, art and community affairs. #SUBHEADING#Winning design#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Jocelyn's winning design is based upon the shape of the cowry shell. The cowry shell was used extensively in West Africa as currency and played a major part in the slave trade. The shape is also meant to be representative of a ship's sail in the wind, projecting us forwards into the future. Burton was inspired by a quote from William Wilberforce, on Tuesday 12th May 1789, when he declared in the House of Commons as part of his speech calling for the Total Abolition of Slavery, "I would never rest...I found myself impelled to go boldly forward." The base of the design is ebonised wood, with silver chasing representing the four elements - earth, water, fire and air. This represents the universe, to which all of humankind belongs. The ebony and the cowry shell are also representative of West Africa. Beneath this is a design of broken chains, representing the abolition of the slave trade. Around the base are also names of many different freedom fighters through history, including William Wilberforce. The Freedom Centrepiece, funded by the Alderman Rupert Alec-Smith Fund and the Wilberforce 2007 Programme, was unveiled at the Guildhall on 5th June 2007 by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Dr Navin Chandra Ramgoolan.


The Freedom Centrepiece by Jocelyn Burton, 2007

This silver piece is made to look like a cowry sea shell. These shells were used in West Africa as money, including in the slave trade. The shape also represents a ship's sail in the wind, moving us forwards to a better future. This was specially made in 2007 to remember the end of the British slave trade 200 years ago. Many people fought for the end of this terrible trade, including William Wilberforce who was born in Hull. In 2006 Hull Museums commissioned Jocelyn Burton to produce a silver centrepiece. This was part of the commemorative events for the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in 2007. This was generously funded by the Alderman Alec-Smith Fund and the Wilberforce 2007 Programme. Three leading silversmiths were commissioned to produce a design and a panel selected Burton's as the winning one. Jocelyn's winning design was inspired by a quote from William Wilberforce. On 12th May 1789 Wilberforce delivered his speech to the House of Commons calling for the Total Abolition of Slavery. He declared, 'I would never rest...I found myself impelled to go boldly forward.' The base of the design is ebony, with silver chasing representing the four elements: earth, water, fire and air. This represents the universe which all of humankind belongs to. The ebony and the cowry shell are also representative of West Africa. Beneath this is a design of broken chains, representing the abolition of the slave trade. The names around the base recall famous freedom fighters throughout history. The three crowns on the top of the piece represent Hull and its connection to this struggle.


excavation photograph (image/jpeg) Digging the Past

Archaeology is the scientific study of past cultures and the way people lived based on things they left behind. Objects give us information about groups of people, language, religion, technology and values and Hull Museums archaeological collection is wide and varied. The collections include, boats preserved from the Humber and the Roos Carr figures, Roman mosaics and other artefacts, coins and much much more. Read our narratives to learn more about the past peoples of Hull and the surrounding areas.


Roman mosaic, Rudston, East Yorkshire, c.200-299 AD

The figure in the centre of this mosaic is the goddess Venus. She was the goddess of love and beauty. Around the edges are a lion, a bull, a leopard and a stag.

This mosaic is from a house in Rudston, East Yorkshire. Wealthy Romans decorated their floors with mosaics. These were made of tiny cubes of stone called tesserae. Some mosaics were just patterns but others had people and animals in them like this one.

A Roman site near Rudston in East Yorkshire has been known of since 1839. There were excavations there in the 1930s, 1960s and 1970s. These led to the discovery of several finely-preserved mosaics. These include the Venus Mosaic which takes its name from the goddess in its centre.

The Venus mosaic was unearthed in 1933 and was removed to Hull Museums in 1962.

The style of draftsmanship and colour in this mosaic suggest it may have been made by a British craftsmen. He probably used a copybook of designs that came from Roman North Africa.

The centre of this mosaic contains two figures, Venus and a merman, or Triton. Venus has bracelets on her wrists and holds a mirror to her left. In her right hand she holds a golden apple which she won in a beauty contest.

Around the edge of the mosaic are four animals: a lion, a stag, a leopard and a bull. These may be a celebration of the amphitheatre or symbolise the seasons.

The Roman displays at Hull contain mosaics from villas to the north and south of the Humber. They are reckoned to form the best single collection of Roman mosaics in northern Britain.


Detail from Venus mosaic (image/jpeg) The Rudston Venus mosaic

The Venus Mosaic came from the largest room in the first house built at a Roman villa near Rudston, East Yorkshire. The intact mosaic with its oblong side-panels would have measured 4.67m x 3.2m. It dates to the later 3rd century AD. Although the design is entirely Roman, the naive style with which it has been made suggests the craftsman, or men, were native Britons. Far from being a drawback though, it is the naivety that makes this particular mosaic so appealing. #SUBHEADING#Goddess of Beauty#SUBHEADINGEND# The mosaic is named after the figure of Venus which can be seen in the central circle. She is naked and her long hair is flowing wildly. She wears bracelets on her arms and in her right hand holds the apple she won in a beauty contest - the Judgement of Paris. Venus is nearly always shown with a mirror - and the Rudston Venus seems to have just dropped hers. Her proportions are a little strange; her abdomen and hips are emphasised, while her legs taper to tiny feet. #SUBHEADING#Tritons and torches#SUBHEADINGEND# She is accompanied by a Triton or merman; half-man, half fish. He holds a burning torch, probably a misrepresentation of the conch shell generally depicted with Tritons. Venus paired with a Triton recalls the birth of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess identified with Venus, from the foam of the sea. #SUBHEADING#Fierce Creatures#SUBHEADINGEND# Four animals surround the central circle; a lion, a stag, a leopard and a bull. Unusually for British mosaics two are given Latin stage-names, a convention seen in Roman mosaics in North Africa. Interestingly the mosaicist doesn't seems to have been too good at spelling! The lion is described as (LEO) F(L)AMMEFER, 'the fiery lion'. He has been speared and blood is shown spurting from the wound. The bull is called TAURUS OMICISA which translates to something like 'the mankilling bull'. A staff with a crescent at the end hovers above him. This seems to be another link with North Africa, since the crescent staff was a symbol used by the Telegenii, one of the known teams of animal fighters in the African amphitheatres. Perhaps the mosaicist was copying the design from a North African pattern-book. The leopard, who looks directly at the viewer has a chequered disc above him. It has been suggested that this might be a device whirled to goad animals in the amphitheatre. Only the stag, who is shown wandering peacefully through a wood, seems not to be directly associated with the arena. #SUBHEADING#Gladiators or Hunters?#SUBHEADINGEND# In the spaces between the animals and the central section are four naked hunters running in the same direction as the animals. The person holding the spear and looking at the stag seems to be female. The man opposite has a beard and holds a rope above his head. It is tempting to see the people as animal fighters from an amphitheatre. The four corners contain birds, perhaps a dove often associated with Venus, pecking at apples or pomegranates. #SUBHEADING#Mixing Myths#SUBHEADINGEND# Only one of the flanking panels remains. The centre of the panel has a bust between vines; clusters of grapes grow from canthari (wine-cups) at either end. The bust wears a winged cap and is accompanied by a wand called a caduceus, the symbol of Mercury. However, there is no association between Mercury and vines, suggesting that the craftsman has misunderstood a design of the bust of Bacchus crowned with grapes and vine-leaves, and bearing a thrysus or wand. As well as his well-known association with wine, Bacchus was also linked with amphitheatres so may well have been the intended god here.


Longcase clock by Samuel Atkinson, Bridlington, c.1760

The picture of the moon in the arch above this clock face isn’t just decorative. The picture moves across the dial to show the phases of the moon. The part of the moon visible in the picture is the same as the shape of the moon in the sky.

Phases of the moon dials were important in port towns like Bridlington and Hull. Their livelihood depended on the tide. Tides are affected by the phase of the moon.

This clock’s phase of the moon dial would also have come in handy for planning travel. In the days before street lighting, most travel at night was planned according to the brightness of the moon.

Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. This clock was made by Samuel Atkinson, a clock and watch maker in Bridlington from 1760-1800. All we know about Samuel is that he had three children. Sarah was born in 1768, his son Samuel died in 1770, and another son called Samuel was born in 1772.

The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some local craftsmen had the skills to make all of these parts. Other ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts and marked their name on the clock. Many of the cases for these clocks were probably still made in East Yorkshire, which had a number of skilled joiners.

Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time and four in Bridlington. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget. This clock case is made of oak, which was popular because it was quite cheap. Woods like walnut and ebony were more expensive.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Bracket clock by Kirk, Grimsby Lane, Hull, c.1840

The white flower decoration on this clock case has been made using mother of pearl. Mother of pearl is a shiny, hard, smooth substance found inside some shells. It is also used for making buttons and beads.

Kezia and Thomas Kirk made this clock at their shop in Grimsby Lane, Hull. After 1846 Thomas continued the business alone until 1872. He advertised himself as a clockmaker, watchmaker and silversmith.

Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. Hull had no clockmakers’ guild to regulate and record the trade, so it’s difficult to find out about local clock making. Information about the craft comes from surviving examples, newspapers and trade directories. Trade directories were a kind of old fashioned Yellow Pages.

The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some local craftsmen had the skills to make all of these parts. Other ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts and marked their name on the clock. Many of the cases for these clocks were probably still made in East Yorkshire, which had a number of skilled joiners.

Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget.

Bracket clocks are clocks designed to sit on a table or mantelpiece, or hang on a wall. They are much smaller than longcase (or grandfather) clocks that stand on the floor. Bracket clocks have short pendulums and mechanisms driven by steel springs. Most people couldn’t afford bracket clocks, as the steel springs were very expensive to make.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


(image/jpeg) Catch fortune when you can

This advert shows that lotteries are nothing new. Long before the National Lottery, enterprises like the 'New Lottery' were promising 'earthly paradise' for lucky winners. This advert promises the people of Hull a chance to win 30,000 pounds, a huge sum of money at the time. J. Rodford, a Hull bookseller, sold the lottery tickets. He was an agent for 'BISH', a London contractor that probably ran the lottery. The advert has been torn out of a book, possibly a trade directory. Trade directories were the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages, with classified listings for all kinds of businesses. #SUBHEADING#Pictogram#SUBHEADINGEND# The fascinating thing about this advert is its pictogram puzzle. It uses clever symbols that must be deciphered to discover the benefits of the lottery. #IMAGE# For those that could not work it out the solution was given at the bottom: 'As every man would rather get money than not, the attention of all is called to the New Lottery, in which, by a small risk, they may get an independent fortune. They should hasten to the nearest lottery office, and then, by purchasing even a share, they may secure what they desire, and which cannot fail to make the mare go, and place them (if money be their deity) in an earthly paradise.'


tile detail (image/jpeg) William De Morgan

#SUBHEADING# The 'Arts and Crafts Movement'#SUBHEADINGEND# With William Morris as its figure-head the movement included artists, designers and architects and was a reaction to the highly mechanised production of decorative items at the time. It was felt that popular decorative styles were over-ornamental and not appropriate for the materials or for the purpose of the item. The movement sought to revive traditional craftsmanship and advocated simple designs, usually derived from nature, that were more honest to the materials and the function of the item. De Morgan initially worked with glass and he first experimented with making tiles in the 1870s when he set up a kiln in the basement of his home in Chelsea. These premises were not totally satisfactory and at one stage his experiments resulted in a fire! In 1882, he moved and started production at Merton Abbey, near London before establishing his Sands End factory in Fulham. The impressed back-stamp marks on his hand-made tiles indicate the site at which they were made. #SUBHEADING# Painted Paper Tile Designs #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# One of the first tile designs produced by De Morgan in the late 1870s was 'Bedford Park Daisy' and this also proved to be of the most successful designs made by the De Morgan company. Although the tiles were 'hand-painted', the paint was not applied directly onto the tiles. Using the 'painted paper' technique, the design was copied from a master drawing onto a thin piece of paper. This was then placed onto the tile and brushed with a liquid or powdered glaze. When the tile was fired, the paper was burnt away and the painted design became part of the glaze. This allowed decoration on the tiles to be done with precision but also gave the look of hand-painting. The process also ensured that the same design could be repeatedly reproduced and also made using different colours. #SUBHEADING# Lustre Glaze Tiles #SUBHEADINGEND# Towards the end of the nineteenth century, William De Morgan experimented with and re-introduced the use of 'lustre glazes' for his tiles and other pottery items. These were ceramic colours that became a thin shimmering metallic film during firing in the kiln. They were either applied in areas or as a coating. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# Tile Design #SUBHEADINGEND# Most of De Morgan's tile designs feature images derived from nature including flowers, plants, birds and animals. One series of tiles called 'Fantastical Creatures' features mythological creatures including dragons and griffins whilst other tiles depict real animals from the natural world such as boars, snakes, eagles and peacocks. This was not his only inspiration as De Morgan also produced a series of tiles depicting stylised galleon-type ships at full sail. De Morgan was also heavily inspired by traditional Persian or 'Isnik' designs from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. His designs often featured motifs and shades of blue, green, turquoise and pink favoured by the Persians.


Love token (image/jpeg) Love survives in our Museum's


D.O.M.

D.O.M., 1999 
Gavin Turk  (b.1967)

 Turk continually explores what it means to be an artist, investigating ideas about authenticity, originality and value in a playful way.
 
In many he turns himself into a prop- the artist as object- transforming and reinventing himself, as seen in both of these examples.
 
This photograph is a print of a sculptural installation called, Death of Marat, that Turk made in 1998.  The installation, which included a bathtub and a waxwork figure, is in turn a ‘copy’of the famous painting of the same name, by the neo-classical French artist, Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825).  David’s tragic painting depicted the death of the French revolutionary leader and writer, Jean Paul Marat (1743-93), who was assassinated in his bath. It is regarded as one of the most poignant images resulting from the French Revolution.
 
Turk subtly alters David’s image. A waxwork of Turk replaces the figure of Marat, the omission of blood or a knife suggesting sleep rather than death. The inscribed block in the original painting has also been replaced with a neo-classical pedestal engraved by the Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay (b.1925).


Iris print on paper
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2000 
 


When You Wake

When You Wake, 2003
Shizuka Yokomizo  (b.1966)

Yokomizo sees her work as an expression of the relationship between the self and other. Put more simply, the unbridegable gap between ‘you’ and ‘me’.  
 
In contrast to much documentary-style video and photography, her approach causes the viewer to be very aware of their own presence in relation to that of her subject. She also chooses to work with strangers, sensitively exploring the boundaries between private and public realms.
 
In When You Wake, Yokomizo’s subjects are especially vulnerable, being old people filmed in nursing homes as well as in domestic settings.
 
The film has many possible interpretations but above all a reflective mood. It suggest’s the isolation of ageing, solitude, separation and ultimately, the closeness of death. By contrast however, in the tea party scene there is a strong sense of community and the warmth of shared experiences and memories.
 
In the sleeping sequence in which the artist’s own breathing was recorded whilst asleep, she makes a link to us all and the essential fragility of human existence.

 
Two screen video projection 
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


The trial of William Lord Russell

This copy is one of the few pictures bought by the Ferens under Vincent Galloway that seems to have no local connection or relevance to the Ferens’ collection. The trial and subsequent execution of Lord Russell on trumped up charges was one of the humiliating events of political life in the last years of the reign of King Charles II.


Water Falls Down


Water Falls Down, 2001   
by Matthew DALZIEL b Irvine 1957 & Louise SCULLION b Helensburgh 1966


Dalziel and Scullion have worked in collaboration since 1993. In their photography, films and sculpture they explore our complex relationship with Nature. Their fundamental interest in the subject matter of landscape provides continuity with well-established art historical traditions.
 
‘Water Falls Down’, was made whilst they were living in the remote, north-east fishing village of St Combs, Aberdeenshire. It focuses on the natural environment in relationship to a specific community, providing in one respect, a portrait of shared identity.
 
The film contains three distinct parts that are shown cyclically; amongst these is the image of a solitary birch sapling beside water. The scene is silent and still but for the presence of snow gently falling.
 
This is followed by an image of a stone in a river continuously washed by water heard at volume, as it  gushes over its surface in undulating waves. The image is mesmerising and hypnotic adding to the contemplative atmosphere.
 
In the third part, the filming continues at a slower speed, with the swell of a bleak, grey sea providing the focus for a communal event in the village, a baptism at sea.

DVD installation
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


Self Portrait, Fingers

Self Portrait, Fingers, 1999
by John Coplans (1920 – 2003) 

An extract from Coplan’s obituary in August 2003 remarks, ‘Both poignant and aggressive… images included close-ups of his hands and feet, legs and torso, exposing expanses of sagging and wrinkled flesh, as well as startling details like flaking skin, split nails, flattened arches and anarchic hair. They combined elements of documentary photography and performance art, scrutinizing the body unforgivingly’.
 
Coplans made a whole sequence of images based on his hand. Magnified to a dramatic scale and isolated from the rest of the body, the hand seems to have assumed an identity of its own.  
 
This photograph can be read almost like a person in miniature with the fingers as legs, possessing their own energy and sense of arrested life. He recognised the ambiguity of such images commenting, 
 
‘The hand hereby becomes a text capable of many and complex interpretations, an agent of evocation and a malleable instrument of performance with an ever-expanding level of impossible meanings’.
(John Coplans, artist’s handbook, ‘Hand’, 1988)


Black and white photograph
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2001


Veil


Veil, 1997
by Jananne Al-Ani  (b.1966)   
 
Clothing plays an important role in defining identity. This work explores the powerful connotations carried by a single item.
 
In the West the veil is most commonly associated with brides and theVirgin Mary but in many Muslim cultures the wearing of the veil is an integral part of life for most women.
 
Born in Iraq, Al-Ani’s mother is Irish and her father Iraqi. She was educated, lives and works in London. With this background she has gained an intimate knowledge of both Western and Eastern cultures. She has produced a body of work exploring the Western fascination with the veil, reflecting some of the complexities and ambiguities of the subject. 
 
‘I am interested in examining the Western fascination with the veil. No single item of clothing has had more influence on Western images of Middle Eastern women than the veil’.
 
Al-Ani’s work offers an alternative vision to that of Western art historical precedents. Both photography and paintings have tended to emphasise the exotic and to exploit the voyeuristic nature of the relationship between artist and model.
 
The artist, her mother and three sisters are portrayed. 


Single screen slide projection
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme, with Lfrom the Arts Council England, 2002 
 


Message to My Best Friend

 
Message to My Best Friend, 2000
by Alan Currall  (b.1964)

Not naturally comfortable in front of the camera the faltering nature of Currall’s delivery convinces us that what he has to say is real rather than invented. 
 
In, ‘Message to My Best Friend’, he begins with a touching if awkward confession which by degree degenerates to the toe-curlingly embarrassing. By the end of the performance Currall has suggested a much more disturbing power relationship.  
 
Ultimately it would appear the desire of one person to literally swap places with, or adopt another’s identity. 


Single monitor video art work with sound
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


How I Would Probably Do It

How I Would Probably Do It, 2004
by Alan Currall (b.1964) 

Characteristically low-tech in style we can only guess what Currall is at such pains to demonstrate to us, his audience. We become acutely aware of our own presence as onlookers, as he removes his shirt and bares his torso in front of the unforgiving glare of studio lights and camera. 
 
There almost appear to be two identities at play. The first is created by the image of the straining torso. This dramatic physical presence is at the same time, undermined by the absurdity of the continuous commentary voice-over, with its more everyday, down to earth tone.
 
The success of this work is its ability to subtly tweak at our emotions.

  
Single monitor video art work with sound
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


(image/jpeg) Lightships and the Humber

The constant movement of tides, shift seas and sand banks increases the hazards of shipping dramatically and has always been a problem for mariners working on the Humber as the North Sea and her tributaries deposit mud and sand into the river. One way to increase safety for mariners was to have a strong guiding light to act as a navigational aid around the changing sand banks. However in some instances, as with the River Humber, conventional lighthouses could not be used to aid a ships' navigation and alternative solutions were needed. It is from this need, the notion of a lightship (or light vessel) was born. The first active petition for a lightship came in 1679 but was met with ridicule. Questions were raised about how such a small vessel could be held securely by a hemp rope and also where a crew could be found to man such a unstable vessel. As a result the first Lightship was a private endeavour by the adventurer Robert Hamblon who was stationed at the Nore at the entrance to the Thames in 1732. #SUBHEADING# Lightships on the Humber #SUBHEADINGEND# However, it was another 88 years until the Humber received its first floating light vessel. In 1820 the Betsey was hired to prevent the wrecking and grounding of vessels along the Humber. It was not until after Betsey's withdrawal from service due to a collision with another vessel that Hull's seamen demanded a new light vessel to be made and orders were soon made for the construction of the Bull light vessel. Other predecessors of the Spurn included the Middle, and Hebble. In 1926, the Humber Conservancy Board (who had taken over the administration of the Humber from Trinity House in 1907) advertised for tenders to build a new lightship. Twenty one tenders were received with the cheapest being from 'The Goole Shipping and Repairing Company' and they built the vessel for a total cost of 16,550 pounds [this is the equivalent to 690,000 pounds at todays prices]. The vessel was finally launched on 19th July 1927 and served the Humber at her station for almost 50 years only leaving her station during the Second World War and for repairs. In 1959 a new Spurn was built costing almost 100,000 pounds when our Spurn was painted red and transferred to the Bull station. After sterling service as the Bull Lightship she was decommission in 1975 and was laid up until 1983 when Hull City Council bought her for 4025 pounds and started the process of her renovation to get her back to her original state. She opened to the public at her present berth in the Marina in February 1987.


Roman mosaic, Rudston, East Yorkshire, c.200-300 AD

This is known as the Geometric Mosaic. It is from a house in Rudston, East Yorkshire. Wealthy Romans decorated their floors with mosaics. These were made of tiny cubes of stone called tesserae. Some mosaics had people and animals in them. Others were just patterns like this one. Not everybody could afford to decorate their homes with mosaics. Mosaics were used on the floors of the best rooms of the biggest Roman house in the area. A Roman site near Rudston in East Yorkshire has been known of since 1839. There were excavations there in the 1930s, 1960s and 1970s. These led to the discovery of several finely-preserved mosaics. These include this Geometric mosaic. The design at the centre of this mosaic has four motifs known as ‘swastika-peltae’. The swastika was an ancient symbol used long before the 20th century Nazis decided to use it. The Roman displays at Hull contain mosaics from villas to the north and south of the Humber. These mosaics are of a high quality and illustrate what a wealthy villa owner might aspire to. They are reckoned to form the best single collection of Roman mosaics in northern Britain. Roman estates, at home and in their empire, were managed from villas. As a residence for a landowner the villa could be prestigious and comfortable while common folk lived in basic farmsteads. The domestic ranges of a villa might have hot and cold bath suites and warm central heating.


Ball Gown by Madame Clapham, Hull, c.1900

No expense has been spared to make this fancy ball gown.

The cream fabric is called ‘tamboured’ net. The net has been hand embroidered using a small wooden frame called a ‘tambour’. Tambours have two hoops, one inside the other. The fabric is stretched between the two hoops to make it easier to sew.

The bodice panel has flowers embroidered in chenille and silver thread, with sparkly sequins. Chenille is a soft, fluffy cord that feels like velvet.

This dress was made by Madame Clapham, Hull’s most famous dressmaker. Rich and fashionable ladies had dresses for special occasions made at her salon.

Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was regarded as Hull’s finest dressmaker. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967.

At the time this ball gown was made, upper class ladies had to follow strict dress codes. Social engagements like balls, race meetings, dinner parties and musical evenings all required different styles of dress. The salon was particularly busy before Christmas, with an array of festivities held by prominent local families.

The very latest fashions were essential for all these social occasions. To keep up to date with changing styles, Madame Clapham visited Paris three or four times a year. At this time, Paris was the centre of fashion. Madame Clapham also claimed that:

‘Representatives of the best French houses come over periodically to wait upon me specially with their newest goods.’

Unlike other local dressmakers, Madame Clapham was able to compete with the London fashion houses. Gowns created in Kingston Square were worn by leading society ladies in London. Madame Clapham received many orders for dresses suitable for visitors to the royal court. From 1901 she advertised herself as ‘Court Dressmaker’, which added to her prestige.


Painted whale's tooth (scrimshaw), c.1801-1900

This is a rare example of painted scrimshaw. It is a sperm whale’s tooth with painted images of English and French ships at battle. Images on scrimshaw are usually engraved and then filled with ink. This is very time consuming and requires quite a lot of skill.

It may be that the man who made this didn’t have the patience to make a traditional piece of scrimshaw. However it may be that he just preferred painting and fancied a change.

One side of this tooth is painted with a naval engagement. The English ship on the left is flying the St George’s flag and is firing its cannons. In the centre is a ship flying the French tricolour flag and also firing its cannons. On the right is another ship flying the French tricolour. The other side of the tooth is blank.

This tooth is part of a collection that formerly belonged to Kathleen Eleanor Tizard. The collection was donated to Hull Museums by K.E. Tizard’s son in November 1999.

The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. In parts of England it was used early on to describe past-times, games and recreations. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering”, he wanted them to be pre-occupied with a creative past-time.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. To understand scrimshaw it is important to understand the life of whalers. Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took a long time and helped to express your world would have been a welcome hobby.

Scrimshaw was also a way of expressing their loneliness, homesickness, patriotism and general interests. Ships and maritime themes naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw.


Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw) by Charles Hargraves, Ontario, Canada, 1979

This engraved Sperm whale tooth is a modern piece of scrimshaw that tells an old story. The man depicted is Captain William Barron. Barron was the last Master of a Hull whaling ship called the Truelove.

The Truelove was a famously old and strong ship. It was built in Philadelphia in 1764 but came to be owned by the English. It was the last Hull whaling ship to operate by sail, with steam ships taking over in the 1850s.

This scrimshaw was commissioned by Hull Museums in 1979. It is based on a Victorian photograph of Captain William Barron.

Captain Barron served in the whaling trade from 1847 to 1863. He made his first voyage on the Truelove in 1849 and became her last whaling captain in 1861. His memoirs, Old Whaling Days, were published in 1895.

Although involved in a brutal trade, William Barron had a softer side. Many baby seals were also killed on whaling trips for the fashion industry. Barron disapproved and described this as “a remorseless and callous fashion.”

The Truelove was an old Hull whaleship which sailed a total of seventy-two seasons in the Arctic. It was built in Philadelphia in 1764. The English gained the Truelove during the American War of Independence. Like many other ships it was converted for the whaling industry.

Following one whaling trip, a Captain Parker brought two Inuit people back to Hull on the Truelove for a visit. They caused a great stir and were “exhibited” in Hull and York. Casts of their faces are in the Maritime Museum, as well as the Truelove’s flag. What they thought of the trip is not recorded.

The Truelove was the last of the Hull sailing whalers. It sailed alongside steam-engined vessels which were introduced to the trade in the 1850s-60s. On a final trip to Philadelphia, some wanted to preserve her as a museum. This failed and she ended as a hulk on the Thames, broken up 1895.


Decorated walrus tusk (scrimshaw) c.1837-1901

The sailor who decorated this tusk must have loved his Queen and country. It depicts many patriotic images including the British flag, the Prince of Wales’ feathers and a crown. The ‘VR’ initials stand for ‘Victoria Regina’. This means ‘Queen Victoria’ in Latin, and shows the tusk to be Victorian.

Two other mottos are on the tusk.  One is 'Ich dien' which means ‘I serve’. The other is “IN HOC SIGNO VINCES” which means ‘In this sign I conquer’.

The patriotic images on this tusk include the Union flag, the Prince of Wales’ feathers, a crown and crossed swords. Also depicted is a sailor with the Union flag, thistles, a star and garter and chain shot.

The motto “IN HOC SIGNO VINCES” (In this sign I conquer) was the motto of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome.

Walruses are famous for their tusks and these can grow up to one metre in length. Males tend to have larger tusks than females. Walruses inhabit the ice-floes in the shallower waters of the Arctic. Whalers working in the Arctic often had contact with native people. This offered opportunities to trade and gain walrus tusks to work on.

Scrimshaw like this tusk is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen. It can also be made out of walrus tusks like this piece.

The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. In parts of England it was used early on to describe past-times and recreations. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering”, he wanted them to be pre-occupied with a creative past-time.

Scrimshaw identified with the Hull whaling trade is extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most surviving scrimshaw is from after these periods.


Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw), USA, c.1801-1900

Scrimshaw is folk art by men who hunted whales. It is usually made with whalebone or teeth. Scrimshaw was a way for whalers to express their world, their loneliness and the places they visited.

This tooth depicts a lady in middle eastern costume. Women naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw as men were away for years at a time. This tooth may be a record of new cultures experienced, or it may just have been copied from a book.

One side of this tooth depicts a seated woman in exotic dress, with a band around her head. On the other side is the profile view of a ship, with the Stars and Stripes flag of the US.

Sperm whales were mostly hunted by Americans in the South seas and America. These were much more dangerous than arctic whales and often tried to fight back and defend themselves. Many whaleboats were crushed in their jaws or overturned.

Great sperm whales hold many records. They are the deepest diving mammal, reaching depths of more than 1000m. They are also the largest toothed whale and have the biggest brain in the animal world.

Women naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw but these are usually very respectable images. As most scrimshaw was meant to be seen once back on shore, few erotic images survive. Images from fashion catalogues and books were often copied.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. To understand scrimshaw it is important to understand the life of whalers.

Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took time and helped to express the world you lived in would have been a welcome hobby.

This tooth is part of a collection that formerly belonged to Kathleen Eleanor Tizard. The collection was donated to Hull Museums by K.E. Tizard’s son in November 1999.


Wool winder made from whalebone (scrimshaw)

This is a wool winder or ‘swift’. It helps somebody wind up wool and acts as an extra pair of hands. A swift is one of the most difficult things a whaler could try to make.

With whalers at sea for years, scrimshaw swifts probably developed as presents for wives back home. If the whaler couldn’t be there to help, then perhaps he could give a present that would. It would also remind her of him while he was away.

There are often more than one hundred separate pieces in a swift. Scrimshaw swifts have been described as “the ultimate product of the scrimshaw worker’s art”. However, swifts were also made in other materials.

This swift is made from whale jawbone and sperm whale tooth. It is provided with a clamp for fixing it to a table. It is decorated with metal inlays. Above this is a collar with lozenge pattern.

Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen (a hard substance from the mouths of filter feeding whales).

The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering” for the day, he wanted them to be pre-occupied.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took a long time would have been a welcome hobby.

A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of sperm whales. Britain also produced scrimshaw, especially “busks” and items from baleen, mostly originating from the whales in Arctic fisheries.

Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most surviving scrimshaw is from after these periods.


Decorated whalebone, possibly made in South Georgia, 1900s

This is a blade of rorqual baleen which is a type of whale bone. Some whales have these instead of teeth. They help the whales to filter the small animals that they eat from the sea water.

This is decorated with flowers and a shield shaped frame. It is inscribed 'South Georgia'. South Georgia is a very remote island near Antarctica. It is surrounded by ice cold waters and a whaling station used to be based there.

Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are filter feeders, sifting huge quantities of sea water through their mouths to feed on krill. The baleen whales include species like the Blue Whale, the Bowhead Whale, the Humpback Whale and the Greenland Right Whale.

This baleen plate is a product of twentieth-century whale fishery in the South Atlantic.

South Georgia whaling station is most famous as the place where Sir Ernest Shackleton finally made it back to safety. This followed the amazing survival effort that followed his Trans-Antarctic expedition on the Endurance in 1914-1916.

South Georgia lies between 35.47' to 38.01' west and 53.58' to 54.53' south. It is surrounded by the ice cold waters that flow up from Antarctica.

Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen. The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering”, he wanted them to be pre-occupied with a creative past-time.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took a long time would have been a welcome hobby.

Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most scrimshaw is from after these periods.


Sunderland-ware jug, c.1801-1900

The Truelove was a famous Hull whaling trip, and the last one to use sails. It was built in Philadelphia in 1764. The English gained the Truelove during the American War of Independence. Like many other ships it was converted for the whaling industry.

This jug may have been intended as a present for a loved one. Whalers were away for long periods of time doing dangerous work. The verse, entitled ‘Love’ on the jug, indicates the nature of this present.

The Truelove was an old Hull whale ship which sailed a total of seventy-two seasons in the Arctic. It was built in Philadelphia in 1764. The English gained the Truelove during the American War of Independence. Like many other ships it was converted for the whaling industry.

Following one whaling trip, a Captain Parker brought two Inuit people back to Hull on the Truelove for a visit. They caused a great stir and were “exhibited” in Hull and York. Casts of their faces are in the Maritime Museum, as well as the Truelove’s flag. What they thought of the trip is not recorded.

The Truelove was the last of the Hull sailing whalers. It sailed alongside steam-engined vessels which were introduced to the trade in the 1850s-60s. On a final trip to Philadelphia, some wanted to preserve her as a museum. This failed and she ended as a hulk on the Thames, broken up 1895.

This is a Sunderland-ware jug inscribed 'TRUELOVE FROM HULL', with painted illustration of the ship. There is also a verse entitled 'Love', with pink rim and rings around body.

Love

There’s sunshine on the sea my love
There’s beauty oe’r the skies
But fairer seem thy looks my love
And brighter are thine eyes.

The back of the jug has an illustration entitled 'MARINER'S ARMS' and an illustration of the 'NORAN CREINA STEAM-YACHT'.


Model of William Wilberforce by Minton, Stoke-on-Trent, c.1830-1836

This is Hull’s William Wilberforce, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire and a famous anti-slavery campaigner. He has a stack of books beneath his chair.

Despite what the books suggest, Wilberforce didn’t do much reading in his younger days. Whilst at Cambridge University he preferred theatre, dancing, singing and playing cards to studying. Later he realised how much time he had wasted at Cambridge. He began to re-educate himself, studying for nine or ten hours a day every summer.

The model also includes a scroll of paper beneath Wilberforce’s feet. The paper has the words ‘Abolition, Slave Bill’ on it. This is a reference to Wilberforce’s parliamentary campaign against the slave trade.

Wilberforce first became interested in the abolition of the slave trade and slavery in the 1780s. He was concerned about raising the slavery issue in Parliament due to the money invested in the slave trade by MPs. Therefore he concentrated first on the abolition of the slave trade and then the abolition of slavery.

Wilberforce made his first abolition speech in Parliament in 1789. For many years he presented the abolition bill to Parliament and it kept being defeated. The bill was finally passed in 1807. Parliament gave a round of applause to Wilberforce who had tears running down his face.

Wilberforce was less active in the abolition of slavery itself due to ill health. As he lay dying in 1833 he knew the Abolition of Slavery bill was due to be passed. It was left to his fellow MPs and abolitionists to continue the fight against slavery.

William Wilberforce died on 29 July 1833. His death was marked with a state funeral. Wilberforce was remembered in Hull and around the world. In Hull a subscription was raised to build a Wilberforce Monument. The foundation stone was laid on 1 August 1834 with flags flying and bells ringing in celebration. The Wilberforce Monument still stands in Hull today.


Jug, 1807

This jug was made to show support for Lord Milton in the 1807 general election. Lord Milton was one of the candidates competing to be a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire. The other two candidates were Lascelles and Hull’s William Wilberforce.

Milton and Wilberforce were elected as MPs. Yorkshire had two MPs because of the county’s size. Many other items were produced to advertise the candidates. Medallions decorated with the candidates’ pictures were a popular way of showing support.

The meaning of the word ‘plumper’ on this jug is confusing at first. A plumper is a vote cast at an election for a single candidate instead of an optional two or more. A plumper can also be a person who votes for one candidate at an election when he is allowed to vote for more.

As Yorkshire had two MPs, voters were allowed to vote for two candidates at the 1807 election. This jug’s message is to vote only for Milton, giving the other candidates fewer votes. This tactic would give Milton the best chance of being elected.

The 1807 election for the County of Yorkshire was a fiercely fought contest. People were eager to read about the latest voting figures and handbills were printed daily to show the results. Cartoon pamphlets were produced ridiculing the characters of the candidates, adding to the lively debate about the election.

Like Lord Milton, William Wilberforce was successful at the election. He had been an MP for Yorkshire since 1784. Yorkshire was one of the most powerful counties in England, so his position as MP gave Wilberforce great influence.

Wilberforce first became interested in politics whilst at university. He watched MPs debate in the House of Commons and was inspired to become an MP himself. He was elected MP for Hull in 1780, at the age of 21, before becoming MP for Yorkshire four years later. Wilberforce held office in Parliament for over 40 years.


Jug, late 1700s-early 1800s

This jug shows the products made by enslaved Africans in America and the Caribbean.

One of the pictures shows an African slave on a beach. The two large barrels beside him are called hogsheads. Hogsheads were used to pack sugar, the main product made by slaves in the Caribbean.

The sugar was shipped to Europe, where it was in great demand. The Europeans who owned sugar plantations in the Caribbean became so rich that they called sugar ‘white gold’.

Most enslaved people taken from Africa to the Caribbean worked on sugar plantations owned by Europeans. Sugar cane was brought to the Caribbean to be grown for profit in the 1600s. Slaves in North America also grew tobacco, rice and cotton. The white bales shown on this jug are cotton bales.

When people taken from Africa were bought as slaves in the Caribbean, their new owners took them to the plantations. New arrivals underwent a period known as ‘seasoning’ or ‘breaking in’.

Slaves were inspected and divided into field and domestic workers. They were registered in plantation accounts and branded with estate marks to show who owned them. This made it easier to identify runaway slaves. They were introduced to the daily routine and discipline on the plantation. Up to a quarter of new arrivals died during seasoning.

The sugar cane harvest ran from January to July. At this time slaves often worked 12 hours a day in the fields. They would then work in the factories through the night, extracting the sugar from the cane.

Discipline was harsh on the plantations and punishments were severe. Flogging with whips and beatings from the overseer were part of daily life. Sexual and physical abuse was common. Enslaved people found ways of resisting their oppression. Some ran away. Others rebelled by working slowly to reduce the planters’ profits. More violent resistance included vandalism or theft of plantation property.


Model of Hannah More by Minton, Stoke-on-Trent, c.1830-1836

Hannah More (1745-1833) was a well known writer. She wrote popular religious pamphlets and was interested in educating poor people. In her pamphlets, More advised poor people to work hard and trust in God and the kindness of rich people.

Hannah More was friends with Hull’s William Wilberforce. He influenced her religious views. The Clapham Sect, a group that Wilberforce was a member of, gave More money to produce her pamphlets. The group also financed her schools for poor people.

This figure is made from bisque, unglazed and undecorated porcelain. Bisque has a ‘chalky’ appearance, because it isn’t covered with shiny glaze. The figure was made by Minton, a world famous pottery firm. Thomas Minton founded the pottery in Stoke-on-Trent in 1793.

Minton porcelain pieces from the 1820s and 1830s, like this one, are rarely marked with the maker’s name. They can be identified as Minton because designs for them appear in the factory’s pattern books. A sketch of this Hannah More figure appears in one of the pattern books.

Minton made a wide range of figures and figure groups. Some were glazed and painted with enamel colours. Most of Minton’s products were more utilitarian though. The factory produced earthenware and porcelain tableware, such as tea services, jugs and mugs.

After Thomas Minton’s death in 1836 the firm continued to be run by the Minton family. Minton employed the finest ceramic artists. Many of them were attracted from Europe by the firm’s worldwide prestige.

The Minton factory in the centre of Stoke was rebuilt and modernised after the Second World War. Minton eventually merged with Royal Doulton Tableware. By the 1980s Minton was only making a few of its own designs, but still employing highly skilled decorators.

The Minton factory was recently demolished as part of a reorganisation within the Royal Doulton Group. Royal Doulton still produces porcelain tableware under the Minton name.


Wilberforce House teaspoon by S&CS, Birmingham, 1908-1909

This decorative teaspoon was made as a souvenir of Wilberforce House Museum in Hull. The picture in the bowl of the spoon shows the museum.

Wilberforce House was the first museum in Britain to explore the history of slavery and abolition. It opened to the public in 1906.

The anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce was born at Wilberforce House in 1759. Wilberforce spent part of his childhood living there. The house is at 25 High Street, in Hull’s Old Town.

Wilberforce House is one of the oldest buildings in Hull. It was built around 1660 by William Catlyn for Hugh Lister. The Listers were a powerful family in Hull. The house was extended during the 1730s and 1760s to form the building that exists today.

Hull merchant John Thornton lived at 25 High Street in the early 1700s. William Wilberforce’s grandfather came to Hull to work as an apprentice for him. Wilberforce’s grandfather married John Thornton’s daughter Sarah in 1711. He eventually bought 25 High Street in 1732, after John Thornton’s death.

William Wilberforce was born in one of the upstairs rooms on 24th August 1759. To celebrate his birth, his family decorated the ceiling of the main stairway with the family crest, the eagle.

Wilberforce was forced to sell the house in the early 1830s to pay off his son’s business debts. Before Wilberforce House became a museum, it was rented out to merchants as offices.

The house was bought by Hull City Council in 1903, after a campaign by Councillor John Brown to save it. When Wilberforce House opened as a museum on 24th August 1906, it displayed objects relating to Wilberforce, slavery and local history.

During the Second World War Wilberforce House escaped bombing raids that destroyed the houses opposite and the warehouse behind. The museum was completely redeveloped to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade in 2007.


Longcase clock by William Rust, 21 Market Place, Hull, c.1806-1810

Everything on this clock face, including the numbers, has been hand painted. There are painted flowers in the corners and a scene showing a country cottage in the arch. Painted dials were often decorated with countryside scenes.

Painted clock dials were fashionable from the 1780s. They replaced brass dials, which were popular until the 1770s. Instead of painted pictures, decorative brass castings were fitted into the corners and arch of brass dials.

This clock was made by William Rust of Hull. William was a clock and watch maker and goldsmith. He had premises at 21 Market Place in 1791-1792 and 1806-1823.

Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. Hull had no clockmakers’ guild to regulate and record the trade, so it’s difficult to find out about local clock making. Information about the craft comes from surviving examples, newspapers and trade directories. Trade directories were a kind of old fashioned Yellow Pages.

The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some local craftsmen had the skills to make all of these parts. Other ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts and marked their name on the clock. Many of the cases for these clocks were probably still made in East Yorkshire, which had a number of skilled joiners.

Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Bracket clock by King & Co., Hull and Paris, late 1800s

The shiny brass creature on top of this clock has a lion’s body, bird’s wings and a man’s head. It is based on giant stone statues discovered by archaeologists in Iraq.

Europeans were fascinated by discoveries made by archaeologists in the 1800s. Archaeologists dug up the giant stone statues of winged lions at the royal palace at Nimrud in Iraq. The statues were over 3000 years old. They were put in the palace to protect the king from demons.

Nimrud was the capital of Assyria, a kingdom in northern Iraq. Assyria dominated the Middle East during the first millennium BC. The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal (883-859 BC) established Nimrud as his capital. He decorated his palace with huge stone statues.

Two huge statues of winged lions flanked one of the entrances to the palace’s throne room. The winged lion on this clock is strikingly similar to these statues. The statues were excavated by Austen Henry Layard. He was an archaeologist in Assyria between 1845 and 1851. He suggested that the statues embodied a lion’s strength, a bird’s swiftness and a human’s intelligence.

This clock was made by King & Co., a clock maker with branches in Hull and Paris. Clocks and watches had been made in Hull from the early 1700s.

By 1820 there were 30 clockmakers in Hull, but there were also new threats to local clock making. By 1800 clock and watch parts were being mass produced in Birmingham. By the 1830s entire clock mechanisms could be bought from Birmingham. This reduced the demand for local clockmakers’ skills.

In the 1800s clocks and watches began to be imported on a large scale from France, Germany and America. This destroyed the market for clocks made in Hull. Local traders became clock sellers rather than clockmakers.

This clock was probably made in Paris and imported to Hull. The link with Paris illustrates the decline of local clock making. It suggests that many clocks were being imported by the late 1800s.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Longcase clock by Robert Holborn, South Cave, East Yorkshire, c.1765

What makes this clock special are the pictures decorating its case. Tiny pieces of wood from different types of tree have been used to create them. Each different wood has its own colour and grain. The pieces have been arranged to make pictures of flowers and an urn.

This clock was made by Robert Holborn of South Cave, near Hull. The record of his daughter Sarah’s birth in 1755 tells us he was a joiner (carpenter) and clockmaker.

Records also show that a man called Robert Holborn was working as a watchmaker in Sheffield in 1790. When he voted in Sheffield in 1807, he said he owned property in South Cave. It is likely that the two Robert Holborns are the same man.

Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. There was no local clockmakers’ guild to regulate and record the trade, so it’s difficult to find out about clock making. Information about the craft comes from surviving examples, newspapers and trade directories. Trade directories were a kind of old fashioned Yellow Pages.

The parts needed to make a clock are the dial, movements (the mechanism that tells the time) and case. Some ‘clockmakers’ bought ready made parts, especially cases, and put them together. More skilled clockmakers made everything themselves. Robert Holborn’s joinery experience would have given him the skills to make a complete clock.

Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Bracket clock by Charles Gardner, Hull, c.1840

The parts inside this clock that make it tell the time are called an ‘eight day movement’. An eight day movement needs winding up every eight days so it doesn’t slow down and finally stop.

The eight day movement was invented to replace the 30 hour movement. Clocks with 30 hour movements stopped after just 30 hours. If you owned a clock with a 30 hour movement, you would have had to wind it up every day!

This clock was made by Charles Gardner. Charles made clocks and watches at various workshops in Hull between 1826 and 1872. He moved from Bishop Lane to Trinity House Lane, then to Whitefriargate and finally to Queen Street.

Clocks and watches were made in Hull and East Yorkshire from the early 1700s. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. Local clockmakers were influenced by London styles. Many Hull makers made copies of high quality London clocks, or they made cheaper cases, depending on their customer’s budget.

Bracket clocks have short pendulums and mechanisms driven by steel springs. Most people couldn’t afford bracket clocks, as the steel springs were very expensive to make. Many bracket clocks, like this one, have a cord called a ‘pull repeat’. This makes the clock chime the last hour when pulled. This was a useful way of finding out the approximate time in the dark without having to light a candle.

Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Sideboard, c.1791-1811

This sideboard would have stood against the wall in someone’s dining room. The drawers would have held cutlery and table linens like napkins.

The four oval patterns decorating the front contrast with the dark mahogany wood. They have been made by ‘inlaying’ pieces of light coloured wood. Inlaying means to set pieces of material such as wood or ivory into the surface of an object. The inlaid pieces make a pattern that is level with the sideboard’s surface.

This sideboard’s design was probably inspired by ‘The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing-Book’ by Thomas Sheraton. Thomas was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1751. He worked as a furniture maker and moved to London around 1790.

There is no evidence that Thomas made furniture during his time in London. His trade card says he taught ‘perspective, architecture and ornaments, making designs for cabinet-makers’. He supported himself mainly through his work as an author. ‘The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book’ was published in four parts in 1791 to 1794.

Sheraton’s Drawing Book aimed to teach people about drawing, geometric representation, architecture and perspective. As an experienced cabinet maker, he drew designs for pieces of furniture to illustrate his points. Soon the Drawing Book was in great demand among furniture makers who wanted to copy Sheraton’s designs. 600 English cabinet makers and joiners subscribed to the Drawing Book.

Thomas Sheraton’s name became applied to the distinctive style of furniture illustrated in his designs. This style of furniture was mainly popular in the late Georgian period, until 1811. Many pieces of furniture survive from this period that were either copied from or influenced by his designs.

Sheraton’s Drawing Book contains an illustration of a sideboard similar to this one. The illustration shows two small drawers on either side of the sideboard and a drawer in the centre. They all have circular handles, just like this sideboard.


'Uncle Tom' Staffordshire flatback, c.1852-1880

This pottery figure is Uncle Tom, the main character in ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852 and tells the story of a black slave in America. Stowe wrote the novel because she thought slavery was wrong and should be stopped. She wanted to encourage people to support the campaign to abolish slavery.

The little girl standing on Uncle Tom’s knee is Eva. She and Tom become best friends in the book.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 1800s. In the year after it was published in 1852, 300 000 copies were sold in America alone. It showed the cruel reality of slavery and helped persuade many Americans to support its abolition.

Slavery was abolished in Britain and the British colonies in 1833, but continued to be legal in America and many other countries. Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin partly in response to the Second Fugitive Slave Act in America. This punished people who helped runaway slaves and restricted the rights of runaway and freed slaves.

As this Staffordshire-made figure shows, the story of Uncle Tom was also popular in Britain. The first London edition of the book appeared in May 1852 and sold 200 000 copies. Many British people campaigned for slavery to be abolished in the United States. Slavery was finally made illegal there in 1865.

This type of pottery figure is called a ‘Staffordshire flatback’ because the back has been left flat and undecorated. Flatbacks were made from the late 1830s by over 100 manufacturers in Staffordshire. They were also called chimney ornaments, because their flat backs allowed them to stand against the chimney breast.

Flatbacks showed popular subjects that everyone would recognise. The Royal Family were the most popular. Others included politicians, military heroes, actors, and even notorious criminals like the highwayman Dick Turpin. The fact that Uncle Tom appears on a flatback shows how familiar his story had become in Britain.


Anti-slavery jug, early 1800s

Anti-slavery pottery was made in Britain in the early 1800s to support the growing movement to abolish slavery. Pieces were aimed at women and designed to appeal to their ‘maternal’ instincts. That is why this jug is printed with a picture of an enslaved woman holding her baby.

The most common design for anti-slavery pottery was the print on the other side of this jug – the kneeling slave. This emblem was used by abolitionists to promote their cause.

The public supported the abolition of the slave trade by buying objects with the kneeling slave symbol. Medallions showing the symbol were especially popular. Over 200 000 were made. Clay pipes and tobacco boxes decorated with the kneeling slave symbol were sold. Their purpose was to remind people that the tobacco they smoked was grown by plantation slaves.

The kneeling slave image showed Africans as passive, begging Europeans for their release from slavery. This was intended to provoke sympathy from Europeans. The reality was very different. Many Africans actively fought against their own enslavement.


Anti-slavery mug, early 1800s

The poem on this mug is written like a toast said by the person drinking from it. The poem has been hand painted onto the mug and calls for slaves to be set free.

Anti-slavery pottery was made in Britain in the early 1800s to support the anti-slavery campaign. Many people opposed the enslavement of African people on Caribbean and American sugar, tobacco and cotton plantations. Ordinary people supported the campaign by buying pottery decorated with anti-slavery verses and symbols.

There had always been opposition to slavery, but in the 1700s more people called for abolition. Enslaved people, freed ex-slaves and British Members of Parliament played an essential role in abolition.

The Quakers were the first religious group to speak out against slavery. They banned their members from owning slaves. They first petitioned Parliament against the slave trade in 1783. Slave uprisings in the Caribbean also made an impact on the British public and Parliament. These included the Saint Dominque (Haiti) rebellion in 1791 and the Jamaican revolt in 1831-1832.

Throughout the abolition campaign there was great social and political unrest in Europe. Events included the French Revolution, Britain’s loss of the American Colonies and the threat of invasion by Napoleon’s forces. These events made Britain’s upper classes nervous of social reform. Britain also relied on slavery for the enormous wealth it generated from the trade in slaves and related products.

Despite this, laws were passed in Parliament for the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, and slavery in 1833.

William Wilberforce led the Parliamentary campaign to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. He first became interested in the abolition of the slave trade and slavery in the 1780s. Wilberforce made his first abolition speech in Parliament in 1789. For many years he presented the abolition bill to Parliament and it kept being defeated, until it was passed in 1807.


Pair of side tables, c.1791-1811

These tables have been designed cleverly. They can be used separately as side tables against a wall. Alternatively, they can be put together to make one circular table with symmetrical decoration.

Different types of wood have been used to make the contrasting patterns on the table tops and sides. All of these colours occur naturally in wood, apart from the green flower garlands and inner band. They have been stained green to give a more colourful effect.

The design of these tables was probably inspired by ‘The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing-Book’ by Thomas Sheraton. This book was a popular source of inspiration for furniture makers when these tables were made.

Thomas was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1751. He worked as a furniture maker and moved to London around 1790. There is no evidence that Thomas made furniture during his time in London. His trade card says he taught ‘perspective, architecture and ornaments, making designs for cabinet-makers’. He supported himself mainly through his work as an author.

‘The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book’ was published in four parts in 1791 to 1794. Sheraton’s Drawing Book aimed to teach people about drawing, geometric representation, architecture and perspective. As an experienced cabinet maker, he drew designs for pieces of furniture to illustrate his points.

Soon the Drawing Book was in great demand among furniture makers who wanted to copy Sheraton’s designs. 600 English cabinet makers and joiners subscribed to the Drawing Book. The styles illustrated in Sheraton’s Drawing Book influenced furniture for many years.

Thomas Sheraton’s name became applied to the distinctive style of furniture illustrated in his designs. This style of furniture was mainly popular in the late Georgian period, until 1811. Many pieces of furniture survive from this period that were either copied from or influenced by his designs.


Anti-slavery bowl, early 1800s

Anti-slavery pottery was made in Britain in the early 1800s to support the growing movement to abolish slavery. Pieces were aimed at women and designed to appeal to their ‘maternal’ instincts. That is why this bowl is printed with a picture of an enslaved woman holding her baby.

The poem asks British women to join the campaign against slavery. It reminds them that African women were often separated from their children when they were forced into slavery.

The poem reflects several British ideas about slavery in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Enslaved Africans were seen as helpless, looking entirely to the British for freedom. In reality many enslaved Africans fought against their enslavement.

The poem also reflects the growing realisation at the time that slavery was not just cruel, it was fundamentally unjust. Africans were treated as goods to be bought and sold rather than human beings, because of their ethnic background.

Women played an important role in the anti-slavery campaign. Unmarried or widowed women found it easier to participate because they had less responsibility within the home.

Widow Elizabeth Hayrick was a leading radical figure. She argued that the gradual abolition of slavery was a stalling tactic by politicians to defeat the anti-slavery campaign. Other women wrote poetry in support of abolition. Many women refused to buy sugar produced by slaves on Caribbean plantations. Women were key promoters of the sugar boycott in the home.

Women also joined anti-slavery societies. By 1831 there were 73 women’s anti-slavery societies. In 1833 women signed a national petition to Parliament calling for the abolition of slavery.

Enslaved women also took an active role in resisting slavery. They wrote poetry to highlight their position as slaves and played an important part in slave uprisings. An enslaved woman called Nanny Grigg played a prominent role in a slave rebellion in Barbados in 1816. Granny Nanny, another female slave, helped in the Jamaican resistance.


Anti-slavery plaque, late 1700s - early 1800s

This wall plaque gives a British view of the abolition of slavery. It shows an enslaved African kneeling, his hands and feet tied together with chains. He is begging Britannia, the lady in the long flowing robes, to set him free. Britannia is commonly used as a symbol of Britain.

Most British people believed that they were solely responsible for ending slavery. This was far from true. Many Africans actively fought against their own enslavement.

The figure of the enslaved African on this plaque is made from moulded wax. It stands out against the pale painted background and picture of Britannia. A ship, probably a slave ship, can be seen in the background. The design of the plaque emphasises the differences British people believed existed between Africans and themselves.

Slavery abolitionists used the image of a kneeling slave as their emblem in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It is based on an anti-slavery design created at the Wedgwood pottery factory in 1787. William Hackwood, a worker at the factory, modelled the design.

The kneeling slave image was first used on medallions. Over 200 000 medallions decorated with the image were made to promote the abolitionists’ cause. The design also appeared on ceramics, hairpins and jewellery. The public showed their support for the campaign to abolish slavery by buying these objects.

The kneeling slave design has been criticised because it shows enslaved Africans as passive people pleading for their emancipation. In reality, many Africans fought against their own enslavement. The design was intended to provoke sympathy from the British public and Parliament. They saw themselves as the sole liberators of enslaved people.


Anti-slavery inkstand, early 1800s

This inkstand is in the shape of the shell of a sea creature called a nautilus. The nautilus is related to the squid and octopus and lives in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

When this inkstand was made, people wrote with pens which had to be dipped in bottles of ink. The inkstand has a top section inside it with holes for holding two pots of ink and two pens.

Nautilus shells were valued in Europe for their rarity and beauty. Rich people sometimes had ornamental cups or salt cellars made out of the shells. This pottery copy of a nautilus shell would have been much more reasonably priced.

The inkstand is decorated with pictures of a kneeling enslaved African in chains. Slavery abolitionists used the kneeling slave image as their emblem in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It is based on an anti-slavery design created at the Wedgwood pottery factory in 1787. William Hackwood, a worker at the factory, modelled the design.

The kneeling slave image was first used on medallions. Over 200 000 medallions decorated with the image were made to promote the abolitionists’ cause. The design also appeared on ceramics, hairpins and jewellery. The public showed their support for the campaign to abolish slavery by buying these objects.

The kneeling slave design has been criticised because it shows enslaved Africans as passive people pleading for their emancipation. In reality, many Africans actively fought against their own enslavement. The design was intended to provoke sympathy from the British public and Parliament. They saw themselves as the sole liberators of enslaved people.


Anti-slavery mug, early 1800s

This mug was made to support the anti-slavery movement in the early 1800s. The words ‘Ye are all the children of one Father’ are a strong Christian message of opposition to slavery.

The message is that everyone, whatever their skin colour, was created by God. Many felt this made it wrong for black people to work as slaves for white people.

The picture of a black and a white child hugging one another reinforces the message of equality.

The anti-slavery campaign had a strong Christian dimension. The Quakers were the first religious group to speak out against slavery. They banned their members from owning slaves. They first petitioned the British Parliament against the slave trade in 1783.

The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was set up in 1787. Most members of the Society were Quakers. Its membership included other influential non-conformist Christians, like William Wilberforce, MP for Yorkshire. The Society promoted the campaign against the slave trade in Parliament. It also gathered support from local groups across Britain.

Anti-slavery ceramics were made in the early 1800s to support the growing campaign to abolish slavery. They were often aimed at women and produced to appeal to their ‘maternal’ instincts. Ceramics printed with pictures of enslaved women and their babies were common.

The words ‘A Trifle for Thomas’ on this mug show that it was bought as a gift. The picture and the inscription ‘Ye are all the children of one Father’ suggest it was bought for a child. The cherub-like appearance of the children shown on the mug reinforces its Christian associations.


Anti-slavery sugar bowl, late 1700s-early 1800s

Many British people refused to buy sugar during the campaign against slavery in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Most sugar was produced by African slaves in the Caribbean. It’s estimated that between 300 000 and 400 000 British people refused to buy sugar.

This bowl’s message is that people should buy sugar from India – then known as East India – instead. Indian sugar was not made by slaves. Every time this bowl was refilled with sugar, its owner would have been reminded of this.

Africans were forced to work as slaves on sugar plantations in the Caribbean from the 1500s. Many of these plantations were owned by Europeans. Much of the sugar produced ended up on British tea tables. Britain grew rich on the profits of the slave trade, which funded rapid industrial development.

Public opinion began to turn against slavery from the 1700s. British people stopped buying sugar after the Government failed to pass the Abolition of the Slave Trade Bill in 1791.

The public’s refusal to buy sugar produced by slaves was one of the first national boycotts in British history. Many people were unhappy that they were supporting slavery by buying sugar produced on Caribbean plantations. British people had a very sweet tooth, so boycotting sugar showed how strongly they felt about slavery.

A wide range of people boycotted sugar, particularly women. Women weren’t allowed to vote, but they could show how they felt through their choice of products. Some people today refuse to buy certain foods or clothes because they believe the workers making them are being exploited.

The British slave trade was finally abolished by the Government in 1807. The reasons for this have been hotly debated. Some think that competition from Cuba and Brazil led to the decline of sugar production in the Caribbean. Others believe that resistance to slavery and the abolition campaign were the main factors in turning public opinion against slavery.


(image/jpeg) Pewter - Poor Man's Silver

Items have been made out of pewter since ancient Egyptian times. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans in the Second Century. Pewter items were often made by silversmiths as a cheaper alternative to silver. As such, it is often called 'Poor Man's Silver'. It is an alloy of mainly tin, with other metals such as bismuth, copper and lead, to harden and strengthen it. Pewter can be worked in several ways to produce different objects. It can be rolled, cast, pressed, spun or shaped by hand. A great variety of objects have been made from pewter including mugs, tankards, plates, dishes, candlesticks, tea services and jewellery. Its surface can be embellished by hammering, engraving or polishing. Pewter tankards were often decorated with 'wriggle-work' which was a line of zig-zag engraving. #SUBHEADING#Marks On Pewter#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#The museum collections contain several pewter items including brooch, plates, dishes and tankards or mugs. Some of these are stamped with a crowned 'X' mark. This mark was introduced to show that the pewter was good quality. Many items are stamped with the maker's trademark which is also known as a 'touch mark'. This often includes the maker's initials or whole name. One tankard bears the company name stamp of 'Yates & Birch' who were based in Birmingham and used this mark on their wares around 1800. Tankards often bear a stamped capacity mark of 'pint', 'half pint' or 'quart'. The measure had to be verified by an inspector. Each city or town had its own verification mark between 1826 and 1878. After this, the mark comprised of the initials of the reigning monarch ('VR' or 'ER') and a number signifying the town/city location. Two tankards bear the number '528', denoting verification in the county of Lincoln and one has the number '41' to say it has been checked in Hull. Many pewter items, like silver, were marked with the initials, monogram or crest of their owner. One of the tankards in the collection bears a simple triad of initials on the handle. Two tankards bear the stamped three crowns of Hull crest accompanied by the word 'HULL'. These may refer to them being made, sold or used by public houses in Hull. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Bottoms Up!#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the pewter tankards in the collection has a glass bottom. It is thought that the feature helped men to avoid being trapped into conscription by the press-gang. Men could only be forced in to joining the King's Navy if it could be said that they had taken the 'King's shilling'. Members of the press gang visited public houses and offered to buy men drinks and secretly slipped a shilling into the tankard. At the end of the drink, the shilling would reveal itself and the men would be forced to join up. When publicans realised this was happening, they introduced tankards with a glass bottom. Drinkers could raise their tankards to see if there was a shilling lurking in their ale. It is thought that the expression 'Bottoms Up'' derives from this. Tankards continued to be made with glass bottoms long after this time. The one in the collections contains a presentation message that is dated 1902, although the tankard itself may be older.


Eva Crackes herbarium label (image/jpeg) Eva Crackles 1918-2007

Hull Museums has several Herbarium collections, compiled by local collectors to record the diverse flora of the local region. The most extensive of these was created by Florence Eva Crackles, and provides a detailed record of the flora of East Yorkshire. #SUBHEADING# A Passion for Botany #SUBHEADINGEND# Florence Eva Crackles (known as Eva) was born in Hull in 1918. She graduated with a BSc in maths & chemistry in 1940, and went on to develop a joint interest in Ornithology and Botany. She joined the Hull Scientific & Field Naturalists Club in 1941, and subsequently the Yorkshire Naturalists Union in 1943, which allowed her to pursue her interests and meet other enthusiasts in the region. She went on many excursions with Tom Stainforth until his death in 1944. Stainforth's Herbarium is also in the museum collections. By the 1950s Eva's interest in Botany had increased. The wartime bombing of Hull left many derelict sites where wildflowers could be collected. Many of the items collected by Eva in 1950s state the location of a bombed area in Hull. Eva was also a keen writer as well as a collector, and she wrote a column in the Hull Daily Mail called 'Crackles Country'. #SUBHEADING# Sharing the Knowledge #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Eva enjoyed sharing her passion for Botany, and gave lectures at evening classes for the Workers Educational Association. Her teaching was supplemented by her research and publications. She was awarded a Masters from Hull University in 1978 for her work on Calamagrostis stricta and Calamagrostis canscens and their hybrids at Leven Canal. In 1990 she published The Flora of the East Riding of Yorkshire, which was a culmination of four decades of collecting and research. Her training in maths and chemistry made all her work scientifically precise and detailed. Eva also had interests beyond Botany. She was a keen researcher of family history, and published an account of her family history in the East Yorkshire Historian in 2000. #SUBHEADING# Recognition of her work #SUBHEADINGEND# In 1991 Eva was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Hull University in recognition of her extensive contribution to botany and teaching. A year later she also received an MBE for her services to Botany and its conservation, and she was an active champion at public enquiries in protecting threatened sites in East Yorkshire. View all of the items from the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=Eva+Crackles&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=Eva+Crackles+Collection&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=Eva+Crackles&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collection7=Eva+Crackles+Collection&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=34&SearchSubmit.y=12 TEXT=Eva Crackles Collection# or use the advanced search


Detail of stitching (image/jpeg) Simply Samplers!

#SUBHEADING#Simply Samplers!#SUBHEADINGEND# Samplers come in all different shapes and sizes and are one of the most common forms of needlework.The actual word, 'sampler' is derived from the Latin exemplum meaning 'an example to be followed or a pattern'. Types of samplers have been found in Egyptian burial grounds and despite only sections of the sampler surviving, Christian style emblems sewn in red and blue wool could be detected.The original purpose of the sampler was educational as it was used to provide other stitchers with examples of different stitches and patterns. The sampler itself was also used as a practice piece for new or difficult stitches and was often found rolled up in the sewing box. #SUBHEADING#Copying Designs#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Samplers have been found all over the world, but the earliest recorded English sampler is from 1598 stitched by Jane Bostocke. It was created to commemorate the birth of a family member, Alice Lee. The sampler still survives today and is held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Early styles of samplers relied on people copying emblems or motifs from other samplers. The earliest dated sampler in the Hull Museums Collection is from 1742 by Elizabeth Clark with an alphabet and flower motifs. It was only later that pattern books were created in the form that we know today to help the stitchers with their designs.Pattern books were produced as early as the 1520s. Many did not survive due to the technique of pricking off patterns directly from the printed page on to the linen. This made the copying of the pattern easier, but this increased the wear and tear of the pages.


children playing in the street (image/jpeg) How we used to live

Hull has a very rich and varied history. It has developed over the centuries from a small walled town to a bustling city, and has seen many major historical events that have shaped its history and the lives of the people who lived here. The stories here explore the way we used to live - what clothes we wore, where we used to work and how our lives were affected by wider conflicts and events. It also looks at the lives of famous local born people, their achievements and how they contributed to the City's interesting past.


Portrait of Maureen Lipman

In a colourful musical and artistic career, Humphrey Ocean has played bass guitar with Ian Dury's band 'Kilburn and the Highroads', and in 1976 toured the USA as artist-in-residence with Paul McCartney's 'Wings'. In 1982, as winner of their Imperial Tobacco Portrait Award, Ocean was asked by the National Portrait Gallery to paint the poet Philip Larkin (completed 1984). This brought him to Hull, and to the attention of the Ferens Art Gallery. An exhibition at the Ferens followed in 1986-7, touring throughout the UK with a large selection of work chosen by the artist from the Ferens collection. After the exhibition Ocean was commissioned by the Friends of the Ferens to paint the Hull-born actress Maureen Lipman; he was an obvious choice, as his portraits of contemporary celebrities are immensely popular. Maureen Lipman, who often visited the Ferens as a girl, was delighted to sit for him. The result is an unusual and informal composition with Maureen in a full-length horizontal pose. The artist has added a ripple-moulded inner frame turned on a 17th century Dutch machine, much in keeping with the Ferens' Dutch collection.


J.R. Mortimer and Thomas Sheppard (image/jpeg) Collectors and Collections

Museums are made up of many different collections spanning a diverse range of disciplines. Each with its own unique history of development. Throughout the museum's history, objects have been donated, bequeathed and purchased to form the collections we hold today. The buildings themselves have also changed over time, as new museums have opened, old ones have closed, and interior displays have been refurbished to present new exhibitions to the public.  Read about the Hull Museums' development, the collections we have and the collectors who contributed their life's work to the museum collections.


An Exmoor Farm 1937-38

James McIntosh Patrick's early talent was for etching, but when the print market slumped in the 1930's he diversified; teaching at Dundee College of Art, making illustrations for postcards and journals, and turning to oil painting. As with Richard Eurich's (1903-1992) Marine Harvest, represented at the Ferens, McIntosh Patrick's landscape paintings recall Bruegel's (c1525/30-69) meticulous attention to detail. His themes were generally of agriculture rather than wild nature, and are mainly found within a 20 mile radius of his Dundee home. An Exmoor Farm, however, shows a scene much further south, with the farm buildings of Wellstead Farm, Exford, surrounded by a imaginary wintry landscape. With its beautiful, calm atmosphere, this picture shows a rather sentimental and nostalgic view of traditional countryside leisure pursuits. It would have been created in the artist's studio as McIntosh Patrick did not paint 'En Plein Air' until the second world war when he lost his studio. Thereafter he would spend weeks, even months, working on one painting in all weathers, sometimes even warming his frozen paint to make it move.


The Steam Paddle Tug "May" pulling out of Bridlington Harbour, 1890

Born in Lincolnshire, Penny moved to Hull in the 1860s. A prolific artist, his works tend to be simple ship portraits, the principal vessel shown in profile. Many of his canvases highlight the contrast between the old and the new - sail and steam - rather than characterising any specific craft. Including this painting, the Ferens owns three of Penny's works.


Octavia, 1939

Penrose is best known for having introduced Surrealism into Britain during the 1930s. He worked with Picasso (1881-1973) and Max Ernst (1891-1976) in Paris in the 1920s, and continued to contribute to Surrealist exhibitions and publications in England well into the 1940s. Octavia is a powerful example of a Surrealist work. The woman is based on studies of Penrose's then close companion and later second wife, the photographer and model, Lee Miller. It demonstrates Surrealism's preoccupation with machines and metamorphosis, and the woman, with her vicious spikes and heavy chains, is both victim and aggressor. The distant tunnel appears like a watching eye. Painted just before the outbreak of hostilities in Europe, Octavia is a disturbing picture, full of ambiguity and discord. The War was to mark the end of British Surrealism as a recognisable movement. Always a loosely connected group, artists drifted away, some into the Services, others succumbing to the establishment by accepting commissions from the War Artists' Advisory Committee. Looking back, Penrose felt that the War had had a negative effect on his artistic development, cutting him off from the heart of Surrealism in Paris.


Martagon Lilies

Like his fellow Colourists Cadell (1885-1937), Fergusson (1874- 1961) and Hunter (1877-1931), Peploe found Scottish life rather drab and colourless, writing in 1908 'it is terrible to be an artist and live in Edinburgh'. They reacted against the low key, muted colours of their predecessors whose dour genre scenes, mists and stags dominated Scottish painting in the nineteenth century. Inspired by their travels in the Mediterranean, and the colourful work of Matisse (1869-1954) and the Fauves in Europe, the Scottish Colourists (a term not coined until c.1948) adopted a bright and lively palette. This was more extreme and decorative than that of their contemporaries, the Bloomsbury and Camden Town painters. Peploe himself studied at Edinburgh School of Art and the Academie Julian in Paris. In 1910 he moved to Paris where he fell under the influence of Cubism and, later, the colour and vivacity of the Russian ballet. In his early work he favoured heavy black outlines to achieve a two-dimensional effect, but abandoned this technique around 1920. He painted portraits only occasionally, preferring to concentrate on landscape, flowers or still life.


A Summer Shower

Perugini came to London in 1863 and was helped financially by Lord Leighton (1830-1896) in the launching of his artistic career. In A Summer Shower three young women in Greek-inspired costumes (fashionable in London at the time) are interrupted in their game of battledore and shuttlecock by the unpredictable British weather. They shelter under a large tree in a pose which recalls the Three Graces - a theme from classical antiquity. Perugini was famed as a painter of 'sweet idleness' and as 'a painter of womanhood in her most charmingly decorative aspect'.


Suicide in Costume II

Piche studied at the Royal College of Art between 1960-64 during which time he worked as an assistant to Henry Moore (1898-1986). A fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Piche has exhibited at a number of London galleries including the Whitechapel. Piche's work came to prominence during the 1960s. He created sculpture using a variety of materials, the work often drawing upon contrasts between organic and geometric forms. Suicide in Costume II, like much of his work at the time, embraced the themes of pressure, violence and of life struggling for existence.


Portrait of Esther

Lucien PISSARRO Paris 1863 - Somerset 1944 Portrait of Esther, 1893 Oil on canvas Purchased in 1989 using the Ferens Endowment Fund with the aid of grants from the National Art Collections Fund and the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. Lucien Pissarro, taught to paint by his father, the famous Camile Pissarro (1831-1903), links the French Impressionists with the later generation of English Impressionists. In France he had close contact with Cezanne (1839-1906) and Seurat (1859-91) and took up the pointillist style of applying tiny blobs of paint which intermingle in the spectator's eye to dazzling effect. Painted a year after their marriage, this portrait is of Pissarro's wife Esther Benusan. In the background is a William Morris (1834-96) tapestry, which Pissarro unites with Esther's profile in a mosaic-like pattern.


View of a Palace

An intriguing painting, this work has variously been suggested be of French, Dutch, Flemish or German origin. Until recently the painting was thought to be the work of the Flemish artist, Adam Frans Van der Meulen (1632-1690). However, recent research from France has suggested that the painting might belong to the school of Pierre Patel, a French landscape artist of the 17th century. This theory is supported by the fact that Patel is known to have painted a view of the palace of Versailles during the same period. The identity of the building in the background of our painting is itself under debate - it is certainly in the style of Versailles, Louis XIV's sumptuous residency. However, this can be misleading as smaller versions of the French monarch's palace were being built all over Europe by those who wished to emulate his power and prestige. It has been recently suggested that the building depicted here has some similarities to the Menagerie at Versailles, built by Le Van. The presence of the gazelles in the foreground and a group of characters in court dress on the right could confirm this hypothesis.


The Man with the Muck Rake

Paton's own inscription on the reverse of this painting confirms that this is a study for the large and final version, shown nearby, of the picture in the Ferens' collection: 'This is the first of two preliminary studies for the life size picture of the 'Man with the Muck Rake'. The second study - if I rightly recollect has a dark background and only one angel, as in the engraved picture. Noel Paton Nov 11 1889'. Paton had drawn subjects from Bunyan's The Pilgrims Progress soon after his return to Edinburgh in 1857. Before embarking upon the final version, he clearly reworked the subject of the 'Muck Rake' several times, making significant changes to its details until he was fully satisfied with the result; there is another version in the collection of Aberdeen Art Gallery.


Detail of fan (image/jpeg) Fans - Functional, Fashionable and Flirtatious

#SUBHEADING#Functional#SUBHEADINGEND# There are many different types, shapes and sizes of hand held fans in Hull Museums costume collection. They range from the plain and practical to the ornate and decorative, and can incorporate many different materials including lace, silk, feathers and even stuffed birds! #IMAGE# Essentially fans are functional objects; a flat surface that, when waved back and forth provides an airflow that cools you down. However, in different societies over time, fans have developed into a fashionable crafted accessory and have even developed a language of their own. There are four main types of fan; Rigid fans, usually paddle shaped with a handle, often decorated with feathers. Brise fans, made from separate sticks which are linked together at the top with a ribbon threaded through. Cockade fans, made from a folded main leaf which forms a circle when the two guards join to form one handle. Folded fans, made from a main folded leaf attached to a series of riveted sticks and a guard at each end. #SUBHEADING#Fashionable#SUBHEADINGEND# Fans have a long history dating back to ancient times, and large feather fans can be seen in ancient Egyptian images, held by slaves to cool the pharaohs. China and Japan also have a long history of using hand fans, with the folding fan becoming popular during the Ming Dynasty in China. The folding fan was introduced into Europe in the 17th century from China, and was considered a very high status gift. These, along with rigid fans, were often decorated with feathers and jewels. By the 18th century, the fan had become an essential fashion accessory and fan painting became a recognised art, with scenes on the leaves of the fan including country landscapes, classical figures and religious subjects. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#A variety of materials#SUBHEADINGEND# Sticks and guards could be made out of ivory, tortoiseshell, mother of pearl and wood, whilst the main body of the fan could be silk, paper or animal skin. In the last quarter of the 19th century, feather fans became popular, starting out brightly coloured and later becoming more neutrally shaded. This trend continued into the 1920s with one large ostrich feather plume dyed to match the colour of the wearer's dress. After this fans were used more for advertising purposes. #SUBHEADING#Flirtatious!#SUBHEADINGEND# The fan was also useful for another purpose - flirtation! In a society where men and women could not easily converse, the fan developed a language of its own to allow communication. The way a lady held and positioned her fan could mean the difference between declining a man's attentions and accepting a proposal of marriage! Fan messages included: - The fan placed near the heart: "You have won my love" - Fanning quickly: "I am engaged" - Hiding the eyes behind an open fan: "I love you" As social etiquette changed, the language of the fan for forbidden communication became obsolete, and the language of the fan was lost.


Portrait of Gertrude Kingston

Hull-born Starr established himself as a portrait, genre and mural painter. He trained at London's Slade School of Art, winning a scholarship at the age of seventeen. He became a friend of the American artist Whistler (1834-1903) and is regarded as one of the most successful of his followers. Starr was one of the artists represented at the London Impressionist Exhibition in 1889. He lived in London until 1892 when a scandal forced him to move to New York. He remained there until his death. Gertrude Kingston (1866-1937) was an actress who made her stage debut in 1887, the year before this elegant portrait was painted. It is possible that she posed in costume as a stage character, rather than actually being dressed for hunting. The monochromatic colour scheme and the broad, flat areas instead of modelled forms clearly show the influence of Whistler in this bold, assertive portrait. Her finely sculpted features present the ideal Victorian beauty of the 1880s.


Poppy (after John Hoppner's painting of Anna Isabella Milbanke)

St. James is currently a senior lecturer at Camberwell College of Art in London. His exploration of video as a creative means of expression has led to his work being exhibited both nationally and internationally. The Ferens also has in its collection an earlier video work, The Ark, which is a collaborative work by St. James and the artist, Anne Wilson (b.1955) Poppy is the result of a commission from the Ferens for St. James to produce a video piece inspired by a work in the gallery's historic collection. The piece conveys the artist's response to John Hoppner's (1758-1810) painting, Anna Isabella Milbanke, and focuses on a little girl, full of excitement and expectation but also restricted by the formal conventions of 18th century portrait. The artist has endeavoured to capture the innocence and naivety of both girls, together with the atmosphere of the landscape setting which drew St. James to the Hoppner painting in the first place. The sitter for the video portrait is the artist's six year old daughter, Poppy Wilson-St. James. The artist's empathy for Anna Isabella Milbanke evolves through his own experiences as the father of a young girl. St. James' family - and himself - are often the subjects for his work and on this occasion Poppy was tempted to participate through the promise of a new dress for the occasion.


Boulogne Sands - Children Shrimping

This painting was the Gallery's major purchase of 1979-80. It is a key work in the early period of Steer's career when he was assimilating, with Sickert, the influences of French Impressionism. Boulogne Sands is an example of what became known as London Impressionism, although it depicts a French scene. The bright, light palette, loose style and in particular the pointillist (dabs of colour) inspired technique are all derived from the style of French artists like Monet (1840-1926). Steer was a leading artist of the so-called English Impressionists and he enjoyed a long teaching career at London's Slade School of Art.


Reverie (Miss Lilian Montgomery)

Steer first studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where he became greatly influenced by contemporary developments in French art. On returning to England he became a leader amongst his generation of progressive English artists who looked to France for inspiration. Together with his contemporary, Sickert (1860-1942), he was responsible for bringing the French Impressionist style and manner across to England. Miss Lilian Montgomery was a favourite model of Steer's. In Reverie her image is almost lost amongst the loose brushstrokes and the artist's preoccupation with style and technique in much the same way that she appears lost in her own thoughts.


The Good Samaritan

Originally a painter of nostalgic rural scenes, the inevitability of rural life, with its time-honoured traditions, appealed to Stott. However, witnessing the increasing destruction of the landscape during the early years of this century, Stott began to draw his subject matter more from the Bible and less from modern life. Here, Stott depicts the Good Samaritan rescuing the injured traveller (Luke 10:30-37). The extreme vulnerability of the figure of the boy is emphasised by his naked white flesh contrasted against the dark, impressionistic background, somewhat reminiscent of an English landscape scene.


Marine (Sailing Ship on Beach)

Marine depicts a brig that is beached following a storm. Evidence of the severe weather is seen by the large amount of wreckage lying on the beach, including a broken mast and tackle. Although Stubbs was not a ship portrait painter here he shows an understanding of ships probably influenced by the coastal scenes painted by his father.


Folding Time

Although Stott was born in Rochdale, he spent much of his life at Amberley in Sussex, an idyllic village with thatched cottages. He painted many rural scenes from the countryside around his home, but many of his pictures have a melancholic air, perhaps reflecting his personal distress at the changing landscape. Folding Time depicts an elderly farmer returning home with the sheep at sunset, and as such may symbolize the end of an era with the gradual destruction of time honoured rural traditions. Stott was heavily influenced by the French artist Millet (1814-1875). Comparisons of his landscapes have also been made with the author Thomas Hardy's literary descriptions of the British countryside. His painting technique was long and painstaking with many preparatory notes and drawings used as inspiration for the final work. The oil paintings were built up in layers of small brush strokes, but he gradually moved towards a more impressionistic style with brighter colours and larger daubs of paint. Stott exhibited works at the Royal Academy for over thirty years and left them £25,000 in his will to provide art students with travel grants.


Ship on a Beach by Moonlight

The information on Ralph Stubbs is a little uncertain as there are a number of parties called Stubbs, at least one called Reuben and two called Ralph. Problems have arisen from the name 'R. Stubbs' appearing on pictures as late as 1888 despite records showing that Ralph died in 1879. One view is that Stubbs had a son who also signed his work 'R.Stubbs' and exhibited in Hull as late as 1888. Ship on a Beach by Moonlight is a more romantic coastal view with the artist attending to the effects of light and atmosphere. This manner is reflective of his foremost interests as a landscape painter.


Vault

Like Sweet's other canvas, Red, Yellow, Blue, also in the collection, this work seeks to explore and express some of the elements of abstract painting. It is, however, less rigidly geometrical and the slashes of colour echo the freer expressionism of the 1950s and '60s, and of artists like Peter Lanyon (1918-64) and Terry Frost (b.1695) whose work is also represented in the Ferens collection.


Red, Yellow, Blue

David Sweet studied and taught at Hull College of Art and was a contemporary of Ian Hart (1943-1977), whose work is also represented in the Ferens collection. Like Hart, Sweet's work addresses the formal and creative difficulties posed by abstract painting, which he explored across several canvases.


Interior - Girl Reading

Provis specialised in small, detailed interiors of cottages and farm houses with women and children doing household chores. Such genre pieces, popular in Victorian England, set out to present a 'slice of life'. There was, however, a tendency to beautify the subject, to cater for the taste in pictures of pretty young women. The soft lighting and subdued colours achieve this effect. The girl probably reads the Bible, as judging by the sparse furnishings this would be the only book likely to be kept in the cottage.


Detail of dress (image/jpeg) Flirty Flapper Fashion

The 1920s were a time of great change, socially and economically, for everyone in Britain. After the First World War there were many changes. Women were more liberated, able to work and have leisure pursuits. #IMAGE# These changes were also reflected in fashion. It became a scandalous age when women would cut their hair short, wear make up, smoke cigarettes in public, and dance the night away to Jazz music! #SUBHEADING# Charleston Beauties #SUBHEADINGEND# A fashionable 1920s girl would have worn a shapeless shift dress that has an undefined dropped waistline, long strings of beads and high heeled shoes with a strap bar. Evening wear would have been very elaborate with an uneven hemline, intricate beading and sequins. This dress from the collection typifies this style of dress. It is made of black chiffon with black and clear beads that would have caught the light when dancing the night away. It is sleeveless and has a fabric rose corsage on the left shoulder with a defined dropped waistline decorated with a beaded pattern. Other dresses demonstrate the geometric designs that were popular in this period. Many evening dresses featured lots of tassels which would shake when dancing the popular dances such as The Charleston or The Black Bottom Stomp. #SUBHEADING# Daring Hemlines #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The hemline of the black evening dress is surprising long. It is a common misconception that all hemlines in the 1920s were above the knee. People at the time considered them dangerous high! But in reality most dresses were calf length, apart from a short period 1926-28 when hemlines reached just below the knee. This day dress has an uneven 'handkerchief' hemline which at it's shortest would reach just below the knee. #SUBHEADING# The Weight of Fashion #SUBHEADINGEND# Beaded dresses like the one shown above weigh a tremendous amount and often don't survive very well. This is because the base fabric is often net or chiffon which are both very light material and can't support the weight of the beading that decorates it. Holes and tears are quiet common in dresses of this age. They have to be looked after very carefully and stored flat to prevent pressure on the fabric.


His First Grief, 1910

Charles Spencelayh studied at the Royal College of Art and also in Paris, winning a prize for figure painting. He was the father of the painter of miniatures, Vernon Spencelayh (b.1891). Most of Spencelayh's paintings are portraits or figurative genre scenes, much like this work, although he was also a successful etcher and miniaturist. He was especially famed for his cluttered interiors depicting old men, which he painted in great detail. Although this painting is of a young boy, it still concentrates on the themes of old age and death. This was a subject which would have been close to the hearts of a Victorian audience in the nineteenth century, and which was continued by Edwardian artists well into the twentieth. In a letter of 1940 to Vincent Galloway, then Director of the Ferens Art Gallery, Spencelayh noted that the boy in the painting, who acted as his model on several occasions, was tragically killed in the Great War in 1916.


Portrait of Gwen Harter in a Red Bead Necklace, 1920s

Born in Cookham, Berkshire, Gilbert was the youngest brother of the artist Stanley Spencer (1891-1959). Like Stanley, Gilbert also studied at the Slade School of Art in London under the tuition of Henry Tonks (1862-1937). On leaving the college Gilbert pursued an art career in London, exhibiting at a number of venues including the New English Art Club and the Royal Academy of which he became a member in 1959. Throughout his career he was also a member of the Royal Watercolour Society. Besides being an artist Spencer was also a respected teacher. He served as Professor of Painting at the Royal College of Art for sixteen years before undertaking senior positions at the Glasgow School of Art and later at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London. Although he was predominantly a landscape artist, Spencer's portraits in oil together with his drawings show considerable talent particularly for their draughtsmanship. The sitter in this portrait is Gwen Harter, who married the artist Sydney Carline (1888-1929), the brother of Stanley Spemcer's first wife Hilda Carline (1889-1950), herself a talented artist. This portrait would appear to date from the 1920s and the emphasis on the neckline is a characteristic feature of the period, as is the vivid background


The Red House

Throughout his life, Spencer found both inspiration and consolation in the meadows, lush hedgerows and country gardens of rural England. He continually returned to the subject of landscapes in his work as a regenerative process, each time re-exploring the subject with new energy. The Red House is in Wangford, Suffolk. Spencer followed the artist Hilda Carline (1889-1950) there in the autumn of 1924. Hilda married Spencer at Wangford Church in 1925 and they spent their honeymoon at a farm cottage in the village. After the breach in his relationship with Hilda he returned briefly and alone to Wangford in 1937, failing to persuade his wife to accompany him. Hilda is depicted in a group portrait at the Ferens by her brother Richard Carline (1896-1980). For Spencer, the landscapes he portrayed were often of great personal importance. This sense of place was a fundamental theme running through much of his art. His landscapes often feature distorted scale and perspective and a heightening of realistic detail to personalise the scene.


Coastline with Lighthouse

Born in West Yorkshire, Suddaby studied art in Sheffield before moving to London. He was predominantly a landscape painter and had numerous one-man exhibitions in London. Following the Second World War he moved to Suffolk and produced many scenes of East Anglia, for which he is renowned. Suddaby was also a founder member of the Colchester Art Society with John Nash (1893-1977) and Cedric Morris (1889-1982), both represented at the Ferens. Coast Scene with Lighthouse typifies Suddaby's style, with its richness of colour, energetic brush marks and sense of immediacy.


Nude - Portrait of Patricia Preece

One of the greatest English artists, Spencer had a unique vision of the world. An eccentric and highly imaginative individual, he remained an independent artist, apart from any currently fashionable groups. He attended the Slade School of Art along with Bomberg (1890-1957), Nash (1889-1946) and Wadsworth (1889-1949), among others. Many of Spencer's visionary paintings and landscapes were inspired by life in his native town of Cookham. This striking portrait of Spencer's second wife was probably painted in 1936/37, around the time of their marriage. Spencer produced a number of private, almost intrusively analytical paintings of both himself and Patricia, often using a similarly close viewpoint. Pat Preece looks out at the viewer with an unflinching gaze. The frankness of the portrayal makes this portrait as intimidating as Victor Newsome's highly stylised nude of 1980/81.


Somewhere in England

The son of the Bavarian portrait painter George Sauter (1866-1937), Rudolf studied art in London and Munich. He became an established figurative painter and had one-man shows in both New York and London. Tragically, much of Sauter's work was destroyed in a fire in the early 1980s. Together with the National Portrait Gallery, the Ferens is one of the few British public galleries to represent Sauter's work. Despite its title, Somewhere in England seems more evocative of other European countries, particularly Holland. Such references are partly due to the extensive travels Sauter undertook throughout Europe, South Africa and later America. It is in the latter that he established a wide reputation as a painter and printmaker.


Needle and Thread

Little is known about Schafer, although he is known to have exhibited both paintings and sculpture at various London Galleries. This painting was one of the first bought for the Ferens' collection along with Under Petticoat Government by Blandford Fletcher (1858-1936). It was purchased in 1906, the same year the work was shown at the Hull Autumn Exhibition in the Municipal Art Gallery (now the City Hall), before the Ferens was opened in 1927. It had been exhibited previously at The Royal Academy under the title The Sempstress. A contemporary(?) note in the painting's history file describes the work as: 'A beautifully painted picture of high artistic quality, pathetic, sad and reminiscent of Rembrandt in its beauty of light and shade'. It is, indeed, indebted to the 17th century Dutch tradition of sombre, introspective portraits, a style introduced by Rembrandt and one which greatly influenced many Victorian painters. Scenes such as this, depicting working women, were popular with the Victorian public and provided subject matter for many painters and authors of the period. This particular piece was inspired by Thomas Hood's poem The Song of the Shirt, about a poor seamstress 'plying her needle thread-/stitch, stitch!'


Painting, 1959

Although born in Scotland, Scott studied art in both Belfast and London. Like Henry Mundy (b.1919) he was a prize winner in the prestigious John Moores exhibition the year this picture was painted. Scott's paintings of still life's in the late 1940s and early '50s led to a brief experimentation with pure abstraction. He progressed on to arrangements of simple shapes on a flat ground which, like the Ferens' painting, are reminiscent of pots, pans and other household items. Scott chose to paint still life's of ordinary kitchen utensils partly because they are so ordinary that they can be treated as shapes and nothing else. The title of the work, Painting, probably refers to the process as well as the object. Scott has divided the canvas into four rectangular quarters, making 'fields' of colour with a brush and palette knife.


IDYLL, c.1931/2

IDYLL, c.1931/2 Sickert was probably the single most important artist and art teacher of the Edwardian period. He was one of the founders of the Camden Town Group, and was influential in encouraging a new and very English form of Post-Impressionism. Rather than working en plein air (open air) however, he sometimes based his work upon artists' woodcuts. These were known as the Echoes. Idyll, a late work by Sickert, was painted after an illustration of a wood engraving which appeared in Leisure Hour magazine in 1859. The only significant change the artist has made is a slight reduction in the foreground and sky.


24 pins, 13 pieces of paper and painted elements, 1974

In the 1950s Smith, who trained in Sheffield and at the Royal College of Art, belonged to the 'Kitchen Sink' school of painters who depicted everyday things using a very dour palette of colours. He later gave up this realist approach in favour of an abstract style. In common with his contemporaries throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s Smith began to explore the relationships between colour, sound and movement in a very individual way. For Smith there was a strong link between the rhythm he wished to convey and the idea of musical notation, which itself conveyed rhythm on a flat surface. He came to regard his work as diagrams of his own experiences and sensations, saying, in 1963: the closer the painting is to a diagram or graph the nearer it is to my intention.' Smith's work of the early 1970s, exemplified by this busy, collated relief, is an extension of this belief.


Hyacinth, 1920

Smith went to Paris in 1910 where he studied at Matisse's (1869-1954) school during the last few weeks before its closure. Thereafter Smith identified very strongly with French art, being influenced in particular by the bold, un-naturalistic colours and opulent forms of the Fauve movement, of which Matisse was a founding member. Smith's luscious nudes and still life flower pieces in particular owe much to Matisse, as this painting exemplifies. Its rich, saturated colours and fluency of line, along with the work's painterly approach, give it a vigour and sumptuousness that echo the older artist's style. Much of Smith's working career was spent in France where he enjoyed a high reputation amongst his English contemporaries. Frank Auerbach (b.1931), who is represented in the Feren's collection, is just one of the many British painters to have admired his work.


Truelove from Hull on a jug (image/jpeg) Truelove: From War to Whaler

#IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Spoils of War#SUBHEADINGEND# The 'Truelove' was built in Philadelphia in 1764 and came into English hands during the American War of Independence where she had been used as a privateer. She was sold to John Voase, a wine merchant and ship owner in Hull, and was converted into a whaling ship. The 'Truelove' made over 80 voyages, killing over 500 whales as well as seals, walruses, narwhals and polar bears. The 'Truelove' also brought wine from Oporto and for 9 years she engaged in general trade with the Baltic ports. In 1835 the 'Truelove' was one of a fleet trapped in ice in Melville Bay, Greenland. Twenty of the fleet were crushed but 'Truelove' survived unharmed. Captain Wells described her as 'handy as a cutter, safe as a lifeboat, and tight as a bottle'. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Visitors from Greenland#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1847 Captain John Parker brought a couple back from the Nyatlick in the Cumberland Straits to Hull on the 'Truelove'. The couple called Memiadluk and Uckaluk were brought to England to highlight the poor conditions in their homeland and after arriving in Hull they took part in talks in Manchester and York. Before their departure plaster casts were made of their heads as well as the head of Captain Parker and these are now displayed in the Hull Maritime Museum. Memiadluk and Uckaluk were given a variety of gifts by their hosts before they left but unfortunately on the return journey to Cumberland South Uckaluk died after there was an outbreak of Measles on board. #SUBHEADING#End of an Era#SUBHEADINGEND# The 'Truelove' was the last of the Hull whalers and sailed alongside the steam powered whaling vessels in the 1850's and 60's. In 1873 she travelled to her home port of Philadelphia and was presented with a flag in honour of her 'birth' there 109 years earlier. After her visit to Philadelphia there were calls to have her made into a floating museum but this never came about and she ended her days as a bulk on the Thames before she was finally broken up in the late 1890's. The 'Truelove' was in use for over 130 years, outliving all other vessels of her class who were built at the same time. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Some Captains of the Truelove#SUBHEADINGEND# John Parker was Captain of the 'Truelove' for 17 years and was a master on the whalers for 27 years - a record that was unsurpassed by any other Captain. William Barron was the youngest apprentice on board the 'Truelove' when he set sail along with Captain John Parker in 1849 for that season's whaling. He would work his way up to Captain by 1861 becoming one of Hull's most noted whaling captains. William Wells sailed in whalers between 1844 and 1863. After coming ashore he became Haven Master of Hull and advisor to the Arctic explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith.


Young Roman

Having showed early artistic talent Dod was taken in 1907 by her mother to Stanhope Forbes' (1857-1947) School of Painting in Newlyn. Walter Langley (1852-1922) and Thomas Cooper Gotch (1854- 1931) were amongst other artists settled there. Like her contemporaries Procter was attracted by the 'plein air' approach to painting. She came to regard oil as her best medium, giving up the use of watercolour by c.1920. From 1910 she studied in Paris where she met Ernest Procter (1886-1935), whom she later married. Together they travelled widely and undertook mural commissions. Dod exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy and the New English Art Club. She returned to Newlyn after Ernest's death and became a local celebrity. Procter's major talent was in her single figure paintings in oil, executed in a simple yet unconventional style. Her concerns were with form, weight and the fall of light upon her subjects. She became known for her portraits of children and young women and is said to have made truly 'feminine art.' Her sitter in Young Roman, poised between boyhood and adulthood, is unknown. The cool, Mediterranean feel of the portrait suggests it could have been painted during the Procters' travels, although the setting also evokes the simple, light interior of their Newlyn home. Its pure, classical semi-profile pose also hints at Renaissance portraiture.


Still Life with Red Apple

This painting was purchased from Pye following an exhibition of the work of local artists at the Ferens in 1958. A label from the back of the painting tells us that Pye was based in Bridlington, but we hold no more information on his life or work.


Green Apples

Unfortunately, the gallery has been unable to locate any information about the artist of this most traditional still life, Patricia Ramsay. The painting is one of a group of five works bequeathed to the Hull by the late Muriel Warde, formerly Muriel Wilson, a member of the distinguished Wilson shipping family. The most important of the works included in the bequest is Canaletto's (1697-1768) A View on the Grand Canal.


Hull from the Humber

Beginning his career as a marine engineer, no details are known of Redmore's early artistic training. It is possible he may have received instruction from John Ward (1798-1849) whom he succeeded as Hull's most renowned marine artist, but there is no definite evidence. Certainly the composition of Redmore's Hull from the Humber owes much to Ward in its use of compositional devices such as the watermen on rafts of timber, leading the eye from the left- hand side of the canvas into the centre. However, unlike Ward, who was concerned with presenting an accurate record of a vessel, Redmore's principal aim was to construct a pleasing view. As a ship's engineer he was well acquainted with the different types of vessels, but Redmore's paintings are not ship portraits defining every block and rope of the rigging. Redmore's work was part of the Victorian tradition of executing romantic sea paintings of ships in a violent storm or shown in a calm sunlit sea. His patrons came from a wider public, not just those involved in shipping. This is reflected in the size of his canvases which were sometimes very large to fill the ample wall space of the substantial Victorian townhouse.


Boats off Whitby

Henry Redmore was the son of a Hull house carpenter and engineer. He began his own career as a marine engineer, only starting to paint commercially at the age of about 28, a year after the death of John Ward (1798 - 1849), Hull's most renowned marine painter. Ten years later he was described as 'H. Redmore the celebrated marine artist of the town', following the display of his 50,000 square foot canvas of The glorious achievements of the British Navy commanded by the immortal Nelson'. Redmore's training as a marine engineer would have enhanced his understanding of the sea and ships, improving his ability to draw with accurate nautical detail. Yet he painted few ship portraits. As Boats off Whitby illustrates, Redmore's main interest was in creating a romantic atmosphere, whether painting groups of vessels on calm sunlit waters, or in his well known depictions of violent storm-tossed seas, craggy coasts and shipwrecks.


Coast Scene, Whitby

Henry Redmore was a successful local painter who, along with John Ward (1798-1849), is believed to be the best Hull marine artist of the 19th century. He painted many local sea scenes of the Yorkshire coast, particularly on the Humber and off Scarborough and Whitby. Although his subjects were local, the influence of Dutch 17th century marine painting is apparent in his work, which pays particular attention to the rendering of skies and seas. Redmore is best known for his romantic depictions of ships on high seas, such as Coast Scene, Whitby. However, his later works are in effect genre studies of fishermen with their small craft and seaside cottages. He was active to the end of his life and there are at least four canvases dated 1887, the year of his death. Redmore's remains still lie in Hull General Cemetery under a simple headstone carved with palette and brushes.


Two Cutters

This scene is of two cutters sailing on what appear to be strong, stormy seas. Dark clouds dominate much of the sky and the floating wreckage of a mast and rigging are seen in the foreground. Such features suggest the aftermath of a storm at sea.


Whalebone corset detail (image/jpeg) Restrictive Fashion

This corset is from the mid 18th century (c 1740-60). Corsets were used as underwear to shape a woman's body into the fashionable shape of the era. Although commonly called a corset, early examples are in fact 'stays', a solid piece of underwear that shapes the whole torso. Stays have their origins in the boned bodices of the 17th century. Their design was to give the body a long conical shape, making the waist look slender against a large volume of skirts. These stays are fully boned and are very rigid. The thickness of the bones depended on where they were place within the stays. The diagonal direction of the bones helped to slenderise the body and prevent any movement. These stays are made from heavy white cotton with a canvas backing, stiffened with paste or glue. There are no shoulder straps on these stays anymore, but it is highly likely that they did have straps originally. #SUBHEADING#The Art of the Stay-Maker#SUBHEADINGEND# The stay-maker has to be admired since all stays are hand-made. Every piece of whalebone is placed and stitched either side to hold it in place. There are 180 bones in these stays. Larger pieces of whalebone are at the seams to maintain roundness at the front and straight pieces on the shoulder blades to hold the back straight. Stays were a very individual garment since every woman had different requirements to achieve the fashionable shape. These stays are from a similar date and have much lighter boning but the same basic construction and benefits to the wearer. #SUBHEADING#Fashion and the Whale#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull's whaling industry was big business in the 19th century. Parts of whales were used for many different purposes, and corsetry was one of them. Whalebone stays are not actually made from the whale's bones. The 'bones' are made of baleen which is a horn-like substance that comes from a whale's mouth. Inside a whale's mouth there are approximately 300 triangular fibrous blades which sieve the small fish and crustaceans from the sea water. When the blades arrive at the factory, the hairs are removed and then they are soaked in warm water for two-three weeks. When this is over, the blades are steamed for an hour before being cut into strips. The number of blades that can be extracted from whale's mouth varies depending on the species and size of the whale. Baleen is used in corsetry for its flexible qualities. It can be softened by hot water or steam and will retain its shape if secured until it has cooled. #SUBHEADING#Near Extinction#SUBHEADINGEND# During the 18th century most baleen came from the Greenland Fisheries which were fished to almost extinction. Later in the 19th century the American Arctic Fisheries dominated the market and the bones came from Bowhead whales which were also fished to near extinction. It was only advances in processing steel, and the eventual decline of corset wearing in the 20th century that saved the Bowhead whale in the Arctic Ocean.


Detail of candle doubter (image/jpeg) Harlequin Design Candle Doubters

#SUBHEADING#Don't Doubt the Doubter!#SUBHEADINGEND# The pair of candle doubters is in the form of a 'harlequin' figure who is wearing a chequered diamond-patterned costume, hat and mask and is holding two rings in the form of snakes. The doubters operate in the same way as scissors with the two rings acting as finger holes. The tool is a 'doubter' rather than a 'snuffer', as it extinguishes the flame by nipping the wick rather than depriving the flame of oxygen by covering. The 'harlequin' design was very popular and was still in production by other makers over a century later. #SUBHEADING#History of the Harlequin#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The Harlequin is a fictional character dating back to the Middle Ages and can be found in stories from across Europe. In Italy, Harlequin was one of the characters in stories performed by 'Commedia Dell' Arte' troupes of the sixteenth century. His role in these stories was that of a 'Zanni' or servant and often the storyline centres around him making a mistake that he then has to put right, whilst in the meantime causing confusion and disruption. He also carries a slapstick which he uses on other characters in the storyline! Harlequin also appeared in medieval French Miracle Plays as 'Hellequin', where he was a messenger of the devil. He was depicted as coming from the centre of the earth and hence had his face blackened. His character took on different guises. Sometimes he played a typical 'clown' role, whilst at other times his purpose was to mimic characters from more 'serious' plays. He was almost always depicted as being agile, energetic and nimble and so was often played by acrobats. He was often portrayed as a good-natured rogue, a thief, a liar and a prankster, but also had the endearing characteristics of being witty and carefree. Through the centuries the original costume and personality of the harlequin has been adopted for court jester and circus clown characters. The figure that is depicted in the candle doubters is probably an amalgamation of earlier and later characters as he is wearing the garb of the Italian 'Commedia' stories figure, but also is carrying snake rings which may indicate a circus act. The item forms part of a larger collection of various mainly eighteenth century sugar tongs and other candle doubters.


Le Pavilion Bleu, 1926

Pearce served an apprenticeship in architecture before attending Chelsea School of Art in 1904, where he studied under William Orpen (1878-1931) and Augustus John (1878-1961), and later with the influential Walter Sickert (1860-1942). Pearce's work included figure painting, still lifes and landscapes. He also practised as a printmaker. This painting shows the particular influence of Sickert, with its freer brush strokes embracing some of the manner of the French Impressionists. The subject, the now fading 'Belle Epoque' society, reflects Pearce's own social background.


Detail from a piece of glassware (image/jpeg) Hull's One and Only Glass Company

This is piece of fancy glass was made in Hull. It looks black but the glass is in fact dark red. Examples of glass made in Hull are very rare. Glass making is, alas, one of Hull's past industries. In 1846 a company was set up with the intention of making glass objects such as plate glass, bottle glass, sheet glass, and pipes for water and sewerage. #SUBHEADING#Premises out of town#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The Hull Glass Company, as it was known, had its premises near the River Hull at Wilmington. The site is now the Stagecoach bus depot. This map dates from September 1848 and clearly shows the glass works on the left. The small row of houses immediately below the glass works are 32 purpose built houses for glass workers called Swiss Buildings, although it is now known as Glass House Row. It was usual practice for manufacturers to bring workers from the Europe who were experts in their trade. Perhaps the immigrant workers for Hull Glass Company came from Switzerland, hence the name of the street. A local trade directory lists at least 11 glass worker's families living in Swiss Buildings in 1848, but the census of 1851 shows that none of the glass workers live there anymore or in the surrounding streets. Unfortunately the company was not in business for very long. It no longer appears in trade directories after 1850. A balance sheet dated 30th December 1848, just 2 years after the glass works opened, mentions that 'the works having been dormant three out of the six months'. Salaries and wages were still paid to the workers, but the work was clearly in decline. Hull Museums have only a few examples of Hull glass, mostly collected in the early 20th century by Thomas Sheppard.


Delphiniums and Roses

Little is known about Foster except that he was a painter of flowers, landscapes and nudes. He studied art at the Royal College of Art and exhibited at the Royal Academy as well as in the provinces and at the Paris Salon. Foster lived for some time at Beverley in Yorkshire before moving to Dedham in Essex.


(image/jpeg) Anna Isabella Milbanke (Lady Byron)

#SUBHEADING#Who was John Hoppner?#SUBHEADINGEND# John Hoppner (1758-1810) was a leading portrait painter who admired Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence. He was the son of a domestic servant in the Royal Palace. He enjoyed patronage from King George III which later led to rumours that the king was his natural father, he never denied it. Hoppner later became the official portrait painter of the Prince of Wales in 1789, later the Prince Regent. He had become a very fashionable and successful portrait painter, regularly exhibiting at the Royal Academy. #SUBHEADING#Who was Anna Isabella?#SUBHEADINGEND# Anna Isabella Milbanke (1792-1860) was a highly educated woman in a period when women, even women of her class were not educated to this high standard. She studied classical literature, philosophy and unusually science and maths which she excelled at. She later married Lord Byron romantic poet and satirist in 1815. This unhappy marriage brought about the birth of a daughter named Augusta Ada. Isabella got out of the marriage through a scandal about Byron and his half sister. Isabella was a rich, well connected and ill-used woman; she later became Baroness Wentworth, by her own birth right and was extremely wealthy. She devoted much of her time to campaigns for prison reform and the abolitionist cause. #SUBHEADING#Anna's daughter Ada#SUBHEADINGEND# As a reaction to her husband's wild ways Annabella brought their daughter Ada (1815-1823) up extremely strictly, her education was mainly mathematics. Ada married and became Ada King, Countess of Lovelace known as an extra ordinary woman in her own right, she had three children. Ada's mathematics and scientific talents led her to work with Charles Babbage with his pioneering mechanical computer that did not have to be restricted to maths. Ada is credited with writing the world's first computer programme. Ada was still her father's daughter and she became addicted to alcohol and opium and left massive gambling debts when she died of cancer at the young age of 36. #SUBHEADING#What does the painting show?#SUBHEADINGEND# Knowing the background behind a painting helps us understand the meaning behind it. Through this picture of innocence we can see some of the stories behind it, Anna's brief marriage to Byron and how she influenced the way she raised her own unique and troubled daughter. And that perhaps one of the ways of bringing portraits alive is through understanding some of the stories linked to them. However this painting can also be seen as just a magnificent portrait of a young girl on a shoreline.


coin detail (image/jpeg) Roman Coins in Britain

#SUBHEADING#Roman Invasion#SUBHEADINGEND# When the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD they brought with them a sophisticated coinage system that had been developing since the 4th century BC and which continued to develop until the fall of the Empire. From Claudius' invasion to the collapse of the empire in Britain in 410 AD a whole range of coins found their way into Britain. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Coins of the Early Empire#SUBHEADINGEND# The initial coinage to enter Britain was that established during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) consisting of the golden Aureus (worth 25 denarii), the silver Denarius (worth 4 sestertii), the copper alloy Sestertius (worth 2 dupondii), the Dupondius (worth 2 asses) and the As. The As was the basic unit, enough to buy a pound of bread or a litre of cheap wine, smaller fractions existed known as Semis and Quadrans. One of the most widely used coins for the first 200 years of the Roman occupation was the Denarius. First struck in 211 BC it formed the backbone of the Roman system. However, over the next 400 years in the face of over spending the amount of silver in the coin was to drop considerably, from 95% in the days of late Republic to 50% by the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 AD). #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#The Antoninianus#SUBHEADINGEND# In response Emperor Caracalla struck a new coin in 214 AD, the silver Double-Denarius also referred to as the Antoninianus of 'Radiate Coin', so called as the emperor was depicted wearing a radiate crown, the head-dress of the divine. In the 3rd century anarchy struck the empire, and between 218 AD and 284 AD no less than 37 emperors held imperial office. Emperors and usurpers alike paid for the support of large armies, consequently the Antoninianus was over struck. By the close of the century the coin contained only 2% silver. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Diocletian's Reforms#SUBHEADINGEND# By 295 AD the Antoninanus was an almost worthless, copper coin with a slight silvery wash and some of the smaller coins had fallen out of circulation. Emperor Diocletian looked to reform the whole system, the Antoninianus was removed and coinage was simplified, consisting of only the silver Argenteus/Follis (worth 100 old denarii), the golden Aureus and four smaller copper alloy fractions known as Nummus. These coins did not initially reach Britain, the usurpers Carausius and Allectus (286-296 AD) had control of London mint and continued to strike radiate coins. Only when the empire was reunited did the new coins arrive in Britain. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Constantine's Reforms#SUBHEADINGEND# Diocletian's reforms held until the 4th century when more political fragmentation and inward fighting dogged the empire. By the reign of Constantine (306-337 AD) further reform was needed. The Argenteus was removed and new coins introduced, the gold Solidus and the silver Siliqua along with other multiples and fractions. This time there was no sudden decline in the silver and despite some reforms to bronze coinage many of Constantine's reforms held until the fall of the empire. In Britain the usurper Magnentius briefly issued his own coins between 350-353 AD, however these are not common finds as they were quickly removed after the fall of Magnentius. #SUBHEADING#Return of the Barter Economy#SUBHEADINGEND# When the Romans left Britain, the monetary system dissolved away with it and a barter system returned to the island. It would not be until the 6th century that currency began to circulate again in Britain.


coin detail (image/jpeg) Roman Coin Designs (part 1). Emperors, Empresses, Gods and Goddesses

From the minting of the first Roman coin the 'Aes Grave' in around 270 BC to the fall of the empire a huge number of different coin designs were struck, a handful of which are described here. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Emperors, Empresses and Princes#SUBHEADINGEND# Representations of emperors and their family were nearly always found the obverse (the front) of the coin, just as Queen Elizabeth's head appears on our modern coins. Julius Caesar was the first living person to be depicted in this way on a Roman coin and the emperors that followed continued the trend. However the emperor and his family could also appear on the reverse (the back) of the coin. Emperors often used coins to portray an image of themselves that they wanted people to see. Some wanted to be seen as generous, giving gifts to citizens or rebuilding damaged buildings, as protectors of the harvest, lovers of culture, or lovers of war. Emperor Nero (54-68 AD) liked to be shown playing music and singing, showing his love for the arts, and Emperor Valens (364-367 AD) who ruled during a period of war liked to be depicted in battle proving his military strength. Valens can be seen dragging his defeated enemy by the hair, encircled by the inscription 'GLORIA ROMANORVM' 'The Glory of Rome'. Commodus (180-192) was a cruel and vain emperor who believed he was the incarnation of the Greek hero Hercules, he loved to be depicted as Hercules complete with lion skin and club. #IMAGE# Members of the imperial family could also be represented. Emperor Nero for example depicted his mother Agrippina on some of his coins, Caligula (37-41 AD) portrayed his three sisters, and Gallienus (253-268 AD) was one of many emperors to depict his wife, Empress Sabina. Septimius Severus issued some 'family coins' which depicted his whole family, his wife, daughter-in-law and sons as well as himself. Some emperors also issued coins with depictions of their desired successor to add legitimacy to their claims. Some popular emperors and empresses also had commemorative coins struck after death. They could be depicted in hearses, or beside an alter, Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) depicted an empty throne for his wife after her death, and Constantine the Great (306-337 AD) was depicted in a horse drawn chariot ascending to heaven. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Deities, Gods and Goddesses#SUBHEADINGEND# Deities were common depictions on reverses. These were used if an emperor wished to be associated with an attribute of that particular god or goddess. For example if an emperor wanted to appear peaceful he could depict 'Minerva Pacifera' the 'Bringer of Peace', or if he wanted to appear war like he could strike a coin with the image of 'Mars' the God of War. Furthermore emperors could also use the image to suggest the gods approved of and supported their reign, or additionally associate themselves with a divine ancestor as Julius Caesar did with a depiction of Venus. Coins could also be struck with a number of personifications (a human-like representation of an idea). These figures included 'Justica' who represented justice, 'Spes' hope, 'Pax' peace, of 'Fides' confidence and good faith. Romans were aware of many more deities and personifications and no matter which attribute the ruling emperor wished to be linked with he could find a suitable God or personification.


coin detail (image/jpeg) Roman Coin Designs (part 2). Animals, The Army, Places and Buildings.

#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Animals and Mythical Creatures#SUBHEADINGEND# Animals had been represented on ancient coins for centuries before Rome began minting. Romans continued the tradition with crocodiles, bulls, boar, lions, stags, eagles, crabs, butterflies, elephants, Capricorn, Pegasus, the sphinx, the griffin and more all represented on coins. To celebrate Rome's 1000th anniversary Emperor Philip (244-249 AD) released coins showing the founders of Rome Romulus and Remus suckled by the she-wolf. This became a popular reverse and was continued by the House of Constantine (306-364 AD). In the 4th and 5th centuries the empire was under constant attack from barbarians and was beginning to fall apart, in response an optimistic set of coins was minted depicting the phoenix. #SUBHEADING#War and the Army#SUBHEADINGEND# In the five centuries of its existence the Empire was involved in numerous wars and conflicts, many of these were commemorated on coins. For example the conquest of Britain was recorded on several coins of Claudius (41-54 AD), some show triumphal arches or Claudius in a grand horse drawn vehicle with the inscription 'DE BRITANN' 'For Britain'. The power the emperors exercised was dependant on the goodwill of the army. Emperors were therefore keen to lavish praise on their legions through coin design. Some appealed to specific legions depicting their badges or crests. Septimius Severus for example issued sestertii thanking the specific troops that helped him become emperor. These coins looked not only to honour the legions under the emperors control but also secure the loyalty of others which were not. Some designs honoured the army in general. We see coins inscribed 'VITVS MILITUM' praising the 'Valour of the Army', others 'GLORIA EXERCITVS' 'The Glory of the Army'. Depictions of heroic battle scenes were also popular such as the slaying of an enemy, or the spearing of a fallen horseman. These were designed not only to gain loyalty from the army but strike fear into the hearts of those who opposed Roman rule. #SUBHEADING#Places#SUBHEADINGEND# The empire was huge and made up of many different provinces and territories. Many of these regions were depicted as female personifications, such as Britannia who first appeared on a coin of Hadrian and still appears on our 50 pence pieces! Specific landmarks were also represented, Diocletian (284-305 AD) for example was depicted standing beside the River Rhine following his conquest of the Germanic tribes. Hadrian travelled widely throughout his reign and he was clearly very proud of the provinces under his control. He struck many coins depicting Britain, Spain, Gaul, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Africa and many more provinces, cities and landmarks. #SUBHEADING#Buildings#SUBHEADINGEND# Many of the great buildings that the Romans built can still be seen today. Emperors loved building huge architectural wonders in their cities and were understandably proud of their achievements. A number of grand structures are displayed on Roman coins, including market places, bridges, and amphitheatres such as the Coliseum, first depicted on sestertii of Titus (79-81 AD). Huge temples are also depicted, such as the Temple of Janus shown on sestertii of Nero. Following the conversion to Christianity under Constantine these temple depictions decline and are replaced by depictions of camp gates and military camp plans. The Romans depicted many more images on coins. Perhaps you would like to see how many more you can spot in our collection?


coin detail (image/jpeg) The Roman Mint

#SUBHEADING#How a Roman Coin was struck#SUBHEADINGEND# The mint was the centre for coin production within the empire. It was a busy, hot and noisy place, where hundreds of slaves and poor labourers worked long hours striking perhaps as many as 2.5 million coins a month. The process began with the arrival of sheet metal at the mint, most commonly gold, silver, or copper alloy. This was then stamped into round discs called 'blanks' ready to be struck with the coin design. The design was first engraved into a piece of metal known as the die. The die would be carved by workers known as 'Celators', these were skilled artists and some of the dies they carved were beautifully detailed. Once a die had been carved for both sides of the coin they were mounted; one onto an anvil and the other onto a hand-punch. A hot blank would then be placed between the two dies and a huge mallet would strike the two dies together on to the blank, creating the impression on the coin. The coin was then cooled before going to the treasury to be counted and distributed. Older coins were then recalled, melted down and turned into sheet metal, and the process would begin again. #SUBHEADING#Romano-British Mints#SUBHEADINGEND# For centuries following the successful Roman invasion of 43 AD Britain was without an official mint, nearly all currency was minted in Rome alone. Initial currency arrived via the Roman garrisons, a low estimate suggests that an army of 30,000 could have brought around, 6.75 million denarii to Britain a year. Civilian communities were quick to attach to these military camps to sell food, clothes, and other produce to the soldiers. With the encouragement of the Roman generals, towns and cities began to develop on these sites. Following the increase in trade and commerce within these sites more money was needed and unofficial mints began striking coins. Many areas of the empire had these unofficial mints and to some extent these 'Barbarous copies' appear to have been tolerated by Rome, they filled the gap until official coinage found its way into circulation within the provinces. #IMAGE# It was not until the 3rd century that Britain got its first official mint. In 286 AD Carausian a Roman naval commander declared himself emperor of Britain and Northern Gaul. He opened mints in Londinium, London and most probably Camulodumum, Colchester. Carasian's successor Allectus was defeated in battle in 296 AD and Britain returned to the empire during a period of reorganisation in the mints. In response to inflation, frontier battles and uprisings the mints were proliferated from Rome throughout the empire. This enabled emperors to pay the armies more money and quicker than before, ensuring he had their full support. The reorganisation led to the introduction of signature marks being struck on coins, every mint was given its own unique code. The London mint most commonly stamped coins with the letters 'LN' or 'LON', we can therefore tell from recovered coins that the London mint remained open until the reign of Constantine the Great in 325 AD. #IMAGE# Magnentius who claimed power in the western provinces including Britain in 350-353 AD may well have momentarily reopened the London mint, but no great amount of Roman coins would be struck again in Britain. Around 410 AD Roman rule collapsed and British natives reverted to a cashless economy.


Workbox and Games Table by John Easten & Sons, Hull, c.1890-1900

These chairs have been designed with Victorian men’s and women’s clothing in mind. One of the chairs is for a gentleman. It has a shaped seat, perfect for someone wearing trousers. The lady’s chair is wider and deeper than the gentleman’s to allow space for her long skirt and petticoats. The rail connecting the legs of the lady’s chair is higher up than the rail of the gentleman’s chair. This was to allow her skirt to settle beneath the seat. John Easten & Sons were clearly very versatile. The firm advertised itself as a linen draper, upholsterer, and carpet, paperhanging, bedstead and bedding dealer. Furniture making seems to have been only a small part of the business. John Easten & Sons’ premises were at 8 Market Place, Hull, from 1867-1900. Before this 8 Market Place was occupied by Fearne & Easten, a partnership between John Easten and John Fearne. Fearne & Easten sold fabric, carpets and wallpapers from around 1840 to 1867. John Fearne and John Easten seem to have been friends outside work. In 1858 they were living in adjoining houses at 5 and 6 West Parade, Abbey Road. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Bedroom Chair by Richardson & Sons, Hull, 1871

Lady Rosina Constable owned this chair. She was a rich woman with an eye for luxury. This dainty chair is much smaller than average, making it ideal for a bedroom. It was probably bought for its ornamental value rather than to sit on. The chair is made from walnut, which was a popular choice for high quality furniture. The carved chair back has been decorated with narrow bands of contrasting wood to make it more eye-catching. Richardson & Sons was Hull’s largest and most prestigious furniture maker in the 1800s. The founder Thomas Richardson claimed to have started the business in 1812. This chair was made by Richardson & Sons for Lady Rosina Constable in 1871. The Constable family of Burton Constable Hall, north of Hull, were one of Richardsons’ major clients. The Constables began buying furniture from Richardson & Sons in 1855. Lady Rosina, wife of Sir Thomas Aston Clifford Constable, commissioned most of her furniture from Richardsons. As Sir Clifford Constable’s mistress before their marriage, she had already filled their villa on the Thames with huge quantities of Richardson furniture. William Richardson, one of Thomas Richardson’s sons, was in charge of modernising the furnishings at Burton Constable for Lady Rosina. He sketched the house’s existing furniture so that new furniture could be made to harmonise with it. William also brought over several fashionable pieces from Paris to be copied for Lady Rosina. Patronage from Burton Constable and other country houses was important for many Hull furniture makers. Familes like the Constables encouraged higher standards of manufacture. They also introduced new and fashionable ideas. Around sixty local makers supplied furnishings to Burton Constable between 1740 and 1870. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Table by Gordon Russell, Hull, c.1950-1959

This is one of a series of tables made for Hull’s Guildhall in the 1950s. It was part of a refurbishment that followed war damage to the building. Hull suffered massively from enemy bombing during the Second World War. The Guildhall was lucky not to receive a direct hit. However, on 7th/8th May 1941 bombs did fall nearby and blew many of the building’s windows in. These included those in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour and windows in the Banqueting Hall. Gordon Russell Ltd of Broadway were furniture makers following a long tradition of furniture making in Hull. Hull had great status as a regional centre for furniture making in the 18th-19th centuries. This was founded on the city’s role as a timber port. Imports of wood from northern Europe and the Baltic have been part of Hull’s commerce for centuries. By the 1600s, Hull was second only to London as a timber port. Hull’s docks and trade links meant that by 1800 it had become the regional centre for furniture making. The busy docks were also the main reason that Hull was targeted by bombers during the Second World War. Many lives were lost and many of Hull’s old buildings destroyed. On the night of 7th/8th May 1941 the Guildhall suffered serious blast damage and many windows were blown in. Large stained glass windows in the Banqueting Hall were destroyed and had to be restored in 1957-58. Further refurbishment of the Guildhall was undertaken in the 1950s, including the Lord Mayor’s Parlour. Timber from Hull’s docks would have been used in this refurbishment. Hull continues to be a major importer of timber today. However, it is now mostly pine wood that is imported and the furniture making industry has declined.


The 'Royal Chairs', made by Richardson & Sons, Hull, 1854

In 1854 Queen Victoria came to Hull on an official visit. It was a huge event with many celebrations. This chair was made especially for Queen Victoria to sit on during her visit. Two smaller chairs were also made. One was for Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert and the other for the Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to visit Hull since King Charles I had been refused entry to the city in 1642. Richardson & Sons were an extremely successful furniture firm in Hull, thriving from the timber imports at the docks. Thomas Richardson founded the business in 1812, working in Castle Street. By 1840 the business was based on Bond Street. They had additional showrooms in Albion Street and Waltham Street, and a timber yard in Baker Street. Richardson & Sons made a special set of chairs for Queen Victoria’s visit to Hull in 1854. Richardson & Sons kept the chairs after the visit to display in their show rooms. They gave the chairs to the city in 1880, after another royal visit by The Duke of Edinburgh. Local historian Sheahan wrote in 1864 about the chairs and Queen Victoria’s visit: “The Directors of the Railway Co. placed their magnificent hotel at the disposal of the Corporation for the accommodation of the Queen and her suite. Upholsterers were set to work to fit up in a becoming manner, a throne-room, bed-room, drawing-room, and boudoir for the Queen […] The throne was of a French style (of the Moyen age) and consisted of three chairs for her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the Prince of Wales. These chairs, which were elegantly carved, richly gilt, and covered with crimson silk velvet, were placed on a dais of three steps, covered with purple cloth with gold fringe”.


Rhinoceros wheelbarrow by Richardson & Sons

This rhino helped people in Hull go to the seaside. The rhinoceros shaped wheelbarrow was used to start a railway line from Hull to Hornsea, on the coast. The man who officially started the railway was Joseph Wade. His family badge had a rhino on it so this wheelbarrow was made especially for him. Joseph was allowed to keep the wheelbarrow as a souvenir. It was made by a firm in Hull called Richardson & Sons. This wheelbarrow is made from high quality walnut. The rhino’s body has been carved or stamped to create a rough texture. This represents the rhino’s coarse hide. The rhino design has been adapted to the function of the wheelbarrow. The rhino’s forelegs are raised to hold the pinion of the carved wooden wheel. The rhino’s hind legs act as the legs of the barrow. The Hull to Hornsea Railway opened on 28 March 1864. It allowed business people who worked in Hull to live in Hornsea and travel to work. The railway also attracted holidaymakers to Hornsea. The wheelbarrow was specially made by Richardson & Sons. Richardson & Sons was Hull’s largest furniture maker in the 1800s. The founder Thomas Richardson first appears in trade directories (the old fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages) in 1822. He was listed as working in Castle Street, where he remained until 1840.


John Lee and his family

This happy and relaxed group portrait shows the Hull businessman, John Lee (d.1809) with his family. John Lee was a Hull factory owner who had a tar and turpentine distillery on the banks of the River Hull near Sculcoates. He was a member of the Council of the Hull Subscription Library, 1799-1803.


Diana (image/jpeg) gallery test


'The Auld Man's Meir's Dead'

Howe persisted as an animal painter at a time when portraiture and history painting dominated. He was originally apprenticed to a coach painter in Edinburgh. He visited the battlefield of Waterloo in 1815 and painted a Panorama of the battle that was exhibited at the British Institution in 1816. This sketchy scene has a strong sense of narrative in the vein of 17th century Netherlandish painting.


Portrait (V. Levchenya)

Portrait (V. Levchenya), 2000
by Thomas Ruff  (b.1958)  

Ruff ‘s works are controversial and have often been dismissed by art critics as nothing more than overblown passport photographs, conveying nothing of the personality or character of the sitters.
 
Their blandness however is deliberate. Ruff believes that the photograph is only able to depict the surface of things and he explores this obsessively in his work.  
 
Working in vast series made over years at a time, his photographs are most often based on friends, or his students, as here. He photographs the faces as he finds them, in a straightforward way with no attempt to surprise, intrigue, disguise, or provide the viewer with anything other than studied neutrality.
 
‘Portrait (V. Levchenya)’, is part of a series Ruff started in 1998, intentionally imitating the passport-style approach of a famous body of work he began in 1981.
 
In addition to their serial character his photographs are extremely precise. We feel able to identify with the work in an immediate way as a passport-style image, stripped of all irrelevant details. In this way the portrait appears to be very real and familiar. Despite this however, there seems to be a barrier between us and the sitter as we are unable to identify with him. We perceive the face as a meaningless façade.


Cibachrome print
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2004  


Wajid and Bobbyann

Wajid, 2000 and Bobbyann, 2001 both by Seamus Nicolson (b.1971 -) Seamus Nicolson lives and works in London. His photographs are taken primarily at night and look almost like snapshots of contemporary life*. However, Nicolson’s photographs are actually carefully constructed; he finds a location that interests him and then looks for the right person to fit the scene. Nicolson never uses professional models or actors but prefers to use people from his local area of Harlesdon, North West London. The characters in the two photographs Wajid and Bobby Ann are positioned in unglamorous settings; a grocer’s shop and in front of a bed shop. These locations are similar to those which could be found in other cities apart from London. By using a large scale for his photography, Nicolson aims to elevate ordinary people. Nicolson’s work to the present has focused on youth culture. His early photographs depicted rave parties and he has since focused on individual characters in locations as diverse as petrol stations, take away shops and back streets. Most recently, Nicolson was the photographer for a Vivienne Westwood fashion shoot. Nicolson has been influenced in his work by artists such as Nan Goldin, Jeff Koon as well as film makers. His way of working has parallels to cinematic technique through finding a suitable location and character. Unlike Cinema, Nicolson does not have a story board that he wants to portray - the scene is constructed in accordance to the wishes of the person portrayed. In this sense Nicholson’s photographs contain a mixture of fiction and documentary. C type photographs mounted on aluminium. Purchased by the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme on behalf of the Ferens Art Gallery, with Funds from the Arts Council Lottery Fund.


Detail of book from the Wilberforce library (image/jpeg) The Wilberforce Library

The Wilberforce Library is on display to the public for the first time. It belonged to William Wilberforce and his sons, Samuel and Robert, and was kept at various homes of Wilberforce in London, including the famous Oval Library that William Pitt designed in Battersea Rise, Clapham. It was broken up in the early 20th century and we do not know how many books there were in total. #SUBHEADING#A family past time#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce enjoyed reading and shared his love of books with his family. There are many stories of Wilberforce reading aloud to his wife and sons. Wilberforce gave many books to his friends and family, not simply for an enjoyable read but to help them lead a 'good Christian life'. Wilberforce published his own book, 'A Practical View' of Christianity in 1797, which was reprinted many times during his lifetime. William's sons, Samuel, Robert, and Henry inherited his love of books. Many books in the library were owned by the rest of the family, including his wife, Barbara, who shared his passion for reading. Only one book that we know was owned by her is in the collection; a poetry book given to Barbara by Wilberforce on their wedding day. #SUBHEADING#Books#SUBHEADINGEND# The library covers a wide range of subjects, and reflects Wilberforce's interest in religion, literature and people from different cultures and countries. The main book that helped Wilberforce in his religious conversion was Philip Doddridge's, 'The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul', and Wilberforce also had a biography of Doddridge in his collection. Wilberforce had many travel books and was fascinated by other people's cultures, underlining paragraphs he found interesting. His library also included books relevant to his political role, and although he opposed the French Revolution there is a copy of 'Defence of the French Revolution' amongst his books, evidence that Wilberforce often liked to study both sides of an argument. As a supporter of the monarchy, it is no surprise to find books on British Kings and government, though surprisingly there are no books on Slavery to be found in the collection. #SUBHEADING#Wilberforce's letters and journal#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House Museum has over 200 letters written by William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was an enthusiastic reader and writer all his life despite having bad eyesight. Most of the letters are from William to his family, friends and Thomas Fowell Buxton, who took over the parliamentary campaign to end slavery after Wilberforce retired. Wilberforce's journal is also on display with his library and dates from 1814-1823. Wilberforce used his journal to record his thoughts and feelings on his personal and political life. In March 1819 Wilberforce disapproved of his eldest son, William's friends and wrote: 'His soft nature makes him the sport of his companions, all the wicked and idle naturally attach themselves like dust'. Reading the journal and letters we understand William Wilberforce better on a personal level, as a loving husband and father. They also give a unique insight into his opinions in Parliament, and his constant battle with ill health. View all of the items in #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/contactsheet.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&collection36=Wilberforce+Library&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit_x=28&SearchSubmit_y=16&moucheltextsize=xlarge&EMUSESSID=js4dskm1q8o268km2vbgskq8e6&Page=1TEXT=Wilberforce's Library# or use the advanced search.


(image/jpeg) Satin slippers, made in France, c.1838-1848

These shoes wouldn't have lasted long outdoors. The thin suede soles and silk uppers would be damaged easily. They are pretty but impractical.

A card found with the shoes says they belonged to Catherine Stephenson. Catherine's husband was William Stephenson, who published and sold books in Hull. Catherine would have worn these shoes to parties. Having the right clothes would have been important for the Stephensons, because they were part of fashionable middle class society.

These shoes have 'droite' and 'gauche' (French for right and left) marked inside them on paper stickers. It was very fashionable to have imported French shoes in the 1800s. The shoes were well looked after. They came to Hull Museums in a handmade cotton bag, with 'shoes' embroidered neatly near the fastening.

The 1841 census shows that Catherine and William Stephenson lived on Grimston Street. The Street overlooked Queens Dock, now Queens Gardens. They lived there with three servants, one of whom was a nurse maid. Catherine and William had two children who survived childhood.

William established the Eastern Counties Herald in 1838 as a newspaper 'without politics'. It was an advertiser for hotels, inns, reading rooms and coffee houses. The Herald claimed to have a readership of 160,000 in June 1842. This would have outstripped the competition from the Hull Advertiser, Hull Packet and Hull Rockingham newspapers.

By 1842 Catherine and William had risen in society. William published his own local trade directory, 'Stephenson's Directory'. In the directory, he lists himself as:

"Bookseller, stationer, printer and publisher of the Eastern Counties Herald; advertising and news agent; and agent to the Australia Emigration Company, 51 Lowgate".

In the same year, Catherine and William moved to 45 High Street. Unfortunately Catherine didn't enjoy life there for very long as she died in the 1840s. The 1851 census shows William Stephenson had married another lady, Caroline.


The Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ, c.1450 English School (possibly York) This work typifies the so-called Nottingham Alabasters that were produced in workshops in the Midlands from about 1350-1550. It could possibly be a York-made piece. Alabaster is soft and easy to carve and polish. Nottinghamshire provided the main market for alabaster while notable centres of carving grew in Lincoln and York. In the Gospels, alabaster holds status for its associations with Christian themes - the vessels that held Christ's mourners' tears were of alabaster. Here, Christ is shown holding the banner of the Resurrection and stepping out of an open sepulchre. The soldiers, from the Gospel of Matthew, appear awakened and dazzled. The bright colours, crowded composition, costume detail (the pointed shoes), and the anecdotal narrative compare closely with other works dated to the mid-15th century. The production of retables, decorated panels at the back of altars, of which this was once a part, was the most notable use of alabaster in England. These share common features; a stiff, staged composition with attenuated figures with elongated hands and feet, and frequently a painted and gilded surface. Nottingham alabasters represent the largest single source of English sculpture to have survived from the Middle Ages. Alabaster, with traces of polychrome & gilt. Purchased in 1999 with the aid of the National Art Collections Fund and the Friends of the Ferens Art Gallery


Milton

Milton (after bust by Edward Pierce, c.1660) made by English School, 18th century John Milton (1608-74) was one of the 17th century's greatest poets. His works show the influence of his Christian education and his love of Italian Renaissance poetry. A staunch parliamentarian, he published many pamphlets during the Civil War period. His greatest work was the epic poem Paradise Lost. The expressionless 'stare' of Milton reveals his blindness, a factor proven to be no obstacle for a man who also served as Latin Secretary to Cromwell's Council of State. This a copy of a bust by the established sculptor, Edward Pierce (c.1635-95), of which there is a plaster cast in the National Portrait Gallery. Pierce was one of the best sculptors of his day and his work was much copied. It is one of two busts portraying Milton in the Ferens’ collection. Marble Bequeathed in 1930 by T.R. Ferens.


Sir Walter Scott

Sir Francis Chantry (1781-1841) was originally from Sheffield and was a leading sculptor in the early 19th Century. He considered his bust of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), carved in 1820, to be one his finest works and he made two replicas that were owned by Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellington. The original is at Abbotsford where Sir Walter Scott died in September 1832. This bust is most likely a copy by another sculptor in the style of Chantry.


Ghost Ship

Ghost Ship, 1999
Dorothy Cross  (b.1956) 

Hull’s identity is strongly connected to its historic importance as a port. The more recent decline of its fishing industry and the effects on the local community find an echo in this video work by the Irish artist Dorothy Cross. 
 
The following text about ‘Ghost Ship’ which commemorates an Irish vessel could equally well be applied to Hull’s Spurn Lightship, both sharing parallel uses, histories and fates and highlighting the linked identities between two distinct communities and geographical locations.
 
‘The lightship is a material reminder of a period of Irish history during which daily life was dominated by the sea- a source of sustenance, pleasure and danger. Cross laments the loss of this intimate relation to nature, as modern life shifts the attention of the Irish people away from the seacoast and ‘inward to the cities’: ‘The Irish coast is being neutralized, automatized, Europeanised’. In this piece she reincarnates, along with the ship, the collective memories of a particular way of life being slowly eroded and forgotten... She evokes the lightship’s history not to fix the past but to repeat its passing, to make visible the process of loss’.


35mm film and DV8 footage transferred to DVD
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005 


Self-Portraits

Self-Portraits, 1986 – 1999
Philip Akkerman  (b.1957) 

The Dutch artist, Philip Akkerman, is obsessed by the exploration of his identity. He has focused exclusively on self portraits for over 20 years and produced many thousands of variations on his own face. He views this work in a universal context,
 
‘I must continue making self-portraits as long as I live, for better or for worse. I reproduce my life.  Broadly speaking, we all experience the same. I paint one of the many. Consequently I paint everyone’.
 
The Ferens’ series of portraits were painted over a 13 year period. They demonstrate that identity can change over time, even from one day to the next and that a person may have many different identities, or aspects to their personality. 
 
Seen together, the paintings also provide a record of Akkerman’s ageing process.  
 
Each work demands to be seen close-up and each element is treated differently; facial features such as neck, nose, hair and paint style, colour and texture. Some portraits are more formal and realistic.  In others he deliberately distorts and exaggerates his features and facial expression, using colour to heighten their disturbing psychological impact.

 
Tempera and oil on panel
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2000


Mother and Child

Mother and Child, 2004
by Torsten Lauschmann (b.1970) 

On one level, ‘Mother and Child’, affords an intimate and personal view of Lauschmann’s partner and newly born baby sleeping in their home.  
 
The artist has also enhanced the work with symbolic significance. The gold background deliberately borrows from religious panel paintings of the ‘Madonna and Child’ from the Byzantine era. The use of gold leaf was expensive and signified the work’s importance and spiritual significance, as well as being an important decorative element.
 
Lauschmann is a film, video and performance artist who has lived and worked in Glasgow since 1997.


DVD and metallic paint
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


Harewood Castle Self Portrait

Harewood Castle Self Portrait, 2001
by Jason Brooks (b.1968)

You may have thought this painting was a photograph?  In this way the picture plays with the identity of the art form itself.
 
Process plays a crucial part in the construction of Brooks’ photo-realist paintings which are most often portraits.  He works from black and white photographs which are then painted in scrupulous detail using only black paint, an air-brush and scalpel to achieve a meticulous finish.  
 
This example of Brooks’ work is in some respects atypical.  It is his first and only self-portrait but his face appears only faintly in the image, as an illusory reflection on an imaginary sheet of picture glass. It is also more modest in scale than usual due to its inspiration.
 
The picture is based on a photograph of a 19th century Turner landscape painting at Harewood House, near Leeds.  The inclusion of his self-portrait, however faint, allows us to sense his presence both as artist and viewer.  Working from a photograph enables him to be objective about his own representation, paying tribute to Turner and at the same time linking himself to time honoured artistic precedents. 


Monochrome air brush painting on canvas
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2001


My Parents Kissing on their Bed, Salem, Massachusetts

My Parents Kissing on their Bed, Salem, Massachusetts, 2004
by Nan Goldin  (b.1953) 

This image of intimacy touches on two potentially taboo subjects; the sexuality of one’s parents and of old people.  Even in today’s relatively liberal climate, such themes remain rarely explored.
 
The American photographer Nan Goldin has used the camera to obsessively record details of her life since the 1970’s.  Her pictures act as a diary- she says the one she is prepared to let others see- and usually feature those she has close relationships with.
 
Strongly autobiographical, it is hard to separate her work from her life story, which included the early suicide of a sister, foster families, alternative lifestyles, drugs, alcohol and abusive relationships.
 
Against this volatile background of emotional instability it is suggested that the camera has provided a means to take control of her life and personal history.  
 
Recurrent themes in Goldin’s work are; sexuality, self-reflection, eroticism and the subtle shades of gender. Her photographs resemble snap-shots and are valued for their immediacy and raw intensity. 

Cibachrome print mounted on aluminium
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005 


Socrates

Bartolomeo Cavaceppi was an Italian sculptor who ran a prolific workshop in Rome in the 18th Century. As a place for selling his own works, as well as restoration and genuine antiquities, Cavaceppi’s workshop was one of the most famous stops in Italy for British tourists on the Grand Tour. Cavaceppi made many works in the style of the ancient Greeks and Romans and as he rarely signed his works, many were mistaken for the genuine article. Cavaceppi also worked as restorer to Pope Clement XI at the Museo Clementino.


Detail from 'Fairwell' (image/jpeg) Hull, Suffragettes and Art

The suffragettes were the militant group which broke away from the suffragists who were more peaceful in the campaign of 'Votes for Women'. The campaign really started in 1897 when Millicent Fawcett founded the National Union of Women's Suffrage', suffrage means, the right to vote and this is what women wanted. Millicent Fawcett believed in peaceful protest, she felt that any violence or trouble would make men think women couldn't be trusted to have the vote. Patience and logical arguments, Fawcett argued women could hold responsible posts in society on school boards; women had to pay taxes so why couldn't they vote. The women's suffrage movement was the first highly organized political movement to adapt itself successfully to the new publicity methods to which the national daily newspapers had given rise. The processions, demonstrations, bazaars and badges and regalia, parlor games and illustrated post cards, have all been copied by subsequent political agitations and showed the ingenuity with which public notice was directed to the demand for Votes for Women. #SUBHEADING#Suffragettes and Art#SUBHEADINGEND# The Women's social and political Union was formed by Emmeline Pankhurst on October 10th 1903 to campaign for Votes for Women. Sylvia Pankhurst (Emmeline's daughter) was a trained artist and from the beginning art played a large part in the campaign. Paintings, embroidered banners, posters, photographs, cartoons and enamels were used as advertising and propaganda for the cause. Art was sold for money to help the campaign and was used as propaganda. They also destroyed art as part of their cause. #IMAGE# On the 10th March 1914 at the National Gallery, London the painting 'Rokeby Venus' by Velasquez bought by public subscription for 45,000 pounds was attacked by a suffragette. Mary Richardson also known as 'Slasher Mary' was a Canadian woman (1889-1961) who was a suffragette in the United Kingdom. Mary attacked the painting with a meat chopper, smashed the glass and slashing the canvas seven times before police and gallery attendance could stop her. She said that she wanted to destroy the most beautiful woman in mythical history as a protest against the government destroying Emmeline Pankhurst, the most beautiful character in modern history. Mary Richardson's attacks led to the decision to circulate photographs of the women to galleries, so that they could look out for known militant suffragettes among their visitors. #SUBHEADING#Art Attack in Hull#SUBHEADINGEND# The attacks on works of art in London and Manchester prompted the withdrawal from exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery of Leighton's Farewell depicting a solitary woman mourning the departure of a loved one. It's unclear if a specific threat had been made against this piece of art work but the curator A H Proctor had considered plain clothed policemen on duty in the gallery. The painting by Lord Frederick Leighton, Scarborough born artist was purchased by the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull in 1912. In 1914 it was taken down after this possible threat by the suffragettes. Leighton was the first British artist to receive a peerage and was president of London's Royal Academy from 1878 till his death in 1896. Leighton's late Victorian neo classical style, most of his subjects were from mythology. He was typically Victorian in his attitude; his female subjects were portrayed as either powerful predators or passively decorative. Leighton was well known for being against the Women's Suffrage movement. Leighton was criticized by the suffragists and attacks in March of 1914 on works of art would have made art galleries wary. There was an incident report at the Ferens Art Gallery which brought the decision to remove from display the painting 'Farewell'. Farewell was placed back on display in September 1914 as there was a suffragette truce called on the outbreak of the First World War. There is no evidence of a specific threat by suffragettes in Hull so maybe they were just being cautious due to the actual attacks that had taken place on art in Manchester and London.


Duff House #2; Duff House #5

Duff House #2, 2000
Duff House #5, 2000
by Ross Sinclair  (b.1966) 
 

In 1994 the Scottish artist, Sinclair had the words ‘Real Life’ tattooed on his back. Since then he has appeared in numerous photographs in different locations, always naked from the waist up, with shaven head and wearing tartan shorts. In this way he makes direct use of his identity to provoke questions and reactions from the viewer.
 
Here he is seen in Duff House, a grand, Baroque country house owned by the National Galleries of Scotland in Aberdeenshire. Sinclair deliberately plays on the tension his presence creates in this lavish, distinctive setting. 
 
His pose, with back to the audience and face hidden, suggests that he wants to remain anonymous, and to stress his role as representative of ‘a type’. The prominent ‘Real Life’ tattoo meanwhile raises wider questions.What is ‘real life’? Whose ‘real life’ is shown? Is ‘real life’ seen in the picture?
 
In this way Sinclair’s work can be read as a simple yet powerful comment on the class based divisions that have historically characterised British society. Until the advent of photography in the mid 19th century, portraits were the exclusive domain of the wealthy, acting as possessions to further convey the sitters’ identity in the form of status and social standing.


C-Type Prints
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2001  


Camouflage (Self-Portrait)


Camouflage (Self-Portrait), 1998   
Gavin Turk  (b.1967)

Turk’s work is intended to provoke questions about the identity of a work of art and its authorship.  
In the early 1990’s he explored these ideas by making a number of works based on his own signature that comment on the value that the artist’s name confers onto a work.
 
He has also made a number of photographic and sculptural self-portraits, which involve some degree of disguise.
 
For this self-portrait he covered his face with patches of cosmetic mudpack to mimic army camouflage. Set against a black background, his eyes stare intently into the camera lens. Like much of Turk’s work, this one contains deliberate references to other cultural forms. In particular it borrows from Marlon Brando’s sinister portrayal of Mr. Kurtz in the cult film, Apocalypse Now (1979).


R-type colour print on paper
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2000


A Lady

This painting of the ship in three positions is a complete ship portrait in which there was a necessity to paint from more than two angles to make a full record of the proportions and design of the vessel. This undoubtedly reflects the owner’s pride in ownership. Unfortunately it is not known who owned the ship but the date on the painting of 1782 suggests that it was painted soon after it was built.


Milton

Milton (after bust by Rysbrack, 1738) Made by English School This bust of Milton (1608-74) is thought to be based on a marble bust by the acclaimed Dutch sculptor, John Michael Rysbrack (1694-1770). His bust was, in turn, based on an engraving by William Faithorne (1616?-1691), taken from life and made in 1670. It is from this well-known engraving that many of the later portraits of Milton were made. The original marble by Rysbrack is in the Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery. This is one of two busts in the Ferens’ collection portraying the great 17th century poet. Both are probably by 18th century London sculptors. Many versions exist, originally made to be set in open pediments above doorways and chimney-pieces. Considered one of the 17th century's 'Modern Worthies', Milton's effigy, placed high above library doors, was considered a great source of inspiration to the 18th century scholar. Marble Presented in 1954 by Mrs. D.V. McGrigor Phillips from the collection of her father Lord Brotherton.


Duke of Wellington

Peter Turnerelli was an Irish sculptor whose family were of Italian origin. He moved to London in 1793 and studied sculpture at the Royal Academy where he exhibited in 1802. During a period in Italy, Turnerelli was greatly influenced by the famous sculptor, Antonio Canova. Between 1797–1800 Turnerelli taught modelling to the daughters of George III and subsequently became Sculptor-in-Ordinary to the Royal Family. He was asked to produce the Jubilee bust of George III in 1810, which he received eighty orders for copies. He had a large aristocratic clientele which included George III, the Duke of Wellington and Louis XVIII. Due to their popularity, copies of his original works were made by others. This bust appears to be a copy after an original Turnerelli now in the British Library.


Detail of portrait (image/jpeg) Room 77

#SUBHEADING#Walter Goodin#SUBHEADINGEND# Walter Goodwin has been attributed to above painting of Alderman Lawrence Science painted c.1961. Walter Goodin was a local artist born in Hull. He specialised in land and seascapes, still life and portraits. There are several examples of his portraits at the Guildhall. He was a medal winner at the Royal Academy in 1939 with a still life (now at the Ferens Art Gallery). During the war Goodin joined the RAF and the death of his friend Kenneth Elwell (Fred Elwell's nephew) made a great impact on him and his career. He abandoned any ambitions to follow up his success in London and returned to Yorkshire. He taught at Hull College of Art and lived in Beverley where he shared a studio with successful local artist Fred Elwell. He also taught at a school in Bridlington. #SUBHEADING#Alderman John Symons#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Painting by unknown artist c.1907, Alderman John Symons, was described by a contemporary as possessing '... a vivacious wit, which is coupled with a wholesome disregard for conventionalities, and an unrestrained lightness and kindness of art'. Alderman John Symons was a silversmith and bullion dealer, having inherited his father's business. He was also a keen writer and wrote several books on local history, including 'High Street, Some Years Since, and Biographical Sketches, the Visitor's descriptive Guidebook to Kingston upon Hull and Hull in ye Olden Days'. John Symons also used his skills with the pen to write anonymously for the press, combining his political interests to write in support of providing a park for the people of Hull, and many other projects. He was Sheriff of Kingston upon Hull in 1890. #SUBHEADING#Alderman Robert Waller#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Painted by Benjamin Hudson (d.1900) in 1878 Alderman Robert Waller was Mayor of Hull 1877-1879. As a councillor Waller worked hard on a major project for the West District of Hull's Drainage, an essential element of public health in the Victorian period. He presided over the laying of the foundation stone in Neptune Street, an event that seems to have been typically Victorian. Benjamin Hudson was a local portrait painter who worked from 68 Spring Bank in Hull from 1876 - 1895. This painting was presented to the Council by Alderman Robert Waller's grand-daughter, Mrs Marsden in 1953. #SUBHEADING#Unidentified Man in Grey Suit#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# This portrait on the left by an unknown artist of an unidentified man in a grey suit. This painting is typical of many in the Guildhall, with records of the artist or the subject having been lost in time. Both the subject and the artist of this painting are unknown but it is hoped that future research will uncover more information. All that we can tell is that this was probably painted during the Edwardian period. #SUBHEADING#Alderman Kelburne King#SUBHEADINGEND# Painted by an unknown artist in c.1880, Alderman Kelburne King J.P. M.D was Mayor of Hull 1875-7 and 1879-80. He was born in Scotland in 1829 and took a degree in Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1844. In 1858 became a Surgeon at Hull General Infirmary. Dr King also lectured on Anatomy at the Hull & East Riding School of Medicine. As well as being a councillor and surgeon, he was also involved the Literary and Philosophical Society, becoming President in 1864. As Mayor in 1879-80 Dr King did much to advance the scheme of the Hull & Barnsley Railway.


Hop (image/jpeg) Sneezewort, Goat's Beard and Bog Bean


Richard Arkwright Junior

Joseph Nollekins was the leading portrait sculptor of his day. He worked on statues and monuments as well but busts are considered to be where he did his finest work. Nollekins studied in Rome for ten years and returned to England in 1770 where he ran a very prolific and successful workshop. His statue of the Goddess Diana (Formerly in Wentworth Woodhouse) is in the V&A Museum, London. Originally titled as Richard Arkwright, this bust is thought to be of Richard Arkwright Junior, the famous industrialist’s son.


Naval vessels in a rough sea

At the time of purchase in 1950 this painting was thought to be by Williem van de Velde himself. Now that much more is known it is clear that the picture is a copy. Most such copies are by English hands and date from the 18th century.


Portrait of a lady

Currently there is nothing to identify the nationality of the artist or the sitter. A letter in the gallery files discounted the old attribution to R.Harvie and attributed the painting to French School 18th century.


A Riverside Caprice

This may be a view of Hull's waterfront looking east along the Humber bank towards the old harbour, treated with a degree of artistic licence. Dutch sailing craft occupy the foreground, in addition to two fishermen leaning against some bales, engaged in conversation. In this small but strong composition, Ward leads the eye into the picture by the careful positioning of the pier end and the angled mast cast in shadow on the left. The picture has a more romantic and imaginary quality than many of his commissioned ship portraits.


Whalers in the Arctic

Ward's whaling scenes are a distinct and impressive aspect of his output. His accurate treatment of Arctic topography, such as icebergs and floes suggests that, unlike his contemporaries, he made at least one trip to the area to make sketches from which to paint. Interestingly, in contrast to the surroundings, the ship, shown in three different views, was painted from drawings made whilst the vessel was docked in Hull. Part of Ward's skill is his ability to fuse the different elements of the composition to create a convincing and harmonious end result. Other fine examples of Ward's whaling scenes can be found at Hull's Maritime Museum.


The return of the 'William Lee' from Calcutta, entering the Humber Dock, Hull

This painting is widely regarded as Ward's masterpiece. The 'William Lee' was employed in the Arctic fishery until 1837 when she was used in regular trade with Calcutta. The ship departed on the 23rd March 1838 under the command of Capt. Sheppard and returned the following year on 22nd January to an enthusiastic reception from the people of Hull. Ward captures the scene as she enters the mouth of the Humber Dock basin. We sense something of the excitement of the onlookers as they watched the majestic ship returning laden with valuables from the Orient. On the right is the Baltic brig 'Consort'. The picture is framed by the wooden piers on either side. On the left is a Humber Keel with her topsail raised. The red and white striped pennant flying from the 'William Lee's' mast is that of her agent, Joseph Gee. This fine vessel sailed to Calcutta for several years and then in 1845 to St. Petersburg. She was lost two years later.


The snow 'Chase' and the brig 'Dagger'

Most of Ward's pictures depict calm water or ice (most of the latter are in Hull Maritime Museum) and this rougher sea is more unusual. The snow 'Chase' was built on the River Hull in 1818 by Hall and Richardson for the Merchants Stephen Gee and Thomas Loft. In 1839 the brig 'Dagger' was built at Southtown, Yarmouth for the merchant Joseph Gee and the banker George Liddell. The latter also purchased shares in the 'Chase' in 1824. Both vessels sailed in the Baltic trade until the 'Chase' was lost in 1840. The 'Dagger' re-registered under new ownership at Liverpool in 1847. From there she sailed to the West Indies and was last heard of in 1855. Carved on the stern of the 'Chase' and depicted on a flag at the foremast is the crest of Gee of Bishop Burton, an armoured fist brandishing a sword.


The wreck of the 'Thomas', off the Stony Binks, 8th June, 1821

This picture is generally thought to be one of Ward's earliest surviving works due to its dramatic treatment of the subject and reliance on the 18th century tradition of English marine painting. Unlike the succeeding generation of painters, Ward was not interested in making romantic views of the sea and rarely painted the dangers of seafaring. A hand-written label on the reverse of the canvas explains: "This painting represents the transport ship Thomas, Capt. Dysart bound out to St. Helena with troops aground on the Stony Binks, near to Spurn Point at day break on the morning of June the 8th 1821. The lifeboat in the act of taking out the soldiers and crew - and putting them aboard the Bee, Cutter. Except a soldiers [sic] wife who was washed overboard. The gale increasing the ship beat to pieces and became a total wreck." The 'Thomas' was actually coming to Hull to take on troops intended for duty at St. Helena guarding the Emperor Napoleon, who had in fact died on the 5th May, but the news had not yet reached Britain. Clearly visible is Spurn Point with Smeaton's high and low lights. The 'Thomas' flies her red ensign upside down as a signal of distress.


The snow 'Rosetta' off Spurn Head

The 'Rosetta' was built at County Durham in 1833 by Robert Gray for William Ringrose of Hull and Christopher Leake Ringrose of Rotterdam, merchants trading under the firm of 'W. and C.L. Ringrose'. She was sold in 1845, registered in Leith in 1853 and lost in the Gulf of St. Lawrence three years later. This is one of Ward's most basic compositions. The vessel is depicted in one view only, in strict profile. The horizon is marked by a hazy depiction of Spurn Head. It is thought possible that the picture was painted for Captain E. Jones of Sutton, a descendent of the donor.


The Wedding Dress, 1911

Such emotive subjects as this were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Elwell intensifies the sorrow of the scene by contrasting the light sheen of the woman's unworn gown with the black dress she wears instead, in mourning. Her bowed body, silhouetted against the open trunk, conveys the formal language of grief. The model for this painting was Violet Press, a costumier in Beverley. Fate dealt an ironic blow when, shortly after posing, she lost her husband in the First World War, after only a short marriage.


The Landlord, 1935

This is one of Elwell's most distinctive and best known portraits, and one around which many myths have evolved! Despite popular assumptions that the painting was set in Beverley, Elwell himself stated in an interview that it was at the Buck Inn, Driffield. ‘The Landlord’ of the title is shown in a confident and self-assured pose. Elwell has relished painting the contrasting surfaces around him, from the wooden keg and glass bottles to the gleaming copper flagon, putting to good use his considerable skills as a still life artist. Elwell's model for this portrait was John Booth, who was actually a butler, working both at Tranby Croft, near Hull, and for the Duchess of Westminster. His mannered air contributes in part to the success of 'The Landlord'. Ironically, having posed for this painting, he was later to become a publican at the Molescroft Inn, near Beverley.


The Housekeeper's Room

The setting is Bar House, Beverley, in the peaceful environs of Elwell's future home. The artist's attention to detail reveals the Meissen candelabra, bearing a lute-playing figure at its base, which was one of the treasures of the house. In 1911, Fred often visited the house and helped to care for Mary Holmes’ailing husband. Mary and Fred were to marry after his death. Attending 'morning orders' in the housekeeper's room was a nerve-wracking encounter for the poor housemaid and Elwell depicts her tugging nervously at her apron. He has used the effect of light from the window to illuminate the housemaid's stooped back in contrast with the housekeeper's stern countenance. Interestingly, the figures in this painting present conflicting evidence with the date inscribed on it. Emily Rowley, who lived opposite Elwell's studio in Trinity Lane, is thought to be the woman who modelled for the maid. This, however, was in around 1930. Even more confusing, the housekeeper's features have been recognised as those of Elizabeth Chapman, Elwell's housekeeper in the 1950s. One can only assume therefore that the painting was subject to modification during the 43 years between the stated date of completion and its display at the Royal Academy in 1954.


A Badminton Court, 1926

Elwell’s focus in this painting is not upon the badminton itself, but upon the social interactions of the figures in the scene. Indeed, one critic described the man astride the chair as ‘someone who has borrowed a racquet off a friend just to get at the girls in the team.’ The composition of the painting, with its rigid division of foreground and background, leads the eye directly to the figures at the front of the court, with those in the background being only of incidental interest. More formal preoccupations typical to Elwell’s work are the light effects he creates by combining the glowing stove and a freshly struck match with the whiter light which appears from a hidden source above. The badminton court featured in the painting is thought to have been part of the Assembly Rooms in Norwood, Beverley. Oil on panel. Presented in 1959 by A. L. Rapstone.


Landscape, c.1900

Landscapes formed an important part of Elwell's work. This landscape appears to date from the early part of the century when Elwell explored the flatness and expansive skies and rivers of the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is likely that his practise of painting out of doors began when he was a student in France in the 1890s. Most of his landscapes were painted on a similarly small scale.


detail of an old dice (image/jpeg) Board Games - The Roll of Knucklebones and Dice Throughout History

#SUBHEADING#'Shake Them Bones'#SUBHEADINGEND# Bones have been playthings from time immemorial. In Medieval and Roman times it was very popular to play games with animal bones; usually it would be ankle bones or knuckle bones from sheep. The most popular game was the forerunner for the modern game of 'Jacks'. Players threw knucklebones into the air and caught as many as they could on the back of their hands or picked up as many bones as they could from the ground while one was in the air. This game is immortalised in a terracotta sculpture in the British Museum from about 800 BC. As each of the four sides of a knuckle bone is different, it was similar to a four sided dice, each of the four sides would be given a value, they would be used for gambling games. Different throws have received distinctive names, such as riding the elephant, peas in the pod, and horses in the stable. In Roman times the winning throw would be known as Venus and the losing throw as canis 'dog' and used for board games such as the Medieval predecessor of Backgammon, 'Game of Twelve Lines'. #SUBHEADING#How do you score knucklebones?#SUBHEADINGEND# 1 pt for the 'flat' side; 3 pts for the 'concave' side; 4 pts for the convex side; 6 pts for the 'twisted' side. #SUBHEADING#Dealing with Dice in History#SUBHEADINGEND# The ancient Egyptians and Romans also used dice for gambling and many board games, knucklebones developed into dice and they were made of antler and bone for the most part but there are examples of them being made from other materials. Dice have also not always been made in the shape of a cube. Stone dice used in Egypt in about 250BC were 10 sided. Roman coin depicting Fortuna #IMAGE# In ancient times the throw of a dice was not just considered to be luck, the outcome was believed to be controlled by the gods and casting dice was a way of predicting the future. The Roman goddess, Fortuna, daughter of Zeus (known to gamblers as Lady Luck), was believed to determine the outcome of a throw. In English, dice are sometimes colloquially referred to as "bones", as in "shake them bones" but ivory, amber, wood, metal, and stone materials have been commonly used. Although the use of plastics, including cellulose acetate and bakelite is now nearly universal. In Medieval times many games involved betting, even games such as Chess, Backgammon and Bowls. Gambling with dice was the most popular in England particularly in London in the 1500's, and was played in all ranks of society, even the clergy. In England, Richard the Lion Heart and King John both gambled with dice and King Henry VIII lost the bells of old St Paul's church on a throw. #IMAGE# Dice games were played in many English inns and sometimes dice were used to fool gullible gamblers. Many dice that have been excavated and x-rayed have revealed small mercury weights inside them so they would deliberately fall on one number. In medieval times loaded dice like this were called 'Fulhams', presumably Fulham in London was notorious as the haunt for dice cheats.


John Lee and his family

This happy and relaxed group portrait shows the Hull businessman, John Lee (d.1809) with his family. John Lee was a Hull factory owner who had a tar and turpentine distillery on the banks of the River Hull near Sculcoates. He was a member of the Council of the Hull Subscription Library, 1799-1803.


Slipware Mug Made by Belle Vue Pottery, Hull c.1826-1841

Three different coloured liquid clays have been applied to this mug using a piping bag – just like icing a cake! Pottery decorated in this way is known as slipware because the liquid clays are called ‘slip’. Slipware was once very popular. It was made in huge quantities at Hull’s Belle Vue Pottery, and was aimed at the cheaper end of the market. Unfortunately the popularity of slipware didn’t last. By the 1840s this style of pottery was very unfashionable. This mug was made at the Belle Vue Pottery which existed on the Humber bank in Hull from 1826-1841. The pottery was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. Merchant William Bell set up Belle Vue. He bought the site for £1700. Bell decided to name his pottery after a street recently built nearby called Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell’s father was one of the men in charge of building Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell must have chosen the name for his pottery because of its family connections. William Bell began making ceramics on a large scale from 1826. He extended the factory that already existed on the site and employed as many as thirty apprentices. Bell had no previous experience as a potter but he made his pottery a success. His employees brought recipes with them from former employers. Copper plates for making printed decoration were bought from engravers. The pottery’s location next to the River Humber was essential for its success. It had its own wharf where ships tied up to unload clay for making the pots. Other ships brought coal to power the kilns. The wharf was the only place for ships to collect finished pots for export, mainly to Germany. Disaster struck at Belle Vue in 1840. The Hull and Selby Railway Company opened a railway line along the Humber Bank. The railway cut off the pottery’s access to the river and it became difficult to export pots. The pottery closed in 1841.


Belle Vue hand painted tea cup

The painted flowers adorning this teacup may be faded, but the yellow glaze covering it is still bright and shiny. The glaze has survived more than 160 years because it is tough and waterproof. In fact, glaze is a form of glass. Glazing is essential for earthenware pots like this one, which would otherwise be porous and unable to hold liquids. This bright yellow glaze is also decorative. Without it the teacup would be a bland cream colour. The Belle Vue Pottery was run by a merchant called William Bell. It manufactured ceramics on the Humber bank from 1826-1841. The pottery site was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. A group of archaeologists excavated the Belle Vue pottery site in 1970. The archaeologists found hundreds of pieces, including this teacup. The teacup was broken into several pieces and had to be pieced back together. Most of what we know about Belle Vue pottery comes from this excavation. Most Belle Vue pots, including this one, were made from good quality white earthenware. The majority were decorated with printed patterns. These were quick and cheap to produce as the same engraved copper plate could be used to print hundreds of pots. It would have been more expensive and time consuming to produce a hand painted piece like this one. Despite its location near the centre of Hull, most Belle Vue products were destined for foreign markets. Because of its location on the Humber bank, the pottery had its own wharf. Ships tied up there to unload raw materials, and to take aboard finished products for export. William Bell operated a warehousing business in Hamburg with his brother Edward, so most of his products were exported there. Other destinations included Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Spain.


Mayor's Chair by Richardson & Sons, Hull (c.1863)

This was the Mayor’s chair in Hull’s old Victorian Town Hall. The Town Hall no longer exists but some of its furniture survives. The Town Hall was built in 1862 and largely furnished by Richardson & Sons of Hull. They were a very successful furniture firm in Hull using the timber imports at the docks. Thomas Richardson started the business in 1812. By 1840 the business had major workshops on Bond Street in Hull. This chair was used by Hull’s Victorian mayors with a footstool. It can be seen in a portrait of Sir Alfred Gelder who was Mayor of Hull between 1898-1903. This painting is in the Banqueting Hall of the Guildhall. The title of ‘Lord Mayor’ was awarded to Hull in 1914 by King George V. Consequently this was always the ‘Mayor’s’ chair. Hull’s Victorian Town Hall was design by Hull architect Cuthbert Brodrick. It was opened in 1866. The larger part of today’s Guildhall was originally intended to be an extension to this Town Hall. However, once the extension was complete they decided to carry on building. The Town Hall was demolished to make way for the Guildhall when it was only 40 years old. Richardson & Sons were an extremely successful furniture firm in Hull. Thomas Richardson founded the business in 1812, working in Castle Street. By 1840 the business was based on Bond Street. They had additional showrooms in Albion Street and Waltham Street and a timber yard in Baker Street. When Queen Victoria visited Hull in 1854, Richardson & Sons made a special set of chairs to be used by the Royal Family. These are in the Guildhall collection as well.


Hélène Cixous, 2003

Hélène Cixous, 2003
by Jane Bustin (b.1964- )

In contrast to conventional portraiture’s focus on outer appearances, Bustin is concerned with the psychological identity of her sitters and in making visible that which is unseen. 
 
This portrait of the French feminist experimental writer, Hélène Cixous (b.1937) is one of a series of 8. In them Bustin explored the idea of inner ‘blackness’ in relation to her sitters, including a self portrait, a composer, a scientist and a theologian, amongst others.  
 
She likened the process of making them as a correspondence between herself and her subjects, exploring their personal perceptions and sense of blackness through the exchange of conversation and letters.
 
Despite the apparent lack of reference to outer appearances there are specific links to traditional portrait norms in the life-size scale Bustin chose. Each of the series was made to match the exact height and shoulder width of the sitter, forming a diptych of two long, vertical panels. Through subtle variations of support material, colour of black, and the finish chosen for each work, she attempts to convey the sitter’s feelings about their inner blackness.

Oil on wood and oil on cotton.

Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2004.


Self Portrait Upside Down

Self Portrait Upside Down, 1992
by John Coplans (1920 – 2003)

Coplans, a writer and curator by profession, only started to take photographs and exhibit his work in 1980. After experimenting with a range of subject matter for four years he decided, aged 64, to focus exclusively on shots of the male nude, using himself as the model.
 
Notably, Coplans always leaves his head out of the picture in an attempt to neutralise his identity and depersonalise the image. In this way he strives to present the general rather than the particular and relates the body to type, rather than an individual.  
 
The enlarged body parts are always shot on black and white film and provide direct and painfully honest images of the ageing process. There is also a high degree of ambiguity in many as here, where it is unclear if he is lying on his back or standing on his head?

Black and white photograph

Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2001


Survival Kits: Shipwreck, plane crash and nuclear war


Survival Kits: Shipwreck, plane crash and nuclear war, 1997
Alan Currall  (b.1964)

Currall’s work takes the form of straight, documentary- style videos which explore the transfer of knowledge, often in a humorous way.
 
In this piece he asked his parents to provide their advice for him in the advent of 3 potential disaster scenarios. The domestic setting, complete with wonky Christmas tree and Border collie, helps to set the scene.
 
One possible reading of the work is as a commentary on human relationships, particularly the parental role. Here though, this relationship is turned on its head. The questioning ‘child’ is a grown man and the parents’ genuine attempts to make useful suggestions, ironically serve only to reinforce our powerlessness in the face of life-threatening disasters.


Three monitor video art work with sound
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005


Detail from Rodmell poster (image/jpeg) A Preface to the Transport Poster

Early posters were very similar to a newspaper page. By the seventeenth century this format had begun to include a woodcut illustration, either a general image or one which illustrated the text directly. #IMAGE# It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that posters started to resemble those familiar to us, with the image dominating the space in order to attract the attention of passers by. #SUBHEADING#Leading the way#SUBHEADINGEND# The modern poster originated in Paris and stems from the work of Jules Cheret who in 1866 began to produce full lithographic posters. Lithography enabled the creator to make many copies of the image without the quality of the final image being compromised. Some of the most striking posters of the 1890s were those designed by Toulouse Lautrec. He used bold lines, caricature and simple flat shapes as well as beautiful colours and bold lettering. There was a poster boom in this period with many exhibitions and the production of limited editions for collectors. There were many poster artists to follow, some producing work similar to the bold designs of Lautrec and others opting for more realistic styles. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches but it is safe to say that the best in poster art was, and is, original and eye-catching so that it serves its purpose (advertising, publicity, propaganda). #SUBHEADING#Companies catch on#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# By the turn of the century, posters were being made to the order of railway and shipping companies. The content of a shipping poster was to give an impression of exciting destinations, speed and comfort as well practical information. Images of the ships, bystanders (exotic natives, passengers, lookers-on) and the destination all became familiar elements in the design of a shipping poster. Railway companies throughout Britain employed artists to advertise the delights of visiting the seaside, mountains, moorlands and historic cities. Unfortunately the outbreak of the Second World War put an end to the production of all shipping and railway posters. The vehicle's movements now had a vital strategic importance rather than being means to visit places, whether exotic or local, for pleasure. The period between the two World Wars was undoubtedly the heyday for the full colour illustrated poster. After 1945 posters began to return but their impact seems to have been increasingly lost. Less and less space is allotted to them in favour of television or magazine advertising.


Detail from floor tile (image/jpeg) Medieval Decorated Floor Tiles

This decorated floor tile features the inlaid stylised crowned head of a king and was found at Watton Priory in East Yorkshire. It was made during the thirteenth century. Most tiles that were made in Britain before this were fairly plain. Decorated tiles became more popular by the thirteenth century as craft skills increased and making costs became less. #SUBHEADING#Early Tiled Floors#SUBHEADINGEND# The earliest tiled floors were mosaics that were made up of many small tile pieces. These were costly to produce and so were mainly used for paving palaces, monasteries and cathedrals. Designs were often quite complicated and time-consuming to lay. Because of this, tiles started to be made that had decoration on them. Sometimes small decorated mosaic tiles were used within larger mosaic schemes. This example is hexagonal and features a lion's head. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Making Decorated Tiles#SUBHEADINGEND# Many tiles were decorated with an 'inlaid' pattern. Tile-makers firstly carved a wooden mould of the design. This was then pressed this into the unfired soft red earthenware tile body. This made an indented impression of the design. This was filled with a white liquid clay mixture (called 'slip') and then allowed to dry. Once dried, the slip was scraped off the surface to reveal the pattern. It was then covered with a lead glaze and fired in a kiln. The glaze darkened the red body colour and yellowed the white slip during firing. Copper could be added to the glaze to produce a green colour instead. Alternatively, some tiles were made that had a raised pattern on their surface. These are known as 'embossed' tiles. They were made in a similar way except that the mould was carved in reverse. Sometimes tile sections were made to connect together to form a mosaic tile. These were sometimes square but were more often triangular, multi-sided or irregular in shape. The pieces themselves were usually un-patterned. The decorative design was instead formed by their arrangement together. This roundel came from a pavement in Meaux Abbey, East Yorkshire, and depicts a floral motif. It consists of six petal-shaped tiles and six tiles in between that have concave sides. #SUBHEADING#Materials and Makers#SUBHEADINGEND# Most usually, local clay was used for the main body of the tile. The clay was worked by hand into a flattened shape and cut into blocks. The tile makers were often journeymen who travelled around the country making tiles close to where they were required. It is likely that at most parishes would have had a brick or tile kiln at some stage and some monastic buildings even had their own kilns. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Decorated Tile Designs#SUBHEADINGEND# Tiles were decorated with designs that feature stylised flower and plant forms including 'fleur-de-lis' and also animals, birds and the human figure. They sometimes simply feature a geometric pattern which imitates mosaic. Others contain heraldic motifs or crests such as this one. It bears an armorial consisting of a shield bearing three stylised lions. It was found on the site of Holy Trinity Church in Hull. Decorated tiles continued to be made in the same vein until the sixteenth century. Much patronage of the trade was lost with the dissolution of the monasteries. By this time also, the wealthier classes were starting to favour brighter coloured tin-glazed ceramics and tiles from Europe.


The Transfiguration

Guiseppe Cesari, known as the Cavaliere d'Arpino, was the favourite artist of the Church of Rome during the last years of the 16th century. He was one of the last representatives of the true Renaissance tradition. The Transfiguration is an example of the artist's later, highly stylised technique. The figures appear frozen in unnatural and theatrical poses. The Transfiguration occurred shortly before Christ entered Jerusalem. He took the disciples Peter, John and James to the top of a high mountain to pray. Whilst there, Christ's face suddenly 'shone like the sun, his garments became white as light' (Matthew 17:2) as he revealed his divine nature to the disciples. Visions of Moses and Elijah then appeared on either side of Christ, and God's voice was heard from a bright cloud overhead saying, "This is my beloved Son." Some of the earliest depictions of this scene date back to Byzantine manuscript illustrations of the 6th century. The Transfiguration is often depicted symbolically as a blue circle with gold stars.


Table by G.L. Feetam, Trinity House Lane, Hull, c.1860-1870

The rich, dark wood used to make this table is called mahogany. Mahogany was one of the hardwoods shipped to Hull from South and Central America for furniture making. The design of this table shows clearly that it was intended to stand against a wall. Its straight back edge and plain back legs contrast with the wavy front and ornately carved front legs. The decoration of these areas was more important as they would have been much more noticeable. This table was made by George Leonard Feetam. George was probably the son of Thomas Feetam, who was a furniture maker at 5 Trinity House Lane, Hull. In 1861 George took over his father’s workshop. G.L. Feetam is listed in the 1861 Hull trade directory, the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. The directory describes him as a cabinet maker, upholsterer, undertaker and plate glass maker. It was common for small furniture makers to practise other trades to support themselves. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Hull was an important regional centre for furniture making in the 1700s and 1800s. The town’s success was founded on its role as a timber port. Imports of wood from northern Europe and the Baltic had been part of Hull’s commerce for centuries. By the 1600s, Hull was second only to London as a timber port. The availability of timber in Hull encouraged furniture makers to settle there in the 1700s. This in turn changed Hull’s timber trade. From the early 1720s mahogany for furniture making had been shipped to London from Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras. It was difficult to buy mahogany in Hull, with most consignments coming north from London via the coastal trade. From the 1770s increasing demand for mahogany from local cabinet makers encouraged Hull merchants to import it directly. These merchants traded mahogany throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire. Trade was carried out via the network of waterways flowing into the Humber. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Chairs by G.L. Feetam, Trinity House Lane, Hull, 1860-1880

We know this chair was made in Hull because ‘From G L Feetam Hull’ is stencilled inside the seat frame. This mark was added by the maker to identify his products. Makers’ marks allow us to find Hull furniture today. This is one of a set of four matching chairs in Hull Museums’ collection. The chairs are made of mahogany, a rich, dark hardwood. Mahogany for furniture making arrived at Hull’s port from South and Central America. This chair was made by George Leonard Feetam. George was probably the son of Thomas Feetam, also a furniture maker. Thomas Feetam had a workshop in Mytongate, Hull, from around 1823 to 1842. By 1858 he was based at 5 Trinity House Lane. In 1861 George took over his father’s workshop. G.L. Feetam is listed in the 1861 Hull trade directory, the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. The directory describes him as a cabinet maker, upholsterer, undertaker and plate glass maker. It was common for small furniture makers to practise other trades to support themselves. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Hull was an important regional centre for furniture making in the 1700s and 1800s because of its timber port. Wood imports from northern Europe and the Baltic had been part of Hull’s commerce for centuries. The availability of timber in Hull encouraged furniture makers to settle there in the 1700s. This in turn changed Hull’s timber trade. From the early 1720s mahogany for furniture making had been shipped to London from Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras. It was difficult to buy mahogany in Hull, with most consignments coming north from London via the coastal trade. From the 1770s increasing demand for mahogany from local cabinet makers encouraged Hull merchants to import it directly. These merchants traded mahogany throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire. Trade was carried out via the network of waterways flowing into the Humber. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Washerwomen at the foot of the Torre delle Milizie

Wijk began his career as an Italianate landscape painter, but also painted genre and marines. He spent some time in London, where he produced a series of pictures depicting the Great Fire of 1666, indulging a fascination with the effects of shadows. This picture is typical of un-idealised Dutch Italianate townscape. There is little regard for compositional conventions. Instead, the tower dominates. It can be identified with the Torre delle Milizie, a building of Roman origin near Rome. The washerwomen in the foreground add anecdotal detail to this bold and daring composition.


Portrait of William Constable

Henry Walton is a rarity among English 18th century painters in that he had a private income and was not forced to paint for a living. He was primarily a portraitist and shows a quality of 'finish' in his work that sets him apart from his peers. A great deal is known about William Constable's activity as the re-builder of the great country house, Burton Constable, near Hull, and of his collecting and refurbishing activities. In this respect he emerges as an energetic patron concerned with sound craftsmanship rather than the complexities of neo-classical taste. His sister Winifred is a more obscure character.


Jupiter and Ganymede

This entirely monochrome picture must have formed part of the decoration of the interior of a Dutch house. Sadly it is not known which house or even which Dutch town the picture came from. Indeed, relatively few of de Wit's decorations survive in situ as so many of them were removed when they went out of fashion in the 19th century. It is now difficult to visualise the austere yet sumptuous effect of these monochrome decorations surrounded by plasterwork painted cream or white. The subject of Jupiter and Ganymede was popular from Renaissance times onwards. In the early Greek sources, the story was rather vague as it was not clearly stated by what method the beautiful young Ganymede was carried off by Jupiter.


Coast Scene

Vernet's marines were immensely popular with English collectors in the 18th century. This is an unusually small work, almost a cabinet picture. In spite of the small scale the artist has been preoccupied with a variety of weather effects within this one picture and with the dramatic effect of the receding rocky coast. The contrast with the English, and more specifically Hull, marine tradition could not be greater. Vernet is entirely concerned with atmosphere and compositional effect. This is true even when the artist was painting topographical views of specific ports.


The barque 'Andromeda' in two positions

Walters lived and did much of his painting in Bootle. Although self-taught he became a prolific painter of ships and shipping and the skill and accuracy with which he worked meant that he was in considerable demand, particularly from shipping companies and ship owners. He painted mostly pure marine pictures, but occasionally produced coastal subjects. The 'Andromeda' was built at Sunderland for William Ward of Hull in 1819 and sailed under the command of Captain Pearson. She traded between Hull and Sierra Leone, and had a burthen of 409 tons.


Whalers in the Arctic

Willoughby may well have learnt his craft from Thomas Fletcher (flourished 1789), the earliest identifiable marine painter active in Hull and the probable founder of the local school. By his early 30s Willoughby was already an accomplished artist. Like the work of many Hull marine painters, this picture draws upon the city's thriving whaling industry in the early 19th century. Willoughby was not concerned with depicting the sea and sky in a realistic manner. He was preoccupied with making a detailed and honest visual record of the ships, closely observing their masts and rigging. However, there is a sense of improbability in the way the vessel sits so horizontally in a turbulent sea.


Westerdale's Yard and Savile Street, Hull and And Westerdale's Yard and the 'Wellington' from the New Dock

Willoughby may well have learnt his craft from Hull's earliest identifiable marine painter, Thomas Fletcher (flourished 1789). By his early 30s Willoughby was already an accomplished artist. These two views of Westerdale's Yard have all the detail and elegance associated with paintings of the Georgian period, and include busy figures whose presence gives us an exciting glimpse into working life around the docks. Like the work of Robert Thew (1758-1802) they show the area around the New Dock, focusing here on the premises of William Westerdale, a mast-block and pump maker who occupied a workshop at the north-west corner of the dock from about 1803-1830. The busiest scene shows a mast being hauled across Savile Street. The companion picture depicts the newly fitted-out ship, the 'Wellington', with a group of ladies being welcomed aboard. To the left in the background is St. John's Church, erected in 1791-2 but demolished in the 1920s to make way for the Ferens.


Grotto with statues and numerous figures worshipping an idol (St. Simeon Stylites)

Although living in Amsterdam all his life, Troyen sits outside the mainstream of Dutch 17th century painting. His groupings of figures, handling of paint and eccentric approach set him apart. Precise details of his life are entirely lacking and he seems to have escaped mention in all early literature. His subject here is obscure. It is possible that the figure on the plinth around which the people gather is St. Simeon Stylites who spent his days on a pillar. He sought solitude on pillars of increasing height but his wisdom and the spectacle he created served only to attract ever-increasing numbers of pilgrims seeking advice on spiritual matters.


The Supper at Emmaus

Volmarijn's painting shows the interest in candlelight effects that were popular particularly with artists in Utrecht during the 17th century. This style was developed in Italy by Caravaggio (1573-1610) and was brought back to Holland by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656), a Utrecht painter whose work was a great influence on Vomarijn. The Biblical subject is the Supper at Emmaus, depicting two pilgrims sharing bread with a man the eventually realise to be Jesus (Luke 24:28ff). They are identified by the scallop shell, a traditional symbol of pilgrimage. The scene's revelatory nature is heightened by the exaggerated contrast of light and dark on the figures' faces and by the artist's simple, almost geometric figures with their pious gestures and expression.


An east view of the bridge and New Dock at Kingston upon Hull and A west view of the bridge and New Dock at Kingston upon Hull

These oil paintings of Hull's first enclosed dock, opened in 1778, are thought to be the basis for two aquatinted prints of the dock produced by Robert Thew in 1786. We are not certain just who painted these views. The view of the entrance at the east end of the dock shows the intricate bascule bridge, whose two counterpoised ends rose to give access to the lock pit. On the right is the original Dock Office, demolished and replaced by a larger building in 1820 at the north end of High Street. The west view of the New Dock shows in minute detail a great array of ships including the 'Molly' and 'Manchester' of the Hull Whaling Fleet; the latter was the first vessel to enter the dock and the venue for the grand celebration dinner. No other oil paintings by Thew are known.


The Four Days Battle, 1666 (The Dutch ships with their prizes returning to Goeree after the battle)

This picture forms part of a series of scenes depicting a Dutch naval victory over the English, painted some years after the event. It seems to have been one of the artist's most popular subjects, hence the numerous repetitions from the artist's studio, of which this is one.


The Fishdock Oiler

A fishdock oiler was the little boat which collected cod liver oil from the trawlers for delivery to the 'Seven Seas' factory in Marfleet.


No’s 1,5,7,8 from the series ‘Alina’

No’s 1,5,7,8 from the series ‘Alina’, 2004
Bettina von Zwehl  (b.1971) 

Unlike traditional portraits these photographs reveal little about the individual identity of the sitters.  The women are anonymous and presented in a deliberately neutral setting, posed identically and wearing white vests.
 
As this hints, Von Zwehl’s main interest lies not in physical appearances but in the emotional, or inner state of her subjects.  This has led one critic to refer to her work as ‘psychological portraiture’.
 
Like many contemporary artists she tends to work in series. What is unique is her imposition of sets of controlled conditions on her subjects such as photographing them whilst holding their breath, or woken after a deep sleep.
 
These 4 photographs are part of a series of 12 and were taken whilst the women listened to a piece of music. Written by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935), ‘Fur Alina’, was a gift for a young Estonian woman living alone in London. The piece can be heard on the headphones.
 
In this way, these introspective and melancholy portraits demonstrate universality and shared experience.


C-type print mounted onto aluminium
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005 


Self Portrait as my Uncle Bryan Gregory

Self Portrait as my Uncle Bryan Gregory, 2003
Gillian Wearing  (b.1963)

‘A great deal of my work is about questioning handed-down truths…I’m always trying to find ways of discovering things about people, and in the process discover more about myself’.
 
Is this a conventional portrait of a man?
 
On closer inspection there is something unnerving about this photograph. The slightly waxy complexion of the skin and the synthetic hair are clues but the eyes are the real give-away.  
 
In her recent series, ‘Album’,Wearing duplicates images of family members as they appear in old photograph albums. Here, using a prosthetic mask and men’s clothing, she adopts the identity of her Uncle, Bryan Gregory, in a formal 1950’s pose.
 
By masquerading as members of her family, Wearing explores the impact of the family on an individual, both genetically and psychologically. For many of us, investigating who we are and where we come from is fundamental to our understanding of ourselves, as well as informing our relationships with others.

C-type print mounted on foam board
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2004


Lion and Globe of Hull

The artist has given special attention to light in this painting to highlight the crests of the waves and sails of the Lion.


In a Bar, 1943

Elwell made his reputation as a portrait painter undertaking many commissions, including some for the Royal Family. However, it is often in his more private portraits - those done for his friends or for his own pleasure - that his great skill in capturing the character of his sitters comes to the fore. 'In a Bar' shows Muriel Fox, Elwell's tenant, posed on her regular seat at the Beverley Arms Hotel. She was then aged 28 and worked as a cook. Shortly before this portrait was painted Muriel had given birth to a daughter, who has since speculated she might have been tucked up in her basket behind the bar. Muriel's nonchalant gesture and confident gaze show her as an independent woman, very characteristic of the war era.


The War Worker, 1919

The War Worker, an appealing, light-filled interior, depicts a woman serving breakfast to her daughter, who sits in a four poster bed, before setting out to work as a 'land girl'. Of particular interest is the inclusion of an electric lamp, which bathes the scene with a warm, yellow glow. The setting is Bar House, the Elwells' home, and it is known that they had purchased their own electricity generator the year before this painting was made. It is likely that Elwell was inspired by the potential this offered to his work, enabling him to contrast the clear, natural winter light entering through the window with the cosy, artificial light of the interior. The model for the young woman in the bed is Phyllis Downham, Mary Elwell's (1874-1952) god-daughter. In the same year, 1919, Phyllis also modelled for 'The New Frock', which is now in the collection of Sheffield City Art Galleries. Prior to its purchase by the Ferens, the painting, which came from a private collection in Scotland, had probably not been seen in public since it was painted in 1919. At the time of the Ferens' 1993 exhibition of Elwell's work the picture was known to exist but its actual whereabouts were unknown. Elwell expert Wendy Loncaster, whose research formed the basis of the exhibition, recognised 'The War Worker' from a description given to her by Phyllis Downham.


The Last Purchase, 1921

'The Last Purchase' (also called 'The New Purchase' and 'The Last Lot)' is significant in Fred Elwell's career as being the moment of synthesis, in a single painting, of all the strongest elements of his portraiture, still life and room interiors. All are handled meticulously in this, probably Elwell's most important single work. At the age of 85, James Elwell, the artist's father, is portrayed amongst his spoils from the latest antique auction, which he has set out for inspection. The painting captures the intensity and joy of the connoisseur as he repairs a vase with the craftsman's dexterity, and even tenderness. The scene is instilled with the artist's empathy for his subject. His respect for his father's skills leads him to give prominence to the tools of conservation; the paste, brushes, paints and magnifier are in the foreground in a composition which echoes Elwell's earliest still lives of fish. Fred's own fascination for curios is reflected in the almost Pre-Raphaelite sharpness of definition and the juxtaposition of complex patterns. The figure of James is astonishingly lifelike, with finely worked hairs and wrinkles on the hand. Wendy Loncaster, an expert on Elwell’s work, has suggested that he may have been influenced by the increased naturalism and attention to detail of an artistic movement called ‘The New Sculpture’. 'The Last Purchase' also reveals the height of perfection to which Elwell would strive. He insisted that even the thinnest of plates cast a shadow of some sort, which the artist must paint. On one occasion Elwell spent three full hours working on a sitter’s thumb. Much of Fred’s work is imbued with its own strong sense of place, and many of his paintings were set in specific and identifiable parts of his native town. When 'The Last Purchase' was painted in 1921 James was living with Fred and Mary at Bar House, their Beverley home. The setting is its book-lined study. Sadly, it was only five years after this painting that James died, at the ripe old age of 90. Poignantly, Elwell then changed one word of its title from ‘New’ to ‘Last’.


Self Portrait, 1911

In the course of a prolific career as a portrait painter, during which he undertook commissions for the Royal Family, Elwell produced many self-portraits that span the whole period of his life. These culminated in his best-known and most complex self-portrait, of 1933, in which he depicts himself at his easel, brush poised and ready to paint (part of the collection now at Beverley Art Gallery). With the exception of a watercolour study painted when a student, this is Elwell’s earliest known self-portrait. Its existence was not known of at the time of the Ferens’ 1993 exhibition of his work. By the time he painted this portrait in 1911, Elwell was becoming a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy. His growing success in this period is reflected in his confident and relaxed expression. His somewhat dapper appearance made him a well-known figure around the market town of Beverley. Strong contrast of light and dark in the portrait reflect Elwell’s early studies of 17th century Dutch portraiture in Antwerp.


The Last Beverley Pipe-maker, c.1903-10

The Beverley pipe-maker was John Goforth Junior, who traded in the town until 1910 in a small workshop in George & Dragon Passage (since re-named Monk’s Walk.) The sense of nostalgia for ‘the last’ of a kind also recurred in Elwell’s later work. Elwell shows Goforth forming the stem of a clay pipe. The twelve pipes he has already moulded rest upon the ‘dozening board’ in the foreground. Tobacco pipes were traditionally sold in dozens. Their placing in the foreground of the composition suggests the depth of space in the scene, and draws attention to the figure of the pipe-maker working at his bench.


Interior Study, c.1937

Interior Study, c.1937 Mary was born Mary Dawson Bishop in 1874. She was the daughter of a shipping merchant in Liverpool. Mary married a Hull oil broker, George Holmes, and together they lived at Bar House in Beverley. Following Holmes’ death in 1913 Mary married Fred Elwell (1870-1958) and the couple remained at Bar House until their deaths. Like Fred, Mary was a very talented artist. She exhibited no less than 58 paintings at the prestigious Royal Academy exhibitions in London. Amongst her best paintings were her sparkling and colourful interiors, often set in the homes of friends living near the North Bar Gate in Beverley, and at Bar House itself. The sitter and the room featured in this interior are uncertain, but could be Fred’s Father, James, in the study of Bar House.


Plate Made by Belle Vue Pottery, Hull, c.1826-1841

This plate is pottery but has been cleverly designed to look like it’s made from real vine leaves. You can feel as well as see the design because the plate has a raised texture. This makes the leaves’ edges and veins stand out. The plate is covered with bright green glaze to bring the pattern to life. You can see the glaze has gathered in dark pools around the edges of the leaves, making them stand out even more. This plate is in perfect condition but is over 160 years old. It was made at the Belle Vue Pottery, which existed on the Humber bank from 1826-1841. The pottery site was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. The Belle Vue Pottery was set up by merchant William Bell. He bought the site for £1700. Bell decided to name his pottery after a street recently built nearby called Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell began making ceramics on a large scale from 1826. He extended the factory that already existed on the site and employed as many as thirty apprentices. Most Belle Vue pots, including this one, were made from good quality white earthenware. The majority were not given a maker’s mark to identify where they were made. This plate is unusual because it has a stamped mark. The mark includes a picture of two bells, which William Bell probably used as a reference to his own name. Most of the pots made at Belle Vue were decorated with printed patterns. Others had hand painted floral designs or were decorated with different coloured liquid clays called ‘slip’. Pieces covered with brightly coloured glaze like this one are quite rare in comparison. These pieces were often moulded to create textured patterns, rather than being turned on a wheel. Rather than being painted or printed on afterwards, the decoration is part of the structure of this plate.


Tea Set Made by Belle Vue Pottery, Hull c.1826-1841

The unusual design of this tea set holds clues to its Hull roots. The teapot and milk jug have very high necks, which are highest at the front. This style is normally very rare but is common in ceramics made at Hull’s Belle Vue Pottery. The saucer holds another clue. Unlike most other pottery, it has no cup ring to hold the teacup in place. Belle Vue made many saucers like this. The Belle Vue Pottery was run by a merchant called William Bell. It manufactured ceramics on the Humber bank from 1826-1841. The pottery site was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. Despite its location near the centre of Hull, most Belle Vue products were destined for foreign markets. Because of its location on the Humber bank the pottery had its own wharf. Ships tied up there to unload raw materials and to take aboard finished products for export. William Bell operated a warehousing business in Hamburg with his brother Edward so most of his products were exported there. Other destinations included Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Spain. Most Belle Vue pots, including this one, were made from good quality white earthenware. The majority were decorated with printed patterns. These were quick and cheap to produce as the same engraved copper plate could be used to print hundreds of pots. It would have been more expensive and time consuming to produce a hand painted tea set like this one. The bold floral design decorating this tea set was painted directly onto the pot before it was glazed. This was the most common technique for applying painted decoration at Belle Vue. There are a few surviving pots with decoration painted on top of the glaze.


Meat Platter Made by Belle Vue Pottery, Hull c.1826-1841

This platter’s willow pattern decoration is still a familiar style today. The decoration shows an imaginary Chinese scene. Willow pattern is a European interpretation of Chinese style. The printed maker’s mark underneath the platter tells us that it was made at the Belle Vue Pottery in Hull. Thousands of pots were made at Belle Vue, but fewer than one in a hundred received a maker’s mark. This makes it very hard to identify Belle Vue pottery today. The platter’s willow pattern decoration looks very intricate but it would have been easy to produce. This is because the plate has been transfer printed. The transfer printing process uses the same engraved copper plate to print thousands of pots. Transfer printing is much quicker and cheaper than painting pots by hand. This is why the majority of pots made at Hull’s Belle Vue Pottery were transfer printed. The Belle Vue Pottery existed on the Humber bank from 1826-1841. The pottery was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. Merchant William Bell set up Belle Vue. He bought the site for £1700. Bell decided to name his pottery after a street recently built nearby called Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell’s father was one of the men in charge of building Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell must have chosen the name for his pottery because of its family connections. The pottery’s location next to the River Humber was essential for its success. It had its own wharf where ships tied up to unload clay for making the pots. Other ships brought coal to power the kilns. The wharf was the only place for ships to collect finished pots for export, mainly to Germany. Disaster struck at Belle Vue in 1840. The Hull and Selby Railway Company opened a railway line along the Humber Bank. The railway cut off the pottery’s access to the river, and it became difficult to export pots. The pottery closed in 1841.


Needlework Panel

This needlework panel was bought by Hull Museums from Mrs K.T. Rooms, a Hull resident, in 1968. Mrs Rooms had owned the panel for some time, and its previous history is unknown. The panel may either have been made as a complete picture, or may be a panel from the top of a box. The fabric is white satin embroidered with silks, and adhering to the back of it is the paste with which it was stuck onto a hard surface in the past. The satin has a green selvedge, which is often found on fabric from the 1600s used for small pieces of embroidery such as bags, cushions and covered boxes. It isn't easy to date this piece accurately, but the motifs used and the style of the girl's dress suggest it may be c.1640-1650. Many pieces of needlework similar to this one were made using 'stump work', where figures and objects were made separately and padded to give a 3D effect. The vogue for stump work began around 1630 and continued until about 1680. However, not all embroideries of this kind used stump work, and sometimes a flat surface was preferred. This piece has some of the motifs of a typical stump work picture, but is actually worked mainly in satin stitch, as many box panels were. Embroideries of this kind were usually the work of young girls from wealthy families, who could afford to have their daughters educated by resident tutors and special needlework instructresses. Girls used the stitches first practised on a sampler to make small but ambitious works like this one. Having learned to sew different stitches and motifs by making samplers, they were anxious to show off their skill by filling every available space of their designs with the popular motifs of the day. Figures of royalty, palaces, hunting scenes, Biblical characters, animals, plants and insects crowd together in their work with complete disregard for scale or unity. The inventiveness, fine workmanship and very human qualities shown by the design (or lack of it) in these pieces is what makes them appealing. The child who made this piece obviously had considerable skill and patience. The motifs used in these embroideries were often inspired by the popular herbals of the time, or taken from books such as Richard Shorleyker's 'The Schole House of the Needle' (second edition 1632). Sometimes satin could be bought with pre-drawn patterns that could be worked separately, cut out and applied. The final arrangement of the embroidery was therefore dictated by individual taste. The daughters of well-to-do households enjoyed their task of snipping, arranging and stitching the bright and sometimes precious materials at their disposal. This needlework panel is of the plainer sort, with only one padded motif and no metal threads or pearls. Each motif has been drawn onto the silk with pencil and covered with a fine black outline in silk thread. Some of the thread has perished over time to reveal the black lead marks underneath. The circular centre of the panel shows a girl standing in a garden containing an apple tree and several plants including a tulip, a pansy and a large strawberry. A variety of birds and insects hover and perch in the background. A border of scrolls encloses the circle. The outer corners and edges of the design are filled with a hunting scene showing a talbot chasing a stag, and individual plants, interspersed with insects and birds, including caterpillars, an owl and a butterfly. The small figure in the centre of the panel is not likely to be a self portrait, but has been sewn with great care. The bodies of several of the insects have been enriched with shreds of peacock feather, and a tiny bead makes a caterpillar's eye. The identifiable plants in the border are an oak tree, borage (which was used in cool drinks), daffodil, rose, vine, marigold and hazel. These are all useful plants that were prized in the 1600s for their medicinal properties, and illustrated in contemporary herbals. It is likely that the wood block illustrations in herbals inspired the designs that were translated into embroidery. Some of the motifs used in this panel have a long tradition in English embroidery. The stag pursued in the forest, represented by an oak tree, is frequently found in hangings made in the 1500s. In this piece the spotted dog, a Talbot, seems more interested in chasing a newt at the water's edge than in chasing the stag, which is bounding off the the left. The large rose, which is in tent stitch, has been worked separately and applied. It may well have been bought as a professionally drawn pattern rather than copied freehand. It is possible, though not certain, that some of the flowers and insects are Stuart emblems. Many different stitches have been used to make this panel. Satin stitch in carefully shaded colours gives a flat effect for the circular border, most of the plants, the sky, the more distant grass, the animals and the girl's dress. Split stitch, which is even smoother, has been used for her face and hands. Contrasting with the shiny finish of these two surfaces are patches of Surrey and twisted Surrey stitch. Surrey stitch has a cut pile like velvet, and twisted Surrey stitch is composed of close twisted loops. These stitches have been used for the grass in the foreground. The tent stitch of the large rose is echoed in the needle-made wings of two butterflies, a padded ladybird and the applied needle-made flower immediately behind the girl. French knots give an appropriate texture to the acorn cups and the stamens of the rose. The colours used in the panel are naturalistic and well-distributed over its surface. Many shades of green predominate. The brilliant pinks and reds of the circular border, the girl's dress, the apples and the butterflies have faded, but the blues, browns, yellows and greens have kept their brilliance.


Marcus Tullius Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106.BC-43.BC) was an orator and statesman of Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin prose stylist. Cicero was surprised when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44BC. However, Cicero and Mark Anthony, (Caesar’s subordinate), became the two leading men in Rome. Caesar’s heir, Octavian, later arrived in Rome and Cicero planned to play him against Anthony. Cicero’s plan failed and Mark Anthony and Octavian later joined Lepidus to form the Triumvirate for the Constitution of the Republic. Cicero had fallen foul of them and was numbered amongst the many enemies of the state who would suffer persecution. Cicero was beheaded by pursuers in 43BC and his head and hands were displayed in the Forum Romanum. Mark Anthony’s wife, Fulvia, is said to have taken Cicero’s head, pulled out the tongue and jabbed it with her hair-pin, taking final revenge against Cicero’s gifts of speech.


Sampler

Shirley Chubb: ' 'Sampler' was made after my visit to Wilberforce House in 1996. The museum focuses on the history of African slavery, one of the strands of African history addressed in the exhibition 'Hold'. Throughout the collection objects are itemised with factual restraint within a genteel setting, an acutely English response to an inhuman trade. Many items were of interest to me, but I was most attracted to the abolitionist memorabilia. I found the sampler particularly affecting. It is naive yet deeply melancholy. 'Sampler' is a direct copy of the original object, but with important changes. When I photographed the original my reflection was also captured in the glass vitrine. The layering of my own silhouette over the sampler is now woven into the new work, conveying the sense of distance yet involvement that I felt when confronting the object. The original inscription has been replaced by two dates. The date abolition came into effect and the date I visited the museum 162 years later. The decorative border has been replaced by repeated strokes depicting human involvement, an element which appears throughout my work, and in this case also referential to the "cargo" plans of numerous slave ships. The new 'Sampler' is mounted to mimic the function of the original, which according to museum records was used as a seat cover. The padded work comments on the irony of the original - describing events which literally and metaphorically supported the 'viewer' without having to be seen.


Bronze Bust of Amy Johnson by Siegfried Joseph Charoux (c.1944)

This is a bronze bust of Amy Johnson. Amy was a famous pilot who was born in Hull. She was famous for flying alone from England to Australia. Amy was the first woman ever to do this and broke many world records. When Amy left England on her round the world flight not many people had heard of her. She flew 10,000 miles through sandstorms, monsoons and extreme temperatures. When she arrived in Australia she had become world famous. Amy Johnson was born in 1903 at 154 St.George’s Road in Hull. She studied at Sheffield University and later became an air pioneer. She is most famous for her lone flight from Croydon, England to Port Darwin, Australia (5th May – 24th May 1930). She was only 26 years old when she did this. The Australia flight was done in her Gypsy Moth aeroplane called The Jason. As part of this journey, Johnson took the record time for England to India and then flying to Australia. She was the first woman to accomplish both feats. Amy served with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in the Second World War. She went missing while flying a mission over the Thames Estuary in 1941. This bust was commissioned by the Women’s Engineering Society to commemorate Amy Johnson. It was presented to the Ferens Art Gallery in 1945. Siegfried Joseph Charoux was the sculptor of this bust. He was born in Austria and worked in Vienna as a political cartoonist. In 1935 Charoux had to leave for England as a political refugee from the Nazis.


'Woman and Child in Ladderback Chair' by Henry Moore (1952)

In his lifetime Henry Moore was one of the greatest sculptors in the world. He was born in Castleford in Yorkshire and his dad was a coal miner. Henry did lots of sculptures of mothers and children. It was a theme he liked to try and capture. With this sculpture he worked with wax first. This helped him to develop tricky bits like the back of the chair. Once finished in wax it would all be cast in bronze. Henry Moore is recognised as being one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. He was born in 1898 in Castleford. Henry Moore served in British Army during World War I and later trained at Leeds School of Art. He then won a scholarship at the Royal College of Art. He died in 1986. Henry Moore began by carving his sculptures and only later worked in bronze. Mother and child relationships are one of Moore’s favourite themes. He explored how we can be together and alone at the same time. The reclining figure was another favourite theme. This sculpture was given to the Ferens Art Gallery by the Contemporary Art Society in 1956. In an interview in 1960 Henry Moore discussed how the lost wax process helped his work: “Working direct in wax has many possibilities, since wax has a toughness about it that will allow you to do very thin forms – for example take that rocking chair sculpture of mine in which the back of the chair is in struts like a ladder. You could not make that construction in clay, nor in plaster without awful trouble, whereas that was modelled directly in wax, easily and straightforwardly. Then all one had to do was to cover that with plaster and ground up pottery and melt the wax out and cast in bronze.”


Nigerian Bronze Plaque (c.1550-1650)

The people of Benin city in Nigeria were very skilled in making items in bronze. Traditionally only men were allowed to work with metal. A lot of the bronze they used came from Europeans as part of trade. In return the Nigerians provided goods like ivory, pepper and slaves. Expert craftsmen lived inside the palace of the Oba or king. Outside the palace people lived in villages. Some villages also specialized in crafts and made items for their own communities. There are hundreds of bronze Benin plaques like this in museums around Europe and America. The British Museum has a large collection that were acquired during the British Punitive Expedition in 1897. Some people say that these were looted. There are no records existing of how these plaques were originally arranged. It is thought they were made in pairs and fixed to pillars in the king’s palace. The figures on this plaque are both wearing typical Benin court dress. The figure on the right is playing a double gong. This instrument was struck to signify the pleasure of the Oba (king). Benin had been in contact with Europeans since the Portuguese contacted them in the 1400s and became trade partners. Later interest and demand for bronze items led to some being made for Western markets. Guilds of specialists lived within the Oba’s palace. This included craftspeople, astrologers and drummers. In the palace and the villages craft specialists were usually men. There were strict religious rules that meant only men could handle metal. However, women could work with textiles and pottery. This particular plaque was retrieved from the bomb wreckage of Hull’s old Albion Street Museum. This museum and its records were destroyed by enemy bombs during the Second World War.


Plymouth

Newcastle-born Hemy is regarded as one of the greatest painters of maritime subjects of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. His friend the painter Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) wrote of his unique skills as a draughtsman of wave forms and of his having a rare ability to interpret the sea. Hemy's subjects included the picturesque charm and monstrous power of the sea, and the fishermen of the south west coast who struggled to make a living from it. As a child Hemy made several adventurous voyages with his family. In 1856 he ran away to sea as an apprentice on a collier brig but eventually gave up the sailor's life to pursue his true vocation as a painter. Settling in Falmouth in the 1880s he converted an old pilchard boat to a floating studio which he stabilised with three tons of granite ballast. He later converted a yacht into a studio, enabling him to spend days at sea studying shipping. He settled in Falmouth in 1881 and his paintings after that date, including Plymouth, record the south west coast with accuracy and affection.


Portrait of Mrs Dawson of Retford

Ever since these two pictures were bought by the Ferens in 1959 from a descendant of the original sitters they have presented an enigma. Their quality as mid-18th century portraits has never been questioned and they hang easily in the company of the masterpiece by Arthur Devis (1711-1787) which comes from the same period. Mrs Dawson is altogether more free in touch, especially in the landscape background. As the pictures have always been hung together as a pair it has always been assumed they are by the same artist from the same time, even though there is a difference in their size. It has been suggested that these two pictures are possibly by George Stubbs through comparison with the few other early works currently identifiable. The closest resemblance for the Mrs Dawson is the Portrait of young Sir John Nelthorpe at Scawby Hall, Lincolnshire. The treatment of the hands in both pictures is particularly distinctive and the backgrounds in the three pictures are treated in a very similar manner.


Portrait of Mr Dawson of Retford with his servant

In the current state of research these two pictures are attributed to Stubbs with reservation. The facts are easily ascertainable. If the inscription on the Mr Dawson is authentic, and examination with the naked eye suggests that it is, then the implication is that the picture was painted in or after 1749. Stubbs is then recorded as a portraitist in Leeds, York, Hull and Lincolnshire. However from this period, which spans fifteen years, we are left with the two Nelthorpe portraits at Scawby Hall, the Portrait of Mr Stanley in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and the newly attributed Portrait of George Fothergill at the Ferens. There are therefore no securely identified equestrian portraits by Stubbs from the 1740s/50s, nor are there any female portraits at all. The identification of the sitters as the Dawsons of Retford is by tradition.


The Village Genius

James Smetham's work is often small in scale, in his youth he made a living as a travelling painter, making portraits and recording scenes of everyday life. He is also known for his writings, such as his 'Knowledge Books' which reveal an almost obsessive desire to record the world he saw about him. The snatched glimpse of a country scene in The Village Genius is typical of Smetham's perception of life; like the boy in the picture, he seizes the opportunity to sketch figures. The graffiti are not quite so 'innocent' as they might first appear. The crow on the wall bears an uncanny resemblance to the approaching figure of authority, perhaps a schoolmaster? The mouse hole and the strange use of shadows contribute an enigmatic element to this lively sketch.


St. Sebastian tended by the Holy Irene

Renieri moved to Venice in 1626, where he was in great demand as a painter of religious scenes. It is here that the Ferens' St. Sebastian was probably painted. The style of the painting follows that of Caravaggio (1573-1610), the famous and influential Italian artist, with its realistic portrayal of physical suffering and the strong light-dark contrast, enhancing its dramatic appeal. St. Sebastian was an officer of the Roman Imperial Guard, punished for his belief in Christianity. He was nursed back to health by St. Irene (removing the arrow) but was later clubbed to death, his body thrown into Rome's main sewer. The models for the female saints are two of Renieri's daughters who were well-known for their beauty. They wear the lavish, billowing costume of their day.


A Zeeland States yacht Firing a Salute off the Oude Hoofdpoort, Rotterdam

A picturesque scene of a bustling port, it illustrates well how Dutch life was inextricably linked with the sea for both trade and defence. The painting is filled with every class of marine vessel, ornamented with flags; the stems and sterns of several are enriched with carving. The port is peopled with lively figures which are particularly well drawn. The colouring is rich without being gaudy. Jacobus Storck was probably the elder brother of another marine painter of similar scenes, Abraham Storck (c.1635-1710). While little else is known of Jacobus' life, Abraham is known to have become one of the leading marine painters in Holland after the departure to England of the van de Veldes in 1673.


Wooded landscape with cornfields

The landscape of Holland was a constant source of inspiration for the 17th century Dutch artist. Ruisdael is considered to be the greatest of them all. His style was tremendously influential on English landscape painters of the early 19th century. This painting is one of the artist's earlier landscapes and is lighter in mood than his darker, more sombre, late paintings. Typical of Ruisdael and his contemporaries, the people here are of secondary significance. Dominating the landscape are the trees, each invested with their own character. It is said that Ruisdael never painted a sunny day. This picture is as close as he ever came to showing bright sunlight.


View of Leuvehaven, Rotterdam

Salm is usually considered to be one of the last artists to practice the unusual and highly skilled technique of drawing with a reed pen on a specially prepared white ground. Almost all the surviving examples in this medium are seascapes and although ships are just visible in this picture it is essentially a townscape. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the later townscapes by Hull artists and it is likely that they were inspired by such work. The canal itself is lined both with houses and warehouses, as was to be mirrored in 18th century Hull.


Beach Scene with Figures

Robert Le Prince was a painter of historic subjects, portraits and scenes from everyday life. He was also a landscape painter and made his reputation in this field, showing his works at the prestigious Paris Salon between 1822 and 1844. He received a medal in 1824. This modest and freshly painted landscape has more importance than it effortless naturalism would suggest. French painting, especially landscape, was to acquire a new liberation after the Salon of 1824. Here Constable's (1776-1827) approach to nature opened the eyes of many Frenchmen and this picture's appearance at the same Salon shows how far French artists had developed in the pursuit of naturalism. The incidental figures in this picture, enjoying the sea air, are rustic and not townspeople.


Landscape, peasants and houses

A very small number of pictures are currently attributed to Pieter Stevens the Younger and they conform to the Netherlandish tradition in the wake of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c.1525-1569). Stevens was highly esteemed in his lifetime as he worked for the Court of Rudolf II at Prague. These two fragments can be placed precisely at the lower right-hand and lower left of a much larger composition, Landscape: February. It is not known when these two pieces were cut from the larger composition and the rest discarded but they preserve the human interest of the composition rather than the landscape elements. The light exaggerations of these figures follow in the tradition of Peter Bruegel the Elder and reflect the taste of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague who favoured artists with eccentricities. In Northern art, right from the beginning, there was an interest in realism and the details of everyday life. This is particularly evident in the scene of the peasants moving their household belongings, including a plump bolster, on a heavily-laden cart.


Portrait of a Lady of Elizabeth's Court

Segar was a portrait painter in an age when life-sized portraiture was less in demand than the miniature. Portraits were rarely signed and often produced by a workshop, making it difficult to differentiate between artists or to isolate the work of one particular painter. Highly decorative and two-dimensional, Portrait of a Lady of Elizabeth's Court is less of a likeness than a statement of the lady's immense wealth and social position with her extravagance of jewellery, sumptuous embroidered gown with 'blackwork' embroidery and elaborate ruff. Her identity is as yet uncertain. In her right hand she holds a 'flea fur', probably of marten fur. These were extravagant and costly accessories, valued for their decorative qualities, rather than for their success in apprehending fleas! Our portrait is one of very few depictions of such furs. So far the sitter has resisted identification, in the 19th century she was called Queen Elizabeth I and more recently The Countess of Worchester. She was definitely a woman of some importance with ostentation in dress.


What You Will

Unusual beginnings as the proprietor of a successful London drapery shop earned Smith the nickname 'Old Drapery Face'. He devoted his spare time to miniature and portrait painting and before long took up engraving - it is as a printmaker that his reputation is greatest. Our picture is one of a set of four, of which Smith produced printed versions in 1791. They were called A Maid; A Wife, A Widow and What You will. In this picture, not strictly a portrait, the artist has used a model to illustrate the fashionable, flirtatious type of woman he wanted to portray. Smith's subject matter here reflects a change in society's attitudes towards the women in the 18th century whose roles were considered less socially acceptable. While the morals of those who were actresses or well-known mistresses were still publicly frowned upon the outrage declared was often pretence, expressed to define the upright morals of the rest of society. In reality, such women were often fêted, many becoming subjects for the most fashionable portrait painters of their day.


Lady Holland

Richardson was an English portrait painter, writer and collector. Although regarded as one of the leading portraitists of his generation, he is today better remembered for his writings on art than for his paintings. The identity of the sitter in this portrait has never been formally confirmed. Research from the National Portrait Gallery proposes that she is Rebecca, the second and youngest daughter and co-heir of William Paston, last Earl of Yarmouth. She married John Holland in 1699. He succeeded his grandfather as 2nd Baronet in 1701. An alternative source, however, suggests that Lady Holland is the daughter or niece of C. Cornell of Castleton, Eire, who served as M.P. for Westminster in the late 18th century.


Portrait of John Kirby Picard Junior

John Kirby Picard (1766-1843), the sitter's father, was a Deputy Recorder of Hull and a prosperous lead importer who issued lead trading tokens in Hull. J.K. Picard Junior (1797-1836) joined the Horse Guards and fought at Waterloo, resigning his commission in 1822. He later became a partner in his father's business. The painting was probably done just before he left home to join the army. The stone monument upon which he sits is presumably imaginary - as the son of a civic dignitary rather than a country squire, there was no extensive estate in which he could be represented. James Ramsay achieved considerable success as a portrait painter. He also exhibited history and genre scenes. He lived and worked for much of the time in London, but frequently returned to the north, eventually settling in Newcastle upon Tyne. There, he painted the famous wood engraver Thomas Bewick (1753-1828), who recorded in his memoirs that Ramsay, 'gives the character as well as the likeness so correctly that they look like the person alive - they ought indeed not to be called likeness but Fac similes.'


Idealised portrait of Linnaeus

The artist was appointed animal painter to King George III and later to the Prince Regent. This portrait of the botanist Linnaeus was probably painted in Leeds on the occasion of the opening of the Hull Botanic Gardens to a commission from the Hull Botanic Gardens Committee. The artist would have had little or no direct evidence of what Linnaeus looked like. Linnaeus (1707-1778) founded the modern system of botanical classification. His long career was spent at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. The flower shown in the portrait is Linnaeus Borealis and the Order is that of the Polar Star.


Holy Family

Giulio Procaccini began his career as a sculptor working on the dome of Milan Cathedral. He soon abandoned sculpture in favour of painting, following in the footsteps of his father and teacher, Ercole Procaccini the Elder. Giulio was at one time also a pupil of Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), the most gifted member of the famous Italian Carracci family of painters. Procaccini's early work is characterised by a graceful elegance most notable in the numerous paintings he produced depicting the Holy Family. This piece, possibly by a close follower of the artist, may well eventually prove to be a lost original by him. This painting presents a more natural depiction of the Holy Family. The Virgin Mary is typically shown holding the Christ Child, with a much older Joseph in the background. The female in the top left corner is possibly St. Anna, Mary's mother, who appears frequently in depictions of the Holy Family.


Holy Family with St. Simeon and St. John the Baptist

Santa Croce came from a Bergamese family of painters whose work was influenced by Venetian painting, and especially Giovanni Bellini (c.1430/40-1516). He is also believed to have been a follower of Francesco di Simone (d.1508). Almost all Santa Croce's known works consist of Virgins and saints set against landscape backgrounds. The Ferens' picture is the only work by the artist in a UK public collection. This is an adaptation of a painting by Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), held at Castle Ashby. Its depiction of the Holy Family is a subject that Rizzo painted numerous times. The Holy Family are depicted on the left with St. Simeon holding St. John The Baptist as an infant on the right. In the New Testament God promised an old Holy Man called Simeon that he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died. Led to the temple by the Holy Spirit, Simeon found Mary and Joseph presenting the baby Jesus, as was required by the law. Simeon then held Jesus in his arms and gave thanks to the Lord.


Holy Family with two female figures

The artist spent much of his career in Rome, where he made many adaptations of the works of Renaissance and Baroque masters, and where this picture was probably painted. He combined a heightened use of colour with a meticulous technique. The treatment of the subject here is unusual since the Holy Family is rarely depicted with female companions. It is possible that one of the figures in the background is St. Anna, who frequently appears in paintings of the Holy Family. The Virgin and the infant are posed in the traditional manner of 'the Pieta', foreshadowing the lamentation of the dead Christ after the descent from the cross. In this painting, the child is unusual in covering his face with his hands. However, the fact that his genitals are clearly displayed is unsurprising, since this is commonly interpreted as an allusion to his earthly descent into manhood and to the circumcision. In Counter-Reformation Catholicism, paintings of the Holy Family were sometimes thought to be the earthly or terrestrial counterpart of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).


Portrait of George Birkbeck

George Birkbeck was the founder of London University. He also played an important part in establishing the Mechanics Institutes during the 19th century. These aimed to bring further education to the working classes. The first one was the London Mechanics Institute founded in 1824 with Birkbeck as its president. This Institute is now known as Birkbeck College, part of the University of London. George Birkbeck was funded to teach in Hull in 1805 by the Hull Subscription Library. This portrait was painted during his stay in Hull.


The paddle-steamers 'Monarch' and 'Packet'

Griffin was apprenticed to Thomas Meggitt, a house painter in Hull with a side-line in pictures. The 'Monarch' was built by Pearson's of Thorne, Yorkshire, in 1830 for William Batchelor Brownlow and William Hunt Pearson of the Hull Steam Packet Company. The 'Packet' was built c. 1830 and acquired by Joseph Gee in 1835.


The Ass

A highly innovative artist, Duncan Grant was partly responsible, along with others of the Bloomsbury Group, for introducing the radical ideas of French Post Impressionism into a firmly traditional Britain. The ‘Bloomsberries’ as they were nicknamed, centred around Roger Fry (1866-1934), Clive (1881-1964) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) and her sister Virginia Woolf (1882-1941). It was Roger Fry who had arranged the highly influential Post Impressionist exhibitions in London of 1910 and 1912, which included work by both Picasso (1881-1973) and Matisse (1869-1954), who Grant particularly admired. The Ass, the second of two versions of the same subject, shows Grant using Picasso’s style of a violent flattening of space.


Les funerailles d'Atala'

Girodet was one of the star pupils of David (1748-1825). Girodet’s success in his lifetime was followed by a spectacular fall from grace. This painting is taken from one of Girodet’s most successful compositions that inspired a host of copies by numerous artists. The subject of Atatla is taken from the novel of the same name by Chateaubriand, published in 1801. The moment chosen is the burial of Atala in the grotto, where a hermit winds linen round the body. The characters are the heartbroken Chactas, the noble savage, the corpse of Atala and the Père Aubry. This copy has every appearance of dating from the period of the original, 1808.


Portrait of a lady

Gheeraerdts is often said to be the last of the great Elizabethan portraitists and the first of a new wave of Flemish immigrant artists. He was perhaps the most successful and prolific of painters to the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. His style was unmistakable and particularly suited to Queen Elizabeth I in her last years when she preferred to be depicted in stylised elaboration without any of the realism then prevailing in the Netherlands. Her demand that shadows be eliminated from the face set a fashion that continued into the Jacobean period. Although an inscription on this portrait identifies the sitter as Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain and Governess of the Low Countries, this is thought to have been added at a later date. Her true identity remains unknown.


The East Indiaman 'General Coote' in three positions off the Downs

This painting of the ship in three positions is a complete ship portrait in which there was a necessity to paint from more than two angles to make a full record of the proportions and design of the vessel. This undoubtedly reflects the owner’s pride in ownership. Unfortunately it is not known who owned the ship but the date on the painting of 1782 suggests that it was painted soon after it was built.


Interior of an artist's studio

Surprisingly few paintings of the interior of artists’ studios survive from before the 19th century. Not many artists seem to have been interested in painting their own surroundings. Jeaurat was very skilful in his handling of an astonishing variety of elements. We see most prominently the step-ladder required for the painting of large pictures, in this instance a vast Assumption of the Virgin which would have been intended as an altarpiece. In the foreground are three collectors looking through a portfolio. No genre paintings are visible even though Jeaurat is still appreciated for this subject. It may be that this studio belongs to a fellow artist rather than Jeaurat himself.


The Apotheosis of Nelson

For a picture of such a modest size the composition is extremely complicated. The differing elements were described at the time, bringing the Nelson subject into the mainstream off European painting. Nelson’s victory over the French and death at the Battle of Trafalgar were regarded as momentous events, especially as most of western Europe was under Napoleonic control. Following the French Revolution’s abolition of the Christian religion, this liberated Swiss artist could therefore translate the hero Nelson into a subject from Classical antiquity rather than depicting him being received into a Christian Heaven. Artists had always had great difficulty in depicting the arrival of ordinary mortals into Heaven as it was very difficult to personify God giving favour, other than to saints.


An Unknown Lady

Ever since its acquisition by the Ferens in 1968 this painting has been regarded as one of the most beautiful and enigmatic in the collection. It is now re-attributed, on stylistic grounds, to the French painter, Ingres, one of the most important artists working in this highly finished style. The painting has been cut along the bottom and reduced from its original size and it is possible that this has contributed to years of debate surrounding its attribution. Comparison with other female portraits certainly by Ingres shows that the treatment of the features, particularly in such areas as the lips and the glossy hair, appear very close to the Ferens’ portrait. The painting is intriguing in portraying a languorous yet sensuous young woman who may be suffering from goitre as her neck appears swollen and her blouse has been unfastened at the collar. The date can be established from the skilfully depicted costume with its frilled, layered collar and the long sleeves with their successive gatherings.


A Bishop Saint

This small panel belongs to a much larger complex of which only a small part has been identified. It was never meant to be appreciated in its own right but ‘read’ as part of a sequence of small panels which were positioned under a large altarpiece. As the figure of the still unidentified bishop is facing towards the left the convention would be that he would be placed on the right looking inwards towards the central panel of The Nativity. The painting is in egg tempera, the most common technique in 15th century Italy, consisting of a gesso ground of prepared plaster on a wooden panel onto which the paint, made from powder colour bound with egg-yolk, was applied.


The steam-packets ‘Lion’ and ‘Calder’ of Selby off Goole

Griffin was apprenticed to Thomas Meggitt, a house painter in Hull with a side-line in pictures. This is one of many works Griffin painted for T. Meggitt & Co. It depicts the ‘Lion’, built in Hull in 1834 and sold abroad the following year. Griffin’s pictures are largely derivative, showing passages identically cribbed from his fellow apprentices and other artists associated with the Hull School of marine painting.


Windermere from Troutbeck

At the age of twelve Ibbetson was apprenticed to Thomas Fletcher, the Hull ship painter, with whom he would have learnt about pigments and varnishes. He later moved to London, and from there made numerous journeys, including to the Far East. On his return to England he travelled extensively, especially around Wales, Scotland and the Lake District. He specialised in painting landscapes in the Dutch 17th century manner, but with his own distinctive style. The Lake District was the source of inspiration for many artists, writers and poets in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The intense emotional responses created by the wild scenery, dramatic light and changing weather were an important part of the movement known as Romanticism. This painting was one of a pair commissioned by Ibbetson’s patron William Danby. Comparison with a study sketch reveals that whilst he has painted the lake and islands accurately he has rearranged the foreground elements to create a more attractive composition. Ibbetson’s letters to Danby indicate that the artist felt this painting to be amongst his best.


Cottages at Clappersgate near Ambleside

Part of Ibbetson’s career was spent in London, copying or forging Dutch landscapes and the works of English painters like Richard Wilson (1714-82). After 1800, however, his personal inspiration was the sweeping landscape of his native Yorkshire, to which he returned. His travels around England, especially to Wales and the Lake District, were to shape the rest of his work. Willy Hill, Clappersgate, was his home 1800-02. The visual possibilities of tumbledown barns and farmyards - their shape, colour, crumbling walls and creeping vegetation - excited artists. This particular composition explains Ibbetson’s popularity as ‘the Berchem of England’. The debt to the Dutch 17th century is seen especially in the way the figures and animals are arranged.


Portrait of Rebecca Feltham

Part of Harlow’s artistic training was spent copying works in the studio of Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Although the two ‘fell out’ after two years, the influence of his style on Harlow’s work was lasting. Harlow made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1804 with a Portrait of Dr. Thornton and thereafter concentrated on portraiture. He also attempted, but failed, at history painting, due to his lack of a proper art education. In 1818, to improve his skills, he travelled to Italy to study the old masters. There he became well known and respected for his artistic talents. He died from a throat infection in 1819. We know very little about the sitter, other than the following information recorded in ink on the back of the painting: Rebecca Feltham, Born March 1st 1785 Departed this life – May 7th 1858 Married in Gorleston April 18 1810 This Portrait taken in Yarmouth 1811


Romantic Landscape

Johnson was first recorded as a draughtsman in Bristol in 1819. By 1823 he was working with Samuel Jackson (1794-1869) and Francis Danby (1793-1861), the latter to whom this painting was formerly attributed. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822 and by 1825 had moved to London and was living around the corner from Danby. He moved back to Bristol in 1826, where he remained for the rest of his life. As a drawing master in Bath he produced some of the finest architectural drawings and watercolours of the period. The main reason for the uncertainty in attributing this painting (past and present) lies in the presence in Bristol in the 1820s of a group of artists, centred around Danby, who worked closely together producing a remarkable group of paintings. Their subject matter was highly Romantic and they were very popular amongst London collectors. This deep, highly stylised gorge, adorned by dramatic ruins, is possibly a contemporary conceit, that of a vision of the future after the last man has perished.


Portrait of Anna Isabella Milbanke (later Lady Byron)

Hoppner trained at the Royal Academy, London’s foremost art institution during the 18th and early 19th centuries. His work, modelled to an extent upon that of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92), flattered fashionable society with its light, free brushwork and delicate colour range. Fêted by many, Hoppner was appointed portrait painter to the Prince of Wales in 1789. Anna Isabella Milbanke (1792-1860) married the poet Lord Byron in 1815. Their marriage was notoriously unsuccessful. In this portrait, datable by the costume, she would have been about eight years old. Her childish innocence is symbolised by the fresh blues of the scenery, and the picture shows an up-to-date romanticism in dress, pose and background. The portrait was commissioned by her father, Sir Ralph Milbanke.


Christ blessing the children

Haydon was an English painter of historical and religious works, in a style strongly influenced by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92). A very opinionated character, he spent much of his life in opposition to the art establishment, continually fighting for personal recognition and for social patronage of the arts. He was passionately committed to the concept of a National Gallery in England. Tragically, frustration and disappointment led to his eventual suicide. This painting recalls a chapter in the Bible where a group of children rushed to greet Jesus only to be hushed away by the disciples. On noticing this Jesus was angry and ordered his disciples to let the children near him. He told the disciples that only those who were humble like a child would be great in the eyes of God, saying, “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15) Christ blessing the children is a sketch for a much larger painting by Haydon now at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and painted in London, to commission, for the Liverpool Asylum for the Blind.


The dismissal of Hagar

Fabritius’ output has always been overwhelmed by the art of his brother, Carel (1622-54). Most of Barent’s pictures betray a variety of influences, notably Rembrandt’s (1606-1669). In Barent’s early years he was close to his brother in style and this has caused dispute over who painted some of the pictures. This painting shows the sad expulsion by Abraham of his concubine, Hagar, and their son, Ismael, follwing the birth of a child to Abraham’s wife Sarah (Genesis 21:9-21). The main characters are in the foreground, sharply lit and cut at the waist - devices that Rembrandt used frequently. Fabritius employs more colourful tones, a trend common in the latter half of the century throughout Holland. The intrinsically Dutch realism, most evident in the depiction of the bread, is typical.


A young woman

While Thomas de Keyser (1596/7-1667) preceded Rembrandt’s (1606-1669) popularity in Amsterdam, Helst replaced him as the city’s most fashionable portrait-painter. His appeal lay in a robust and realistic style that brought him many commissions, particularly for group portraits. This very polished portrait of an unknown girl lacks the endearing facial character of Frans Hals’ (1580-1666) sitter. Instead, it is the precise technique and attention to detail that attract the eye. The shadow on the wall and the hand resting on the chair are intended to define space. The inscription, upper left, AETAIS SVE 19/AN 1643, tells us that the sitter was aged nineteen in 1643, when the portrait was painted. The Ferens’ painting is regarded as an especially good example of Helst’s art, which is rare in British collections.


Faith

At the very end of his life Goltzius took up oil painting reputedly because his failing eyesight prevented him from working as a draughtsman and engraver. In this genre he was supreme in his time both for his skills and inventive compositions. This picture relates to Goltzius’ drawing of Faith from a series of Cardinal Virtues. Its approach is unusual as Faith is normally shown with Hope and Charity. Here, Faith holds a crucifix and chalice symbolising the Sacrament. Painted in Haarlem, it is a good example of Dutch Mannersim of the early 17th century, owing everything to Italian models and nothing to the northern tradition.


Portrait of Christopher Goulton of Beverley

Hudson’s long career made him one of the most prolific and influential portrait painters of his time. He excelled as a teacher, counting Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) among his pupils. Much of his work followed standard patterns of pose, drapery and even facial expression. Christopher Goulton was born c.1700 in Walcot, Lincolnshire. One of his daughters, Sarah, married Thomas Constable in 1769. He is shown formally dressed with coat, waistcoat and shirt.


The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

Several versions of this ambitious composition are recorded in the early sources although the status of this one awaits classification pending cleaning and restoration. This painting has all the characteristics of the late French Baroque, and owes much to the influence of Rubens (1577-1640) in its liveliness, and Poussin (1594-1665) in its colouring. This reflects the rivalry between the followers of Rubens and Poussin in the French Academie in the later 17th century. The sacrifice of Iphegenia was a popular subject in the 17th century. Iphegenia was the daughter of Agamemon who was obliged to sacrifice her to the gods. Legend has it that at the last minute a hind was substituted for the unfortunate Iphegenia.


A Father Reading the Bible to his Family

This piece of Dutch-inspired narrative genre painting is by an unknown artist copying Greuze. Greuze’s reputation remained high throughout the 19th century, not only as a painter of sentimental young ladies but also as a painter of serious moralising genre. Such a worthy activity as shown in this picture would have had wide appeal in the early 19th century in England and it is likely, on grounds of style, that the copy is English. The original by Greuze was exhibited in the Paris salon of 1755. Jean-Baptiste Greuze made his name in the Paris Salon of 1755 with the original of this painting. Much of his fame derived from the popularity of engravings after his works, fully exploited by a number of engravers and, less profitably, by the artist, whose wife embezzled most of the proceeds. Our painting is reversed from the original, which was at Dresden, and now appears lost. This is almost certainly a copy made from the engraving. The subject matter is typical of Greuze, who specialized in depicting the daily life of the middle classes. Religion in the past played a central part in everyday life, more so than today. All but the poorest families would own a Bible, which they would not only read and study together, but would use to record births and deaths. In the days before schools, radio and TV, the bible would be of the utmost importance as a source not only of religious instruction, but learning and entertainment.


The Death of Dido

Haringhs was essentially a portraitist who adopted the fashionable manner much used in the later 17th century, especially in The Hague and Amsterdam. The formula was to represent the sitter in some form of elegant undress rather than in the more formal clothes that were popular earlier in the century. The artist’s subject pictures appear to be much rarer. Haringhs was the pupil of the portraitist Arnold van Ravestyn in 1644 and later of Caspar Netscher (1639-1684) whose manner he followed. In his later years Haringhs became Director of the Academy in The Hague, which demonstrates the official esteem in which he was then held.


Still life in a garden

This delicately painted still life in a garden is a good example of the new fashions introduced into Netherlandish painting in the years around 1700. The precise barriers between the genres were beginning to break down and patrons could be satisfied by the combination of still life and landscape. This had the effect of giving the painting a greater decorative appeal and at the same time taxing the artist’s skill and ingenuity to the limit. The way all the elements are rendered is also evidence of the increasing emphasis on skill for its own sake. Patrons were less interested in the vanitas elements of still life and naturalistic landscape. Instead all was to be combined into a harmonious and essentially decorative whole.


Portrait of William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce remains today the single most important figure of historical significance associated with Hull, the city for which he was M.P. His successful campaign for the abolition of the slave trade is commemorated in detail in his birthplace, the Wilberforce House Museum, and a comprehensive display about his life and the slave trade. Hayter was a particular favourite of Queen Victoria. For its time Hayter’s style was very old fashioned.


A skirmish of cavalry

Throughout the 17th century there was a demand for a wide variety of military subjects in painting, ranging from soldiers pillaging through actual battle scenes to guardrooms and soldiers brothels. This picture is relatively rare in showing a cavalry skirmish where the interest of the picture is equally divided between the military event and the landscape setting. The picture could therefore be appreciated on different levels. The artist is known to have been in Delft in the first half of the 17th century. His career has to be constructed from a handful of surviving battle scenes and military pieces. He may have worked in other genre that have not survived or been identified.


Westminster Bridge (Evening)

William James is said to have been an assistant to Canaletto (1697-1768) when he was working in London in the early 1750s. The eminent art historian Ellis Waterhouse noted, however, that the majority of James’ works are derived from the work of Samuel Scott (1703-72). This view of London is in the style popularised by Caneletto. It depicts the new Westminster bridge, reflecting the modern picturesque aspect of London’s river front.


Somerset House (Morning)

Such picturesque views of London were popularised by the work of Canaletto (1697-1768), for whom James is reputed to have been an assistant. Matching pairs of river views were particularly collectible, and this view of Somerset House is accompanied by James’ view of Westminster Bridge. There are numerous other versions of this composition. The Ferens’ work corresponds most closely to those in the Royal Collection, in which there are three versions. The main building on the left is the medieval Old Savoy Palace. In the centre, partly obscured by trees is Old Somerset House with the tower of St. Mary le Strand. On the right is the tower of St. Clement Danes. James has been described as ‘a rather pedestrian imitator’ of his contemporary Samuel Scott (1703-72).


Church Landscape

A member of the London Group for twenty years, Fitton was also a founder member of the Artists International Association. This was a largely political art body that believed art could be used as a weapon in the class struggle. Many of its founder members were supporters of Communism. At this time Fitton was producing very popular caricatures of political figures. As an established figurative painter, graphic designer and illustrator, Fitton received numerous commissions. He undertook graphic work for London Transport and painted murals for the Festival of Britain. His later work was more illustrative and humorous in style, as conveyed in Church Landscape with its naïve use of perspective and charming depiction of animals and humans.


Signing on in a Hull Mercantile Marine Office

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Hailstone joined the Auxiliary Fire Service. Here, he made drawings of his colleagues and scenes of the Blitz. In 1941 he was commissioned by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee to paint civil defence subjects. In 1943 he was appointed as a Ministry of War Transport Artist, recording convoys in the Atlantic. Near the end of the war Hailstone was assigned to the South-East Asia Command, painting Lord Louis Mountbatten and key members of his staff. These pictures now reside at the Imperial War Museum.


A Farm in Sussex

A landscape painter in oils and watercolour, Holding came late to painting having worked as a businessman for much of his life. He exhibited throughout England and at various times served as President of the Royal Watercolour Society, the Society of Sussex Painters and a member of the Art Workers’ Guild. A Farm in Sussex draws upon the relationship between the hard-edged, angular forms of the farm buildings and the open, sweeping hills surrounding them.


A Good Little Model

Gogin painted genre and figurative subjects, portraits and landscapes. He exhibited mainly in London and showed fourteen works at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1894. His mother Alma (fl.1895-98), who presented this painting to the gallery, was also an artist. Nothing is known of the somewhat sullen sitter in this sketchy portrait other than that she was ‘a good little model’!


Miss Ivy Lilian Close

Hacker entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1876 where his fellow pupils included Stanhope Forbes (1857-1947) and Henry La Thangue (1859-1929). He went on to study in Paris, where an emphasis on plein-air realism influenced much of his early genre subjects. Throughout his career, Hacker’s interests shifted from depicting genre scenes, to religious and imaginative subjects, and townscapes. Nevertheless, Hacker remained a popular society portrait painter. This particular example was painted a year before Hacker’s style underwent radical changes, abandoning this smooth, fluid finish in favour of a much thicker, painterly style. Hacker was one of the former Academicians who founded the New English Art Club in 1886.


The Standidge Whaling Fleet

The Standidge Whaling Fleet (Berry, Britannia and British Queen) in the Arctic, 1769 Oil on canvas Bequeathed in 1938 by Mrs. Lucy Helena Habershon This highly descriptive painting of the whaling fleet of Sir Samuel Standidge is actually a copy, with little alteration other than it is reversed, from the engraving made by Boydell (1719-1804), after the painting by Charles Brooking (1723-59) of the Greenland Whale Fishery. The latter now hangs at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It was painted long after these ships had ceased sailing as a companion to another canvas showing the fleet, of 1788, to grace the walls of the Standidge home and counting house in High Street. Standidge sent the Berry from Hull in 1766 to fish for whales. She returned with only one whale but also brought 300 seal-skins. The skins provided him with the capital needed to make him a successful whale-ship owner.


December

Hall first gained recognition as an artist working in Newlyn, Cornwall from 1883-98. There he adopted the plein-air principles of working outdoors and the square brush technique associated with the painters of the Newlyn School in their response to French Impressionism. Throughout the 1890s Hall concentrated on landscape and pastoral subjects. His use of warm, atmospheric colour and the relationship between figure and setting drew close comparisons at that time with the work of painters such as Clausen (1852-1944), also represented at the Ferens. The theme of December symbolises the wane of life through the figure of the old man. Snow on the ground also indicates the end of the year.


Still-Life with Antique Head

Fedarb’s studies took her to the Slade School of Art in London before attending Westminster School of Art under the tuition of the artists Mark Gertler (1891-1939) and Bernard Meninsky (1891-1950). She later married the watercolourist and art teacher, Ernest Fedarb (b.1905). Daphne was most active as an artist during the period between the 1940s and 1960s. She was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and the National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Gravers as well as a regularly exhibitor at the Royal Academy. Still Life with Antique Head bears strong surrealist qualities with its strange indoor/outdoor setting, the tilted, distorted perspective and ambiguous, worm-like branches with their peculiar heart-shaped leaves. There is a sense that the draperies, music score and plant life are becoming an ancient ruin.


Back Yard, Park Avenue

The artist studied architecture at Hull and after that joined Hull Artists' Association for a brief period of time. His work is concerned with 'human proportions and the dynamics of form'. Colour plays an important part in his studies. Back Yard, Park Avenue was painted directly onto board, without preparatory sketches, during the early sunny weather enjoyed in the Spring of 1992. It took three consecutive afternoons to complete. The painting was exhibited at the Ferens winter Exhibition, following which the Gallery staff decided to acquire it for the collection. Fitzgerald, who works in Hull, also undertakes commissions.


Portrait of Lady Duveen

Flameng was born in France and lived in both Paris and London. He made his reputation as a portrait and historical painter. Society portraits, such as this one of Lady Duveen, were symbols of power and wealth and more than just a physical likeness was required. Unlike photography, the painted portrait offered the opportunity for sitters to be idealised. The most successful portraitists were those who achieved the most flattering representations of their sitters. This somewhat sentimental picture is executed in Flameng’s loose and sketchy manner, but with a highly finished face. This style was highly popular at the time. Lady Duveen was Elsie Salamon of New York before her marriage in 1899 to Hull born Lord Duveen. Duveen was in the antiques trade, and became one of the greatest benefactors to the fine arts in this country. He presented four paintings to the Ferens. A further fourteen were presented by his Executors. Lady Duveen presented one in memory of her husband. This portrait was given by her Executors after her death.


Newlyn

The central figure in the Newlyn School of painters, Forbes was committed to working directly from nature in the plein-air (open air) manner of the French. He settled in Newlyn, attracted by "a mild climate suitable for out of doors works, [and] a grey-roofed village overhanging a lovely bay." Like other Newlyn artists, Forbes painted everyday subjects which offended the tastes of highbrow critics who considered them vulgar. Typical of Forbes' work, the Ferens' painting is a nostalgic view of a way of life that had changed little over the years. It is thought to have been painted in Sandy Cove, Newlyn and uses local people as 'models'. Mistrustful of modernity, Forbes saw himself recording visual documents of changing scenes and customs.


A Game of Patience

Meredith Frampton was a notable portrait painter of the inter-war years who regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy, and received many commissions. This painting, one of his most enigmatic, combines the clarity and precision of a classical composition with a sense of the mystery of appearances which could only belong to the 1930s. The side lighting defines the architectural mouldings of the background as clearly as the sitter's features and the fluted folds of her gown. The dress was specially made by the artist's mother, using linen bands at the neck left over from a previous ecclesiastical sitter. The mysterious stillness of this painting is achieved by the austere gaze of the woman, and by the careful and deliberate placing of objects on the table; the ears of corn, the apples, the exposed King of Spades - all of which add to the enigma of the never-ending game of patience. The model is Margaret Austin-Jones, who featured in an earlier full-length portrait by Frampton now owned by the Tate Gallery.


The Selkie

Following study in Oxford and Aberdeen, Fraser spent time as the official artist on an Arctic Lapland expedition. He has a particular fascination for the sea, and for the myths and legends which surround it. Here, his semi-abstract style evokes the sea and mists of the Northern Isles, where the grey seals which crowd the rocky 'skerries' were called the Selkie Folk - humans under a spell who resumed their true form on Midsummer's Eve, when they cast off their seal skins and danced upon the shore. Fraser's approach to magic and mythology makes an interesting contrast to that of Alan Davie (b.1920) also represented in our collection.


Force 8

Frost spent much of the war held prisoner in a concentration camp where he met the artist Adrian Heath (b.1920) who encouraged him to paint. After the war he studied art at St. Ives and Camberwell. In 1950 he settled in St. Ives, having painted his first abstract picture the previous year. He worked for a short period as assistant to Barbara Hepworth (1903-75) before concentrating on his own work. Certain shapes and symbols recur in Frost's work of all periods, often suggesting the rhythmic shapes of boats, masts and water that surrounded him in Cornwall. In particular, he used a semi-circle motif which he frequently returned to, and which appears in Force 8. Force 8 is bold and expressive. Of the painting, Frost says he "simply wanted to do something in terre verte black and white on that large canvas." The title comes from a radio announcement about a force 8 gale; Frost associated the pressure of the gale bashing against his studio window with the forceful image he had created.


Night Crossing

Originally one of the Kitchen Sink school of painters which also included John Bratby (b.1928), Fullard's interests changed considerably in the late 1950s. His work became open to a wide range of influences, most notably that of primitive and children's art. Much of his work was based on childhood memories. Night Crossing is a construction mixing found objects with a specially fashioned brass propeller. Its child-like quality lends poignancy to its sensuous undertones. During the 1960s onwards, images of war and destruction of the innocent recur obsessively in Fullard's work. Fullard himself was severely wounded during the Second World War.


Nathanial Cholmley

The splendour of this portrait owes much to the sumptuous coat of black silk, decorated with threads of Venetian gold and silver upon which the artist has lavished such attention. In his hand, the sitter holds a sheet of paper which bears the inscription: This is for Nathaniall Cholmley Esqr. Cholmley was related to the family at Boynton Hall, Bridlington, and this painting came from the collection there when the contents of the house were sold in 1950. Previously attributed to the English artist John Riley (1641-91), this painting is now thought to be by the Italian Gennari, whose own inventory of his work refers to ‘a pair of Cholmleys’. Gennari shares with Riley a sensitive and perceptive depiction of character, but rather stiff and awkward composition.


Clarence Gardens

Like his contemporaries, Gilman’s work was influenced by the developments in French art at the turn of the century. He developed a bright palette, working from sketches with a deliberate and careful handling of paint. Clarence Gardens dates from Gilman’s period as a member of the Camden Town Group. Like Walter Sickert (1860-1926), the central figure within the group, Gilman aimed to capture the colours and urban poetry of North London in everyday scenes, representative of the age. After the influential Post-Impressionist exhibitions in London of 1910 and 1912, and a visit to Paris, Gilman’s painting started to show a strong influence of Van Gogh (1853-90) in its use of bright colours and application of thick paint.


The Winged Faun

A leading member of the Camden Town Group, Ginner particularly admired the work of the Post-Impressionists Paul Gaugin (1848-1903) and Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90). Born and brought up in France, Ginner developed a familiarity with such styles and his direct knowledge of both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism later made him a respected figure amongst his English contemporaries. After studying in Paris, Ginner settled in London in 1910. He joined an informal group of artists including Spencer Gore (1878-1914) and Lucien Pissaro (1863-1944), who met in Sickert's (1860-1942) studio, and whose works can also be seen in this Gallery. With Harold Gilman (1876-1919), another artist from this group, Ginner evolved the theory of 'neo-realism', 'The objective translation into paint of the artist's intimate research into nature.' By studying life and nature closely they believed they could get to the very essence of its spirit. Ginner is chiefly known for his urban street scenes. His highly ordered brushstrokes that emphasise the structure and solidity of the objects, as in this sombre interior, whilst creating an interesting impression of pattern are also a very distinctive part of Ginner's style.


Odds and Ends

Born in Hull, Walter Goodin went on to study art at the Royal Academy Schools in London with the financial backing of Fred Elwell (1870-1958) and his wife Mary (1874-1952). Goodin kept a studio beneath Elwell's in Trinity Lane, Beverley. He and Fred's nephew Kenneth (d.1944) were close friends and both enjoyed Fred's encouragement and supervision. Still lifes, portraits and land and seascapes were amongst Goodin's most common subject matter. Odds and Ends was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1939 and was also shown at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. On its return to the Goodins' home the painting was used by Walter, face up, to protect the bath from splashes of paint while he was decorating the bathroom! The painting, probably Goodin’s finest, features a collection of objects that he and his friends assembled from attics and junk shops. The still life subject matter and close attention to detail reflect clearly the influence of his mentor Fred Elwell.


Still-Life

Born in Lancashire, Goodwin studied in Liverpool before teaching drawing and painting at Hull College of Art. He had his first solo exhibition in 1960 at Hull University, although his work featured in a number of group shows prior to then, including an East Riding Artists exhibition of 1950, from which this work was acquired. This is one of two works by Goodwin in the Ferens’ collection. Both were purchased during the 1950s which suggests that at this time Goodwin was preoccupied with painting still-lives and the study of light and form.


Still-Life with White Jar and Onions

Goodwin was a tutor at Hull College of Art during the 1950s. Following this he carried out research into art education and went on to become Head of Fine Art at Exeter College of Art. His interests also extended to the history of art, poetry, philosophy and history, all of which played a more influential part in his later style of work. Following his move to Exeter, Goodwin’s work seems to have changed radically from the still-life paintings he produced when living in Hull, of which this is a good example. His work became more experimental, incorporating collage as opposed to paint and placing less emphasis on observational studies. It was a semi-abstract print based on the theme of a crucifixion that inspired an article about him in The Guardian newspaper in June 1964. Goodwin is also noted for working on mural commissions, executed in mosaics.


Study of a Young Woman

Looking at this portrait it is perhaps hard to believe that Gotch was one of the first artists to visit Cornwall and become part of the Newyln School, best characterised by the work of Stanhope Forbes (1857-1947). After a visit to Italy in 1891, Gotch's work changed dramatically under the influence of the colourful, sumptuous and jewel-like portraits of the early Renaissance painters. Produced during that later period, this highly decorative portrait contrasts the smooth fragility of the unknown sitter's face with the more loosely painted, rhythmic patterning of the background.


Haystacks

Duncan Grant studied at Westminster School 1902-5 and at the Atelier La Palette in Paris under J.E. Blanche. He made many visits to France throughout his life and worked regularly in the South of France. He showed with the New English Art Club, with the Camden Town Group in 1911, at the second Post-Impressionist Exhibition in 1912. The influence of the Post-Impressionist exhibitions caused him to develop an innovatory style with rapid brushstrokes establishing a pattern of bright, clear colour. Haystacks was possibly painted near Charleston, the country retreat in Sussex Grant shared with his life-long companion, the artist Vanessa Bell (1879-1961). Very different in style to his painting, The Ass, also in the Feren's collection, Haystacks shows Grant's interest in representing three-dimensional form through pure colour.


Interior with Boiler

John GRAY studied art at Sutton, Cheam, Guildford and Hull, during which time he became a regular exhibitor in the Ferens' annual Winter Exhibitions. His polished and realistic images are very carefully planned and considered, in contrast to the spontaneous nature of much abstract painting. The artist has stated that, 'My work is to do with an exploration of the formal problems of painting, such as colour/space and surface/illusion, as well as painting an object, and certain problems to do with edges of the canvas.' Gray works from photographs, usually set up by him, and says that, 'the subject of the painting is the photograph. The subject of the photograph is objects and figures.' In Interior with Boiler, the subject of the painting is taken from an illustration in The Readers Digest D.I.Y. manual, Book 2, Projects, Sheet 58, 'Improving a Fireplace'. He re-orders the photographic information into a disciplined and formal unity on the canvas, resulting in the clear and precise image seen here.


Untitled

Borrowing elements from Old Master paintings has been Jonathan Green's practice for several years. This particular picture is one of a number of large still lives of the early 1990s which feature apparently living heads in the midst of the usual trappings of the still life genre. The raspberries themselves come from a heaped plate of raspberries in a still life by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779). The head is taken from a self portrait by Rembrandt (1606-69), although Green says is also looks like his own father. The juxtaposition of the fruit and head on a platter echo numerous paintings of the theme of Salome with the head of John the Baptist: the Ferens has one of these, currently on show in Gallery 1, by Benjamin West (1738-1820). Green studied art in Cleveland and Norwich, and at the Royal College of Art. He has exhibited in London and New York and has won a number of awards, including a Wingate Scholarship (1993/4) which enabled him to make paintings which used the Old Masters as a starting point for original ideas.


Prince's Dock, Hull

Grimshaw is best-known today for his moonlit scenes of towns and docks, so evocative of the Victorian era. His style and subject matter changed very little during his career; he was constantly striving to perfect his own very individual vision. This scene is taken from Prince's Dock Street. The dark silhouettes of the Dock Offices and the Wilberforce Monument contrast with the cheery glow emanating from the shop windows and street lamps. The Dock Offices, completed in 1871, now house the City's maritime collection; the Monument has been relocated and now stands on the other side of Queen's Gardens. The Ferens' painting is one of Grimshaw's late works, executed just six years before his death.


Still Life in a Garden

This prolific artist, the son of a still life painter, became a specialist in still life and game pieces. In the late 17th century he introduced decorative landscapes in the background to keep up with changing public taste and to satisfy the demand for paintings that combined different genre. He spent much of his working life in Antwerp. Artists like Gryeff were keen to demonstrate their skills in realistic depictions of food, pottery, silverware, etc. Bread, fruit and exotic, imported foodstuffs were particularly popular subjects, as were animals and dead game birds. In this painting, Gryeff blends many elements into a complex composition that condenses a remarkable amount into a small panel.


Vanitas

This superbly rich Flemish still-life is of a type known as a Vanitas, a collection of objects assembled to remind the spectator of life’s transience and the folly of worldly pleasures. For example, the hourglass and burnt-out candle represent the passing of time; the will and skull signify death and the bubbles, violin bow and wine glass refer to the superficial pleasures of the present. The portrait remains an enigma and is clearly not the artist himself. Gysbrecht’s style is slick and technically skilled. He delights in depicting the different textures and materials of the objects before him; he carries this to an extreme in the illusion of torn canvas, an effect known as trompe l’oeil - to ‘deceive the eye’.


Street Scene, Amsterdam

Hall studied art at the Royal Academy Schools, and later in Paris. He was a portrait, figure and landscape painter whose work, particularly in its use of warm but sometimes sombre colours, echoes the paintings of the Camden Town Group in London at the beginning of the century, and the Euston Road Group in the late 1930s and 40s. He also shares their interest in themes of everyday life, particularly evident in the work of artists like Malcolm Drummond (1880-1945) and Walter Sickert (1860-1942) in themes of everyday life. His figures, stylised and simple, bear a similarity to those painted by Lawrence Stephen Lowry (1887 1976).


The Vacant Cradle

Little is known of this genre and historical painter who exhibited work at London's Royal Academy between 1854-1867. The sentimental quality of many Victorian pictures of death comes from the artists' representation of sorrow in pitiable contrast to past joy. Death in Victorian art is commonly given a domestic setting as here, in The Vacant Cradle, a poignant reminder of the high infant mortality rate in 19th century England. The precise rendering of detail asks for careful reading. The torn raffia, cracked panes of window glass and sparse furnishings speak of poverty, and the medicine bottles, mourning clothes and gruel dish tell of illness and death. The husband gazes out at the churchyard where his child now lies; the rattle is destined to hang unused on the wall. The sun sets but as it does it illuminates the church spire (placed above the Bible) as a reminder of spiritual hope in earthly loss.


The Student - Madame Dolores Courtney

Uninhibited by convention, Hamnett led a Bohemian life that ended in tragic circumstances. Well-known in artistic circles, both in London and Paris, she painted portraits of her friends and fellow artists. Much of her work was unfortunately been lost. The Ferens’ portrait is of Madame Courtney, known as Moucha, a half-Spanish, half-Russian painter who, like Hamnett, was attached to the Omega Workshops. They were founded in 1913 by the painter and influential art critic, Roger Fry (1866-1934) for the design of furnishings and interiors. The aim was to help provide artists with a living. Our portrait shows the flat, angular patterning that typifies the Omega style, and is executed in Hamnett’s cool, unemphatic colours.


Portrait of Rebecca Feltham

A part of Harlow’s artistic training was spent copying works in the studio of Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Although the two ‘fell out’ after two years, the influence of his style on Harlow’s work was lasting. He made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1804 with a portrait of Dr. Thornton and thereafter concentrated on portraiture. He also attempted, but failed, at history painting, due to his lack of a proper art education. In 1818, to improve his skills, he travelled to Italy to study the Old Masters. There he became well known and respected for his artistic talents. Harlow died from a throat infection in 1919. We know very little about the sitter, other than the following information recorded in ink on the back of the painting: Rebecca Feltham, Born March 1st 1785 Departed this life – May 7th 1858 Married in Gorleston April 18 1810 This Portrait taken in Yarmouth 1811


Portrait of a man

This is surely one of the most intriguing portraits in the collection. This painting has long been said to be of the major 17th century poet and politician Andrew Marvell (Hull 1621-78). This now seems unlikely, as by 1658 Hanneman had returned to the Hague, and Marvell's correspondence gives no indication of a visit to Holland in that year. More probably it is of an exiled Royalist visiting the Hague. Hanneman's portraits were strongly influenced by those of Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), the Flemish artist who attained great success in England at the Court of Charles I. In the Ferens' painting, this influence is seen particularly in the use of warm brown tones and in the mannered pose of the hands. However, unlike Van Dyck, Hanneman achieved little success in England, returning in 1640 to The Hague where he became painter at the Court.


Untitled

Ian Hart spent much of his professional life painting and teaching in Hull. His paintings of the 1970s examine the formal properties of abstract painting. A memorial exhibition of Hart's work was held at the Ferens in 1979, at which time his friend and colleague David Sweet (b.1945), whose work is also represented at the Ferens, wrote, 'It may be hard for the layman to appreciate the problems an abstract artist has in deciding about colour, composition and even what sort of things his pictures ought to contain, without any assistance from the world of everyday appearances. It places great strain on the imagination and creative resources.' It was these very problems that Hart sought to explore. In Untitled an illusion of depth, given by the shapes hovering in the centre of the canvas, is set against a latticed background which serves to emphasise the flatness of the picture/canvas surface - a common feature of abstract art.


A Summer Shade

Haughton was principally a landscape painter. He trained under Herkomer (1849-1914), and exhibited works at the Royal Academy from 1893 onwards. He lived for much of his life in the Hull region, also residing in Kent and Devon. Haughton's principal source of inspiration was nature and he often sketched en plein air, in the outdoors. Like A Summer Shade, most of his landscapes were worked on a very small scale, their delicate and jewel-like colours influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, whose techniques Haughton admired. The dappled effects of the sunlight are also reminiscent of the work of the French Impressionists.


Portrait of a Young Girl

While Thomas de Keyser (1596/7–1667) preceded Rembrandt’s (1606-1669) popularity in Amsterdam, Helst replaced him as the city’s most fashionable portrait-painter. His appeal lay in a robust and realistic style that brought him many commissions, particularly for group portraits. This very polished portrait of an unknown girl lacks the endearing facial character of Frans Hals’ (1580-1666) sitter. Instead, it is the precise technique and attention to detail that attract the eye. The shadow on the wall and the hand resting on the chair are intended to define space, but the girl still seems to lack the solidity of de Keyser’s portrait of Frans van Limborch, also in the gallery’s collection. The inscription, upper left, AETAIS SVE 19/AN? 1643, tells us that the sitter was aged 19 in 1643, when the portrait was painted. The Ferens’ painting is regarded as an especially good example of van Helst’s art, which is rare in British collections.


Hayfield

Hemsley left an apprenticeship as an architect to become a painter. His work follows the English 19th century genre tradition and was probably also influenced by his visits to Germany and Holland. His favourite subject was children at play; he gave his works titles such as A Pinch from Granny's Box and Sunday Morning, a New Hat. Hayfield is a sunny picture of threatened innocence showing a child receiving her first experience of drink from the hands of an adult. Other elements in the picture contribute to a wider theme: the dog's investigation of the lunch basket hints that we are witness to the taking of forbidden fruit whilst the scythe is an ancient symbol of the passage of time.


Sir Albert Kaye Rollit

This painting is one of the many portraits that make up Hull's Guildhall Collection. It was painted for the UK Savings Banks in honour of Sir Albert Kaye Rollit, who was the first Chairman of their Statutory Inspection Committee from1891. He was also a President of the Law Society. The artist, Hubert von Herkomer, settled in London in 1870, and was achieving great acclaim as an artist by the mid 1870s. Initially he concentrated on genre and history painting and it was not until around 1880 that he began to paint portraits. He attained considerable success in France, winning several awards, and in 1879 he became a member of London's Royal Academy. He was influenced in part by the techniques of the Pre-Raphaelites, but evolved his own distinctive style in which he endowed the faces of his sitters with an extraordinary intensity of expression.


Chestnut Horse in Stable

Although this work was executed 8 years after Brown Horse in Stable, shown nearby, the two pictures seem to form a pair with each other, having similarities of size and scale. It is also possible that, compositionally, the horses were designed to face each other when hung. Furthermore, the identical initials on the horses' blankets suggest that they were painted for the same patron, and conceived as companion pieces.


Derelict Lead Mine

Hillier's artistic development fell into three phases: abstract pictures produced as a young man in Paris, followed by a long period of Surrealist painting, and, from 1938, much more representational work. The distinctive style which he evolved as a Surrealist permeated all his later work. In Derelict Lead Mine the deep shadows, the eerie forms of the trees, and the melancholy of the ruined, overgrown buildings and deserted landscape lend to the work the haunting quality of a dream or of an unpeopled wartime bomb site. There are old lead mines on the moors near Priddy in Somerset, which are presumably the subject of this painting. Hillier was a close friend and working partner of Edward Wadsworth (1889-1949). He was invalided out of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1944, the year this painting was purchased from him.


Galway Harbour

A central figure in the British Surrealist movement of the 1930s, Hillier's painting became more romantic and representational in the post-war era. Much misunderstood, Hillier's change of style was regarded as a betrayal of ideals by members of the avant-garde. Hillier's paintings have an enigmatic, arresting quality. Typical of the artist's later work, Galway Harbour with its elaborate dock machinery and jetties is eerily quiet and remote. Surprising for a bustling harbour, the scene is devoid of any activity except for the horse and cart and tiny figures on the dockside in the distance.


Night IV

Having studied art at Leeds and Newcastle, Hillier went on to become the Head of the Art Department at Branston Community College, Lincoln. He has frequently exhibited at the Ferens Winter Exhibition and was part of a four-man show at the gallery in 1976/7. Much of Hillier's work during the 1970s took nature and landscapes as its subject. Night IV is a sculptural relief that creates an illusion of space by overlapping elements from the fore, middle and background.


Dark Form on Yellow

Abstraction in which colour itself is the subject of the painting can been seen in the work of Roger Hilton, who explored the effects of paint, shape and colour across the flat surface of a canvas. Hilton's early abstracts were much more austere, using only black and white and small segments of earth colours. During the period 1954-6 he began making visits to Cornwall; like Peter Lanyon (1918-1964), he was inspired by the Cornish landscape, but the references to nature are far less obvious. Shapes like the 'Dark Form' dominate his work, suggesting natural forms in their absence of hard lines and flat colours. The picture is painterly, that is, it concentrates on the effects of the paint, rather than being draughtsmanlike and descriptive. By allowing the colours to show through one another Hilton creates a sense of light and atmosphere, like the sun through a cloud or dark objects through vapour or water.


Woodland Landscape

Hitchens was an active figure within the London art scene during the 1920s and '30s as a member of the London Group and a co-founder of the 7 & 5 Society in 1919. This latter organisation attracted many significant artists including Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Roland Penrose (1900-1984). As the group's attentions steadily turned towards pure abstraction however, Hitchens' work, by contrast, returned to the subject of landscapes. After the bombing of his studio in 1940 Hitchens moved to Sussex where he eventually bought a tract of woodland and built a house on it. He remained there until his death producing work inspired by the surrounding countryside. Hitchens developed a spontaneous approach to painting using large sweeps of colour to suggest light and shade, distance, atmosphere and seasonal change rather than the actual appearance of a landscape. Hitchens described Woodland Landscape as being in two 'movements' that begin on the left side and progress through to the right, from cool to warm colours.


Portrait of a Lady

This very fine portrait was once thought to be by William Hogarth, one of the most original English artists, famous for his lively, moralising genre scenes. Although this example has a frankness and psychological intensity, characteristic of a portrait by Hogarth, its style is not typical of his work. The sketchiness and loose brushwork of certain areas suggest that this is an unfinished portrait. Portrait busts such as this one were very popular in Hogarth's time. Imitating the three-dimensional qualities of a sculpture, these busts were more affordable than a full-length portrait.


Lace Makers

Hornel was closely associated with the French - inspired Glasgow school of painters, the 'Glasgow Boys'. He was an extensive traveller and the inspiration for this scene came from a trip to Ceylon. Hornel was interested in creating a harmony of colours and the effect achieved is like that of a tapestry. Child labour was employed to make intricate lace trimmings for the tourist trade to be worn by Edwardian society beauties like Lady Duveen and Muriel Thetis Warde. Little of this is evident in Hornel's romanticised scene.


The Auld Man’s Meir’s Dead

Howe was apprenticed to a coach painter in Edinburgh. He later became quite well known in Scotland as an animal painter, and won commissions from the Board of Agriculture. In 1815 he visited Waterloo a few days after the battle, of which he produced a successful invented panorama. This was shown at the British Institution in 1816. It is possible that the Ferens' small and sketchy painting is a study for a larger work. A 1936 article on Howe in The Border Magazine describes the drawing ([sketch]: therefore probably our painting) for a picture of this title as, "though clumsy…fair and in a certain way expressive, but the characterisation is of that exaggerated kind, awakening laughter rather than sympathy…" This does indeed appear to be an apt description of the Ferens' anecdotal composition by Howe.


Mr. Great Heart

Peter Howson is one of Britain's most important contemporary artists and the country's most recent Official War Artist. Although born in London in 1958, Howson is commonly associated with the new 'Glasgow Boys', a group of figurative artists who rose to fame during the 1970s and '80s. Dropping out of Glasgow School of Art in 1997, Howson spent a short time in the army and then worked as a warehouseman and bouncer, living in a gymnasium. Here he met the boxers, dossers, squaddies and drinkers who populate so much of his work. In painting Mr. Great Heart, Howson was inspired, in 1996, by reading Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and the novels of John Buchan, to explore through his works the strength of the human spirit. Mr. Great Heart is also a distillation of the many people Howson holds recorded in his memory through his personal experiences, from the rougher parts of Glasgow to the war-torn towns of Bosnia. The boxer is a recurrent motif - Howson was himself a boxer - and signifies for him the triumph of the underdog. The painting was used by the group The Beautiful South on the cover of their album, Quench. Peter Howson's earlier works have a narrative format, describing episodes which reflect the darker side of human nature. It was only in the late 1980s and early 1990s that he began to focus more closely on the characters who populate his work, presenting single figures whose grossly exaggerated faces and bodies convey a conflicting range of emotions, from anger and despair to pride and hope. Although Mr. Great Heart can be termed a portrait it is very much a representation of a type of person rather than a specific individual. While on the one hand it conjures up the earthy, proud street fighters of Glasgow's Gallowgate it also evokes the threat and violence Howson witnessed in Bosnia and the rawness of human brutality. THE STYLE Howson's painting technique exhibits two distinctly different approaches. One is the free, impastoed and gestural style which lent so much strength to his Bosnia works. The other is a smooth, slick, highly finished technique, demonstrated in Mr. Great Heart, which models the solid, muscular bodies and faces of his characters and heightens their sense of the grotesque. This is enhanced by his working on a large scale with the characteristic use of a monochrome palette and shadow to sculpt and distort the figure. THE INFLUENCE OF WAR Following the outbreak of war in Bosnia, Howson became obsessed with the images of suffering and human devastation reported in the press. Driven by his personal desire for adventure and the need to draw attention to that country's plight, he travelled to Bosnia as Official War Artist (OWA) under the sponsorship of The Times newspaper. The resulting exhibition of his work were met with both controversy and critical acclaim, like those of his OWA predecessor, John Keane (b.1954), whose work is also represented in the Ferens collection. The Ferens has significant holdings of work by Official War Artists, particularly of the 2nd World, together with examples of work by artists whose 'non-war' work still reflects the influences of war. Paul Nash's (1889-1946) Michaelmas Landscape, 1943, and John Piper's (1903-92) Marchlyn Mawr, c.1947-8, are notable examples. Similarly, John Keane's (b.1954) Fairy Tales of London, 1992, offers a further contemporary perspective of the impact of war upon a leading artist.


Lobster Boats

Hubbard was a self taught artist who began exhibiting at the age of 16. His work was very versatile in both style and subject matter; his early paintings depicted romantic landscapes. He later became known as a painter of caravans and circus scenes. He then developed an interest in shipping subjects but went on to specialise in architectural, industrial and interior scenes. As with Lobster Boats, Hubbard's paintings are always strong in composition and have a fresh simplicity that defies his painstaking draughtsmanship. A perfectionist who destroyed more canvases than he exhibited, Hubbard would spend up to 30 hours per painting on preparatory drawings, looking at alternative compositions and developing different colour schemes. The unusual colouring of this piece is a result of the two years that Hubbard devoted to experimenting with colour theories, often 'far into the early hours of the morning'. He had a very singular vision towards his work, being aware of but 'quite untouched by the Modernist movement'. The Ferens purchased Lobster Boats from the artist after he exhibited it at the 1933 Hull Spring exhibition. Hubbard was delighted with the sale, stating 'I am glad that you have chosen one of my favourites'.


Fishing boats in a fresh breeze, evening

Despite being Dutch and producing work heavily indebted to the Dutch masters, Hulk is normally included in the British School since he lived in London for 27 years. During that period he exhibited three works at the Royal Academy. Hulk is mainly noted for his Dutch estuary scenes. The painting shows an influence of the Dutch masters in Hulk's placing of boats at a variety of points between the foreground and the horizon to create an illusion of space, and to lead the eye back towards the sunset. In this work Hulk has also paid great attention to the sky in closely studying its change in colour and the light effects on the clouds. Having lived for almost three decades in England he would no doubt have been influenced by the strong depiction of skyscrapers typical of the British School.


Coastal scene with beached vessels, evening

Hulk was a pupil of the celebrated portrait painter J.A. Daiwaille (1786-1856) before turning to marine painting. He studied at the Amsterdam Academy from 1828 to 1834, visited the U.S.A. and held several successful exhibitions there before returning to Holland. Hulk finally settled in London in 1870 where he worked for 27 years and is therefore regarded as a British marine artist. Despite becoming established in Britain, his work remained typically Dutch in its influence. This painting typifies the work of the seventeenth century Dutch masters in having a shadowed foreground to give added drama to the sunlit sails of the shipping in the middle distance. Also, like many early Dutch marine pictures, Hulk has used an open rowing boat with a fisherman casting his net to add interest to the foreground of the seascape.


The Loss of a Merchantman

Francis Hustwick was a local portrait and scenic painter, who lived for some time in High Street, where several of Hull's museums are situated today. He began his artistic career as a coach and heraldic painter for Robert Hustwick, Coachmaker, who was presumably his father. At the age of twemty-nine he began his own business as a house, sign, ship and furniture painter at Saville Street. Hustwick is known to have executed a portrait of James Acland and some of the mural paintings in St. Charles' Church. A double portrait of Hustwick and James Hay, painted by each other just before Hustwick's death, was exhibited at the Ferens Art Gallery's Old Hull Artists exhibition in 1939.


Dreaming Earth

Winner of the prestigious first prize in the 17th John Moores Liverpool exhibition, Jackowski is an artist of national importance. Of Polish extraction, he was born in North Wales and now lives in Brighton. Dreaming Earth combines two of the main themes of the Ferens Collecting Policy for post-war works - that of the sea and the human form. It is one of a group of large canvasses by the artist devoted to a mysterious female figure lying or standing in a waterside landscape. Perhaps the title, Dreaming Earth, suggests that the large female and faceless figure is the archetypal 'earth mother', a goddess of femininity and fertility. The atmosphere of the speckled sky, and the roughness of the fairground enclosure, convey the richness of the female presence in the sultry atmosphere and sparse landscape, which one critic likened to a never-never land. At the same time, the figure in its enclosure conveys personal isolation. Another critic has suggested that this refers to Jackowski's childhood in a refugee camp.


The Ark

St. James and Wilson have worked together since 1982 in the area of live performance and video. In 1990 they 'invented' the video portrait in order to reconcile both the ephemeral and permanent nature of their work, saying 'as performance artists we were dead'.Their work has played to audiences in Britain, Canada and the USA, and has been broadcast frequently on Channel 4 television. They have found a particular affinity with art galleries, blending traditional themes such as portraiture with new technologies, including computer manipulated imagery. Their work includes a spectacular, multi-screen portrait of the swimmer Duncan Goodhew in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London. The Ark invites the viewer to consider his or her own identity. The animals with which the human faces metamorphose serve as a reminder of our place within an anthropological chain, while the face within a frame suggests the historical and cultural nature of our existence, that which is learned rather than innate. The title The Ark has a biblical connotation; the artists have stated that 'humans invent religion in order to successfully pass through life into death.'


Poppy (after John Hoppner's painting of Anna Isabella Milbanke)

St. James is currently a senior lecturer at Camberwell College of Art in London. His exploration of video as a creative means of expression has led to his work being exhibited both nationally and internationally.The Ferens also has in its collection an earlier video work, The Ark, which is a collaborative work by St. James and the artist, Anne Wilson (b.1955) Poppy is the result of a commission from the Ferens for St. James to produce a video piece inspired by a work in the gallery's historic collection.The piece conveys the artist's response to John Hoppner's (1758-1810) painting, Anna Isabella Milbanke, and focuses on a little girl, full of excitement and expectation but also restricted by the formal conventions of 18th century portrait. The artist has endeavoured to capture the innocence and naivety of both girls, together with the atmosphere of the landscape setting which drew St. James to the Hoppner painting in the first place. The sitter for the video portrait is the artist's six year old daughter, Poppy Wilson-St. James. The artist's empathy for Anna Isabella Milbanke evolves through his own experiences as the father of a young girl. St. James' family - and himself - are often the subjects for his work and on this occasion Poppy was tempted to participate through the promise of a new dress for the occasion.


Canadian Girl

After being a brilliant student at London's Slade School of Art, Augustus, the younger brother of Gwen John (1876-1939), travelled widely and became a frequent visitor to Paris. He was influenced by Rembrandt (1606-69), El Greco (1541-1614) and the Post-Impressionists. His fluency of draughtsmanship and virtuoso handling of paint soon brought him numerous portrait commissions, but his main interest was his figure studies of his family and of gypsy life. He was an individual and innovative painter whose flamboyance gained him notoriety. However, his unique vision declined in later years and with it his popular reputation. Unfortunately the Ferens holds little information on the sitter for this portrait, other than in a letter from John of 1948 in which he states: ' I too would have wished to complete the hands of 'Canadian Girl' and was engaged on them when my sitter left to get married and is now in Canada. I have no doubt I could find someone else to pose for the hands if the original doesn't reappear soon'.


The Seated Woman

Gwen John, like her brother Augustus (1878-1961), was a star pupil at the Slade School of Art, before studying briefly under Whistler (1834-1903) at his Academy Carmen in Paris. She settled there in 1898, embarking upon a traumatic love affair with the sculptor Rodin (1840-1917), for whom she modelled. Gwen was the very opposite, both artistically and in personality of her exuberant brother, Augustus. As with The Seated Woman most of her work consists of single figures, placed in simple, austere poses of quiet self absorption. Although her work was little appreciated during her lifetime, her reputation now stands higher than that of her brother. Augustus described her as, 'The greatest woman artist of her age, or, as I think, of any other.' There are 15 surviving versions of this painting, most known as The Convalescent. The Ferens' is regarded as one of the best for its lighter and more sharply contrasted colouring. It is typical of the highly original technical approach which Gwen John developed. She touched each part of the canvas only once with the brush, depositing a thick layer of paint which dried with a peculiar pitted surface. The subtle tones of delicate greys and pinks are also characteristic of her work.


The Press Gang

Johnston was a successful Scottish painter who produced portraits and historical and genre scenes which were often full of pathos. The Press Gang, is a fine example of narrative art, a type of painting that flourished in the Victorian age. Such pictures are really painted novels; it is no coincidence that the 19th century saw the heyday of the novel. Narrative paintings tell a story through the use of pictorial clues, their characters often posed in a dramatic tableau. Press Gangs were able to seize men, without warning, forcing enlistment into the Navy and were hated in most shipping towns, including Hull - Johnston describes this fear with half-hidden figures and a bridal couple stealing away in the background. A typical scene dominates the foreground as a young man is forced to leave his fiancé or wife. The poster in the painting, which reads GR/Wanted/Spirited/Young Men/for the Navy .... 1798, and the storm-tossed ship on the inn sign contribute to the narrative element.


My painting for myself

One of the most popular and successful living British artists, Hockney, as well as painting portrait and figure subjects, has produced numerous prints, book illustrations and stage designs. He was a leading light in the Pop Art movement with its representations of popular culture. Stylistically, his work has changed considerably since that time, becoming less scratchy and much more formal and slick. In 1962 Hockney had been a brilliant student at the Royal College of Art,but his refusal to produce a life painting meant that he could not be awarded his final diploma. He was persuaded to conform, however, and created a huge male figure resembling the muscled posers in health and fitness magazines. As a sort of 'personal antidote' to this he painted Life Painting for Myself, a study of his friend Mo McDermott, which questions conventional, realistic life drawing. Mo is posed both sitting and standing; on the right his clothes are just appearing. When the painting was drying somebody scrawled 'don't give up yet?' in the corner which Hockney decided to leave as part of the image. Perhaps fellow students agreed that there was more to painting than producing realistic figures!


Beau Site (Margaret Morris the Dancer)

This picture shows Margaret Morris, later to be the artist's wife, seated on the terrace of the Hotel Beau Site at Cap D'Antibes. This was a composition which Fergusson was to rework several times in later years. At the time it was painted, Fergusson knew Picasso (1881-1973), and his influence is apparent in the sculptural forms of the head and torso. It is Fergusson's own style, however, that gives the picture its delightful warm colouring and its relaxed and lyrical quality. Fergusson, with Cadell (1883-1937), Peploe (1871-1935) and Hunter (1877-1931) was one of the Scottish Colourists, whose lively use of colour in imitation of Matisse (1869-1954) and the Fauves, helped to lift Scottish art out of the sombre, academic tradition of the late 19th century.


Head Tilting Forwards II

Claude Heath is a painter and mixed media artist. He studied Philosophy initially and this background has influenced his approach to art. His practice centres on process and in particular explores the act of drawing. This is one of a series of portraits the inspiration for which is rooted in experiments of the mid 1990s. It was then that he first drew a life-cast of his brother's head, blindfold, using touch alone to experience and record the contours of the face. His drawings were made on paper using a small piece of Blu-tack to begin the lines from. Heath describes his tactile approach as, 'closing the gap between feeling and seeing', or, 'making images that are like Braille but for the sighted'. Here the cast was tilted forward and drawn with a multi-coloured biro in random sequence. The tracery of interconnecting lines has been reduced to a series of points and crosses which still retains a sense of the three dimensional form of the face, as well as the movement of the marks.


The Village Genius

James Smetham's work is often small in scale, in his youth he made a living as a travelling painter, making portraits and recording scenes of everyday life. He is also known for his writings, such as his 'Knowledge Books' which reveal an almost obsessive desire to record the world he saw about him. The snatched glimpse of a country scene in The Village Genius is typical of Smetham's perception of life; like the boy in the picture, he seizes the opportunity to sketch figures. The graffiti are not quite so 'innocent' as they might first appear. The crow on the wall bears an uncanny resemblance to the approaching figure of authority, perhaps a schoolmaster? The mousehole and the strange use of shadows contribute an enigmatic element to this lively sketch.


St. Sebastian tended by the Holy Irene

Renieri moved to Venice in 1626, where he was in great demand as a painter of religious scenes. It is here that the Ferens' St. Sebastian was probably painted. The style of the painting follows that of Caravaggio (1573-1610), the famous and influential Italian artist, with its realistic portrayal of physical suffering and the strong light-dark contrast, enhancing its dramatic appeal. St. Sebastian was an officer of the Roman Imperial Guard, punished for his belief in Christianity. He was nursed back to health by St. Irene (removing the arrow) but was later clubbed to death, his body thrown into Rome's main sewer. The models for the female saints are two of Renieri's daughters who were well-known for their beauty. They wear the lavish, billowing costume of their day.


A Zeeland States yacht Firing a Salute off the Oude Hoofdpoort, Rotterdam

A picturesque scene of a bustling port, it illustrates well how Dutch life was inextricably linked with the sea for both trade and defence. The painting is filled with every class of marine vessel, ornamented with flags; the stems and sterns of several are enriched with carving. The port is peopled with lively figures which are particularly well drawn. The colouring is rich without being gaudy. Jacobus Storck was probably the elder brother of another marine painter of similar scenes, Abraham Storck (c.1635-1710). While little else is known of Jacobus' life, Abraham is known to have become one of the leading marine painters in Holland after the departure to England of the van de Veldes in 1673.


Wooded landscape with cornfields

The landscape of Holland was a constant source of inspiration for the 17th century Dutch artist. Ruisdael is considered to be the greatest of them all. His style was tremendously influential on English landscape painters of the early 19th century. This painting is one of the artist's earlier landscapes and is lighter in mood than his darker, more sombre, late paintings. Typical of Ruisdael and his contemporaries, the people here are of secondary significance. Dominating the landscape are the trees, each invested with their own character. It is said that Ruisdael never painted a sunny day. This picture is as close as he ever came to showing bright sunlight.


View of Leuvehaven, Rotterdam

Salm is usually considered to be one of the last artists to practice the unusual and highly skilled technique of drawing with a reed pen on a specially prepared white ground. Almost all the surviving examples in this medium are seascapes and although ships are just visible in this picture it is essentially a townscape. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the later townscapes by Hull artists and it is likely that they were inspired by such work. The canal itself is lined both with houses and warehouses, as was to be mirrored in 18th century Hull.


Beach Scene with Figures

Robert Le Prince was a painter of historic subjects, portraits and scenes from everyday life. He was also a landscape painter and made his reputation in this field, showing his works at the prestigious Paris Salon between 1822 and 1844. He received a medal in 1824. This modest and freshly painted landscape has more importance than it effortless naturalism would suggest. French painting, especially landscape, was to acquire a new liberation after the Salon of 1824. Here Constable's (1776-1827) approach to nature opened the eyes of many Frenchmen and this picture's appearance at the same Salon shows how far French artists had developed in the pursuit of naturalism. The incidental figures in this picture, enjoying the sea air, are rustic and not townspeople.


Landscape, February, Landscape, peasants, horse and cart

A very small number of pictures are currently attributed to Pieter Stevens the Younger and they conform to the Netherlandish tradition in the wake of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c.1525-1569). Stevens was highly esteemed in his lifetime as he worked for the Court of Rudolf II at Prague. These two fragments can be placed precisely at the lower right-hand and lower left of a much larger composition, Landscape: February. It is not known when these two pieces were cut from the larger composition and the rest discarded but they preserve the human interest of the composition rather than the landscape elements. The light exaggerations of these figures follow in the tradition of Peter Bruegel the Elder and reflect the taste of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague who favoured artists with eccentricities. In Northern art, right from the beginning, there was an interest in realism and the details of everyday life. This is particularly evident in the scene of the peasants moving their household belongings, including a plump bolster, on a heavily-laden cart.


Portrait of a Lady of Elizabeth's Court

Segar was a portrait painter in an age when life-sized portraiture was less in demand than the miniature. Portraits were rarely signed and often produced by a workshop, making it difficult to differentiate between artists or to isolate the work of one particular painter. Highly decorative and two-dimensional, Portrait of a Lady of Elizabeth's Court is less of a likeness than a statement of the lady's immense wealth and social position with her extravagance of jewellery, sumptuous embroidered gown with 'blackwork' embroidery and elaborate ruff. Her identity is as yet uncertain. In her right hand she holds a 'flea fur', probably of marten fur. These were extravagant and costly accessories, valued for their decorative qualities, rather than for their success in apprehending fleas! Our portrait is one of very few depictions of such furs. So far the sitter has resisted identification, in the 19th century she was called Queen Elizabeth I and more recently The Countess of Worchester. She was definitely a woman of some importance with ostentation in dress.


What You Will

Unusual beginnings as the proprietor of a successful London drapery shop earned Smith the nickname 'Old Drapery Face'. He devoted his spare time to miniature and portrait painting and before long took up engraving - it is as a printmaker that his reputation is greatest. Our picture is one of a set of four, of which Smith produced printed versions in 1791. They were called A Maid; A Wife, A Widow and What You will. In this picture, not strictly a portrait, the artist has used a model to illustrate the fashionable, flirtatious type of woman he wanted to portray. Smith's subject matter here reflects a change in society's attitudes towards the women in the 18th century whose roles were considered less socially acceptable. While the morals of those who were actresses or well-known mistresses were still publicly frowned upon the outrage declared was often pretence, expressed to define the upright morals of the rest of society. In reality, such women were often fêted, many becoming subjects for the most fashionable portrait painters of their day.


Lady Holland

Richardson was an English portrait painter, writer and collector. Although regarded as one of the leading portraitists of his generation, he is today better remembered for his writings on art than for his paintings. The identity of the sitter in this portrait has never been formally confirmed. Research from the National Portrait Gallery proposes that she is Rebecca, the second and youngest daughter and co-heir of William Paston, last Earl of Yarmouth. She married John Holland in 1699. He succeeded his grandfather as 2nd Baronet in 1701. An alternative source, however, suggests that Lady Holland is the daughter or niece of C. Cornell of Castleton, Eire, who served as M.P. for Westminster in the late 18th century.


Portrait of John Kirby Picard Jnr

John Kirby Picard (1766-1843), the sitter's father, was a Deputy Recorder of Hull and a prosperous lead importer who issued lead trading tokens in Hull. J.K. Picard Junior (1797-1836) joined the Horse Guards and fought at Waterloo, resigning his commission in 1822. He later became a partner in his father's business. The painting was probably done just before he left home to join the army. The stone monument upon which he sits is presumably imaginary - as the son of a civic dignitary rather than a country squire, there was no extensive estate in which he could be represented. James Ramsay achieved considerable success as a portrait painter. He also exhibited history and genre scenes. He lived and worked for much of the time in London, but frequently returned to the north, eventually settling in Newcastle upon Tyne. There, he painted the famous wood engraver Thomas Bewick (1753-1828), who recorded in his memoirs that Ramsay, 'gives the character as well as the likeness so correctly that they look like the person alive - they ought indeed not to be called likeness but Fac similes.'


Idealised portrait of Linnaeus

The artist was appointed animal painter to King George III and later to the Prince Regent. This portrait of the botanist Linnaeus was probably painted in Leeds on the occasion of the opening of the Hull Botanic Gardens to a commission from the Hull Botanic Gardens Committee. The artist would have had little or no direct evidence of what Linnaeus looked like. Linnaeus (1707-1778) founded the modern system of botanical classification. His long career was spent at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. The flower shown in the portrait is Linnaeus Borealis and the Order is that of the Polar Star.


Holy Family

Giulio Procaccini began his career as a sculptor working on the dome of Milan Cathedral. He soon abandoned sculpture in favour of painting, following in the footsteps of his father and teacher, Ercole Procaccini the Elder. Giulio was at one time also a pupil of Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), the most gifted member of the famous Italian Carracci family of painters. Procaccini's early work is characterised by a graceful elegance most notable in the numerous paintings he produced depicting the Holy Family. This piece, possibly by a close follower of the artist, may well eventually prove to be a lost original by him. This painting presents a more natural depiction of the Holy Family. The Virgin Mary is typically shown holding the Christ Child, with a much older Joseph in the background. The female in the top left corner is possibly St. Anna, Mary's mother, who appears frequently in depictions of the Holy Family.


Holy Family with St. Simeon and St. John the Baptist

Santa Croce came from a Bergamese family of painters whose work was influenced by Venetian painting, and especially Giovanni Bellini (c.1430/40-1516). He is also believed to have been a follower of Francesco di Simone (d.1508). Almost all Santa Croce's known works consist of Virgins and saints set against landscape backgrounds. The Ferens' picture is the only work by the artist in a UK public collection. This is an adaptation of a painting by Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), held at Castle Ashby. Its depiction of the Holy Family is a subject that Rizzo painted numerous times. The Holy Family are depicted on the left with St. Simeon holding St. John The Baptist as an infant on the right. In the New Testament God promised an old Holy Man called Simeon that he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died. Led to the temple by the Holy Spirit, Simeon found Mary and Joseph presenting the baby Jesus, as was required by the law. Simeon then held Jesus in his arms and gave thanks to the Lord.


Holy Family with two female figures

The artist spent much of his career in Rome, where he made many adaptations of the works of Renaissance and Baroque masters, and where this picture was probably painted. He combined a heightened use of colour with a meticulous technique. Th treatment of the subject here is unusual since the Holy Family is rarely depicted with female companions. It is possible that one of the figures in the background is St. Anna, who frequently appears in paintings of the Holy Family. The Virgin and the infant are posed in the traditional manner of 'the Pieta', foreshadowing the lamentation of the dead Christ after the descent from the cross. In this painting, the child is unusual in covering his face with his hands. However, the fact that his genitals are clearly displayed is unsurprising, since this is commonly interpreted as an allusion to his earthly descent into manhood and to the circumcision. In Counter-Reformation Catholicism, paintings of the Holy Family were sometimes thought to be the earthly, or terrestrial counterpart of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).


Portrait of George Birkbeck

George Birkbeck was the founder of London University. He also played an important part in establishing the Mechanics Institutes during the 19th century. These aimed to bring further education to the working classes. The first one was the London Mechanics Institute founded in 1824 with Birkbeck as its president. This Institute is now known as Birkbeck College, part of the University of London. George Birkbeck was funded to teach in Hull in 1805 by the Hull Subscription Library. This portrait was painted during his stay in Hull.


Portrait of Mr Dawson of Retford with his servant

In the current state of research these two pictures are attributed to Stubbs with reservation. The facts are easily ascertainable. If the inscription on the Mr Dawson is authentic, and examination with the naked eye suggests that it is, then the implication is that the picture was painted in or after 1749. Stubbs is then recorded as a portraitist in Leeds, York, Hull and Lincolnshire. However from this period, which spans fifteen years, we are left with the two Nelthorpe portraits at Scawby Hall, the Portrait of Mr Stanley in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and the newly attributed Portrait of George Fothergill at the Ferens. There are therefore no securely identified equestrian portraits by Stubbs from the 1740s/50s, nor are there any female portraits at all. The identification of the sitters as the Dawsons of Retford is by tradition.


Portrait of Mrs Dawson of Retford

Ever since these two pictures were bought by the Ferens in 1959 from a descendant of the original sitters they have presented an enigma. Their quality as mid-18th century portraits has never been questioned and they hang easily in the company of the masterpiece by Arthur Devis (1711-1787) which comes from the same period. Mrs Dawson is altogether more free in touch, especially in the landscape background. As the pictures have always been hung together as a pair it has always been assumed they are by the same artist from the same time, even though there is a difference in their size. It has been suggested that these two pictures are possibly by George Stubbs through comparison with the few other early works currently identifiable. The closest resemblance for the Mrs Dawson is the Portrait of young Sir John Nelthorpe at Scawby Hall, Lincolnshire. The treatment of the hands in both pictures is particularly distinctive and the backgrounds in the three pictures are treated in a very similar manner.


Portrait of George Fothergill

This newly identified painting is one of the earliest known portraits by George Stubbs. His reputation as an animal painter has made him one of the greatest of all English artists. According to the famous Humphrey manuscript Stubbs was active as a portrait painter firstly in Leeds c.1744, then in York and lastly near Hull. After his return from Italy Stubbs worked on his Anatomy of the Horse in a farmhouse near Horkstow in Lincolnshire, on the other side of the River Humber to Hull. Only three pictures can be assigned to this shadowy period. One is the Ferens' picture. The second is the double portrait of Sir John and Lady Nelthorpe, still in the family collection at Scawby Hall, Lincolnshire. The third is the portrait of the young Sir John Nelthorpe, also at Scawby. In order to attribute the painting to Stubbs, comparison has to be made with the one other painting by him of the same type as the Ferens' work. This is the Portrait of Mr Stanley of Liverpool (Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery). The treatment of the face is somewhat similar in the two paintings and such details as the highlights in the eyes are identical. The elaborate inscription is also very similar to Stubbs' careful hand. George Fothergill was a bachelor member of a prominent York family of nonjurors. He died in York in 1770 and is stated to be 57 years old on the painting, hence the inferred date of 1746.


The Ten Holy Days

This painting is though to be 18th century in date. Reading from left to right, the scenes represented are: Top row comprises of Nativity of the Virgin, Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, The Annunciation (Luke 1:28ff) and The Nativity (Luke 2) 2nd row comprises of The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2), The Baptism (Matthew 3:13ff) 3rd row comprises of The Entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:9ff) The Transfiguration (Luke 9:34ff) bottom row possibly episodes connected with Christ's appearances after death centre Typical of the Russian love of theological themes connected with the glorification of the risen Christ.


The Birth of the Virgin

Icons such as this first appeared in Byzantium in early Christian times and became an integral part of the Byzantine church. Their origins can be traced back to Egyptian tomb portraits. They spread to Russia as Christianity spread. Artists were encouraged to record a wide range of biblical scenes, and icons became repositories of richly varied and detailed Bible stories. It has been suggested that this icon should be dates from the 19th century.


The Birth of the Virgin

Icons are painted on wooden panels. Their thickness and size varies from district to district and age to age. Dimensions also depend on purpose for which the icon was intended. The majority of icons were designed to occupy specific, permanent positions in church. Some very large ones were carried in processions and others used in houses; it was customary to hang one above each bed. The reverse of this icon is inscribed in Russian: This icon is the gift of St. Nicholas Church, Reval, to the widow of Stephanoff. A date of c.1880 has been suggested.


King Charles I at the gates of Hull

Parrocel was a specialist battle scene painter who enjoyed much popularity with Louis XV of France and his Court. He also painted historical scenes and was active as a draughtsman and engraver. The scene depicted is the refusal in 1642 by Hull's Governor, Sir John Hotham, to let King Charles I enter Hull at the city gate, one of the acts that led to the outbreak of the English Civil War: 'Sr. John Hotham from ye Wall acquainted the King that He durst not open the Gates, being instructed by the Parliament. His Majesty replyed, that if He persisted in ye resolution, He shou'd be obliged to proclaim him a Traitor.' This episode was depicted by many artists and there are several versions, both oils and prints, in the Ferens' collection.


Landscape

The current attribution to Rathbone cannot be sustained by precise comparison with signed works by him. The type of composition however, with its vaguely Italianate overtones but with clearly English figures and setting, does recall the Lake District landscape of Rathbone. The picture has been retained here as 'follower of Rathbone' rather than being placed amongst the entirely unidentifiable English School pictures.


Coast scene with a ruin

On grounds of style this picture should be placed in the second quarter of the 19th century and is a typical example of naturalistic landscape executed in the wake of Bonington (1802-1828) and Constable (1776-1827).


Portrait of the poet, the Reverend William Mason

The fame of many of Reynold's sitters meant that there was a demand for copies and studio replicas. Many of Reynolds' portraits were simply copied by other artists and the Ferens' picture is an example of this period.


Moonlight scene with a windmill

Abraham Pether was a specialist in moonlight scenes, often with topographical interest. Although this picture comes from the same collection as another work in the Ferens' said to be by Pether, there is no reason that they should be considered together as their dimensions differ. This picture seems a more original but still Dutch 17th century-based work. Current comparison with photographs of the work of all the Pether family does not result in any convincing stylistic relationship. The picture seems to be of 18th century origin.


Moonlight scene

Abraham Pether was a specialist in moonlight scenes, often with topographical interest. This composition seems to be derived from a prototype of Aert van der Neer (1603-1677). The handling is not directly reminiscent of Abraham Pether's compositions. However, there were many 18th century imitators of Neer as his moonlights were popular. Abraham Pether was almost certainly one of these imitators.


Shipping off Porchester Castle, Hampshire

Marine paintings, especially 17th century ones, are very difficult to date with any accuracy as most artists show very little stylistic development. Here the date can be narrowed down to the reign of King Charles II and after 1674 in which year the ship, the 'Portsmouth', was built. The reason for this is that the royal ensign is flying indicating that either the King, or his brother the Duke of York, is on board. The narrowing down of the picture's date to within a decade is also helpful in establishing a little more information concerning the artist's output as records of his work during his English period are scant indeed.


Lakeside scene with cattle, Lakeside scene with a house

John Rathbone, known as 'The Manchester Wilson' remains an enigmatic figure, although many of his landscapes bear little resemblance to the real work of Richard Wilson (1714-82). The artist is recorded in Preston in 1774 (rather than Manchester). He was companion to both George Morland (1763-1804) and Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817), as well as an Ibbetson collaborator. These two works resulted from such a collaboration and probably accounts for the inscription of Ibbetson on the frames.


Memento Mori

Memento Mori is one of only two paintings that can be positively attributed to Parkin. Whilst both works are signed, only the Ferens' is dated. The other work comes from the pulpit of St James' Church, Sutton-on-Hull, which sheds some light on the artists' clientele. Memento Mori is an emblematic work of the European tradition of Vanitas painting. Parkin has referred back to 15th century conventions, as contemporary 17th century Vanitas paintings tend to contain more symbols of memento mori, emphasising man's mortality. The skull is contained in a trompe l'oeil box. This is a rare surviving example of its kind from 18th century England.


Pastoral, shepherd and sheep

Roos, who moved to Italy in the late 1670s, spent almost his entire career working in Tivoli, hence the soubriquet 'Rosa da Tivoli'. He was held in high regard by the collectors and connoisseurs in Rome, developing a reputation for specialist landscapes with animals, occasionally with figures. The shepherd in Pastoral, shepherd and sheep is unusually prominent. This picture is an excellent, relaxed example of the rise of new romanticism in Baroque art. The shepherd appears passive and content, in stark contrast to the ardour of earlier 17th century painting. Despite currently being in need of restoration, this still shines through as a major example of Baroque painting.


Portrait of a Philosopher

Ribera was the most important Spanish painter of the early 17th century. Like Renieri, he was influenced by the famous Caravaggio (1573 - 1610), and spent much of his time in Italy. Ribera is credited with the invention of the imaginary portrait, of which our Philosopher is a good example; artists selected models whose features reflected those thought to characterise subjects like saints and philosophers. Objects like books were included to help identify the subject. Here, Ribera has contrasted sombre colours with dramatic light to emphasise the texture of the sitter's clothing and books, achieving the desired realistic and noble effect.


Grey of Evening

Spenlove-Spenlove was a landscape and genre painter in both oil and watercolour. Having studied in London, Paris and Antwerp he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy for forty years and also won a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1901. He worked in Holland, Belgium and in England. As a result his work is well represented in public collections both at home and abroad. Spenlove-Spenlove painted genre scenes for a number of years before turning to landscapes. The dappled brush strokes and manner in which light diffuses the forms in Grey of Evening is particularly reminiscent of paintings by the French Impressionist, Claude Monet (1840-1926).


Portrait of Charles Salaman

Sidney Starr was born in Hull but moved to London to study at the Slade School. His early work was much influenced by his friend Whistler (1834-1903). Starr was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists which he later left to join the New English Art Club. In 1892 a scandal forced him to leave for New York where he remained, as a British citizen, for the rest of his life. He was best known as a painter of portraits, landscapes and murals. Charles Salaman (1814-1901) was a musical composer. Born into a Jewish family, he started his career as a piano teacher but the job was often interrupted by his concert performances in England and on the Continent. As well as playing and composing he gave musically illustrated lectures, including one before Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His numerous compositions include songs, orchestral pieces and works for the piano as well as musical arrangements for Synagogue services.


Stubbs No. 2

Oakley studied at the Slade School of Art in London, and was greatly influenced by the work of the Belgian artist, Rene Magritte (1898-1967). He has lectured in painting in Carlisle, Belfast and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but now lives and works in northern Cumbria. This is one of several boxed constructions owned by the Ferens, most of which have a surreal flavour, and makes an interesting comparison with Will Maclean's Predatory Voyage, also in our collection. Oakley has constructed a trompe l'oeil, an illusion intended to 'deceive the eye', a popular effect in 17th century Dutch painting. This enables him to create, in his own tiny art gallery, one of the most famous works by George (1724-1806), portrait painter of society horses. The artist explores the contradictions which lay in Stubb's approach of rigorous, scientific investigation and underscored his images of wild, untamed romance. The meat hooks and graphic references to skin and bone may also read as a comment upon butchery, blood sports and the tanning industry, which lie behind the cultivation and depiction of thoroughbred animals.


Dutch family in an interior

This painting shows a Dutch family of the mid-17th century in a light-filled interior. Its history is fascinating; it was originally thought to be the work of the Dutch artist Pieter Codde (1599-1678), who specialised in such paintings of interiors with many pictures on the walls. More recently it was bought by a New York picture dealer, who had the painting cleaned. The result was a transformation, revealing clearer light in the interior space. The walls, once crowded with pictures added by other hands, became the simple background you see now. More importantly, a letter in the foreground revealed a new signature (and date), indicating the real artist, Jan Olis, a painter who worked in Dordrecht, south of Rotterdam, in the 1630s. Olis is mentioned in the town's records as a wine merchant and this is perhaps why attention is focused on the glass of wine, the painting's central motif. It may be, therefore, that the picture shows the artist and his family and celebrates the trial of a vintage or a new import.


Portrait of Maureen Lipman

In a colourful musical and artistic career, Humphrey Ocean has played bass guitar with Ian Dury's band 'Kilburn and the Highroads', and in 1976 toured the USA as artist-in-residence with Paul McCartney's 'Wings'. In 1982, as winner of their Imperial Tobacco Portrait Award, Ocean was asked by the National Portrait Gallery to paint the poet Philip Larkin (completed 1984). This brought him to Hull, and to the attention of the Ferens Art Gallery. An exhibition at the Ferens followed in 1986-7, touring throughout the UK with a large selection of works chosen by the artist from the Ferens collection. After the exhibition Ocean was commissioned by the Friends of the Ferens to paint the Hull-born actress Maureen Lipman; he was an obvious choice, as his portraits of contemporary celebrities are immensely popular. Maureen Lipman, who often visited the Ferens as a girl, was delighted to sit for him. The result is an unusual and informal composition with Maureen in a full-length horizontal pose. The artist has added a ripple-moulded inner frame turned on a 17th century Dutch machine, much in keeping with the Ferens' Dutch collection.


North Cave, South Cave

The vibrant colour and rich texture of oil paint are the focus for this work, which also reflects the artist's early interest in the English tradition of landscape painting. North Cave, South Cave is inspired by an area to the west of Hull and was painted during Ord's five months as Artist-in-Residence at Humberside College of Higher Education in 1984.


The Glen Family of Hull

This extremely naive and unsophisticated painting by a local artist shows the kind of portrait that would have been commissioned by the middle-class patron in a provincial town. The family shown, Henry Glen, his wife and his son William are in their sitting room above The Princes Royal, the pub they ran on Junction Dock (now Princes Dock). Although the figures are very weak, the furnishings have been depicted in great detail and provide an interesting reflection of the taste of the period. Mrs. Overend was a Hull 'artist and photographer.' She would probably have photographed the faces of her sitters and built up the rest of the picture from these. As can be seen, her grasp of anatomy was quite poor. It can be safely assumed that she was an amateur artist, as few women in the nineteenth century made their living from painting. Usually, art was a hobby pursued by middle-class women with time on their hands. A William Mann Overend of Norfolk Street, presumably her husband, is listed in the Hull Directory of 1851 as a 'portrait painter' and, in a marriage certificate of the same year, as 'artist'.


Self Portrait

Palmer studied at Grimsby School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He worked first as a commercial artist and than as a lecturer at various art schools. It was only after his retirement in 1977 that he had time to devote himself entirely to his painting, an immensely productive period when he also spent time re-working earlier paintings; indeed, this self-portrait was re-worked considerably. His paintings represent a very personal vision ranging from stark, elongated figures set in anonymous landscapes to richly painted interiors, filled with flowers and homely clutter. He preferred not to title his work, believing that the paintings should speak for themselves. All of his works possess, therefore, an element of ambiguity and mystery - the haunting sadness of this self- portrait, given added pathos by the clown costume, typifies his painting.


The Bride

Daniel Pasmore the Younger was a London genre and portrait artist who exhibited mostly at the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street, London. He is liable to be confused with his father, Daniel Pasmore Senior who painted similar subjects. This example of Victorian narrative genre painting shows the bride- to-be preparing for her wedding and subsequent new life. It has been suggested that she stands between her past and her future, represented by the young girl and the older, already married woman respectively. This is further alluded to by the natural wealth (the flowers) the girl is holding, contrasted with the material wealth (the jewellery) the married female offers. Other clues offered by Pasmore here to be interpreted include the open window, suggesting future hopes and the journey of life ahead, and the birdcage which represents imprisonment. Which is in her past and which in her future is for the onlooker to decide. A label on the back of the painting carries this poem: Bring flowers fresh, flowers for the bride to wear! They were born to blush in the shining hair. She is leaving the house of my childhood's mirth, She hath bid farewell to her father's hearth. Mrs. Hemaus


Triangular Motif

Pasmore's conversion to abstract art - that which does not depict recognisable objects - was one of the most dramatic artistic events of the period immediately after the Second World War. Amongst his work prior to this period were river scenes, partly inspired by Turner (1775-1851) - Pasmore was then a successful landscape painter. In the late 1940s he tried to give to his pictures a satisfactory geometric structure of their own. His first abstracts were all oil paintings but he began to make extensive use of collage in 1949; scraps of newspaper being objects in themselves helped to affirm that the picture too was an object in itself, rather than a representation of something else. The collage also had the function of emphasising the picture surface, something which most artists before the war had tried to disguise through the use of artistic devices like perspective and shading. The abstract painters of the 1950s onwards went on to explore the flat surface of their canvases in a variety of ways.


Blue Development III

This work was produced at a time when Pasmore had moved from experimenting with collage and three-dimensional reliefs and returned to painting. Originally, Blue Development was composed of many small, blue, rough squares which resembled the dotted technique employed by the artist in earlier landscape paintings. The little squares formed a loose and strangely biological form closing round a sharp, black square which appears to stand out from the surface. In 1965 the work was loaned to an exhibition in Latin America during which time it underwent a metamorphosis when the blue dots faded. This was probably due to the nature of the materials used by the artist and to the hot climate. Pasmore was offered the opportunity to rework the painting, but preferred to leave it almost untouched.


Hull Docks with the barque 'Edward' and the snow 'William'

The barque 'Edward' was built at Scarborough in 1821 for William and Bartholomew Fowler Sutton. It sailed to Stockholm and other North Sea ports under the command of various members of the family and was last heard of in 1855. The 'William' was jointly owned by George Fowler Sutton, master mariner, Johnson Staniforth, and William Fowler Sutton. She also traded across the North Sea. Originally a Hull vessel, she was re-registered in 1838 and lost five years later. Paintings like this were usually commissioned by the owners or masters of the vessels. It is believed that this picture was painted for William Fowler Sutton. At some stage in its history the painting has been cut down owing to damage to the lower edge of the canvas.


Blackwall, looking towards Greenwich

Blackwall, looking towards Greenwich This painting is now known to be a copy by Ward of a painting of 1823 by William Anderson (1757-1837). Indeed, Ward made at least two copies of Anderson's scene. In this version, the foreground has been re-arranged, a buoy removed and a section of shore introduced to the right with two sailors who watch the scene. A favourite Ward device, these figures give perspective as well as colour and add interest to the river views he painted. The identification of this scene is made easy by the presence of the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, with its distinctive cupolas visible in the distance. Here Ward has created the characteristic sense of calm that typifies his work.


The brig 'Ruby', the barque 'Wanderer' and the snow 'Garnet' off Hull

This is a good example of Ward's later style where he was becoming even more precise in his recording of marine detail. All three vessels were owned by the firm of Priest and Son and sailed under the command of various members of the family. Each flies a pennant from the main mast. From left to right they are: The brig 'Ruby', built at Southtown, Yarmouth by Francis Holmes in 1825 for the grocer William Lambert and the shipowner William Priest. She served in the Baltic Trade and was lost in 1854; the barque 'Wanderer', built in 1844 at Sunderland for William Priest and Johann Heinrich Fredricks of Lancaster. She sailed in general trade, and under the command of John Priest she voyaged to Hong Kong in 1846. She was lost in 1853; the snow 'Garnet', built at Sculcoates by Thomas Mason in 1830. She went off register in 1850. This canvas must have been painted between 1844, the year the 'Wanderer' was launched, and 1849 when Ward died.


The brig 'Wupper' off Spurn Head

This painting depicts the brig 'Wupper', built for W. and C. L. Ringrose in 1842 by Miller & Co. of Hull. She sailed in the Dutch trade to Rotterdam. She is depicted in two views with a pennant flying from the main mast. This is white with a red cross and a letter W in the upper corner near the hoist. The local landmark of a Spurn Point lighthouse is just visible in the background.


H.M.S. Vindictive

It was not only in the medium of oil painting that Ward was skilled. His drawings and watercolours demonstrate his excellent draughtsmanship. This is a port side view of 'Vindictive', built as a third rate at Portsmouth in 1813 and reduced to fifty guns in 1832. She was wrecked in 1871. The scene also includes a cutter and various other naval vessels. On the left a seaman is beaching a rowing boat, whilst another stoops down near the bow.


The brig 'Wupper' off Spurn Head

A type written label on the reverse claims that this picture is the last one ever to be executed by Ward, and there is a note to that effect on the back of the canvas signed by Ward's pupil, W. F. Settle (1821-97). This painting is a copy of the Ward painting, The brig 'Wupper' off Spurn Head, c.1842, but with minor differences. The most obvious is the presence of the black ball symbol on the fore topsail. This was probably taken from the ships of the famous Black Ball Line owned by James Baines of Liverpool. He had taken the idea from the American-owned steam packet company of that name which ran a monthly service between New York and Liverpool. The ship in profile sports a pennant with the initial W but a close examination of the quarter view reveals that the initial is S, an anomaly that is difficult to explain. In later years the house flag consisted of a white pennant with a black ball in the centre of a red cross.


Hull from the Humber (the buoy yacht 'Zephyr')

An accurate record of Hull's Georgian waterfront is provided by this painting, although its main interest was intended to be the portrait of the ship. The 'Zephyr' was purchased by the Hull Trinity House in 1823. In 1829 she was the first vessel to enter the newly constructed Princes Dock. She remained in service until replaced by the 'Ariel' in 1843 and was sold the following year for 205 pounds. This canvas can be dated from the nameboard 'Boyes Vittoria Tavern' that appears on the facade of what was once a notable landmark on Hull's waterfront. The Boyes family were proprietors c. 1834-9. The Hull to Gainsborough steam packet 'Pelham', tied up at the pier, was active c. 1832-6. A superb example of Ward's glowing ship portraiture, it is easy to appreciate why Ward's knowledgeable clients - the ship owners and merchants - found his attention to detail so appealing.


The brig 'Helen' off Hull

Built at Sutton in 1837 by William Gibson for William Priest of Hull and William Lambert of Cottingham, the 'Helen' served in the Baltic trade. She was registered in Whitby and was still afloat c.1872-3. Baltic trade was very profitable and much safer than for whaling ships which were often lost in the ice. The two-masted brigs were popular vessels, easy to negotiate through the unimproved rivers and estuaries, although their sails were expensive both in terms of crew to operate them and materials to make and repair them.


The paddle-steamer 'Forfarshire' leaving Hull for Dundee

Traditionally this canvas shows the 'Forfarshire' leaving Hull on her fateful voyage of 1838, but it is equally likely that it depicts her first passage from Hull to Dundee, just two years earlier. The vessel was built by Adamson of Dundee for his fellow townsman Alexander Martin and the Dundee and Hull Steam Packet Company. In 1838, outward bound from Hull and carrying a heavy cargo including spinning machinery, with forty passengers, her boilers failed and she ran aground off the Farne Islands in high seas. Although many lives were lost the wreck has achieved immortality through the heroic efforts of Grace Darling who helped her father take a rowing coble out to the stricken vessel to rescue survivors. Ward sets the ship against the backdrop of Hull's waterfront, from the blockhouse in the east to the entrance of the Humber Dock basin in the west. The pilot office and Vittoria Hotel flank the entrance to Queen Street with the tower of Holy Trinity Church rising in the distance. In the left foreground the composition is framed by the stern of a Dutch sloop and a Humber Keel.


The return of the 'William Lee' from Calcutta entering the Humber Dock, Hull

It is not known why Ward painted this second version of his own acknowledged masterpiece. Here, the 'William Lee' is displayed with her port side to the viewer. The brig 'Consort' and the keel are both absent and the other minor vessels rearranged. A copy of Ward's death certificate is adhered to the back of the picture panel and reads: '1849 deaths in the district of East Sculcoates in the County of York no. 124, 28 Sept. 1849, 2 North Street, John Ward marine painter, cholera, W. F. Settle present at the death…' Settle was Ward's cousin who in 1840, or 1841, joined him, first as his pupil, later becoming his assistant.


Stoneferry, Hull, with a sloop rigged keel

John WARD Hull 1798-1849 Stoneferry, Hull, with a sloop rigged keel In the tradition of Dutch 17th century cabinet pictures Ward has created a great feeling of breadth and space within a small area. The scene depicts a keel, seen from the stern, sailing on the River Hull at Stoneferry. The two five-sailed windmills were a special feature of the area. One of them certainly, and possibly the other, belonged to John and James Hewetson, manufacturers of whiting (ground chalk used in white-washing), oil and paint.


Ships on the Humber and the South Blockhouse

This view looks west up the estuary of the Humber. Ward has created a tremendous feeling of distance by subtle use of the scale of the distant buildings and boats. At the time of the major Ward exhibition of 1981, Hull Museums' Keeper of Maritime History, Arthur Credland, suggested that this picture, along with two others of the same composition in the Maritime Museum, may well be the work of the Ward's pupil, William Frederick Settle (1821-1897).


Landscape with a bird catcher

Zais was a student of both Marco Ricci (1676-1729) and Francesco Zuccarelli (1702-88), and much of his work has been wrongly attributed to his teachers; indeed, Landscape with a bird catcher was originally ascribed to Zuccarelli. His work signals the death of the tradition of Venetian landscape painting that was popular with English collectors. Landscape with a bird catcher was painted in Italy and is characteristic of Zais' compositional style, framed by trees. The scene, however, is most likely not accurate in its depiction of using nets to catch birds that damage crops. In this rural setting, birds were most probably caught as game.


St. James the Greater

Vignon has a reputation as one of the most eccentric and individualistic of all French Baroque painters. He drew from a number of influences, ranging from Caravaggio (1573-1610) to the early work of Rembrandt (1606-69). Vignon also favoured a certain element of French late 16th century Mannerism, and it is this curious fusion which has come to characterise his work. much of his early career was spent in Rome, where St. James the Greater was probably painted. St. James the Greater represents much of this stylistic melange. This offers some explanation as to why this painting resisted identification at the Ferens for over fifty years. The attribution to Vignon is made on purely stylistic grounds due to the treatment of the face and the sober palette.


Still Waters

Born into aristocracy and educated at the Royal Military College in Sandhurst, Wyndham served in the First World War where he won the Military Cross. Following the War he took up art and was taught by the English Vorticist, Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), also represented at the Ferens. Wyndham's earlier works were very angular and linear in style, influenced by Lewis' Vorticist pieces. After a period travelling through Mediterranean countries, Wyndham finally settled in Sussex in 1926. From then on he painted mainly landscapes, with water as a notable feature in his work. He developed a more painterly style drawing upon the subtle tones and hues evident in Still Waters. A mental breakdown brought an end to Wyndham's army career during the Second World War. He then became a foreign correspondent in the Near East but, tragically, was shot by a sniper whilst reporting in Palestine.


Snow Scene

Fritz Thaulow was a painter, etcher and engraver of landscapes and genre scenes, as well as a writer. Born in Sweden, he went on to become a popular, well-established artist throughout mainland Europe who received numerous awards. He was a prominent figure amongst French art circles and co-founded the Salon du Champ de Mars. Thaulow's art work was influenced by the French Impressionists, particularly Claude Monet's (1840-1926) watercolours. Although his working methods were very different, Thaulow shared their interests in capturing the atmosphere of a place. He specialised in the depiction of streams, rivers and small villages bathed in moonlight or covered in snow, as shown in Snow Scene.


The Satinwood Table

Thomas was privately educated in London and then attended Sidcup School of Art and London's Slade School. She left in 1938 to study at the Royal Academy Schools. A member of various groups including the New English Art Club, Thomas painted very traditional and subtle still lifes and landscapes, of which the Ferens' work is a typical example. She exhibited regularly throughout her career, and her work is represented in many public collections, including the Tate Gallery in London.


From Room to Room

Tindle's method of painting, using egg tempera paint, continues a tradition established by early Italian painters and continued later, in 1920s Britain, by artists like Joseph Southall (1861-1944). The use of tempera permits a detailed technique in which the image is built up from small, hatched strokes of paint. The artist made his reputation painting still lifes set in simple interiors, often suggesting human presence but rarely depicting it. He has now begun to explore portraiture, and this self-effacing self portrait has a content and composition very similar to those still lifes, particularly in the framing of his figure in the door. Although Tindle has portrayed himself in full length the small scale of the work reduces his presence, diminishing his character somewhat. This contrasts well with other more brash portraits in the Ferens collection, like John Kirby's Man with Rat.


Untitled

Tinker-Ives graduated from the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside in 1998. This painting was purchased following the Fine Art Degree Show of that year. The artist made many studies of the River Hull and the area around the city's marina. This is one of two large canvases based on his sketches of the River.


A Matinee Interval

Townsend was encouraged at an early age to study art and was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools in 1902. Among his tutors were John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and Sir George Clausen (1852-1944). Much like his contemporary Fred Elwell (1870-1958) Townsend observed, but chose not to pursue, the vigorous avant-garde developing in Britain - although even his most traditional subject matter could not fail to be touched by the new approaches to light and colour. Following his return to Derby he became a successful portrait painter but unlike Elwell did not become a Royal Academician. The stiff formality of his portraiture is broken, however, in this warm, affectionate study of performers resting during the interval. 'Entertainment' was a popular theme for artists, and Townsend has imbued the scene with the mellow lighting of 17th century Dutch painting, which he studied during his visits to the Netherlands. During the 2nd World War Townsend's career took an unusual turn when he was commissioned to camouflage the Rolls Royce works at Derby, a major target for enemy bombs. He disguised the factory as an entire village when seen from the air, turning water towers into clock towers and roofs into bowling greens.


Coast Defences (Seaford)

This painting shows part of the coastal defences which are in place along much of the British coastline. Initially they appear as an abstract assemblage of two-dimensional geometric shapes. However, the horizontal bands of the sand and sky become clearly recognisable, and the strong overlapping shapes of the boulders give the whole a sense of depth and space. Keith Vaughan was educated at Christ's Hospital and spent much of his early career working for the advertising agency of the chemical firm Unilever. When war broke out he served in the Pioneer Corps, acting for 5 years as a German interpreter in the prisoner of war camp in Yorkshire. Vaughan was a self taught painter, who then taught at various art colleges, including the Slade School of Art. He later exhibited internationally. Vaughan was best known as a painter of striking figure compositions in which he sought a balance between the recognisable, though much simplified, nude figure and purely abstract areas of form and colour. He applied this 'assembly' technique to his landscape paintings, including Coast Defences. These were worked from Vaughan's recollected impressions rather than directly from nature.


The Royal Dock, Grimsby

Grimsby-born Tyson was a painter in oils of landscapes, marines and miniatures. She studied at Hull and Grimsby Schools of Art, later moving to live and work in Bournemouth. This sparse and tranquil view of the Royal Dock, Grimsby, was exhibited by the artist at the Royal Academy in London in 1937.


Permutation: Red and Blue

Hungarian-born painter Vasarely has lived most of his life in France. He is one of the leading practioners of Op Art, a type of abstract art which seeks to give an illusion of movement by exploiting optical effects. In his early days he worked as a commercial artist, particularly on the designing of posters, showing a keen interest in visual tricks. From 1943 he turned to painting and in 1947 he adopted the method of geometrical abstraction for which he is best known. This abstract work which is geometrical in nature produces a jarring visual effect with the gradation of colour. His work is similar to that of Bridget Riley (b.1930), whose work is also represented in the Ferens collection.


Top of the World

In opposition to his family who wished him to pursue a career in industry, Wadsworth determined to train as an artist. Before the First World War, he exhibited with the Vorticists in London and was attracted to their interest in the machine age. During the war he was an intelligence officer, and spent some time working on dazzle camouflage for ships in Liverpool and Bristol. In the 1920s he pioneered a revival of tempera painting, as used by the Italians between the 14th-16th centuries. Despite his experience during the First War, Wadsworth did not receive a commission from the War Artists' Advisory Committee during the Second. Furthermore, his son-in-law's German nationality meant that Wadsworth was never granted a sketching permit, thus preventing him from working out-of-doors. This rejection put him under considerable emotional and financial strain and it was not until 1942 that his career was revived by commissions from ICI to produce advertisements for their products. On a similar theme, but not an ICI commission, Top of the World, painted in tempera, is an industrial landscape in which the smoking chimneys and electricity pylons appear harmonious with the undulating hills and limestone cliff face of the surrounding countryside. An actual view, the painting is of Beswick's Lime Works in Buxton, Derbyshire.


Cream Head Study

Since completing her studies at Glasgow School of Art in 1988 Watt has exhibited extensively around the UK. In 1987 she was the winner of the renowned John Player Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery. Much of her work is penetrating self portraiture, executed in a controlled and technically precise manner which echoes the techniques of the Renaissance Masters, and later, artists like Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and Lucian Freud (b.1922). Her palette is pale and subtle, creating in her frequent nude studies a luminous flesh quality which she often contrasts with crisply painted drapery, following a classical tradition. Cream Head Study is one of a group of closely observed and cropped 'body parts', in which she explores heads, arms, hands and sections of the human torso, both male and female. It is a self portrait and shows well the vulnerable, haunting and yet lyrical quality she achieves in the faces of her subjects. Its intimate scale contrasts with her other work, much of which is monumental in size.


Woman at Table

Partly of German and Swedish descent, Weight's work is characterised by his ability to embrace and blend a wide variety of preoccupations and influences, including Impressionism and Surrealism. The latter in particular is reflected in his many enigmatic and exotic scenes, although his pure portraits are often more traditional in their approach. Following an abandoned career as a singer, Weight studied art in London at Hammersmiths' and Goldsmiths' Schools of Art. He exhibited extensively from his first solo show in 1934 until his death in 1997. In 1945 he was appointed as an Official War Artist. Weight enjoyed a long teaching career, most notably as Professor of Painting at the Royal College of Art, where David Hockney (b.1937) was amongst his students. Weight has said that some of his work is influenced by music, and the sometimes vivid colours and unusual tones he uses seem to reflect this. The Ferens' portrait, however, appears to be more in character with the subdued and somewhat dour tones employed by many artists in the immediate post-war years.


Lizz in Repose

Represented in many major collections, Weschke, born in Germany, came to England in 1948 and has lived here ever since. His distinctive style and approach to the human form - neither abstract nor figurative - make this painting a valuable addition to the Ferens collection. Weschke's more fluid approach to the nude is in stark contrast to Euan Uglow's Curled Nude on a Stool with its painstaking geometrical accuracy.


after Domenichino 1581-1641

After early success as a portrait painter in New York, West sailed to Italy in 1760. He spent three years studying there, mainly in Rome, before settling in London in 1763. St. Cecilia was painted around 1761 during this period in Italy. There has been some confusion over the title of this piece. It is a copy after the Cumaean Sibyl by Domenichino, which is held at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. West's copy of this Sibyl, however, features a musical score and instrument, suggesting that the figure is in fact St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. It is improbable that the musical score is of an actual piece, however, due to the absence of bar lines and the rather odd disposition of some of the note patterns.


A Sybil

Benjamin West was the first American to achieve an international reputation and was very prominent in his day. During the early part of his career, between 1760 and 1763, West travelled to Italy and painted copies after 'a number of the best pictures in Italy' for Chief Justice William Allen and Lieutenant-Governor James Hamilton. Three of the copies, of which this is one, were given to the Ferens by Sir George Barnes from the estate of the Hon. Margaret Hammond, a descendent of William Allen. This painting portrays a Sibyl, a woman endowed with the gift of prophecy. These characters are often depicted holding one of the Sibylline Books in which their prophecies were recorded. The writing in West's picture is not decipherable. Although there have been many different opinions, the evidence strongly points to this painting being a copy after Mengs, a contemporary, who was also a powerful influence on the young artist.


Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist

Benjamin West was the first American to achieve an international reputation as an artist and was very prominent in his day. He showed immense drawing talent as a child and developed his painting technique under the tuition of William Williams, an English amateur artist active in Philadelphia from 1746-7. West settled in London in 1763. His reputation grew rapidly. He became historical painter to George III and in 1792 succeeded Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) as President of the Royal Academy. He was a pioneer of large historical canvases in the neo-classical style. In common with many artists, in the spirit preached by Reynolds at the Royal Academy, he made copies after the old masters. This painting was one of several copies made in Rome in 1763 for Governor Hamilton and Chief Justice Allen in Philadelphia. In a letter West described this as 'a copy of Guido's [Guido Reni (1575-1642)] finest, Herodias in Cardinal Corsini's Palace'. Although he calls the painting Herodias it has also been called after Salome, the daughter of Herodias. The scene depicts the biblical account of the decapitation of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-28).


Nice Donkey, Sir?

Born at Holderness Road, Hull, to a Quaker family, Joseph Walter West was educated at Bootham School in York, where he studied art under Edwin Moore (1813-1893). Following seven years of working as a cashier in an Engineering works in Hull, he went to London in 1883 and studied at the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a silver medal in1887. West became a widely respected artist for his varied talents, ranging from landscape, genre and figurative painting to design work for book plates and posters. He worked in a variety of media including oil and watercolour, and the Ferens owns several examples of both these techniques. As Vice President of the Royal Watercolour Society, West was a regular exhibitor both there and at the Royal Academy. He was a close friend of the artist Bertram Priestman (1868-1951; also represented in the Ferens' collection) and was patronised by T.R. Ferens, principal benefactor of the Gallery. The acecdotal quality of the subject matter of this painting is typical of the artist's approach. It is, however, much more direct and colourful than any other work by this artist, and shows a move from the high-finish realism of Victorian painting to a looser, freer, more `modern' approach.


The Pillion

West was born into a Quaker family in Holderness Road, Hull. He was educated at Bootham School in York where he studied art under Edwin Moore (1813-1893). Following seven years working as a cashier in an engineering works in Hull, he went to London in 1883 and studied at the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a silver medal in 1887. As Vice President of the Royal Watercolour Society West was a regular exhibitor, both there and at the Royal Academy. T. R. Ferens, principal benefactor of the Ferens Art Gallery, was a patron of West's. The Pillion is a romantic history painting. Stylistically, it owes a debt to the Pre-Raphaelites, whose colourful scenes of chivalry and subjects from Arthurian legend were fashionable in the latter part of the 19th century. West dresses his characters in 18th century costume and employs the jewel-like hues of the Pre-Raphaelites to bathe the scene in a rich and atmospheric dappled light. The Pillion is possibly one and the same with a painting of this title exhibited by West at London's Royal Academy in 1900. It was later exhibited in Hull at the Spring Exhibition, 1908.


Autumn Burn

Whishaw works in a well-established tradition of English landscape painting, in which the landscape itself provides forceful inspiration. His work can be seen as a development of the English Neo-Romantic movement, which is best represented in the Ferens collection by a powerful war painting, Devastation 1941: City, Twisted Girders, by Graham Sutherland (1903-1980). The artist himself says that Autumn Burn is both an abstract and figurative work. It is abstract in its use of autumnal tones and gritty textures to evoke rather than physically describe the landscape. It is figurative because the painting itself is an actual object. The picture has real texture (Whishaw has mixed sand and earth with the paint) and real colour, and can be experienced independently of the landscape that inspired it.


A wijdschip lowering sail in a choppy sea

Witmont worked in Delft producing portraits of ships to satisfy Dutch merchants requiring a permanent record of their vessels, accurate in every detail. He specialised in grisaille, a technique of using pen and ink on a prepared ground, combining the characteristics of engravings with permanency of oil paintings. The coast-scene is atmospheric style, more akin to the monochrome paintings of Dutch marine painters who achieved distant effects by layers if glaze; here Witmont introduces distance by varying the intensity of his tiny pen dots. All Witmont's surviving work is of marines in grisaille, using a reed pen on a prepared white ground. Considering the limitations of the technique, a surprising degree of naturalism is achieved as a result of painstaking work. This marine falls into the immense category of Dutch seascape painting that does not have a specific subject. Every variety of ship was depicted and every type of weather effect was used. In this case we have a small boat known as a wijdschip shown off the coast of Zeeland with the Kasteel Remmekens near Vlissingen in the background.


Ritual Hill Series No. 6

This is the nearest example the Gallery owns to 'Land Art', where the image is made with objects taken from the landscape itself. The discovery of the 'found objects' by the artist also gives the work an archaeological feel. Land Art, a comparatively recent development, is championed by the sculptor Richard Long (b.1945) whose walks around the world, recorded in maps and photographs, and during which he makes landscape artworks along the way, form an integral part of his work. Such developments, although diverse, are related to the landscape tradition properly established in Britain during the 18th century.


Shipping off Hull

This panoramic view of shipping off Hull captures the feel of the Humber on a blustery day; the rowing boats are jostled about by the choppy waves. With all the realism of a photograph, it is hardly surprising that Widdas was also a photographer by trade. He has rendered the buildings in the background with care and detail and unlike earlier, purely marine scenes, the people are more prominent. The shipping in the Humber ranges from sailing smacks and drifters to steamers. The largest vessel is the Rollo - 260 feet long and 1437 tons gross - which belonged to Thomas Wilson and Sons. Widdas was not a specialised marine artist but painted a wide range of subjects from portraits to coaching scenes.


Believe Me, I Know Best

In his teens the artist worked as a salesman in an outfitter's shop in Glasgow, which stimulated his interest in ideas of control, management and exploitation. He explores these themes through his art whether painting, performance, film or street theatre, looking especially at the relationship between people and their animals: as pets, as producers of food, and as entertainers. The physical and mental struggle which pet animals have with their owners is depicted in this painting, a battle of wits over a ball, and is intended as a comment on the oppressor and the oppressed. Its flatness of form and the red, white, blue and black colour scheme echo advertising hoardings and reflect Wilson's allegiances to the Pop Art movement.


Italian landscape with a stone pine

This small painting has every appearance of having been based on a study of drawing made on the spot, so great is its naturalism. Unlike so many of Wilson's other naturalistic small compositions this one does not seem to have been repeated. There is a powerful feeling of the open air with the curious form of the pine tree allowing a freshly painted vista to appear on both sides.


Castell Dinas Bran, Llangollen

In comparison with Wilson's Italian Landscape with stone pine, this picture lacks freshness. This is because it is one of the several replicas executed by the artist after he had produced the successful original for his Welsh patron Sir Watkin Williams Wynn in 1771. In spite of its relative formality the picture still portrays the picturesque grandeur of North Wales.


Landscape with Waterfall

Wilson's compositions owe much to the influence of the classical landscape painter, Claude Lorraine (1600-82). The predominance of the skies in Wilson's work and the softness of the light are features reminiscent of 17th century Dutch landscapes, exemplified at the Ferens by the work of Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/9-1682). He applied these traditions in his own individual manner in views of the British landscape he loved. Wilson himself had many followers, who admired and copied his style. It has been suggested that this painting is by one of them, rather than by Wilson himself.


Portrait of Mary, Lady Barrington Bourchier

After a stay in Paris, Wissing came to England in 1676. He enjoyed Royal Patronage as was appointed Principal Painter to James II. This is a portrait of Mary Compton before her marriage to Lord Barrington Bourchier of Beningborough, near York. The inscription on the lower right of the painting is thought to have been added later. The sitter is dressed in loosely fitting clothes which she certainly might have worn in the privacy of her home but certainly not in the formal circles of fashionable society. It is uncertain whether this portrait is by Wissing. Often, portraits of this time were a combination of the work of several artists, the portraitist rendering only the head from life, the rest being finished later in the studios of artists specialising in drapery, landscape and animal painting.


Curled Nude on a Stool

Euan Uglow's studies take life-painting and realism to a mathematically precise extreme. In their poses and solidarity his figures are like monumental classical sculptures, their outlines looking almost chiselled rather than painted. He poses his model to confirm exactly with the idea for a picture he has in mind, using chalk marks, plumb lines and scaffolding to ensure that the model's position and his viewpoint do not differ. Uglow leaves behind the measuring marks which were frequently employed by the Realist artists of the early 1950s, a tradition which he continues. This typical example if the artist's work is as much a comment on conventional approaches to the nude as a portrait of figure painting per se.


Magnetic Field

Tunnard was the son of a sporting painter and country gentleman. During the 1920s he was a designer for a number of textile manufacturers and only became a painter in 1929. Tunnard was also active as a semi-professional jazz drummer which explains the musical overtones present in much of his work. Magnetic Field was painted after Tunnard's association with British Surrealism had ended. Here, the forms float, collide, overlap, interlock, and are irresistibly drawn to the centre of the images by some invisible force.


Sandspoor V

A co-founder of the Crypt Group, St. Ives, which later became the Penwith Society of Arts; Wynter began his artistic career as a landscape painter in a neo-romantic vein. After 1956 he moved from figurative to abstract painting, although even his most abstract works remain rooted in nature. The rhythmic, calligraphic brush strokes of Sandspoor V suggest a beach in summer marked by the action of the waves and tides. 'I think of my painting as a source of imagery, something that generates imagery rather contains it.'


detail from snakes and ladders board (image/jpeg) The Survival of Games - Hunt and Race Games

The chances are that every board game that has ever existed through the centuries still exists, though possibly in a more complicated form. There are many different types of board games but the main types of games that have developed are war games, hunt or chase games and race games. These classifications are based on the idea that games are typical of the early activities and survival tactics of man; the battle, the siege or hunt and race. However many of the games that developed for these reasons still survive today and have hardly changed as games are great for developing life skills such as hand-eye coordination, mental agility and not to mention social skills. #SUBHEADING#Hunt Games - Fox and Geese#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Hunt or Chase games often have pieces that resemble or are referred to as a type of animal such as the Fox and Geese or Fox and Hounds game. The object of the game is to chase and corner the lone goose or fox piece to the edge of the board. Many of the aristocracy and members of the royal family have enjoyed playing these games throughout history. Within the accounts of the Royal Household of Edward IV in the 14th Century there was a reference to the purchase of 'two foxes and twenty six hounds of silver gilt'. Similar games are found in different parts of the world, two examples are Cows and Leopards from Ceylon, Tigers and Goats, the national game of Nepal and Coyote and Chickens, a Mexican game which was played with a red bean and grains of corn. The popular game Solitaire which is played today developed from the game Fox and Geese. #SUBHEADING#Race Games - Senet and Snakes and Ladders#SUBHEADINGEND# Race games are just as ancient, even more so, one of the oldest remnants of any ancient board game ever unearthed was a game called Senet. It was found in tombs in Egypt around 3500 BC, it was a race game for two players with moves determined by knucklebones. #IMAGE# Senet had become a kind of talisman for the dead and a useful object for the dangerous journey through the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that a successful player would be protected by the gods. The object of the game was to move the pieces around a snaking track to the finish, landing on squares marked for good or bad fortune such as 'good life' or 'house of rebirth' squares. The first English commercial board games seem to have been race games, and have evolved from games like Senet, like the Game of Goose, introduced into England in 1597. They were printed in black and white on paper sheets, hand-coloured and mounted onto linen. Games were based on the element of chance and involved players racing round a spiral board trying to avoid penalties on the way. They often involved gambling counters which players put into a central kitty; this game resembles and has developed into more modern day race games such as Snakes & Ladders. Snakes and Ladders is probably based upon a very old Indian game called Moksha-Patamu, which was used to show religious virtues and vices. The ladders represent virtuous acts, such as humbleness and generosity which will help the soul to reach heaven. The vices, such as lust, murder and theft symbolised by the head of the snake leads to reincarnation in a lower animal form. #IMAGE# When the game reached Britain in 1892, Snakes and Ladders moral aspects appealed to the Victorians. However virtues and vices changed to represent what they viewed as right and wrong. Penitence, Thrift and Industry became virtuous behaviour, whereas Indolence, Indulgence and Disobedience became the vices. The Victorian's version of the game had little pictures showing good and bad deeds, such as a child who carried a load for an old woman would go up the ladder, but the one who was greedy and over-ate would go back down the body of the snake. Snakes and Ladders is still played although the religious symbolism has disappeared and now it is just a children's game.


A woman

This painting was donated with a companion male portrait, although we do not know if the couple are husband and wife. The identities of both of sitter and artist are unknown. As paintings they are of modest quality but they depict sitters of character.


The Bay of Naples

All the current information on Butler seems to be derived from the presence of two pictures by him in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He was a Neapolitan painter of the first half of the 18th century. It could be assumed that the artist was of British origin owing to his surname. The composition seems to have been a popular one as there is a similar view by Tommaso Ruiz (Uppark, Sussex, National Trust). The galleys seen here in the bay appear to be flying the Savoy flag, suggesting that the decorated boat is the royal barge of Victor Amadeus.


The Hunchback Fiddler

The original from which this painting is copied seems to be lost, although the subject was engraved in 1792. Bega is now considered to be a relatively obscure Haarlem genre painter, but his work enjoyed great popularity in the 18th century when his fine brushwork and low-life subject matter were much appreciated. The Ferens copy is weak indeed without any of the detail visible in the engraving.


Self-Portraits, 1986 - 1999

Akkerman began making self-portraits in 1981 as a revolt against what he called, 'the fashion-dominated avant-garde art world.' Since then he has painted nothing but his own face, pursuing an almost obsessive search for 'the perfect self-portrait'. This process has been compared to trying to decode a combination lock and Akkerman is aware that this is an endless task. In the past twenty years he has painted around fifteen hundred self-portraits. Akkerman employs a tradition technique of the Old Masters, systematically making a drawing, adding tone and finally colour. This process enables him to experiment with a variety of techniques and styles taken from art history. His work has ranged from more formal, realistic portraits, to images influenced by the French Impressionists. He has also created distorted, haunting portraits inspired by the surrealists. His continual experimentation over many years has seen his techniques grow in parallel with his own ageing process. He has said of his work: In my series of self-portraits the story of life is present twice. In the first place in the picture. You see a head growing older. That goes without saying. But there is another story in which this process of growing older can be seen. And that is the story of technique.


At the Wintergarten, Berlin

Allinson was a member of the London Group of artists, a large organisation formed in 1913, which included members of the former Camden Town Group. During his early career, Allinson came under the influence of a number of the Camden Town painters, many of whom are represented in this Gallery. He trained at the Slade School of Art under Wilson Steer (1860-1942), and went on to work under the guidance of the group's founding member Sickert (1860-1942). These artists combined decorative colour with realistic representations of everyday life in Camden Town. Although Allinson's painting shows a German scene, the subject matter of a music hall or theatre was a favourite of the Group's members. Allinson was best known as a landscapist, though he did not constrict himself to any one media or style. He earned his living as a sculptor, poster designer, caricaturist, theatre scenic designer and art master at Westminster School of Art. In 1918 he married and went to live in a small Swiss village where he painted alpine scenery, returning to London seven years later to continue to paint, etch and carved.


Loading a Timber Waggon in the Park of Cave Castle

This painting depicts Cave Castle in the village of South Cave, situated about 13 miles from Hull. Arnald's view from the Castle depicts the surrounding parklands across to the Humber Estuary and towards Lincolnshire. Originally built on the site of an old castle, the building, the only one of its kind still in existence in East Yorkshire, is shown shortly after its renovation in 1791 when the owner, Henry Boldero Barnard, carried out enlargements and 'castellations' in the neo-Gothic style. Arnald, who specialised in topographical views such as this, travelled extensively throughout the British Isles, Ireland and France. He is known to have visited Yorkshire on a number of occasions and undertook several commissions or his patrons, the Boldero Barnard family. The Barnards were an old, well established family of landowners who settled in East Yorkshire in the 13th century. It is possible that this work is the same Cave Castle, Yorkshire exhibited by Arnald at the Royal Academy in London in 1809. The Gallery owns another work by Arnald, the well known history painting Charles I before Hull.


Poppies

Arundel owned a building firm, and specialised in lighthouse construction and repair. He started painting in his thirties, but did not take it up seriously until just before the Second World War. He studied at the Bradford Arts Club, and later went on to exhibit extensively around England and in Paris. Poppies is typical of his subject matter, which was mainly landscapes, flowers and portraits. He frequently signed his name in red paint. Although he was born and died in Bradford, Arundel is known to have lived for a time in Lincolnshire.


Farm Horses and Foal at a Ford

Wright Barker was a painter of hunting subjects and genre pieces, including animals. He exhibited mainly between the years 1891-1935. Amongst the paintings he exhibited at London's Royal Academy were Puppy Days, "Whoa, steady!" and My Children and their Pets. He is recorded as having lived in Mansfield, Newark, London and Harrogate. Farm Horses and Foal at a Ford is an Academy-scale depiction of a tranquil rural idyll. Barker's affectionate and accurate depiction of the horses suggests an empathy with his subjects. The picture's size suggests that he had access to a wealthy clientele whose large homes could house such artworks. This painting hung originally in Walkington Hall, and was inherited by the donors together with the Hall and its contents.


The Sisters

Baxter left the family business of bookbinding to paint firstly miniatures then portraits but he is best known for his 'fancy pictures' such as this. When the painting was exhibited in 1865, contemporary reviewers praised Baxter for his usual 'witchery'. The two sisters were hailed as 'flowers of lustrous hue, blooming health and luscious sweetness; their unspotted complexions - soft, pearly, even waxy - are washed in dew, mingled with spring odours and honey.' Pictures of young women depicted in this fashion were eagerly collected by male, middle class patrons.


Red Wall

Beech taught in the Fine Art department at Sheffield Polytechnic before moving to Hull in 1978 where he served as Head of Fine Art at Humberside College of Higher Education. Red Wall was acquired following an exhibition of Beech's work at the Ferens in 1984. His drawings and paintings at this time often used 'frottage' or rubbings, made from the surface of wood, stone or brick. He also used the shallow relief of gritstone crags and Assyrian relief's from the British Museum. His images concentrate on objects or surfaces, like a wall, where the illusion of space in the picture is very shallow. The combination of surface patterns and the cascades of light falling across the surface create a sense of visual mystery which is of particular interest to Beech.


Portrait of Vincent Galloway

Beaulah made this painting of Vincent Galloway (1894-1977) at one of the morning painting sessions of the Hull Art Circle. Many famous local artists started their careers as members of this group, which continues to this day. Membership offered them a place to work where they could make many contacts with other artists in the area. Beaulah, an active member at this time, may well have met Galloway through this group. As Director of the Ferens Art Gallery, Galloway was a keen supporter of this group and had close connections with many of its members.


Flowers in a Black Vase

Blond studied at the Russian secondary school in Ludz and, at the age of twelve, saw one of his watercolours enter the Kiev Museum after a school competition. On finishing school he studied in Warsaw at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts. He then moved to Berlin, and later to Paris, becoming friends with number of leading artists. From 1925 he began to exhibit regularly in France, England, Switzerland and the USA. His figurative painting is characterised by a delicacy of vision and a love of nature, and has been described as a window on the world.


The Toilet

The 1950s were not a colourful period in Britain. In visual art, the era of post-war depression was perhaps best expressed by the five artists known as the Kitchen Sink painters; John Bratby, Jack Smith, Derek Greaves, Edward Middleditch and Peter Coker. The Ferens owns work by all but the latter, albeit from different periods in their careers. Coming from working class backgrounds, and all students of the Royal College of Art, they depicted what they regarded as the drab reality of their times. Bratby is the most widely recognised of the five. His paintings of the 1950s have very emotional and physical qualities, echoing the work of Van Gogh (1853-90). This is particularly evident in The Toilet with its tones of yellow and distorted perspective which draws the eye into the comfortingly familiar, mahogany seated, high cistern lavatory.


The Paddle Steamer 'Kingston of Hull' in the Humber Estuary

Thomas Binks was one of a group of painters who worked as ship decorators with the firm of Thomas Meggitt in Hull in the 1840s. This painting shows a sailing vessel, 'The Kingston', in the Humber Estuary with Hedon Church and Paull in the distant background. The ship was used in trade from Hull across the North Sea.


Amy, Wonderful Amy

Buxton trained as a tapestry weaver in the textile department of the Royal College of Art. This tapestry of Amy Johnson is one in a series of works celebrating Intrepid Women Travellers. As in most of her works, Buxton has drawn her inspiration from newspaper pictures and other popular images. Here, the image is taken from a famous photograph and includes a fragment of newspaper announcing her disappearance and a series of news-reel shots of her plane losing height on its fatal flight. Although the Ferens does not collect contemporary crafts, this tapestry was considered an unusual addition to the portrait collection.


Decay

A dramatic addition to the Ferens collection of local views, this work was presented to the Gallery by the artist after the 1991 Winter Exhibition. Painted while Matt Carless was a Fine Art student at Humberside Polytechnic, now Humberside University, the decaying facade of the old Co-op building in Kingston Square has been used as a metaphor by the artist to present the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.


Bounteous Sea

At the age of four Bellany was drawing the fishing boats in the village where he lived and images of fishermen, fish, boats and the sea have continued to figure in his paintings. Following a visit to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1967 his paintings became quite complex, using animals as symbols for death, guilt and sexual obsession. In around 1973, however, his style loosened and his colour became more hectic: birds and humans often merged. In the Ferens' example, draughtsmanship has been sacrificed for a lavish painterly effect with a rich and thick use of oil paint.


The Lettermen

Blake was a leading figure in the British Pop Art movement of the 1950s and '60s. Pop Art brought humour to painting. Defying convention, no subject was too banal to be painted - the more familiar the better. Advertisements, cartoons, soup cans, washbasins, to name but a few, have all been immortalised by pop artists. The Lettermen shows a popular American group whose first hit song was Their Hearts Were Full of Spring. Blake copied the image from a promotional photograph on their record sleeve. He has distorted the original picture with bold, free brushstrokes, emphasising the physical qualities of the paint rather than imitating the blandness of the photograph. To add to the icon-like quality which Blake gives to the objects of popular culture in his work, he has painted the name of the group in lettering the size and style of billboard writing.


Bandar

Born in South Africa, Boden studied under George Fullard (1923-73) at Chelsea School of Art and was later a Gregory Fellow at Leeds. He went on to teach at some of London's key art colleges including Camden School of Art, Central St. Martin's and the London College of Printing. Boden's coloured sculpture of the 1960s explores volume and space. Bandar is derived from a steel cylinder with a section cut from it. The title is a mild pun on the bands which decorate the smooth, curved surface of the piece.


The Armed Trawler Paul Rykens

Son of veteran War Artist Sir Muirhead Bone (1876-1953) Stephen was a camouflage officer at the beginning of the war, before being appointed by the War Artists' Advisory Committee in 1943. A prolific artist, Bone produced oil paintings and rapid sketches on board ship, direct from life. Many of his pictures show war vessels at rest in the quiet and secluded locks and harbours of the Scottish Isles.


The Lion at Home

This painting is typical of the realism favoured during the Victorian era. Rosa Bonheur, trained by her father, had already established her reputation with a vast painting, The Horse Fair, and was one of numerous women who developed successful careers portraying animals during the 19th century. Striving to be as accurate in detail as possible Bonheur visited slaughterhouses and cattle-markets, and kept many animals to sketch from. This painting was worked from close observation of a pair of Nubian lions and their cubs with which she shared her studio in Fontainebleau. Eccentric behaviour was characteristic of Bonheur, who attracted much comment in her day; going against the prevailing norms for women, she cropped her hair short, wore trousers (for which she needed a police permit) and smoked cigarettes. Exhibited first in London in 1882, The Lion at Home was an immediate success with both the public and the critics: With apparently inexhaustible artistic powers this greatest of French animal painters again comes to the front with a large and singularly fine picture she calls THE LION AT HOME. (The Queen, April 22 1882)


Coast Scene in Picardy

Bonington was born in England, but moved to France with his family when he was fifteen, where he remained until his early death in 1828. In a working career of little more than six years he perfected a dazzling technique in both oil and watercolour that was the envy of artists on both sides of the Channel. Coast Scene in Picardy, painted when Bonington was about 24 years old, is a fine example of the combined English and French influences at work. The cloud-filled sky and shimmering horizon are part of that English landscape tradition which is in turn derived from 17th century Holland. The boldness and simplicity of Bonington's zig-zagging composition, suggesting limitless distance, owes much to the French artist Delacroix (1798-1863) with whom Bonington shared a studio between 1824 and 1826.


January

Dennis Booth was born in County Durham and lived most of his life in the North of England. He studied at Leeds and went on to run the School of Fine Art at Hull College for over a decade in the 1950s and 60s. A large part of Booth's work was concerned with the experimental use of materials for mural decoration, and he carried out a considerable number of commissions for local banks, building societies and insurance companies. He also had a particular interest in landscape painting, often abstracting his work to represent 'equivalents in colour and form for the moods and mysteries of nature.' January is a semi-abstract scene. The central subject matter is a hedge within a winter landscape, but the mist and snow blot out all of the details and colours of the scene. The composition is based on geometrical divisions within the square canvas. The strong line of the horizon is mirrored by the freer strokes that represent the hedges and fields covered with snow.


The Eel Catcher

The basket traps in this painting are very similar to those in Pyne's Buck Baskets, which were used for catching salmon. As the traps depicted here were for eels, they were very much smaller and narrow, but both contraptions worked in a very similar way. The bung for emptying the trap can just be seen at the narrow end of the upright basket. Netting traps were also used for catching eels and were very much larger - anything up to 50 feet in length. These were lowered into the water using weights to keep the mouth of the trap open. Edmund Bristow was the son of a heraldic painter and, unlike many of his contemporaries; he appeared indifferent to wealth and fame. He seldom worked to order and sometimes even refused to sell his finished pictures. Bristow was probably satisfied with the distinction that patronage from the Royal family brought to him, working for the Duke of Clarence, William IV, princes Elizabeth and Prince George. He seemed, however, to live the life of a recluse and died in such obscurity that the Art Journal could find nothing to say about him for his obituary. Most of Bristow's best works are produced on a small scale. He excelled in finely detailed compositions such as the Eel Catcher, which are clearly influenced by the Dutch Old Masters. Bristow's subject matter varied, from interiors and still life's to sporting art and pictures of rural life which show, as in this work, a deep understanding of the lives of countrymen and gamekeepers.


By the Hills

Brockhurst had already acquired a reputation for his haunting portraits of women, when a young woman named Marguerite Strickland approached him as a model, believing herself to be his 'type'. After twenty-eight sittings at his Chelsea studio he had completed only the head. He then used his favourite model, Dorette, for the torso, finding Lady Marguerite 'too thin'. The title By the Hills was suggested by Strickland herself, although she did not see the finished painting until it was hung at London's Royal Academy, displaying all the gloss of Hollywood publicity of the period. The slick, almost photographic realism employed by Brockhurst has encouraged many to view his work alongside that of his contemporaries, the British Surrealists. Together with Meredith Frampton's (1894-1984) equally enigmatic A Game of Patience, this is one of the Ferens' most popular paintings,


The Approaching Footstep

Thomas BROOKS Hull 1818-1892 The Approaching Footstep The Approaching Footstep is typical of mid-Victorian narrative paintings, which were frequently reproduced as popular prints. The two fashionable beauties in a dramatic situation are reminiscent of scenes in 19th century Gothic novels, as they watch, half fearful, of someone approaching.


The Night School

Bundy was a historical and genre painter and water-colourist. He was primarily self-taught, although as a child he spent much time in the studio of Alfred Stevens (1817-75). He exhibited at both the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon. The Night School draws upon the Victorians' firm belief in the virtues of a good education. The Education Act was passed in 1870, designed to make education available to all. In reality only the more privileged, largely male, minority benefited from this. Many others, who missed out on schooling because their families were poor and required their children to earn a wage, were later encouraged to attend night-classes to catch up on their education. The young men here struggle to master the rudiments of knowledge. The emphasis would be on the 'three Rs' with the Bible and Pilgrim's Progress (a book which inspired many Victorian artists) used to underline the value of moral standards.


The Embroidered Cloak

A portrait and still life painter, Cadell was one of the Scottish Colourists group. The Colourists continued a tradition established in Glasgow in the 1880s by William McTaggart (1835-1910) and his contemporaries which brought powerful brushwork and bold colours to Scottish painting at a time when academic practice still favoured realism, dark colours and high finish. The Ferens owns work by three of the Group; Cadell, Fergusson (1874-1961) and Peploe (1871-1935) - the fourth member was Leslie Hunter (1877-1931). The Colourists were influenced by their time spent in Paris where they came into contact with the simplified, colourful work of artists like Matisee (1869-1954). The beauty of the Colourists' work lies in the paint itself, rather than the subject matter, hence the term Colourists. Cadell's paintings are characterised by strong colour, the liberal use of white and rather angular compositions. His brushwork in this portrait has an uncharacteristic smoothness which is suited to the formality of the painting, with its intersecting hoop shapes. The sitter is unknown - she may have been a friend or a model.


Hollym Village, Holderness

Based in Withernsea, George Cammidge was an accomplished local artist. He painted both land and seascapes and his depictions of local scenes were extremely popular in the region. This painting depicts the East Riding village of Hollym, near Withernsea. Looking Westwards through the village a sign for Patrington can be seen pointing south. Many of the buildings still exist, including the parish church and 'Rose Cottage', both shown on the left, and this work still remains a popular picture amongst Hollym residents today.


Gathering on the Terrace at 47, Downshire Hill, Hampstead

Richard Carline came from a family of accomplished artists. After studying in Paris and London he became an Official War Artist in 1918 and executed aerial views of the war zones. He shared his first exhibition with his brother Sidney (1888-1929) in 1920, the same year in which he joined the London Group, motivated, like his contemporaries, by a dislike of academic officialdom and new artistic movements like Futurism. Throughout the next 3 decades Carline remained very active, teaching, organising exhibitions and undertaking projects on behalf of the Artists' International Association. He continued this work well into the 1970s. His paintings included portraits and landscapes, the former often depicting his contemporaries and the latter reflecting both his native countryside and his travels abroad.


Self Portrait

The son of a wealthy biscuit manufacturer (the family business was Peek Frean's), Carr began painting in his spare time before taking formal tuition at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. A fellow pupil was Lucian Freud (b.1922). Carr worked chiefly in isolation. His paintings of the 1950s and '60s were heavily influenced by Scottish artists like Robert Colquhoun (1914-1962), who is also represented in the Ferens' collection. Carr's works of the 1940s are more eccentric and individualistic in style. His close friend, the artist L.S. Lowry (1887-1976), encouraged him to look for eccentric human types as his subject matter and to paint 'queer' pictures. This self-portrait is a characteristic and major work of the artist's best period. There is a strong hint of surrealism in the dream-like proportions and still life objects. This surreal quality is further heightened by the way the figure is inexplicably cut off beneath the table.


North Sea Incident

Chesterman was born in India and as a child also lived in Australia prior to settling in England. Having started out as a farmer he eventually pursued his artistic interests as a mature student at both Leeds College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. He went on to teach at Leeds College of Art for 30 years. Chesterman had a solo show at the Ferens in 1999 from which this painting was acquired. Boats are the subject of many of his paintings, prints, photographs and sculpture. North Sea Incident captures the awesome scale of a tanker in dry dock. Chesterman has said that, 'ships on land are a bit like a house at sea…boats operate between air and water. On land they seem curiously tense.' The size and power of the tanker has been heightened by the inclusion of a cluster of tiny paper boats bobbing in the water at the bottom of the picture. North Sea Incident refers to the 1904 shelling of a flotilla of Hull trawlers by a Russian fleet, who mistook it for a Japanese submarine. People were killed and many boats sank. The small paper boats that float vulnerably alongside the huge tanker are symbolic of this incident.


Maltese Women

Cole trained in Swindon, and later at the Royal College of Art. There, he gained a diploma in mural decoration, fabric printing and lithography. In 1937 he became a teacher at the Hull College of Art, and from 1940 travelled widely during the Second World War as one of the Government's Official War Artists. It was during his posting to Malta that this painting was produced. The Maltese people had won the admiration of many for their courage in resisting a German siege. In honour of the contribution ordinary people had made, Cole concentrated mainly on civilian subjects as depicted in Maltese Women, which shows two women with a new-born baby, sheltering in their underground home.


Leaning Woman

A painter of stylised figure compositions, lithographer and theatrical designer, Colquhoun studied art in Glasgow and then travelled around Europe on a scholarship. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps but was invalided out in 1941 when he commenced Civil Defence work, painting mostly at night. Colquhoun was noticably influenced by Gauguin (1848-1903) and Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), producing paintings that are stiff and angular with strong, bright colours. Presumably painted in the 1940s, this picture, although heavily stylised, is a portrait, unlike his other works that are figure studies rather than facial likeness. The strident, hard colours, heavy black outlines, and especially the treatment of the face, are reminiscent of Picasso (1881-1973).


A Spate in the Highlands

This renowned animal painter trained at the Royal Academy schools and spent his early years painting coaches and theatre scenery. He later taught in Brussels, becoming a friend of the Belgian animal painter and sculptor, Eugene Verboekhoeven (1798/9-1881), who was a great influence on him. Cooper was also inspired by the Dutch school of the 17th century. He returned to London in 1831 and became almost exclusively an animal painter, using as his models the cows and sheep grazing in Regent's Park. He began to exhibit prolifically, including a remarkable unbroken run of 266 paintings shown at the Royal Academy until 1902 - a record. He enjoyed a highly lucrative career, with frequent commissions, and despite the constant repetition of popular subjects like sheep and cattle in landscapes, the quality of his work rarely diminished. Here, in this wildly Romantic and dramatic scene, the shepherd on his highland pony waits as his dog undertakes the difficult and dangerous task of retrieving a sheep from the flooded river. For centuries, Collie dogs were little known outside the Scottish lowlands, where they guarded the large flocks of free-roaming sheep. The Border Collie is bred for its strong sheep herding ability.


Noah, a Mystery

Only a small proportion of Corbould's works are in oil, his preference being for watercolour. In 1851 Corbould was appointed 'instructor of historical painting' to the Royal family, a post that he retained for 21 years. Many of his best works were acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Noah, a Mystery was commissioned in 1859 by Edward Shimells Wilson, Secretary and Solicitor to Hull's Trinity House, who was greatly interested in the mystery and nativity plays that were enacted in the streets of medieval towns. The scene seems to be taken from the corner of Posterngate, with Holy Trinity Church in the background, and is Corbould's interpretation of a medieval event. The plays were staged on a cart which was drawn through the streets of Hull. Although the artist randomly mixes medieval and 19th century ornament, he has included carefully detailed Arms and mottos relating to Hull and to Trinity House.


Sensitive Skin

Crowley studied in London and has since exhibited widely throughout the UK. He has undertaken several residencies and mural projects, the latter being apposite to the large scale of much of his work. Sensitive Skin shows the artist's own face superimposed in a ghostly fashion over a background which represents urban decay. The painting contains elements very characteristic of Crowley's work: a house stripped of its outer walls; open doors; a swinging light bulb; steps and staircases; helicopters flying overhead. It is by combining these common objects in such a haunting and strange fashion that the artist touches upon people's innermost fears. While the more disturbing and dreamlike qualities of Crowley's paintings link him to the surrealist movement, his vision of urban decay and intervention in the landscape places him in the tradition of British Romanticism practised by Sutherland (1903-1980) and Piper (b.1903), and indeed of the War Artists of the 1940s.


The Artist's Mother

Cundall was a painter of topographical subjects, townscapes and portraits. After an early career designing pottery and stained glass for Pilkingtons, Cundall was severely wounded in the Great War. However, in 1940 he was elected Official War Artist to the Air Ministry. In between the wars he studied painting in London and Paris, and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1917. This cool, unsentimental painting has a balanced composition and a calm geometric background, but the alert pose of the sitter gives liveliness to the picture. The areas of colour are low-key and relatively un-modelled. The building and its plan which appears in a frame to the right of the sitter has not been identified, nor is it known whether there was any significance in Cundall's including it in a portrait of his mother.


Romantic Landscape

This painting has recently been cleaned of the dirt and dust which had built up over the years, discolouring the varnish. The deep green tones which pervaded the canvas, caused by this discoloration, have now been lifted to reveal both rich and delicate shades of blue and yellow. A great deal of the foreground detail, which had previously been obliterated, is also now clearly visible. Although the work was originally thought to be by Francis Danby, there has been some dispute as to this attribution. It is now generally accepted to be a close imitation of Danby's style, possibly by his close friend James Johnson (1803-1834). Danby was known for his romantic landscapes, inspired by the 17th century painter Claude Lorraine (1600-1682). Danby based his work on his imagination, yet combined these idyllic and sometimes fantastic visions with a careful observation of nature. In the 1820s he became particularly interested in the effects of rays from the sunset through trees, which evoked moods of calm contemplation.


Tremadoc

Following the First World War, Coxon studied at Leeds College of Art and the Royal College of Art, where his contemporaries included Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Eric Ravilious (1903-1942). Together with Moore, Coxon founded the short-lived British Independent Society in 1927. Coxon's work ranged from sensitive portraits to non-representational paintings based on natural form. This painting offers a subjective, more expressive depiction of Tremadoc in Wales, exaggerating the dark forms and looming shadows of the hills to evoke an eerie and disquieting atmosphere.


Cotswold River Scene

After an early career in banking, Davis left to study art in Paris before embarking upon a career as a professional illustrator. He specialised in black and white images and produced commissions for numerous publications including The Windsor Magazine. In the latter half of his life he gave up this career to devote his time to painting and drawing. With a passion for landscapes, Davis worked in a mostly traditional manner, despite the more surreal or self-expressive developments in contemporary landscape painting by other artists such as Paul Nash (1889-1946) and Graham Sutherland (1903-80).


Street Scene, Funchal, Madeira

Born in Southport, Dixon painted landscapes and figures, showing his work at the Royal Academy and in regional galleries. He trained at London's Slade School of Art around the end of the nineteenth century when many of the Slade's tutors and former students were dominating the New English Art Club. As a leading figure in English Impressionism, Philip Wilson Steer (1860-1942) was one of Slade's most influential tutors at that time. The influence of both Steer's teaching and French Impressionism are evident in this piece. Using broad brush strokes and a bright palette, Dixon was concerned with capturing the effects of light and shadow cast over the street.


Quietly Dreaming of Spring

Scottish-born artist Alan Davie was one of a number of British artists whose work during the 1950s bore strong influences from the work of American Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). Their free, gestural use of paint and fondness for bright, vivid colours had a profound effect on Davie's own paintings, as is evident in Quietly Dreaming of Spring. Indeed, over the years Davie's work has fallen under a number of influences, including his interests in oriental mysticism, gliding, swimming and Indian mythology. Having also spent a period working as a professional jazz musician after the Second World War, Davie's style of work throughout his career has always been closely compared to jazz music, especially that which is improvised. Davie viewed art as a way of gaining spiritual enlightenment. His brightly-coloured and richly patterned paintings are alive with symbols and signs, evoking primitive magic, religion and eroticism.


Colour Box II

Denny studied painting at St. Martin's School of Art in London and held various teaching positions at art schools throughout the 1950s. He is regarded as being one of the first British artists to respond to American abstract expressionism, developing an abstract style free of natural associations. In his early work, like the American Jasper Johns (b.1930), he used stencilled and collaged lettering in his work. The Ferens owns such a work by Denny, painting of 1967. Colour Box II is one of a series of five multiple screen-prints produced in 1969. Each image in the series was an assemblage of acrylic sheets superimposed on each other, contained in a specially constructed frame. Denny's Colour Box series focuses on the tonal values of the colours themselves; he draws attention to the differing tones through the formal construction of the box, in which planes of colour are 'stacked' within the frame. To Denny, the most important part of the Colour Boxes was the 'entry image', the point at which the spectator's eye meets the work. Here, this area is considered to be the lower centre of the image.


Painting 1957

Denny is a painter of abstracts and a maker of constructions in various media including oil, acrylic, collage and screen-print. His career brought him international fame with numerous one-man exhibitions throughout the world, including a major retrospective show at the Tate Gallery, London, in 1973. As both an artist and a lecturer at a number of art institutions including the Slade School of Art, he has been a highly influential figure in the development of British abstract art. Denny is a member of a generation that grew up after the 2nd World War in Europe which was determined to re-invent the world in general, and art in particular, all over again. An exhibition of the American Abstract Expressionists at the Tate Gallery in 1956 was highly influential in bringing to Denny's attention a manner of work that attempted to break free from art conventions and create a new beginning for art. Painting 1957 is an early work of Denny's. His concerns at this time lay with the 'primary act of painting' - attending to its form, colour and composition - as opposed to representing the world we live in. In this way he hoped to draw the viewer's attention to the painting as an object in itself, instead of as an illusion of nature. His use of letters as simply visual forms that make no words and have no meaning again reinforces the abstract nature of the work. Denny strives for ambiguity in his paintings so their full meaning is not grasped immediately but only becomes clearer after longer periods of thought and observation.


Sir George and Lady Strickland in the Grounds of Boynton Hall

Devis specialised in the conversation piece - a new tradition in English painting of representing real people 'at home'. His patrons came from the Northern middle class rather than the aristocracy. The naive charm of Devis' work is much more highly thought of today than it was in his own time. Painted in the year of their marriage, Sir George and Lady Strickland are shown stiffly posed in a manner to suggest their good breeding. The small dog and honeysuckle have been included as traditional symbols of the couple's affection and fidelity. The classical landscape in the background is a poetic interpretation of the Boynton estate and reinforces the presentation of Sir George and Lady Strickland as an elegant and educated couple.


The Son of a Saint

Following a period of military service, Dinet worked as a pupil at L'Academie Julian. He was profoundly influenced by a visit to an African colony in Algeria in 1822, and thereafter returned every year to continue his study of Arab Africa. Dinet received a number of medals and was made Officer of the Legion of Honour in 1905. This painting was a study for another oil entitled Fils du Mrabeth, which was displayed at the Paris Salon in 1901 and set the seal on his reputation.


Self-Portrait

Downton was a very gifted individual as a musician, poet and philosopher as well as a painter and art theorist. The three years he spent at Cambridge University reading the History of Art developed his position as an intellectual with firm beliefs on art and the world in general. It came as no surprise that when Downton attended the Slade School of Art in London he left after just one year because he disagreed with their views on painting, which he considered to be too modern. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Downton felt a necessity to look to the past for inspiration. As a committed realist painter he rejected the mainstream of British art at the time and felt that it was moving further and further away from his own ideals, venturing even more closer to the field of abstraction. This is probably Downton's earliest self-portrait and was produced duringhis time at the Slade. Unlike his numerous self-portrait drawings that depict an immediate response to nature and observational study, his paintings are far more planned and bear specific reference to the art of the past. For this particular work he draws inspiration from the work of two great master painters, Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Durer (1471-1528).


Portrait of a musician

Dobson is regarded as our first native-born English painter of distinction - prior to him, painting in England was dominated by foreign visitors like Gheeraedts. The patterns and rich colours of 15th and 16th century Venetian art shape his distinguished style, which found favour at the Court of Charles I during the Civil War. Van Dyck's (1599-1641) influence permeates the freer handling of paint, and the pose of his sitters. The inclusion here of two figures playing lutes (upper right) and a roll of music (?) in the man's hand suggests that the subject is a musician. Statues and symbols are common inclusions in Dobson's work, reflecting his classical learning.


Portrait of Hilda Downton

Throughout his life Downtown travelled regularly around Europe, at one stage nearly setting up home in Venice. His love of northern Italy coupled with his strong Christian beliefs brought the great Italian and German master painters of the Renaissance period to the foreground of his attention. Having studied the History of Art at Cambridge, Downton was aware of how past art traditions could influence current art developments and he looked to the past rather than the present for his own inspiration as an artist. Downton placed great importance on an artist's individual talent and role as a highly skilled craftsman and with this belief he disapproved of the machine age with its emphasis on mass-production. This commitment to detailed observation and skilled handling of the paint is reflected in his Portrait of Hilda Downton. Downton's sister, Hilda, recalls being asked to sit for this portrait wearing their mother's fur-lined coat so that Downton could study the fabric. Downton's close attention to the fabric and the inclusion of brocade in the background make specific references to art history and to the painting the Ambassadors by Hans Holbein (1497/98-1543).


Ulysses and the Sirens

A variant on the neo-classical tradition of the late Victorian era, Draper's pictures often had a nautical theme; he was particularly fond of painting nymphs and mermaids. The subject of the Ferens' painting is taken from Greek legend, as described in Homer's Odyssey, the epic poem describing the adventures of Ulysses (Odysseus) on his journey home from Troy. Ulysses and his men had to sail past rocks where sirens sang, tempting sailors to their doom. To overcome the temptation, Ulysses ordered his crew to plug their ears and keep rowing, whilst he tied himself to the ship's mast. The image of the temptress frequently occurs in late Victorian art, often as little more than an excuse for eroticism.


Portrait of Elizabeth Allhusen

French-born Dulac made his reputation as a book illustrator for children's books such as The Arabian Nights. The subject matter allowed him to indulge his love of the exotic and the oriental. He went on to enjoy a diverse and very active career, designing stamps, books and gravestones. With its gold background, oriental details which recall Persian miniature paintings, and hard outlines this portrait is a 1920s reworking of the great Italian Renaissance portraits by such artists as Titian (c.1487/ 90-1576) and Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).


The Orange Scarf

Born in Dublin to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, Dunlop moved with his family in early childhood to America, then to London and Manchester. He trained at Manchester Art School, where he also had his first experience of drawing from life. At the age of nineteen he moved to London and took up a post in advertising. He married in 1914 and, at the start of the Great War, worked upon the land and at various trades. After the war he decided to abandon commercial work and to develop his painting skills. Dunlop's approach to painting was very personal, and it is said that he strove to express his character through his painterly and exuberant work. This portrait of an unknown sitter reflects the artist's interest in the beauty of colour and shape, and the tactile quality of paint. In his early career, although his work was admired, Dunlop had few patrons. However, he enjoyed a period of remarkable success from 1928 to the 1930s, when he sold every picture shown in a series of exhibitions at London's Redfern Gallery. He became a prolific exhibitor, showing work all over Britain. He enjoyed particular success in Scotland, and was even one of six 'Scottish' painters whose work was shown at a prestigious Paris exhibition in 1931. He is also notable for having founded the Emotionist Group of artists and writers in 1923, and for his books 'Understanding Pictures' and 'Struggling with Paint', his autobiography of 1956.


Poppies

Born in Dublin to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, Dunlop moved with his family in early childhood to America, then to London and Manchester. He trained at Manchester Art School, where he also had his first experience of drawing from life. At the age of nineteen he moved to London and took up a post in advertising. He married in 1914 and, at the start of the Great War, worked upon the land and at various trades. After the war he decided to abandon commercial work and to develop his painting skills. Dunlop's approach to painting was very personal, and it is said that he strove to express his character through his painterly and exuberant work. This decorative painting of poppies reflects the artist's interest in the beauty of colour and shape, and the tactile quality of paint. In his early career, although his work was admired, Dunlop had few patrons. However, he enjoyed a period of remarkable success from 1928 to the 1930s, when he sold every picture shown in a series of exhibitions at London's Redfern Gallery. He became a prolific exhibitor, showing work all over Britain. He enjoyed particular success in Scotland, and was even one of six 'Scottish' painters whose work was shown at a prestigious Paris exhibition in 1931. He is also notable for having founded the Emotionist Group of artists and writers in 1923, and for his books 'Understanding Pictures' and 'Struggling with Paint', his autobiography of 1956.


Portrait of Douglas Dunn

Edwards' ambitious, large scale paintings have established him as one of the most prominent contemporary portraitists working today. He has exhibited widely, and is represented in the National Portrait Gallery by his portraits of Seamus Heaney, Bobby Charlton and the Liverpool Poets. He began work on a series of portraits of poets in 1985 with the intention of usurping a scale historically used to promote kings and princes, and the power of the ruling classes. Edwards used it to portray a group of people without political or financial power, who instead have the subtler power of poetry: 'I wanted the figure to be the same size as the viewer to give the sensation of being in their presence - of almost being in the picture space.' The poet Douglas Dunn came to Hull from Scotland in the 1960s to study at the University and spent the next fifteen years as a freelance writer, becoming the major catalyst of the Hull poetry boom. Dunn's wife Lesley was the Senior Keeper of the Ferens until her untimely death in 1981: this portrait brings a special relevance and poignancy to both the Gallery and the City of Hull. The Portrait of Douglas Dunn conveys a strong sense of the poet's vivacious and engaging character, lively curiosity and humour. The view over the Forth of Tay through the bay window lends an airy atmosphere and broad perspective to hint at his expansive use of language which describes this landscape so effectively in Saturday's Rainbow, 1990.


Marine Harvest

Eurich's painting shows in moving detail the destructive force of the sea, as the broken remains of a small fishing vessel are buffeted against the jetty. The ironic title, Marine Harvest, reminds us that the 'harvest' from the sea, normally fish, can often be more sinister. Richard Eurich made many paintings of the sea, and his favourite themes were to set specific human events against the sea's eternal drama. In Marine Harvest each figure is involved in a separate struggle against the gale. The bell ringer is knocked off his feet by flying debris, while the figures in the foreground lean into the wind in their struggle to reach the wreckage. The sheer force of the elements would have made Marine Harvest impossible to paint on the spot. In such instances Eurich made quick notes and sketches to trigger his memory and give his finished works a great sense of accuracy and attention to detail. It is hard to believe that Eurich painted this scene from his imagination so strong is the feeling of reality.


Joseph Gee of Cottingham House, in the county of York

The descendant of a family of local gentry, Joseph Gee was Hull's dominant ship owner in sail and steam during the period c. 1830-1860. Many of his vessels were depicted by local marine artists, notably John Ward of Hull's (1798-1849) The Return of the 'William Lee' (Ferens Collection). Gee was born into a family with substantial holdings of land in the East Riding and lived at Cottingham House, Yorkshire. His birth date is unknown. He died aged 58 at Lowestoft, while on business, in 1860. Gee had a series of cutter (racing) yachts including the renowned 'Corsair', built in 1825. In this portrait he wears yachting garb, and is posed with a cutter yacht in the background. He also founded the Hull Mariners' Church and Sailor's Orphanage Society (later the Hull Seaman's and General Orphan Society). The Hull Maritime Museum has a crude copy of this portrait that Gee presented to the Sailors' Orphanage. Thomas Ellerby was a London-based portrait and genre painter. He exhibited in London at the Royal Academy and the British Institution. His subjects included official portraits and exotic themes like A Roman Woman Selling Flowers. He was clearly highly regarded since many of his portraits were engraved. During the latter part of his career Ellerby undertook commissions for Yorkshire families together with a number of civic portraits.


Elizabeth Jane Gee

The sitter was the wife of the important 19th century Hull ship owner Joseph Gee, and was the sister-in-law of the marine artist Robert Ernest Row. The descendant of a family of local gentry, Joseph Gee was Hull's dominant ship owner during the period c. 1830-1860. Elizabeth is actually a somewhat mysterious character, and is barely mentioned in surviving documents. It is almost certain that this portrait was conceived as a pair with Ellerby's portrait of Joseph Gee, 1841, (Ferens Collection) and was probably painted at around the same time. This is supported by the style of early Victorian costume the sitter wears. The artist, Thomas Ellerby, was a London-based portrait and genre painter whose dates of birth and death are not recorded. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and at the British Institution. Apart from official portraits his subjects included exotic themes like An Italian Female and A Roman Woman Selling Flowers. His work was clearly highly regarded since many of his portraits were engraved. During the latter part of his career Ellerby undertook a number of commissions for Yorkshire families, together with a number of civic portraits.


These Shall Our Hearts Remember

Ewart attended the Glasgow School of Art before being awarded a travelling scholarship which he used to study in Italy and France. He gained a reputation as a portrait painter and exhibited regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy, becoming an Associate of the Academy in 1934. These Shall Our Hearts Remember was painted just ten years after the end of the First World War and strikingly illustrates the feelings of a generation decimated by the horrors of trench warfare. The soldiers are portrayed as monumental figures waiting in the trenches wearing their full fighting kit, grim and determined. Ewart has used a palette-knife to create sharp, angular marks with the paint, and employs dark lighting to add a sombre, uneasy atmosphere to the work. It is probable that the three soldiers represent the three emotional states of war. The left soldier is young and determined, as if unaware of the shocking scenes that await him. The middle soldier appears weary, with a 'knowing' look in his eyes. By contrast, the right soldier is slumped down in the background too tired and distraught to continue.


Hilly Landscape

Anderson was Art Master at Hymers College in Hull during the 1930s and '40s before moving to the South Coast. A member of Hull Art Club, she had an exhibition at the Ferens in 1948 where her work was upheld for its use of rich colours and imaginative subjects. Painted around 1926, Hilly Landscape shows the strong impact of French Post-Impressionism on English artists at that time. The heavy brushmarks, flat colour and bold use of line also reflect early experiments in abstraction. The artist seems less concerned with portraying a realistic scene and more pre-occupied with the painting as a flat, decorative surface.


The Almond Tree

Bland painted landscapes and flowers in oil. She studied at London's Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks (1862-1937) and Fred Brown (1851-1941) and exhibited with the New English Art Club. Throughout the mid-1880s and 1890s the NEAC was dominated by Slade-trained artists. At this time, teaching at the Slade placed an emphasis on studying the effects of light, undermining the importance attached to subject matter. Painted during the 1920s, The Almond Tree reveals the strong influence that French Impressionism had on many British artists well into the twentieth century.


Portrait of the Artist

Frederick Brown studied at the Royal College of Art and in Paris. He went on to become an influential tutor at the Slade School of Art from 1892 to 1918, alongside Philip Wilson Steer (1860-1942). They were both founder members of the New English Art Club, formed in reaction against the restrictive attitudes of the Royal Academy. Brown was an important collector of his contemporaries' and his pupils' work, and a number of paintings in his collection can be seen behind him in this self-portrait. These images represent his status both as a professional artist and a patron. The picture was painted in the artist's own studio in Richmond. He portrays himself as a well-dressed, distinguished gentleman striking a confident pose.


The Enchanted Valley

Born in Hertfordshire, Chubb attended Cambridge University and then the Slade School of Art, where he gained the life painting prize. He went on to become a tutor of life drawing at St. Martin's School of Art. Chubb is best noted for his imaginative watercolours and illustrations. A poet as well as a painter, he described his works as having a 'visionary character' about them. The Enchanted Valley shows the impact that Post-Impressionism was having on many young English artists by the 1920s. The piece represents a general departure away from observation and academic realism, towards a more expressive and symbolic way of working. Although much 'tighter' in style, this painting bears some similarities to the landscape nudes of the German Expressionist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938).


The Wedding Dress

Such emotive subjects as this were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Elwell intensifies the sorrow of the scene by contrasting the light sheen of the woman's unworn gown with the black dress she wears instead, in mourning. Her bowed body, silhouetted against the open trunk, conveys the formal language of grief. The model for this painting was Violet Press, a costumier in Beverley. Fate dealt an ironic blow when, shortly after posing, she lost her husband in the First World War, after only a short marriage.


Still Life - Vegetables

Codrington was a painter and etcher of figures, interiors and still-lifes. She studied at the Royal Academy Schools and exhibited at many London and provincial galleries. In 1923 she also showed at the Paris Salon where she received an Honourable Mention. Codrington's paintings range from quiet interiors to genre and figure subjects, painted with realistic detail. Still Life - Vegetables provides a contrast to the more progressive artistic developments in England during the 1920s. Codrington appears committed to more traditional art practices. Her close observation of nature, attention to detail and heightened realism, share strong similarities to the still-lifes and interiors of one of her contemporaries, Fred Elwell (1870-1958).


The Lettermen

Blake was a leading figure in the British Pop Art movement of the 1950s and '60s. Pop Art brought humour to painting. Defying convention, no subject was too banal to be painted - the more familiar the better. Advertisements, cartoons, soup cans, washbasins, to name but a few, have all been immortalised by pop artists. The Lettermen shows a popular American group whose first hit song was Their Hearts Were Full of Spring. Blake copied the image from a promotional photograph on their record sleeve. He has distorted the original picture with bold, free brushstrokes, emphasising the physical qualities of the paint rather than imitating the blandness of the photograph. To add to the icon-like quality which Blake gives to the objects of popular culture in his work, he has painted the name of the group in lettering the size and style of billboard writing.


Our Flag at Algeciras

Conder spent his early childhood in India before moving to Australia at the age of seventeen. There he gained a job producing landscape drawings for the Illustrated Sydney News and was soon regularly exhibiting his paintings. In 1890 he studied in Paris where he was influenced by the French mural painter Puvis de Chavannes (1824-98). He also became friends with Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). In 1893 Conder was elected a member of the New English Art Club and four years later settled in London. Our Flag at Algeciras was probably painted on Conder's last trip abroad in 1905 when he stayed at this small town near Gibraltar. The conspicuous flag possibly relates to the international conference held there in the winter of 1905-6, at which Britain sided with France against Germany in a dispute over rights in Morocco. At this time Conder was painting landscapes and portraits in an impressionistic manner. His attention was directed towards the study of colour and light using the much broader brush strokes seen in this example.


An Algerian

Coutts specialised in painting portraits and figures. He exhibited at the Royal Academy as well as in Paris and went on to teach in Australia. Examples of his work can be found in the Sydney Museum, Australia. An Algerian was acquired following its entry in the 1922 Autumn Exhibition at the Victoria Galleries in Hull. It was shown at the Royal Academy the same year. The subject of this painting was probably a character who Coutts met during his varied travels.


Miss Isobel Dacre

Francis Dodd studied in Glasgow and travelled widely on the continent. He was a painter of portraits, landscapes and genre scenes as well as being an etcher. He exhibited numerous works at the Royal Academy. The sitter, Miss Isobel Dacre, was herself a landscape and figure painter who exhibited work from 1880-1929. Although the style of this portrait is somewhat conventional, it is given added interest by the sitter's pose: she turns as if distracted by someone entering the room.


Poppies

Arundel owned a building firm, and specialised in lighthouse construction and repair. He started painting in his thirties, but did not take it up seriously until just before the Second World War. He studied at the Bradford Arts club and later went on to exhibit extensively around England and in Paris. Poppies is typical of hid subject matter, which was mainly landscapes, flowers and portraits. He frequently signed his name in red paint. Although he was born and died in Bradford, Arundel is known to have lived for a time in Lincolnshire.


Still Life with Sassetta

Clark studied at Hull College and gained a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Indiana University in America. When he returned to Britain in 1983 he became head of painting at Hull College. During the early 1970's Clark seems to have had an interest in Still life painting. Our vivid work has a strong contemporary feel.


Venice, The Grand Canal

Canaletto's works were frequently copied, either direct from the originals, or copies made after copies by imitators from many different countries. There are two closely related versions of this scene which have been unanimously attributed to Canaletto. One is held in the collections of Woburn Abbey and the other, which is closer in composition to this picture, belongs to a private collector in Milan. He made many paintings of the Grand Canal, from slightly different viewpoints, but employing the same distinct perspective. His almost constant re-working of the same subject matter helps to make his work familiar to modern audiences. Canaletto was the most prolific of the Venetian vedutista or view painters, whose work focused on towns like Rome and Venice. Accurate paintings were in demand by patrons as souvenirs of their 'Grand Tours' of Italy. Later in his career the artist painted scenes in London too.


These Shall Our Hearts Remember

Ewart attended the Glasgow School of Art before being awarded a travelling scholarship which he used to study in Italy and France. He gained a reputation as a portrait painter and exhibited regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy, becoming an Associate of the Academy in 1934. These Shall Our Hearts Remember was painted just ten years after the end of the First World War and strikingly illustrates the feelings of a generation decimated by the horrors of trench warfare. The soldiers are portrayed as monumental figures waiting in the trenches wearing their full fighting kit, grim and determined. Ewart has used a palette-knife to create sharp, angular marks with the paint, and employs dark lighting to add a sombre, uneasy atmosphere to the work. It is probable that the three soldiers represent the three emotional states of war. The left soldier is young and determined, as if unaware of the shocking scenes that await him. The middle soldier appears weary, with a 'knowing' look in his eyes. By contrast, the right soldier is slumped down in the background too tired and distraught to continue.


Cutting out the Hermione

Cutting out the Hermione depicts a famous historical incident that was painted by several artists. In 1797 the frigate Hermione of 36 guns was seized by mutineers at Puerto Rico and handed over to the Spaniards. Two years later in 1799 Captain Hamilton set out in six boats from the frigate Surprise to recapture the Hermione while she lay at anchor at Puerto Caballo. The Hermione was protected by two guard boats as well as by the shore batteries, and the attacking boats were heavily engaged. After six hours’ fighting in the middle of the night the Spanish crew was overcome and forced to surrender. Dawson’s painting was commissioned by William Millward in 1876 and was completed in just two months. It shows the artist’s mastery of light and his interest in and knowledge of maritime history. The inherent drama of the scene also betrays the influence of the painter Turner (1775-1851), whom Dawson much admired.


Self Portrait

Although born in Hull, Dawson moved to Nottingham with his family when he was a child. There, he was apprenticed in the lace industry but briefly in 1838, took art lessons from J.B. Pyne (1800-1870). Dawson worked as an artist in both Liverpool and London. He exhibited at the Royal Academy where he showed mainly landscapes, coastal views and port scenes. He received official recognition relatively late in his career but was admired throughout by a number of his artistic contemporaries and patrons. This modest self portrait painted on an intimate scale, contrasts with the characteristic ambition of his maritime works but shows the same careful handling of paint and orchestration of tones.


A Wild Sunset

Contemporaries praised Dawson's technical abilities and his subtlety in the use of colour and tone. Here these skills are demonstrated in an atmospheric seascape, of aptly romantic title. Although perhaps best known as a landscape painter, Dawson first experimented with maritime painting in Liverpool, where he settled in 1844. The sea had played a part in his family history as his mother's first husband had been a sailor on the Victory.


Venice, The Grand Canal

Canaletto's works were frequently copied, either direct from the originals, or copies made after copies by imitators from many different countries. There are two closely related versions of this scene which have been unanimously attributed to Canaletto. One is held in the collections of Woburn Abbey and the other, which is closer in composition to this picture, belongs to a private collector in Milan. He made many paintings of the Grand Canal, from slightly different viewpoints, but employing the same distinct perspective. His almost constant re-working of the same subject matter helps to make his work familiar to modern audiences. Canaletto was the most prolific of the Venetian vedutista or view painters, whose work focused on towns like Rome and Venice. Accurate paintings were in demand by patrons as souvenirs of their 'Grand Tours' of Italy. Later in his career the artist painted scenes in London too.


Discovery of the Staff

The Scottish artist Alan Davie was influenced by Abstract Expressionism, a style developed in America in which paint was splashed rapidly over large canvasses. The result was a random, expressive and often colourful abstract pattern. Making use of accident and chance composition in this manner, Davie built up images which, rather than having specific meaning, are suggestive of many things. Davie is a talented jazz musician, and the spontaneous improvisation of jazz music, together with its rhythms, is carried over in his style of painting. His fascination with colour, and with such themes as mythology, birth, magic and primitive African art emerge subconsciously as he paints. Discovery of the Staff, which Davie titled after the picture was completed, is named from the white hook-shaped object in the centre of it. The painting is full of strange signs and strong shapes which have no precise meaning, but which still have the fascination of a kind of writing or symbolism which we can half understand.


The Return from Inkerman

Lady Elizabeth Butler was an innovative artist and is valued as one of the first painters to celebrate the courage of the ordinary British soldier. She also challenged the conventions of her day by depicting war scenes rather than sticking to the limited subject matter then regarded as suitable for women artists. She became the most successful war artist of the period. The Return from Inkerman was Lady Butler's third painting of the Crimean War in which Britain and France attempted to limit Russian power in the Turkish Empire. Butler's picture was painted twenty-three years after the actual event. She never saw military action herself but gained insight into army life as a soldier's wife. The realism of her paintings was achieved with meticulous and elaborate preparation. This involved literally recreating historic events by hiring platoons of soldiers, dressed in authentic uniform, to bring the action of particular battles back to life. One of Butler's most famous paintings, 'The Roll Call', was purchased for the Royal Collection by Queen Victoria in 1874.


Sir George and Lady Strickland in the Grounds of Boynton Hall

Devis specialised in the conversation piece - a new tradition in English painting of representing real people 'at home'. His patrons came from the Northern middle class rather than the aristocracy. The naive charm of Devis' work is much more highly thought of today than it was in his own time. Painted in the year of their marriage, Sir George and Lady Strickland are shown stiffly posed in a manner to suggest their good breeding. The small dog and honeysuckle have been included as traditional symbols of the couple's affection and fidelity. The classical landscape in the background is a poetic interpretation of the Boynton estate and reinforces the presentation of Sir George and Lady Strickland as an elegant and educated couple.


The Lion at Home

This painting is typical of the realism favoured during the Victorian era. Rosa Bonheur, trained by her father, had already established her reputation with a vast painting, The Horse Fair, and was one of numerous women who developed successful careers portraying animals during the 19th century. Striving to be as accurate in detail as possible Bonheur visited slaughterhouses and cattle-markets, and kept many animals to sketch from. This painting was worked from close observation of a pair of Nubian lions and their cubs with which she shared her studio in Fontainebleau. Eccentric behaviour was characteristic of Bonheur, who attracted much comment in her day; going against the prevailing norms for women, she cropped her hair short, wore trousers (for which she needed a police permit) and smoked cigarettes. Exhibited first in London in 1882, The Lion at Home was an immediate success with both the public and the critics: With apparently inexhaustible artistic powers this greatest of French animal painters again comes to the front with a large and singularly fine picture she calls THE LION AT HOME. (The Queen Journal, April 22 1882)


painting detail (image/jpeg) Women and the Anti Slavery Campaign

At this time women in Britain could not vote or pass laws in parliament but they showed their support against slavery in a number of ways. Women played a significant role in ending slavery. They fought the campaign with intellectual, social and moral arguments. They paid membership fees to anti-slavery societies, in 1831 there were 73 formed and were the key promoters of the sugar boycott in the home. Women wore Wedgwood anti-slavery cameos to demonstrate their beliefs and women of all classes wrote poetry on the subject. #IMAGE# Many objects in our collections were produced as part of the campaign against slavery. Most were made for the home and aimed at women appealing to their maternal nature by having printed images of female slaves, often in chains or looking downcast sometimes clutching babies usually have an accompanying printed verse, this got women talking.#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Wedgwood#SUBHEADINGEND# Josiah Wedgwood was a keen advocate of the Anti Slavery Campaign. What could be considered his most important contribution to the movement are his 'slave medallions' it brought the attention to the public to the horrors of the slave trade. Thousands were produced and were intended to adorn hat pins, brooches and other women's fashion accessories. The medallion had the phrase 'Am I not a man and a brother' with a kneeling slave. They were worn by women and used to make known the suffering of slaves and it showed that his craft could be used with a political function. #SUBHEADING#The Sugar Boycott#SUBHEADINGEND# There were many people who supported the abolition of slavery and women participated in the campaign in a number of ways including the sugar boycott. The public's refusal to buy sugar produced by slave plantations in the Caribbean was one of the first national boycotts in British history and became a huge success in part by women. #IMAGE# By 1791 thousands of pamphlets were produced to encourage people to boycott sugar. It has been estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 people mainly women refused to buy sugar during the abolition campaign. The sales of sugar dropped but some shops advertised goods as well as sugar that were produced by freemen and sales of sugar from India where slaves were not used to produce it increased. Mobilisation of the public remains an essential tool in achieving political change. The sugar boycott is one of the earliest examples of consumers using their purchasing power to reject the trade in goods which weren't ethically produced, equivalent of the modern day fair trade campaign.


Detail from NHS registration card (image/jpeg) NHS Diamond Anniversary - Happy 60th birthday!

This National Health Service Registration card was issued to Gertrude E Hudson on the very first day of the NHS at the Dr Deacon's surgery on Morrill Street, Holderness Road, Hull. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#The NHS's first day#SUBHEADINGEND# On 5th July 1948, the National Health Service was opened for business by Health Secretary Aneurin Bevan at Park Hospital in Manchester. The new National Health Service aspired to free medical services for all regardless of wealth or status, financed through taxation. It was ushered in by Clement Atlee's Labour government as part of their 'cradle to grave' welfare state reforms, and covered the cost of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists. At first people were suspicious of the new set up, but once they understood that they were seeing the same doctor and getting the same treatment but they didn't have to pay for it, they 'came in their hoards' according to one doctor. This card was featured in a Hull Daily Mail article to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the NHS.


Detail of Cola Elephant (image/jpeg) Coca Cola Elephant

#SUBHEADING#What is the Coca Cola Elephant?#SUBHEADINGEND# The Coca Cola Elephant is an object that was purchased in 2006 for the new museum. It's a foot high elephant made out of coca cola tins by a West African artist typical of the recycled metal work made for the tourist market there. This is a low cost contemporary item but it enables us to learn more about a number of issues in West Africa including tourism and globalisation. #SUBHEADING#Recycling#SUBHEADINGEND# Recycling in the United Kingdom is becoming more important as we look at the impact of our waste on the environment. Whilst recycling is becoming more popular in the UK, for West Africa it has long been a way of life. In the UK it is done for environmental reasons but in West Africa people recycle for economic reasons. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Display#SUBHEADINGEND# It is on display in the new contemporary galleries at Wilberforce House Museum. Modern slavery is a huge part of the new displays. The museum still tells the story of Wilberforce and the anti-slavery campaign but looks at it in the wider context including African and Caribbean resisters and views. Hull has been twinned with Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone in West Africa since the 1980s. Work is done with local school children relating to human rights and there are many connections between children here in Hull and in Freetown. An artist has been working with school children in Freetown and Hull looking at life in West Africa. This project has explored how we recycle rubbish in both cities by looking at what it is and how we use it. #SUBHEADING#Representation#SUBHEADINGEND# The Coca Cola Elephant shows the way that some West African artists work with objects. Recycling is necessary and everything is recycled, bottle tops are used for rivets in Freetown. However drinks cans are put to creative purposes for artworks such as this elephant, and these are sold to the tourist industry, which is an important economic factor. Coca Cola is a globally recognised symbol and for some artists it is a way of getting some control and perhaps trying to make some sense of the past. It tells us something about the exploitation of Africa by the multinationals. And of course the elephant is a magnificent emblem of Africa and one that attracts tourists to the continent. #IMAGE#


Detail of meteorite (image/jpeg) Meteorites - Hot Rocks From Space

Meteorites are natural fragments of rock or metal which fall to Earth from space. Thousands of tonnes of extraterrestrial material falls to Earth every year. Most falls in the form of cosmic dust, but a surprising number of larger meteorites do reach the Earth's surface. Captured in Earth's gravitational field they are pulled down at incredible speed, burning up in a fireball in the atmosphere before crashing into the ground. Looking at our nearest neighbour the Moon on a clear night gives you some idea of how planets are constantly bombarded by meteorites. Because the surface of the Moon barely changes, hundreds of craters from millions of years of impacts are still visible, whereas the constantly changing surface of our Earth has hidden most of the craters which are evidence of our own history of impacts. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# A Bit Of Space In Yorkshire #SUBHEADINGEND# Meteorites fall randomly over the Earth, the vast majority fall into the oceans and desert areas which cover so much of our planet. Very few meteorites are recovered and recorded, and fewer still are actually witnessed as they fall. Several meteorites have fallen in the UK, including right here in Yorkshire. One of the most famous was the 'Wold Cottage Meteorite' which fell in Wold Newton in the Yorkshire Wolds on December 13th, 1795. It is one of the largest meteorites ever recorded to have fallen in Britain, and what made this meteorite even more important is that the fall and impact was witnessed by several people stood only metres from the impact site. They reported sparks of fire coming from the meteorite as it flew through the atmosphere, before burying itself into the ground and showering the onlookers with earth. They retrieved the meteorite from its crater, still warm from its entry through the atmosphere. The Wold Cottage Meteorite is known as a Stony Meteorite, like this one here in our collection. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# A Glimpse At The Very Beginning #SUBHEADINGEND# Most meteorites are fragments broken from asteroids when they collide in space, whilst some are thought to come from our Moon and the planet Mars. Asteroids are the material left over from when the planets were forming at the birth of our Solar System, nearly 4.6 billion years ago, and so meteorites are fragments of this primitive material. There are thousands of asteroids in our Solar System, most orbiting the Sun in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. The larger asteroids have layered interiors much like the Earth, with an iron-rich central core made of metal, a mantle and a rocky crust. Each of these layers yields the three main types of meteorite: Iron meteorites from the core, Stony-Iron meteorites from the mantle around the core and Stony meteorites from the rocky crust. #IMAGE# Meteorites are very important to our understanding of the history of the Earth and our Solar System. They contain clues about what it might have been like in those swirling clouds of dust and gas when the Solar System was born nearly 4.6 billion years ago, and some contain particles thought to be even older than our Solar System. The Iron meteorites like this one here in our collection provide the only material we have for directly studying what the core of our own planet might be like, which otherwise is inaccessable to us.


castelow label (image/jpeg) Making the medicines

#SUBHEADING#Pill preparation#SUBHEADINGEND# Today, pills are mass produced and distributed all over the world but it has not always been this way. Pharmacists have sold branded, ready made remedies since the nineteenth century but a substantial amount of the products dispensed were still made on the shop premises. This practice became less and less common but some pharmacists, such as Mr Castelow (whose shop has been reconstructed in the Streetlife Museum, Hull) continued to trade in this way - in his case, into the 1970s. To begin the process of making a tablet, the dry ingredients were measured using sensitive scales and if they were lumpy or needed to be made into a finer powder they would be ground using a pestle and mortar. #SUBHEADING#Pestle and mortar#SUBHEADINGEND# These have been used for centuries in the process of grinding substances. The mortar is the 'bowl' and the pestle is the implement used to grind. Pestle and mortars have been made of many different materials over the years including metals, glass, ivory and wood. Metal has the potential to react with chemicals and so became less popular. It was this that led Josiah Wedgwood to consider using ceramics as an alternative and he developed 'biscuit porcelain' c.1780 which was used to make 'composition' pestles and mortars. These became widely used in the preparation of medicines. The amount of each ingredient would depend on the strength of medication prescribed and the number of pills needed. The dry ingredients were mixed using the pestle and mortar with a liquid substance, usually glucose, to form a paste that was firm but workable. A pill making machine was used for the next part of the process. #SUBHEADING#Pill Making Machine#SUBHEADINGEND# Originally a slab with graduated markings on it, known as a pill tile, was used as a base on which the paste could be rolled and measured. These were replaced by pill making machines which allowed the chemist to roll mixture, slice accurate portions and gather the finished pills all with one piece of apparatus. The mixture was rolled into a 'pipe' shape on the baseboard. The pills were made by putting the pipe shaped mixture on grooves made of brass which were also on the baseboard. A separate part with two handles and similar brass grooves was pushed over it and this cut the pipe into portions. When cut, the pills collected in a drawer. The next step was to use a pill rounder to make the pills spherical. #SUBHEADING#Pill Rounder#SUBHEADINGEND# A pill rounder was used to perfect the spherical shape of the pills when they left the pill making machine. This shape made them more attractive and easier to swallow. First they were shaped a little with finger and thumb and then the roughly shaped pills were placed under the rounder which was then moved in a figure of eight. Every so often the pills would be checked and those which were well rounded were removed. When all of the pills were spherical they were left to dry. They could have been given to the patient at this point but often they were enhanced by rounding the pills in a little talcum powder which made them appear pearlescent or rolling them in a little varnish. Sometimes they even had a coating of gold or silver leaf! This was applied using a pill silverer. Gold or silver leaf lined the inside and the pill, made moist with liquid gum, was swirled around inside until the pill was thoroughly coated. This treatment was only for the wealthier customers!


poison poster (image/jpeg) Danger in the Dispensary

#SUBHEADING#The horrible and hazardous side to the chemist shop#SUBHEADINGEND# Amongst the wide variety of ingredients used by pharmacists some were extremely dangerous. Until the mid nineteenth century the sale of these was surprisingly unregulated. Those commonly used in medicines included morphine and cocaine, both of which were thought to be safe enough to be sold over the counter. These would be added to remedies prepared by the pharmacist as well as freely available in many patent medicines of the day, such as "Godfrey's Cordial" for babies which contained opium as its key ingredient. As more and more cases of poisoning, (deliberate and accidental) came to light, concern grew around the availability of the substances. Arsenic was the biggest killer and as a result the Arsenic Act of 1851 was introduced. Gradually, stricter rules regarding the sale of poisons began to be enforced and other regulatory acts were issued. Proof of this can be seen behind the counter of Castelow's Chemist shop which is now reconstructed in Hull's Streetlife Museum. Hanging up is a copy of the Dangerous Drugs Act (1920-23) which gives a summary of regulations regarding the sale of poisons. Even with these new restrictions however, they were still available over the counter. Today we know that substances such as these can be very dangerous and so are now completely banned or strictly prescription only. These medicines were easy to spot. The colour of a bottle often indicated what it contained. If they were dangerous then bottles were usually blue or green. It was not only the colour of the bottle that could warn people to be careful. For example, in the nineteenth century all sorts of methods were experimented with such as adding a raised image of skull and crossbones to the bottle or attaching sandpaper, bells, and even spikes! #IMAGE#The technique that became most common however was to use bottles with horizontal or vertical grooves such as this example from behind Castelow's counter. Ingredients were not the only things to be found in the chemist's storage jars, those containing leeches were not an unusual sight. Doctors purchased them in the belief that many illnesses were caused by the patient having too much of the wrong type of blood and that if leeches were applied to the skin they could suck out toxins. This procedure began more than 2500 years ago and was only discontinued in the 1960s and has even had comebacks since then! Doctors were not the only ones who carried out gory procedures on patients. Nineteenth century chemists would carry out tooth extraction on their premises using gruesome implements called 'tooth keys.' These would be used, as the name suggests, by grasping the problem tooth and turning it like a key! Castelow took over the chemist shop in 1907 but it, like him, remained Victorian in appearance. His practices were equally as traditional and who knows, there may have been a leech or someone's extracted tooth lurking behind the counter at one time!


Collections

The museums have collections spanning a wide variety of disciplines, which as a whole have been collected through a variety of ways. This section explores specific collections within those disciplines, that have been collected by a collector with a specific motivation and then donated to the museum, or consist of a collection of objects that are related but have been collected over a period of time.


(image/jpeg) The Survival of Games - War Games

The chances are that every board game that has ever existed through the centuries still exists, though possibly in a more complicated form. There are many different types of board games but the main types of games that have developed are war games, hunt or chase games and race games. These classifications are based on the idea that games are typical of the early activities and survival tactics of man; the battle, the siege or hunt and race. However many of the games that developed for these reasons still survive today and have hardly changed as games are great for developing life skills such as hand-eye coordination, mental agility and not to mention social skills. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#War Games - Draughts, Tabula and Tafl#SUBHEADINGEND# One modern game that was played throughout ancient times was Draughts. The game Alquerque which is its ancestor has been found in Egypt dating at least as early as 600 BC. Alquerque is primarily a war game, one of movement and capture and was brought to Europe by the Moors during the invasion of Spain. At around 1100 it started to be played on a chess board and the compulsory rule of forcing a player to take a counter whenever possible was introduced in France around 1535. This new game was called Jeu Force and was very popular in medieval times and has been played under the name of Draughts for centuries. #IMAGE# Backgammon-type games have also been played for thousands of years. 'Tabula' was the ancestor of Backgammon and was another war game where the aim was to get all of your pieces around the board and defeat the opponent's army by taking all of his pieces and moving yours to your 'home ground'. Tafl or Hnefatafl which translates into 'Kings Table' was another popular game in the Middle Ages in Europe and it was imported by the Vikings to Iceland and Great Britain. The Vikings took the game with them on their forages and therefore helped to spread it across different countries. There is a lead game piece, which was probably used as a king for Tafl in the medieval collections. The game involved a single king 'Hnefi' and his defenders in the centre of the board surrounded by an army of attackers twice their number, the attackers must prevent the king's escape but also capture him. It was the primary war strategy game in Europe until chess became popular at the end of the 15th Century and was a much valued skill as you can see in the prose below from Medieval times; #IMAGE# I can play at Tafl, Nine skills I know, Rarely forget I the runes, I know of books and smithing, I know how to slide on skis, Shoot and row, well enough; Each of two arts I know, Harp-playing and speaking poetry Backgammon originated from ancient India and Egypt, it spread to Greece and Rome and travelled into Anglo-Saxon culture in the 1st Century AD. For centuries it was very popular, innkeepers provided game boards and knights carried it on their journeys. During the Middle Ages the church tried to put an end to board games. Cardinal Wolsey tried to outlaw Backgammon in the 16th Century; he ordered all boards to be burnt and declared the game 'the devil's folly'. However Englishmen crafted a clever idea of folding the boards in half like a book so they could be easily hidden. This design is still used today. War games still carried on to be popular throughout the centuries, War games such as Chess, Halma and Ludo are played in the present day.


sinking vessel (image/jpeg) The Cartlidge Collection

#SUBHEADING#One man, a huge hoard#SUBHEADINGEND# Harry Cartlidge once worked at Hull Dock Offices and it is here (now Hull Maritime Museum) that an estimated 50,000 of his photographs are now held. He demonstrated a real skill and enthusiasm for photography and has provided us with an extremely important record of Hull and the surrounding areas and locations. The Cartlidge Collection is made up of images in many different formats; acetate negatives, loose prints, transparencies and photograph albums. The oldest items in the collection are glass plate negatives from the 1920s and mainly feature views of trawlers and Hull's busy fish market. #SUBHEADING#Focuses#SUBHEADINGEND# The fish dock became the most recurrent subject but there are also many images documenting the neighbouring Riverside Quay and the Victoria, Alexandra and King George Docks. In doing so he often captured images of impressive sailing ships such as the Passat , Pommern, Garthpool and Archibald Russell as well as countless other varieties of vessels. Strangely, one of his most famous photographs does not relate to Hull but shows the Houses of Parliament at night. This impressive image shows the lights shining from inside and the Big Ben clock face glowing. It was reprinted in the press but also used on the front cover of George Dangerfield's account of the political upheaval between 1910-1914 entitled 'The Strange Death of Liberal England'. #SUBHEADING#His pictures in print#SUBHEADINGEND# Cartlidge's images were widely used in magazines, leaflets, advertisements and journals ranging from material for Whitby Urban District Council, Northern Clothing, publications such as The Sketch, Amateur Photographer and Lock and Quay. He provided the cover picture of East Yorkshire Motor Services 'Staff News Magazine' between the years 1968-70. The images varied but the EYMS often asked for pictures of new or damaged buses. Although he never considered himself a professional photographer, the images he has left for us are of a very high standard and fascinating to study. They give real insight into life in and around Hull, some by documenting important events or busy scenes and others by showing intimate portraits of local people or his family. View all of the items from the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&collection2=Cartlidge+Collection&museumall=all&museum6=Maritime+Museum&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=45&SearchSubmit.y=14 TEXT=Harry Cartlidge Collection# or use the advanced search


detail from ancient gaming board (image/jpeg) Board games - Boards and Counters

#SUBHEADING#Everyday Games with Everyday Things#SUBHEADINGEND# Board games were played from the earliest times; they were played even in ancient Egypt. Evidence of boards are found throughout history in the strangest and most makeshift of places, ship's timbers, loose boards and lumps of rock. The less privileged classes made improvised boards, scratching grids with stones, nuts, glass or gaming counters. Evidence of a game grid can be found on a stone built into a fort on Hadrian's Wall, where men when having breaks played board games during the building of the wall. An ancient game board has been found in ancient Egypt, it had been cut into a stone block on the roof of a temple and priests apparently played games while they waited for the sky to clear, in order to observe stars. There are also boards that have been cut into cloister seats of many English cathedrals. In 1699 two men were punished for making nine holes with their knives after evening prayers for the game of Nine Men's Morris or Merels. #IMAGE# #IMAGE# There are examples of Medieval boards in the collections that have been made from every day objects; a wooden bread board that was reused as a board for merels, also a chalk mould that has been used for an Alquerque board, which is an ancient predecessor of Draughts. #IMAGE# The game Merels is one of the oldest games in the world, a board of this type has been cut into a temple at Kurna, Egypt 1440 BC, it is very similar to Tic-Tac-Toe or the present day noughts and crosses and is played with counters.#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Counting On History#SUBHEADINGEND# Many of the ancient games used gaming counters just as we use them today made from many different materials such as bone, chalk, wood and glass. Gaming counters that have been found have also been made from disk shaped slices of hart's pedicle (the lowest part of the antler on a male deer). Many are highly decorated and often have a hole in the centre where the heart of the pedicle has been removed; there are many examples of counters with these central holes in Hull's collections. Counters made from glass were known as 'oculi' or eyeballs in Roman times, due to their rounded appearance as a consequence of being melted. They were made by slicing small sections of canes, arranging them on a surface such as a terracotta tile and reheating them in a furnace. They then deformed under the influence of gravity and made a flattened, rounded 'button' shape. The most common glass counters are green with small yellow circles; we have a number of these in our collections, though many others are known. Counters have been used for many different types of War, Hunt and Race games throughout the ages.


detail of dress (image/jpeg) Artistic Flair - Aesthetic Dress of the 1880s

By the 1880s, women's fashion had left the wide skirted Crinoline of the 1860s and the full gathered lower skirts of the 1870s behind. However, the resulting fashion was no less restrictive or awkward. Bodices were still tightly corseted and skirts were bulky and heavily decorated, supported by bustle pads which emphasised the drapery, frills and swags which had become increasingly popular. This dress however, is very different. Its style is loose, and it lacks all the popular features of this period. Its style, colour and materials all are characteristic of what became known as 'Aesthetic Dress', which was popular with a minority group of people for the closing decades of the 19th century. #SUBHEADING#Style, cut and colours#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Aesthetic dress was part of a wider aesthetic movement, supported by artists and bohemians such as Oscar Wilde, who were rebelling against the contemporary fashion which they saw as restrictive, deforming to the natural figure and over embellished. Instead they preferred looser cut garments which followed the Medieval and Renaissance look in Pre-Raphelite paintings. They believed looser, un-corseted styles were more conducive to good health, and could therefore show more natural beauty. In mainstream fashion, the use of bright and gaudy analine dyes was scorned by the Aesthetes, who preferred materials such as silk and velvet dyed in softer natural colours like sage green, amber and terracotta. #SUBHEADING#Collection example#SUBHEADINGEND# This dress, from the costume collection is made from moss green velvet, and has a blue central panel with smocking; a popular feature of aesthetic dress. The dress is made from very natural looking colours, and the moss green with the central splash of bluealmost resembles a forest with waterfall. Patterns were never really made for Aesthetic gowns, which explains why they always differ so much in appearance. It gives the overall impression of a loose, comfortable gown - but don't be deceived! Underneath the outer layer is a lining that is structured with boning, meaning it is not as comfortable as it appears! #SUBHEADING#Bohemian Chic#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# The Aesthetic style of dress was favoured by those in artistic and literary circles, and followed a natural ideal feminine look that echoed the women in paintings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne Jones. The look included red hair and green eyes, both of which were contrary to standard Victorian ideals of beauty. The unkempt loose hair and loose style clothing led many contemporary observers to ridicule what seemed an untidy fashion, and society equated the loose dresses with loose morals. Many of the women who wore aesthetic dress were considered bohemian, and the fashion itself never really spread to into mainstream society. By the 1900s the Aesthetic style was out of favour, and had been largely replaced by the Art Nouveau movement, which had similar artistic ideals.


Detail of a Samian ware bowl (image/jpeg) Samian Ware: From the pottery to the table

The Roman period is famous for many things like gladiators, mosaics and emperors, but it is also known for the introduction of a red glossy pottery, called Terra Sigillata or known under its more familiar name as Samian ware. This pottery was made in the first and second centuries in south, east and central Gaul, now modern day France and Germany. Some pieces are plain, but many are highly decorated with animals, plants and figures. Samian ware not only gives us an insight into the fashions of the Roman Empire, but it also has a very important job in helping archaeologists date Roman sites. #SUBHEADING#Potteries#SUBHEADINGEND# Black and red glossy pottery, similar to Samian ware was first made in Italy; however the majority of pottery which we know as Samian was made in factories in France and Germany. We know where a lot of Samian ware was made because each pottery used decoration individual to them. Some of the main potteries like at La Graufesenque and Lezoux in France and Rheinzabern in Germany would export Samian ware in massive quantities across the Roman Empire. Many pieces were brought to Britain and would be seen and used on dining tables across the land. #IMAGE# Not only do archaeologists know where Samian was made, but in some cases they even know the potter who made it! For example, at La Graufesenque it is known that over 600 potters worked on the site. Pottery found on many archaeological sites in Britain names a number of firms who exported pottery from there. The names of potters can be found in many cases stamped to the base of vessels. This was done by using a stamp which had the name in reverse, so that when it was stamped, the name came out the right way on the vessel. #SUBHEADING#How they were made#SUBHEADINGEND# Samian ware came in many different forms; the majority coming into Britain were plain and decorated bowls with dishes and cups also being popular. A moulded bowl would be made by first baking clay stamps with figures, leaves and geometric patterns. This would then be impressed on the inside of a clay mould. Once the mould had been fired it could be used over and over again to make more bowls. However, as only one mould could be used at a time, the potteries needed hundreds. #IMAGE# Other types of decoration were made by sticking separate clay figures or small plaques onto the vessel. Some decoration was cut in with a metal tool, and others were created on a potter's wheel. Some of the decoration had animals like deer, bears, dogs and hares; others would have figures like the Roman God of wine, Bacchus and Diana, the Goddess of hunting. Samian ware was more expensive than other types of pottery and tended to be only used for the presentation of food. The decorated bowls were more expensive as there was more work to them, they would be found in the larger and more important villas. Samian ware has been found at local sites such as Brough and Shiptonthorpe as well as further away like the Pompeii 'hoard', a collection of excavated vessels still packed in a crate which had arrived at the town when the Mount Vesuvius erupted on 23rd August in 79 A.D.


Detail from campaign poster (image/jpeg) The Campaign Against Slavery

#SUBHEADING#Parliamentary Campaign Against Slavery#SUBHEADINGEND# The Parliamentary campaign was a long and complicated process with many politicians trying to delay the abolition bill. It was a tactical game between pro and anti-slavery groups who had to gather evidence for the lengthy parliamentary committees. In defence pro-slavery groups argued that large ports such as Liverpool and London would be ruined if the slave trade stopped. #IMAGE# Wilberforce spoke in Parliament against the Slave Trade for many years and used the Brookes slave ship model to show the inhumane conditions on board. In 1792 the House of Commons voted for a gradual abolition of the slave trade by 1796. This was later blocked by the House of Lords. Finally, in 1807, The Abolition of The Slave Trade Bill was passed in the House of Commons by 114 votes to 15. #SUBHEADING#Wider Opposition and Public Support#SUBHEADINGEND# Many people were involved in the campaign to end slavery, from enslaved Africans, ex-slaves and Members of Parliament. Previously enslaved people also wrote accounts of their experiences and spoke to the public, and the lives of Equiano and Cuguano were instrumental in bringing home the first hand suffering of the slave trade. Granville Sharp alongside Thomas Clarkson, was a founding member of the Society for the Abolition of the slave trade. Thomas Clarkson gathered evidence for the case against slavery, and compiled a chest of items showing the richness of natural and man made resources from Africa that Europe could trade with instead of taking their people as slaves. He also showed the inhumane instruments used in slavery. #SUBHEADING#Role of Women#SUBHEADINGEND# Women also played a significant role, and they fought the campaign with intellectual, social and moral arguments. They paid membership fees to anti-slavery societies and were the key promoters of the sugar boycott in the home. Women wore Wedgwood anti-slavery cameos to demonstrate their beliefs. Poetry was also used by women of all classes to support abolition, including enslaved women who opposed their slavery by resistance. #IMAGE#General public support for the campaign and growing opposition to slavery were also important. The public's refusal to buy sugar produced on plantations in the Caribbean was one of the first national boycotts in British history. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 people refused to buy sugar during the abolition campaign. #SUBHEADING#Commemorative Medallions and Ceramics#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House Museum has a large collection of commemorative medallions, many of them featuring the kneeling slave image and slogan 'Am I not a man and a brother', made famous on Josiah Wedgwood's pottery and used as a symbol of the abolition campaign. Medallions and tokens in the collection commemorate the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade, the 1834 Abolition of Slavery, Apprenticeship, and the 1838 Slavery emancipation. Other medals in the collections celebrate the work of the abolitionists and anti-slavery societies that fought for the campaign. The museum also has a good collection of anti-slavery related ceramics, including figures depicting characters from Uncle Tom's Cabin, and jugs and mugs with anti-slavery printed scenes and mottos.


Insect draw (image/jpeg) The Natural World

Our planet has been home to an astonishing array of life over its long history. This section explores the amazing natural world around us using our collection of over 20,000 specimens of animals, insects, plants, fossils, minerals, rocks and meteorites to provide a window into the natural wonders of the past and present. Discover the diversity of life on our planet from pre-history to how we know it today, and how the natural world has been vital to the development of the human race.


Detail from Horkstow mosaic (image/jpeg) The Story of the Horkstow Mosaic

This famous mosaic was found in 1797 by labourers preparing a kitchen garden at Horkstow Hall, Lincolnshire. Unfortunately they destroyed large areas of it before realising the importance of what they had unearthed - a mosaic floor belonging to great hall of a large and wealthy villa. #SUBHEADING#Antiquarian arguments#SUBHEADINGEND# By 1799 the discovery had come to the attention of the leading antiquarians of the day including Samuel Lysons. Both he and William Fowler, an artist from the neighbouring village of Winterton, drew the mosaic but they fell out over their respective drawings. Lysons accused the local man of inaccuracies such as moving sections around and missing parts out. Looking at the remains of the actual mosaic today we can see that neither drawing is completely accurate! #SUBHEADING#Early excavations#SUBHEADINGEND# Samuel Lysons was not content with drawing the mosaic - he wanted to see if excavations would reveal more of the building, and more mosaics. His excavations revealed a geometric mosaic and part of another about 30 metres to the south-east. Neither have survived but go to show that the house must have been richly furnished with mosaics. #SUBHEADING#On the move#SUBHEADINGEND# Lysons persuaded the landowner to erect a protective building over the great mosaic. And there the remains lay until 1927, when the mosaic was removed in 17 sections. The owner offered it to the British Museum on loan for display, but there was only room to display a single panel - the Charioteer Panel. In 1974, the British Museum offered to release the entire mosaic to a museum nearer its home, and it was brought to the Hull and East Riding Museum, where it has been displayed since 1979.


heather moth detail (image/jpeg) Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778): Classifying Nature

Carl Linnaeus has been one of the most influential scientists of all time. His life's work to develop a way to classify and name all life on Earth was so successful that scientists still use it today. #SUBHEADING#The Young Linnaeus#SUBHEADINGEND# Linnaeus was born in 1707 in southern Sweden. He was intended to follow in his father's footsteps as a clergyman but from a young age showed a keen interest in plants and flowers. A local physician, who realised there may be a potential future for Linnaeus in the field of botany, recommended he was sent to study at university. Linnaeus studied medicine which at the time was based on herbalism, and so could combine his passion for botany with his studies. Linnaeus excelled at university and in 1730 was appointed Lecturer in Botany. It was during this period that he began to outline the theory of plant sexuality, which was later used to construct his system of plant classification. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Travel and Research#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1735 Linnaeus travelled to Holland where he spent a few years working on plant classification and studying the regional natural history, as well as earning his medical doctorate. During his time in the Netherlands, Linneaus produced several publications of his research. He understood that the methods of classification in use at the time could not accommodate for the number of new plants being discovered. One of his most influential works, Systema naturae published in 1735, addressed this issue and outlined his new system for classifying the natural world. #SUBHEADING#Back in Sweden#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1738 Linnaeus returned to Sweden to work as a doctor before being appointed a professor and chair of botany at the University of Uppsala, where he insisted on arranging the botanical gardens according to his system of classification. Over the years Linnaeus revised his Systema naturae, adding to the original 11-page pamphlet as more plant and animal species were discovered around the globe. Throughout the 1740's Linnaeus travelled around Sweden, by Order of Parliament, to list all the natural resources of the country, but his main focus remained on the reform of botany. In 1753 he published Species plantarum which described some 6,000 plant species using his new classification system. In his last years Linnaeus was troubled by weak health. He was forced to retire from teaching in 1774 after a stroke, and suffered another two years later. He died in January 1778 in Uppsala. #SUBHEADING#From Kingdom to Species#SUBHEADINGEND# Linnaeus' system of classification has been a huge influence in science and the basis for the modern classification of nature. Before the Linnaean system was universally accepted, scientific names for species were already in Latin but were often too long. For example, the tomato was called Solanum caule inermi herbaceo, foliis pinnatis incises, racemes simplicibus. The Linnaean system allowed for clear and easy classifications based on shared physical characteristics. His idea was to classify nature in a hierarchy, starting with three kingdoms; plants, animals and minerals. Kingdoms were divided into Classes and then into Orders, which were further divided into Genera and then Species. All known plants were given a simpler binomial (in two parts) Latin name, which consisted of the genus followed by the species. Using this system the tomato simply became Solanum lycopersicum. Between 1753 and his death, Linnaeus named thousands of plants and animals in this way. Over time his binomial system was adopted as the standard way of naming organisms and is still in use today. However, significant group changes have been made as more species are identified, and an advance in DNA sequencing has established relationships between species not visible in physical characteristics.


Discovery of Hasholme boat (image/jpeg) The Discovery of the Hasholme Boat

#SUBHEADING#Discovery - From the Humber#SUBHEADINGEND# On Sunday 29th July 1984 a discovery was made in the Humber near Holme on Spalding Moor. Archaeologists ahd dug drainage ditches in a field whilst undergoing a routine investigation on a nearby field. It was here that they uncovered a piece of wood that led to the discovery of the Iron Age Hasholme Log boat. The Hasholme Boat was excavated from a former inlet of the Humber estuary by a joint team from the University of Durham including Dr Martin Millett, the East Riding Archaeological Society including Peter Halkon and the National Maritime Museum including Dr Sean McGrail. The project was co-ordinated by Kingston-upon-Hull Museums and funded by the Museums and Galleries Commission, the HBMC and the National Maritime Museum. #SUBHEADING#The Excavation#SUBHEADINGEND# In August 1984 excavation began on the vessel. A large area of topsoil was removed by machine a metre down. For several weeks the archaeologists carefully removed by hand the sticky clay silt that covered the vessel. The entire vessel was revealed for the first time in 2000 years. The archaeologists took samples of pollen, seeds and insect remains to learn more about the life of the boat. It was obvious that after a number of years of modern drainage the log boat would not survive. After much consultation it was decided that to salvage the log boat for detailed study and display was the best solution #SUBHEADING#Rescue-Not an Easy Task!#SUBHEADINGEND# The boat weighed about six tonnes and was very fragile. The area around the site was also too boggy to hold a heavy crane so it was decided to pull the boat out of the ground supported into a rigid steel frame. A heavy vehicle recovery winch was driven into position and hooked up to the cable fixed to chains at one end of the steel frame.The winch turned and the tightened cable took the strain; inch by inch the steel frame began to slide. The boat was on the move! The log boat was taken 250 miles to The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, to undergo detailed recording and analysis. It was sprayed and kept there for eighteen months. It then had to be stored while it's display in the Hull and East Riding Museum was being prepared. It was decided to use the Beverley Road baths which were disused at that time. It was kept there where it could be sprayed and could seen by the public for two years. It was then taken to it's final, permanent place where it was installed into it's specially built display area with a boat lab. The boat can still be found in the Hull and East Riding Museum today.


Spine detail (image/jpeg) Wilberforce Bible - Uncovering the Family Secrets

Wilberforce House Museum holds several bibles that were once owned by William Wilberforce (1759-1833). The most fascinating bible that we have is on display in the galleries devoted to the life of William Wilberforce. From the outside cover it looks like any other old large book, but inside, it contains a family tree of the Wilberforce family. It has been passed down through the generations. Each owner of the bible has handwritten the names of the descendents of the famous abolitionist inside the front cover and page of the bible. William Wilberforce himself wrote details of his family in the bible so that it could be passed on through his family. The family tree stops in the 1900s and the bible was passed to the Museum from a descendant of William Wilberforce and it has been here ever since.


detail from portrait of Wilberforce (image/jpeg) Wilberforce - The Man

William Wilberforce is one of Hull's most famous sons, and his role in the Anti-Slavery Campaign has left a long lasting world-wide legacy. Although this is his most famous role, Wilberforce was active in many different political and social causes, as well as remaining a devoted family man. This section explores his vast humanitarian role in society, his background and influences, his career in politics and his family devotion, all of which made him the remarkable character he was.


Portrait of Wilberforce (image/jpeg) William Wilberforce - the man (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#University Days#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce entered St John's College, at Cambridge University in 1776, aged 17. He was a popular and lively student who did not work very hard at first. Wilberforce said he was introduced to, 'As licentious a set of men as can well be conceived. They drank hard, and their conversation was even worse than their lives. I lived among them for some time, though I never relished their society.' William often went to the theatre, was a keen dancer and had a good singing voice. At University, Wilberforce's friends included William Cookson, (uncle of the poet William Wordsworth), and Edward Christian, (brother of Fletcher Christian who led the mutiny on HMS Bounty). At University Wilberforce met his lifelong friend, William Pitt, the future Prime Minister. Their friendship grew when they began attending the gallery of the House of Commons to watch politicians debating. When Wilberforce graduated he was keen to develop a career in politics. #SUBHEADING#A Career in Politics#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Hull in 1780 and then as MP for Yorkshire in 1784. Yorkshire was one of the largest constituencies in Britain. Wilberforce held office in Parliament for over 40 years, and held office as MP for Hull with Lord Manners. James Boswell, the writer, saw Wilberforce speak in York during a political debate and called him a 'shrimp' due to his small size. When Wilberforce spoke however Boswell said, 'It was as if the shrimp had become a whale.' Wilberforce was known for his pleasant speaking voice in Parliament, and was nicknames the Nightingale of the Commons. The 1807 Yorkshire election was a bitterly fought election between Lascelles, Wilberforce and Milton. 19th century political life was lively and there were many cartoon pamphlets ridiculing their characters. Wilberforce became involved in many social campaigns during his career, including being a founding member of the charity, The Society for The Bettering the Condition and Increasing the Comfort of the Poor in 1796, helping to set up the Bible Society and attending the first meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (now known as the RSPCA) in 1824. However the two he is mainly remembered for is the campaign for the reformation of manners to stamp out drunkenness and licentiousness; and the abolition of Slavery.


Detail of Jospeh Gee (image/jpeg) Joseph & Elizabeth Jane Gee

#SUBHEADING#Hull Ship Owner#SUBHEADINGEND# This elegant and colourful pair of Victorian portraits by the artist Thomas Ellerby (flourished 1821-1857) are of exceptional significance to the City of Hull. They depict the important 19th century Hull ship owner Joseph Gee and his wife, Elizabeth Jane Gee. Joseph's portrait is signed and dated lower left 'T.Ellerby/Pinxit 1841', telling us that Ellerby painted it in 1841. It is almost certain that the portraits were conceived as a pair and is therefore likely that Elizabeth's was painted at around the same time. This is supported by the style of costume she wears. Elizabeth was the sister-in-law of the marine artist Robert Ernest Row. She is actually a somewhat mysterious character, and is barely mentioned in surviving documents. #SUBHEADING#Who was Joseph Gee?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The descendant of a family of local gentry Joseph Gee, in partnership, on his own account and as manager, was Hull's dominant ship owner in sail and steam during the period c. 1830-1860. Many of his vessels were depicted by local marine artists, notably John Ward of Hull's (1798-1849) oils, The Return of the 'William Lee' (Ward's acknowledged masterpiece) and 'Chase' and 'Dagger' (both in the Ferens). Others include William Griffin's oils 'P.S. Rob Roy', 'Emperor, Queen of Scotland', and 'P.S. Helen McGregor' (all in the Hull Maritime Museum collection). Gee was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire into a family with substantial holdings of land in the county. He resided at Cottingham House, Yorkshire. #SUBHEADING#Yachting#SUBHEADINGEND# Vice Commodore of the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club, Gee was elected in 1849 to the Royal Yacht Squadron. Between 1850 and 1857 he had a series of cutter (racing) yachts. The first was the renowned 'Corsair', built in 1825 and a famous racer. There is a print in the Hull Maritime Museum collection of his yacht 'Gloriana' competing for the King's Vase of the RYS in 1853. Another of his yachts, 'The Whim', appears on the lithographs of the finish of the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club's first Grand Regatta by John Ward (Hull Maritime Museum). In Ellerby's portrait Gee wears his yachting garb, and is posed with a cutter yacht in the background. Gee founded the Hull Mariners' Church and Sailor's Orphanage Society (later the Hull Seaman's and General Orphan Society). The Hull Maritime Museum has a copy of Ellerby's portrait that Gee presented to the Sailors' Orphanage. This is inscribed with his name and a dedication on the frame. However, the copy is a fairly crude effort, by an unknown 'jobbing' local artist. Joseph Gee's exact birth date is unknown, but he died aged 58 at Lowestoft, while on business, on 5th October 1860. Stylistically and compositionally, the portraits owe a debt to 18th century masters like Reynolds (1723-92) and Gainsborough (1727-88), with a three-quarter length figure posed in front of a thematic or foliage background. They are typical of the type of portraits commissioned by wealthy provincial Victorian families to represent their social standing. Gee is depicted with a maritime background and holding a telescope, symbolising his business and personal interests. Elizabeth Jane is shown in a decorative pose, holding flowers against what is probably an invented landscape.


brigg logboat (image/jpeg) The Brigg Logboat

One of the largest and most impressive exhibits in the Municipal Museum in Albion Street before the Second World War was the Brigg prehistoric logboat. It was discovered in April 1886 by workmen constructing a gasometer on the right bank of the River Ancholme in Lincolnshire. Older and larger than the Hasholme Boat, she was the largest logboat ever discovered in Britain. #SUBHEADING#Legal Battle#SUBHEADINGEND# The history of the Brigg logboat following her discovery is an eventful one. She was at first the subject of an expensive legal battle between Brigg Gasworks and the Lord of the Manor, Mr. Carey Elwes. After winning his case Mr. Elwes had the boat moved to a specially constructed building, some 60ft long, and for 20 years it was one of the local curiosities, attracting thousands of visitors who paid sixpence admission. #IMAGE# The story of the acquisition of the Brigg logboat for the Archaeology collections of the Municipal Museum in Hull is a another illustration of the first curator's formidable collecting abilities. Thomas Sheppard had long been interested in the boat and asked if he might acquire it for the city of Hull. When the first request was refused, Sheppard waited until the number of visitors to the logboat began to decline and the owner realised he might lose money. When Sheppard asked again in April 1909, the owner agreed, provided that the removal of the boat did not cost him anything. Tom Sheppard immediately enlisted the services of a breakdown gang and, in no time at all, had the logboat on a ship bound for Hull. Meanwhile the owner, having had second thoughts, wired to Sheppard not to move the boat, but Sheppard wired back, "almost truthfully", that the logboat was already in Hull! The Brigg logboat was finally displayed suspended from the ceiling of the Municipal Museum. And there it hung for over thirty years until the fateful night of 23rd June 1943 when the Museum was gutted by German incendiaries. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Information Not Lost#SUBHEADINGEND# Luckily Tom Sheppard had published details of the boat, enabling modern researchers to calculate such details as its draught, speed and manoeuvrability. The boat was made from a single oak log, 14.8m long and 1.4m wide, and the stern was fitted with a two-piece transom. At the bow, remains of a wooden shelf were identified and this has been interpreted as a small deck for a bowman who could steer the boat with a pole. Surviving fragments of the Brigg logboat have been radiocarbon-dated to about 900BC, making it some 600 years older than The Hasholme Boat. The Brigg logboat would have been capable of relatively high speeds but she was probably difficult to manoeuvre. Like the Hasholme boat, she would have worked the tides in the estuarine inlets at the headwaters of the Humber, carrying heavy cargoes such as grain, wood and perhaps iron ore. It has been estimated that she could have had up to twenty-eight people on board.


Detail of Roos Carr figures (image/jpeg) Weird and wonderful

This section concentrates on the Weird and wonderful collections we have at Hull Museums. These collections crop up in all the museums in Hull subjects including archaeology, art, natural history and Egyptian replicas.


neck collar (image/jpeg) Slavery Collections at Wilberforce House

#SUBHEADING#Slavery collections#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition. The collection strengths lie in plantation records and anti-slavery material. The museum also has receipts for slave sales, slavery auction posters and items used in the enslavement, imprisonment and branding of enslaved Africans. A visit to Wilberforce House takes the visitor through from the origins of slavery, the transportation of slaves in the transatlantic slave trade, their life on the plantations including the rebellions and revolts of slave communities, and the Parliamentary campaign. Contemporary forms of slavery and human rights are also explored using the collection and audio-visual material. #IMAGE# The museum displays are fortunate to have a number of important loans in its displays. Follow the links on the Web to see some of the items in the museums own collections relating to slavery and its abolition. #SUBHEADING#West African Cultures#SUBHEADINGEND# West Africa was home to many different states and kingdoms with a variety of cultures. The transatlantic slave trade uprooted people from their homes and took them to foreign lands. Enslaved people left slave ships without any belongings, but they successfully carried with them religion, music and memories of Africa. West African textiles have always been decorative. During the slave trade Kente cloth was a highly valued textile which is still very popular in modern Ghana. The museum has three pieces of Kente cloth on display in the galleries. Their bright colours and varied patterns help to create a strong sense of cultural identity. The museum also has a Benin Bronze in the collection. The kingdoms of Benin and Asante built up great wealth through trade with Europeans. The royal guild of Benin bronze casters decorated the Oba or King's palace with intricate brass plaques to show their wealth. This Benin bronze, in two pieces, shows two men; one is holding a ball and the other is holding a musical instrument.


Portrait of Wilberforce (image/jpeg) William Wilberforce - the man (part 1)

Wilberforce's family originally came from Wilberfoss, a small village near York. His grandfather, also called William Wilberforce, was born in 1690. He moved to Hull to work for John Thornton, a Hull merchant, who traded in the Baltic with countries like Russia and Sweden. John Thornton lived in 25 High Street and William married his daughter Sarah Thornton in 1711. William Wilberforce's grandfather bought his merchant house from the Thornton family in 1732, which is how it became known as Wilberforce House today. William Wilberforce's father, Robert Wilberforce, was born in 1729 and he took over the merchant business. Robert married Elizabeth Bird in 1755 and they had 4 children. William was their third child, but their first son. This was a cause for celebration as the first son inherited the family estate and business #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#William Wilberforce - The Early Years#SUBHEADINGEND# William Wilberforce was born in Wilberforce House on the 24th August 1759. William was christened at Holy Trinity Church in Hull in September 1759. Not much is known about Wilberforce's birth except that he was a small weak baby. It was said his sons Robert and Samuel that 'His frame from infancy was feeble, his stature small, his eyes weak'. As a child William lived the life of a wealthy merchant's son in Hull. Hull was a busy port and William would have seen many different cargoes being loaded and shipped around the World. There is no evidence that Hull was involved in the slave trade or had slave ships visiting the port. However, the people of Hull used the products of slavery such as sugar, coffee and rum, in their daily life. In 1766, at the age of seven, William went to Hull Grammar School as a dayboy, for a traditional classical education, studying Latin and Ancient Greek. Joseph Milner was the new headmaster, and his younger brother Isaac was later to be an usher. Isaac was to become a lifelong friend of Wilberforce and had a strong influence on him becoming a Christian. After his father died in 1768, William was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Hannah and William Wilberforce. #SUBHEADING#Methodism#SUBHEADINGEND# It was at their London home in St James Place that William first learnt about the Methodist religion at the age of nine. At the time Methodism was a new religious movement and his immediate family were unhappy with this influence on William, his grandfather saying 'If Billy turns Methodist he shall not have a sixpence of mine'. In 1771, aged 12, William's mother brought him back to Hull, and he was sent to Pocklington School near Wilberfoss, as a boarder until 1776.


Detail from statuette of Wilberforce (image/jpeg) William Wilberforce - the man (part 3)

#SUBHEADING#The Slavery Campaign#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce became interested in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the1780s. He was concerned over raising the abolition issue in Parliament, due to the money invested in the slave trade by MPs. #IMAGE#Therefore he concentrated first on the abolition of the slave trade and then the abolition of slavery. Wilberforce made his first abolition speech in 1789. For many years, he presented the abolition bill to Parliament and it kept being defeated. . In 1807, the bill was finally passed. Parliament gave a round of applause to Wilberforce who had tears running down his face. The next step was the Slave Registration Bill in 1819 that enforced slave owners to register all slaves. Wilberforce was less active in the abolition of slavery itself, due to ill health. As Wilberforce lay dying he knew the Abolition of Slavery bill was due to be passed. It was left to his fellow MPs and abolitionists world wide to keep up the fight against slavery which continues today #SUBHEADING#Critics of Wilberforce#SUBHEADINGEND# The work of Wilberforce and the Abolitionists had a big impact on world history, but Wilberforce still had his critics. They argued that Wilberforce cared more for enslaved Africans than the working class in Britain. Despite supporting enlightened ideas, Wilberforce supported measures that restricted people's rights, such as the Combination Acts, that made Trade Unions illegal. People accused him of being inconsistent in his support of campaigns. Wilberforce was often split between his personal beliefs and loyalty to his friends and family. Wilberforce had to choose between his opposition to slavery and his daughter's personal happiness. In 1827 Wilberforce's youngest daughter, Elizabeth wanted to marry Charles Pinney. The Pinney family were merchants whose wealth came from slavery. After many letters between the Pinney family and Wilberforce, Elizabeth was sent to Bath and she later married Reverend J. James. #SUBHEADING#The religious family man#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce's religion was very important to him, and after he became a non-conformist Christian he toiled with problem of how to be a committed Christian and a politician. After debates with friends and reading books such as 'The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul' by Philip Doddridge, Wilberforce wrote 'A Practical View of Christianity' in 1797, which aired his beliefs that people should use Christianity to create a better society. The book was hugely successful and a bestseller within six months. Wilberforce was also a dedicated family man, devoted to his wife Barbara Spooner who he married in May 1797. They had six children and numerous servants that were often too sick or old to serve the family. The house was always filled with visitors and friends who came for advice or good conversation. Barbara Wilberforce was known as a poor hostess and provided little food on the table for their guests. Isaac Milner would yell at the dinner table to the servants for bread and butter. Wilberforce's son Samuel became Bishop of Oxford. He argued against Charles Darwin's theory of evolution with Thomas Huxley. It was a lively debate with one woman fainting, people yelling and Huxley confessing that he would rather have an ape than a Bishop for an ancestor. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Death and legacy#SUBHEADINGEND# On the 29th July 1833 William Wilberforce died. His death was marked with a state funeral. Wilberforce's funeral was held in Westminster Abbey on 3rd August 1833 and he is buried next to William Pitt. In his home town of Hull, a subscription was raised to build a Wilberforce Monument. The foundation stone was laid on 1st August 1834 with flags flying and bells ringing in celebration. The statue of Wilberforce at the top of the monument was added later in 1835 . Wilberforce and his legacy are remembered all over the world. In Freetown in Sierra Leone a village is named after Wilberforce, and in Ohio stands America's oldest private university, Wilberforce University (founded 1856) that especially caters for African-American students.


commemorative trowel (image/jpeg) The Wilberforce Monument

#SUBHEADING#William Wilberforce#SUBHEADINGEND# William Wilberforce, former MP for Yorkshire and anti-slave trade campaigner, died on 29th July 1833 at Cadogen Square, London. Wilberforce who was born in Hull was held in high esteem by the city and within 5 days of his death the Mayor was petitioned for a permanent memorial to Wilberforce's life and work paid for by public donation. #SUBHEADING#The Monument#SUBHEADINGEND# Early in 1834 Mr W H Clark of Leeds was commissioned to submit designs for a Doric column monument and to supervise the works, although Myers & Wilson of Carr Lane built it. #IMAGE#The monument is 102 feet high in total. The column is 90 feet and the statue on top is 12 feet tall, carved out of hard-wearing millstone grit. The statue was, in fact, an after-thought by the monument committee. It was sculpted by a Mr Feort in Dock Street and erected on the column in November 1835. The position of the monument was a contested one. Sites such as Belle Vue on Humber Bank with public gardens, the road junction of George Street and Saville Street, the oval in Kingston Square, and the end of Queen Street near the Humber were all suggested but in the end the position at the end of Whitefriargate near Princes Quay dock was agreed upon. This is now the entrance to Princes Quay Shopping Centre. The monument foundation was laid by Richard Bethel MP on 1st August 1834, the same day as the abolition of slavery in the British Colonies. A cause that Wilberforce had been passionate about, and had fought for in parliament. The total cost of the monument was 1,250 pounds that's 90,500 pounds in today's money. #SUBHEADING#A New Site#SUBHEADINGEND# The monument stood by Princes Dock for almost 100 years until Queens Dock closed in the 1930s. A new road layout was proposed for Queen Victoria Square area and the monument was making traffic flow very difficult - a new home had to be found.


badge detail (image/jpeg) Conflict and the City

This section contains stories about various conflicts that affected Hull. The major ones of the last century were the First and Second World Wars. First World War stories tell of the Local East Yorkshire Regiment which had 19 battalions including the 'Pals'. Hull suffered from extensive bombing in both wars, even by Zeppelins. Wartime rationing meant that people had to 'make do' even when it came to clothing. Read how fashion was shaped by it. However, conflict was not just a modern phenomenon in Hull. There are pictures and tales of Hull's early fortifications and guns.


ship of fortune (image/jpeg) Takarabune and Seven Lucky Gods of Japan (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#Candour#SUBHEADINGEND# Candour is represented by Ebisu. Ebisu is the God of Fishermen, Good Fortune, Wealth and Honest Labour. He is the only one of the seven Gods to originate from Japan. He is plump and has a smiling face. He is usually dressed in richly decorated formal court garments and he carries a fishing rod and a fish called Tai which represents plentiful food. #SUBHEADING# Tai Fish#SUBHEADINGEND# The Tai fish which accompanies Ebisu is regarded as a good luck fish in Japan. This is because its name rhymes with the word medetai which means auspicious. Also its red colour is thought to be lucky and it is often served at weddings and other festive occasions. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Fortune#SUBHEADINGEND# Fortune is represented by Daikokuten. Daikokuten is the God of Wealth and prosperity and originates from Indian God of Death, Mahakala. He is the father of Ebisu and like him he is plump and has a smiling face. He is dressed like a wealthy Chinese gentleman and wears a beret. He carries a mallet and a sack full of precious objects. He is known to bring good fortune to those who believe in him. #SUBHEADING#Amiability#SUBHEADINGEND# Amiability is represented by Benzaiten. Benzaiten is the Goddess of Music, Fine Art, Eloquence and Literature. She originates from the Indian Goddess Sarasvati, the Goddess of Music. She is the only female among the seven Gods. She carries a musical instrument called the Biwa and is seen with white snakes surrounding her. #SUBHEADING#Magnanimity#SUBHEADINGEND# Magnanimity is represented by Hotei. Hotei is the God of Contentment and Happiness and is the incarnation of Bodhisattva Maitreya, a Zen priest from China. He is based on an actual person and was commonly known as the Laughing Buddha. He is bald with a smiling face and fat round belly. He has bristly whiskers and a slim forehead. He carries a large bag that is said to contain a never ending supply of goods necessary for everyday living and rubbing his belly is said to bring good luck. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING# Good Fortune#SUBHEADINGEND# The Seven Gods of Fortune all travel together on a fortune ship or Takarabune handing out good fortune to believers in the New Year, this image was popularised in the Edo period. People in this period believed that if a picture of a Takarabune is purchased on New Year's Day and placed under the pillow that night it will bring good fortune for the rest of the year. It was custom to then to set the painting or picture adrift if you had a bad dream to prevent bad luck. This tradition is still carried out today in Japan. Also, children will often receive red envelopes with an image of the takarabune on it which contains money in the New Year.


municipal museum (image/jpeg) History of Hull Museums (part 1)

In 1900 responsibility for the collections acquired and developed by the Literary and Philosophical Society was handed to Hull Corporation. Thomas Sheppard was appointed Curator in January 1901, and the first thing he did was to close the museum for 18 months. When the Municipal Museum in Albion Street (always referred to as the Albion Street Museum) was re-opened in June 1902 visitors found that it had been refurbished, the collections had been re-displayed and the admission charges had been abolished.#IMAGE# The Art Gallery effectively became a separate entity with the appointment of a Curator in 1904. In 1905 T.R. Ferens gave some money for the purchase of art works and in 1917 donated funds for a new building on the site of the former St John's Church. Ferens also provided a substantial endowment for the purchase of works of art and the existing collections have mainly been funded from this provision. #SUBHEADING#Sheppard the collector#SUBHEADINGEND# Sheppard quickly developed a reputation as a ruthless collector, developing an ability to acquire objects of interest for Hull far quicker than other collectors could. He put much more time and effort in collecting objects than he did towards their cataloguing, display and interpretation. Sheppard collected enough to open and fill 8 museums in Hull over his 40 year career. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Wilberforce House Museum (opened in 1906)#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House was at one time in danger of being removed to America, but was purchased by the Corporation and transformed into an historical museum and memorial to William Wilberforce. Opened in 1906 it is in many ways one of Sheppard's greatest achievements. He collected material relating to Wilberforce and slavery, and developed a series of period rooms in the house with the help of local benefactors. #SUBHEADING#Natural History Museum (1910)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Natural History Museum opened to the public in 1910 in the space where the art gallery had been above the Municipal Museum on Albion Street. The building was destroyed in the bombing in 1941. #SUBHEADING#Museum of Fisheries and Shipping (1912)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Museum of Fisheries and Shipping was opened in 1912. Sheppard had obtained a building in Pickering Park from a local trawler owner who was interested in the whaling equipment displayed in the Municipal Museum. The museum displayed both whaling and fishing material, a reflection of the history of Hull as a major shipping and fishing port. The museum moved to the Town Docks Museum building in 1974 where it remains today as the Maritime museum.


Oak counting chest (image/jpeg) Tudor Counter Table, c.1525-1550

This is a rare example of a 'counter table' from the time of Henry VIII. It would have been used for counting money and doing sums in the city's counting-house. They were marked with a grid or had a chequered board or cloth to help counting. This is where the term 'counter' comes from, as in a shop counter. It is likely that this was made in Hull and kept by the city's corporation ever since. This is one of only a few known pieces of furniture called 'counter tables' or 'counter chests' by furniture historians. The term is relatively common in 16th century inventories and accounts. Very little information is usually mentioned. There are no known records of this particular counter table. In inventories from the 1500s, counters are often listed as having a compartment. These compartments may have offered storage for money and accounting ledgers. Hull's counter table is longer than other known examples. It is also decorated on all its sides which may mean it would have stood in the centre of a room. The drawers were added to it later, probably in the 1700s, as well as the hinged lid.


scrimshaw detail (image/jpeg) The Scrimshanderer's Subjects

#SUBHEADING#The Scrimshanderer's Subjects#SUBHEADINGEND# Scrimshaw, objects created by carving and/or engraving the teeth and bones of whales and other marine mammals, features a wide variety of decorative motifs. Some images were drawn freehand, in particular those which drew from the sailor's own experiences. Others however were copied, often by pricking an outline through a template (a drawing or a print) which was pasted over the surface of the object to be decorated. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#The Sea#SUBHEADINGEND# The sea was a major influence on the designs. The more adventurous and skilled artist would depict extravagant ships. As you would expect however, a familiar subject was the type of vessel on which they spent so much of their time. Some were portraits of just one ship at sea but there are many designs which depict a vessel or vessels amidst a hunt. Similarly, there are a number of illustrations which focus on the animals being hunted. Sometimes the designs were simple nature studies but often the creature is shown under attack. The men did not only rely on their seafaring experiences to inspire their work. Well known stories stimulated the sailor's imagination and unsurprisingly these tales often had a marine theme. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Myths and Legends#SUBHEADINGEND# Myths and legends also acted as inspiration and again the men appear to have mainly favoured marine themed tales. Here we see Neptune (Poseidon) who was god of the sea and Amphitrite, a sea nymph. The story goes that one day the god saw her dancing, fell in love with her and immediately asked her to marry him but she refused. A dolphin servant was then sent by Neptune to try and convince Amphitrite otherwise and it succeeded! As a reward, Neptune placed the image of the dolphin among the stars as the constellation Dolphinus. Biblical stories could also conjure images for the mens' artwork although examples which are as specific and detailed as this are rare. This design on a sperm whale tooth shows St John the Baptist at the mouth of a cave pointing to Christ and other figures. 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the World' is inscribed below. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Other Sources of Inspiration#SUBHEADINGEND# The sailors did not limit their subjects to stories and their seafaring experiences. Often we see depictions of fashionable ladies (sometimes accompanied by an equally fashionable gentleman). It is likely that the men copied images that they saw in magazines or fashion plates in books. Their loved ones at home no doubt also acted as inspiration in some instances and this can be seen in images such as this which depicts a woman reading and wearing more simple attire.


detail from Plantation journal (image/jpeg) Enslavement and Plantation Life

#SUBHEADING#The Middle Passage#SUBHEADINGEND# Once enslaved Africans were captured and traded to European slave traders, they would be branded with their new owners mark. Auguste Biard depicts this process in his painting, 'Slave Market on the Coast of West Africa'. The painting also shows the Captain of a slave ship bargaining with African Traders, slaves being inspected and transactions being recorded in a log book. The painting was given to Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton to commemorate the Abolition of Slavery in 1833. Buxton took over Wilberforce's role as leader of the British anti-slavery movement in 1824. A relative of Buxton donated the painting to the Museum. The journey from West Africa to the Plantations was known as the 'Middle Passage'. This was the second leg of the journey that formed the transatlantic trade triangle. During the Atlantic crossing, enslaved Africans were kept in horrific, overcrowded conditions, with 15% of Africans on each voyage dying from dysentery, malaria, smallpox or malnutrition. These appalling conditions led to the deaths of 33 slaves on board the 'Katherine' in 1728. A list of those who died and the reasons for their deaths is stored in Wilberforce House. #SUBHEADING#Discipline and Punishment#SUBHEADINGEND# The majority of enslaved people taken from Africa to the Caribbean worked on sugar plantations owned by Europeans. New arrivals underwent a period of adjustment known as 'seasoning' or 'breaking in'. An important part of the slave experience was being introduced to the daily routine and discipline on the plantation. Enslaved Africans were subject to harsh discipline and severe punishments. Being whipped was the most common punishment endured, the severity of which depended on the offence, including the number of strokes and the type of whip used. Punishments of slaves, as well as other information including production and slave statistics were kept in Plantation logs and journals. The museum collection holds 277 plantation journals for the Plantations; Good Intent, Good Success, Friendship, Schepmoed and Bacolet. It also has correspondence and punishment records for plantations owned by William King.


(image/jpeg) Wilberforce House and Hull

Wilberforce House has had a rich and varied history. It had a prime location in the heart of the old city centre on the banks of the River Hull, which made it ideal for the Wilberforce famliy's merchant business. During its lifetime it has also been used as a private residence, a business premises, and lastly as Hull's oldest surviving Museum. This section explores the life of Wilberforce House, its residents and uses, and its position within the town itself.


wilberforce house (image/jpeg) Wilberforce House and Hull's High Street

#SUBHEADING#Wilberforce house - A home..#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House is one of the oldest buildings in Hull. It was built around 1660 by William Catlyn for Hugh Lister in an architectural style known as Artisan Mannerism. This unusual design combined classical influences with local designs to create an original style. It was bought by William Wilberforce, grandfather of the abolitionist in 1732. #IMAGE#He was an apprentice to a local merchant, John Thornton, and after his death Wilberforce bought the house from his son, Godfrey. William Wilberforce, the abolitionist, was born in a room upstairs in 1759. To celebrate Wilberforce's birth, his family decorated the ceiling in the main stairway with the family crest. The House was extended in two phases, during the 1730s and 1760s by the Wilberforce family to the building you see today. #SUBHEADING#...A business...#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House had always had a dual function as a residence and a merchant business, making the best use of its location on the riverside for trading and unloading produce. Wilberforce joined forces with his nephew to form the Wilberforce, Smith & Co Bank which occupied some rooms of the house from 1784, with the bank manager, Thomas Thompson living above shop from 1798 in sole charge of the merchant house. Thompson died in 1828, and in 1830, Wilberforce sold the house to pay for his son's debts. The house continued to be used for various different company offices. The last resident of Wilberforce House was James Henwood. #SUBHEADING#..A Museum!#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#During its use by businesses in the 1890s some people asked to view the historic house, signing a visitors book which is on display in the galleries. In 1891 the Council brought in a rate to fund the restoration of historic buildings, and in 1896 Councillor Brown campaigned to preserve the house as a museum. Wilberforce House was bought by Hull City Council in 1903, and opened as a public museum on the 24th August 1906, with displays on Wilberforce, slavery and local history collections. The Museum's displays were updated in 1983 to improve the presentation of the collections. Wilberforce House Museum secured funding to re-develop the galleries and improve access ready for the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in 2007. #SUBHEADING#Georgian Houses#SUBHEADINGEND# The buildings next to Wilberforce House are called Georgian Houses. They were built by James Hamilton, ship-owner and tar merchant around 1757. Most Hull merchants had trading links with the Baltic countries, but the Hamilton family were unusual in that they traded with North America. James Hamilton imported tar that was produced on the slave plantations; strange that a product of slavery was used to provide the wealth to build a house next to the Slavery Abolitionist's home. Georgian Houses were typical Hull merchant houses of the 18th century. Over the years the houses were used as family homes and merchant offices with warehouses at the back of the building. Hull City Council took over Georgian Houses in 1949. They had been damaged in World War II and needed restoring. Alderman H. Fairbotham opened them as a museum in 1957. The rooms displayed costume, fire-arms, coins and archery trophies. They have been part of Wilberforce Museum ever since. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#High Street - Hull's original City Centre#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House and Georgian Houses are on High Street, the oldest street in the City. Hull was a thriving port and High Street was a mixture of merchant homes, warehouses and pubs. It would have been a lively and noisy place with merchants, sailors, prostitutes and press gangs. The River Hull, parallel to High Street, was the main area where merchants unloaded their cargo from the ships and moved it to nearby warehouses using staithes or small narrow paths. These were dotted along the High Street and access was jealously guarded by the merchant community to preserve routes to ships and trade. Ye Olde Black Boy, one of the oldest pubs on High Street today, was formerly a pipe shop and brothel. Men who drank in there were vulnerable to the local press gangs that roamed the south end of High Street looking to force men into the Royal Navy. Contrary to local stories, slaves were never sold on these premises.


Roman Fish Brooch (image/jpeg) Roman Brooches

One of the most common discoveries at Roman sites in Britain are brooches. This is not surprising as the Romans used them to fasten their clothing. They come in many different types and are a very useful tool in helping date archaeological sites. The latin word for a brooch is fibula and this is a common term used in archaeology. #SUBHEADING# Fashion and Status #SUBHEADINGEND# Various types of brooch were introduced into Britain when the Romans invaded in 43 AD. Their popularity continued for the next few hundred years. Like ours, the Romans fashions changed and this is why there are many different types. They were both a practical and a fashion item of their day. They also often represented status, and as such, the type of brooch you wore could indicate your position in society. Most brooches are made of bronze (copper-alloy) or iron or a mixture of both. The majority, however are copper alloy as iron doesn't survive as well. Occasionally the copper-alloy would be 'tinned' which would give the brooch a silver appearance. Many are decorated with enamel, glass, and amongst other things, semi-precious stones. Some have even been found made from gold and silver. These are much rarer, however, as only the very rich would be able to afford such luxury brooches. There are many different parts to a brooch. There is the body, which is often referred to as the bow or the plate depending on its type - a bow is usually long, narrow, and often arched, where as a plate is flat and wide. At one end is a spring or a hinge. This part is known as the 'head'. The 'foot' is where the pin closes. The pin is either part of the main body or a separate piece attached and closes by connecting it to a catch plate, or pin rest, at the foot of the brooch. This would be how the Romans fastened the brooch to their clothing, in much the same way we would use a safety-pin today. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Types of brooch#SUBHEADINGEND# Archaeologists have divided Roman brooches up into different 'types'. This helps us to date the brooches and work out where they were made. One of the most common types of Roman brooch is known as the 'trumpet' brooch. It derives its name from its shape. The head of the brooch which contained and protected the spring looks like a trumpet. #IMAGE# Another type found throughout Roman Britain is known as the 'Dragonesque' brooch. Even though it appears in Britain after the Roman conquest, it draws its design from the native British 'Celtic' tastes. This brooch is particularly decorative and again gains its name from its shape - an 'S-shaped' serpent or dragon. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Designs#SUBHEADINGEND# Romans liked to incorporate the use of animals, birds and fish into their brooches. Archaeologists refer to these designs as being 'zoomorphic'. At the Hull and East Riding Museum we have both a boar and a fish on display alongside many of the other different types and there are many more searchable online throughout our in-store collections.


sponge detail (image/jpeg) Cecil Wright Mason (1884-1964)

Cecil Wright Mason, born in 1884, was a native to Hull. He was an engineer with the Yorkshire Water Authority and had a particular interest in hydrogeology. In his spare time he was also the photographic recorder and excursions secretary for the Hull Geological Society. #SUBHEADING#A Passion for Natural History#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Over the years and the many field excursions he undertook, Mason collected geological and natural history specimens from the East Yorkshire region, as well as taking hundreds of photographic slides for the Hull Geological Society. Material from Mason's collection was donated to Hull Museums in 1962. This gift included specimens of mammoth teeth, tusks and bones. #SUBHEADING#Bringing Together his Collections#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1962 a natural history collection formed by the late T. B. Parks was also received. This included about 50 specimens gathered mostly from Kelsey Hill and Brandesburton gravels, along with some Cretaceous invertebrates which were originally collected and prepared by Mason. Parks and Mason were close colleagues and members of the Hull Geological Society. Indeed, a series of photograph albums donated by Mr and Mrs C. M. Parks show many historic Lincolnshire buildings, many of them having been taken by Mr. Mason. #SUBHEADING#The Final Assemblage#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#In 1964, following Mason's death, a further donation was made by his widow Mrs. L. Mason. This gift consisted of over 100 local geology and natural history specimens, including seaweed specimens preserved on card and in small glass tubes. His archive of fine glass lantern slides, taken on field excursions, was also donated. Today, Mason's geological and natural history specimens remain some of the best preserved items in Hull Museums' Natural History Collections. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collection7=CW+Mason+Collection&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=11&SearchSubmit.y=16TEXT=Cecil Wright Mason Collection# or use the advanced search.


Portrait of Amy Johnson (image/jpeg) Hull People

This section contains stories about famous people who have lived in Hull. Probably the best-known is William Wilberforce, the great anti-slavery campaigner. Others include Amy Johnson, James Reckitt and T.R. Ferens. Some stories are about people who depicted Hull such as John Ward and F.S. Smith. One recounts the talents of Madame Clapham who was once Hull's finest dressmaker.


The Amy Johnson Cup for Courage (image/jpeg) The Amy Johnson Cup for Courage by Edward Barnard & Sons, London, 1931

The cup is especially for children from Hull who have done something very brave. It was given to the city by Amy Johnson.

Amy was a world famous pilot who was born in Hull. She was famous for flying alone from England to Australia. She was the first woman ever to do this. In Australia she was given some gold by the children of Sydney. Amy used this gold to have this cup made and then gave it to Hull.

When Amy Johnson arrived in Australia she was presented with about £25 in gold which the children of Sydney had collected for her. On her return to Hull in 1930 she announced she would use this gold towards creating a challenge cup. It is inscribed “The Amy Johnson Cup for Courage”.

When the cup is awarded it is for single acts of bravery only. It can only be given to children from within Hull’s city boundaries. It cannot be won by stunts or reckless actions and is often linked to saving people’s lives. The child who wins the honour has their photograph taken with the cup and is given a prize. Their actions are also recorded in a special book.

Amy Johnson was born in 1903 at 154 St.George’s Road, Kingston-upon-Hull. She studied at Sheffield University and later became an air pioneer. She is most famous for her lone flight from Croydon, England to Port Darwin, Australia (5th May – 24th May 1930). This was undertaken in her Gypsy Moth aeroplane called The Jason. As part of this journey Johnson took the record time for England to India, and then flew onto Australia. She was the first woman to accomplish both feats.

Amy served with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in the Second World War. She went missing while flying a mission over the Thames Estuary in 1941.


detail from Amy Johnsons flying jacket (image/jpeg) Amy Johnson (part 1)

Amy Johnson was born on 1st July 1903. Her family were of Danish descent and were established fish merchants; Andrew Johnson Knudtzon & Co. She was also the granddaughter of a former Mayor of Hull, William Hodge (mayor 1860-1861), who presented Hull with the statue of Edward I which now stands in the Guildhall. Amy lived with her family in the Boulevard area of town and moved several times within Hull before moving to Bridlington. She attended Boulevard Secondary School (now Kingston High School) between 1915 and 1922. Amy attended University at Sheffield and graduated with a BA degree in Economics in 1925, after which she returned to Hull to take a secretarial course. #SUBHEADING# Amy gets the flying bug #SUBHEADINGEND# In 1926 she had her first experience of flying on a five shilling pleasure trip. In a letter she wrote 'Mollie [her sister] and I went up in the aeroplane. We both enjoyed it, but I would have liked to have done some stunts'. The following year she moved down to London to pursue a career in advertising. In 1928 Amy paid to have some flying lessons with the London Aeroplane Club. Later the same year she obtained her pilot's licence and left her job to become a full-time mechanic at the de Havilland aerodrome in Stag Lane near Edgware, London. She got her private pilot's licence in July 1929 and in December the same year she became the first women to qualify as a ground engineer. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# Flight from England to Australia 1930 #SUBHEADINGEND# In May 1930 Amy made her solo flight to Australia in a Gypsy Moth D.H.60 G-AAAH which she named Jason (the trademark of the Johnson family fish business). This plane can be seen in the Flight Gallery at the Science Museum, London. She was attempting to break Bert Hinkler's record of flying the 11,000 miles from England to Australia in less than 16 days. Although she did not break the record, taking just over 19 days to make the flight, she was the first women to make this flight and received considerable press coverage and quickly became one of the worlds best know personalities. Amy received telegrams of congratulation from across the world including the King George V and Queen Mary and the British Prime Minster Ramsay MacDonald. She spent several weeks in Australia attending receptions, dinners and presentations.


Amy Johnson (image/jpeg) Amy Johnson (part 2)

When Amy Johnson returned to England after completing her solo flight to Australia she was presented with a CBE (which is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon). In August 1930 the Daily Mail newspaper made her a gift of 10,000 pounds for her services in Australia and was given a civic reception at the Guildhall in Hull. #SUBHEADING# Other flights #SUBHEADINGEND# In January 1931 Amy Johnson and her co-pilot Jack Humpreys became the first pilots to fly the 1700 miles from London to Moscow in 21 hours and then from Moscow to Tokyo which took 10 days. In 1932 she met and married the Scottish aviator Jim Mollison and in December she broke his record for a solo flight from England to South Africa. In July 1933 she attempted a non-stop flight with her husband from England to New York via Canada. Unfortunately the plane was unable to complete the journey due to lack of fuel just 50 miles from their destination. They had a crash landing where they were both injured, although not seriously and were given a ticker-tape parade through New York.. In 1934 Amy and her husband made a record flight to Karachi in India as part of the Australia MacRobertson Air Race, but they had to withdraw from the full race. In 1936 Amy regained her record for a flight between London and Cape Town (which had been broken by Tommy Rose) and the record for the fastest return flight. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# Her last flight #SUBHEADINGEND# In May 1940, Amy joined the women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary flying both machines and men to wherever they were needed. Part of her job was flying aircraft from the factory airstrips to RAF bases. On Sunday 5th January 1941 on a routine ferrying flight from Blackpool to RAF Kidlington (near Oxford) she went off course due to the poor weather. She bailed out into the Thames estuary and was seen alive but the rescue attempt failed and her body was never recovered. Her death has always been shrouded in mystery with theories such as she was on an undercover operation or that she was shot down by friendly fire. She was officially presumed dead in December 1943 when a probate court heard evidence from eye-witnesses. #SUBHEADING# Amy Johnson's legacy #SUBHEADINGEND# In 1932, Amy used a gift of a purse of gold sovereigns presented to her by the children of Sydney to purchase a gold cup for the City of Hull; The Amy Johnson Cup for Courage. This trophy is awarded to a Hull child (aged under 17) for an outstanding deed of courage In 1958 the 'Amy Johnson Collection' of souvenirs and mementoes was presented by Amy's father to Sewerby Hall Museum and Art Gallery, and the Amy Johnson Room was opened in 1959. On 18th July 1974 a memorial statue was erected to her honour in Prospect Street, Hull. In 2003 the Royal Mail issued commemorative stamps to mark the centenary of her birth.


(image/jpeg) Home and Leisure Life

This section contains stories about what people used to do in their leisure time and also about their homes. People have always played games since ancient times. Some stories explore the types of pastimes there once were. Leisure time was not just about playing games. Sewing at home was once a very popular hobby. Leisure activities that took place outside the home included watching puppet theatres. Two stories take a look at what everyday items in the home are made from, including toothpaste!


cola elephant detail (image/jpeg) Contemporary Collections

#SUBHEADING#Slavery Displays#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House Museum has a small collection of objects in its contemporary slavery displays. These objects highlight the continual legacy of slavery and also explore the issue of human rights. They provide the visitor with a view of modern Africa today. The displayed objects look at cultural diversity, both in Hull itself and the wider community. Local people from different communities have lent objects of personal significance to illustrate the different cultural identities represented in the city of Hull. The contribution to British Society by the African-Caribbean community is also represented here in the form of the local sports personality, Clive Sullivan, a Hull born rugby player. His 'This is your Life' book is displayed along side his medals. From the world of entertainment, the museum has Lenny Henry's character costume of larger than life soul singer 'Theophilus P. Wildebeest'. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#African Artists#SUBHEADINGEND# Among the displays are works of art produced by African artists on the subject of slavery, freedom and human rights. Samson Lungu's, 'Fingers' and 'The Vendor' portray a personal interpretation on this subject. The large oak sculpture that is displayed in the contemporary galleries represents a freed African slave and was carved by the Sierra Leone artist, Samuel Samei Marco, who kindly donated this work to the Museum.


Detail from old bottle label (image/jpeg) Fizzy Pop and Water

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hull had a prosperous soft drinks industry, with 23 makers listed in the 1892 Bulmer's 'Directory of Hull'. A wide range of drinks were made including lemonade, soda, ginger beer, orangeade and 'aerated water'. #SUBHEADING#Aerated water#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the most popular drinks during the Victorian period was 'aerated water'. For hundreds of years people had been drinking natural mineral waters for their healing powers. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, scientists discovered a way of artificially producing 'carbonised' mineral water by adding carbonic acid gas to water under pressure. The first machine for manufacturing 'aerated water' was developed by the Swedish chemist Jacob Schweppe. In the 1790s his company, Schweppes, based in London, was one of the first firms to produce bottled mineral water. #SUBHEADING#Hull companies#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# One of the largest companies in Hull making 'aerated water' was 'Hindle's Aerated Waters', which had offices and a factory on Chapel Lane. William Hay the owner of Hay's, based on Anlaby Road, was both chemist and soft drinks maker. As a result, his drinks which included 'Orange Quinine Tonic' and 'Lithia Water' were thought to also have some health benefits. Some soft drinks makers worked in partnership with public house owners and agents for breweries as this gave them a ready market for their products. Robert Hawkshaw joined with Wheatley & Sons to form 'Robert Hawkshaw Ltd' and established branches in both Hull and Bridlington to make and sell aerated water, squashes and soda. The firm of Julius Peters which operated from High Street and later from Walker Street, made such drinks as 'Kola Champagne', 'Champagne Ginger', 'Orange Champagne', 'Hop Ale', lemonade and ginger beer. Other soft drink makers in Hull included 'Robinson & Speight', 'J.H. Rhymer' and 'Armstrong's'. #SUBHEADING#Murden's#SUBHEADINGEND# The only company in Hull to survive into the twenty first century was that of 'Murden's'. An initial investment of just 100 pounds in the early 1900s was used to buy equipment for making 'aerated water'. By 1910, the firm became a limited company by the 1970s they were producing around 40,000 bottles each week. The company still makes soft drinks but now also makes other types of drinks and fast foods. Bottles of drinks were transported and delivered by horse-drawn carts until the 1930s when they were replaced by lorries. These belonged to the firms and had the company name and address painted on the outside. The drinks were contained in wooden delivery crates which were also painted in company colours with the company name on the side.


Armchairs by John Easten & Sons, Hull, c.1867-1880

These chairs have been designed with Victorian men's and women's clothing in mind. One of the chairs is for a gentleman. It has a shaped seat, perfect for someone wearing trousers. The lady's chair is wider and deeper than the gentleman's to allow space for her long skirt and petticoats. The rail connecting the legs of the lady's chair is higher up than the rail of the gentleman's chair. This was to allow her skirt to settle beneath the seat. John Easten & Sons were clearly very versatile. The firm advertised itself as a linen draper, upholsterer, and carpet, paperhanging, bedstead and bedding dealer. Furniture making seems to have been only a small part of the business. John Easten & Sons' premises were at 8 Market Place, Hull, from 1867-1900. Before this 8 Market Place was occupied by Fearne & Easten, a partnership between John Easten and John Fearne. Fearne & Easten sold fabric, carpets and wallpapers from around 1840 to 1867. John Fearne and John Easten seem to have been friends outside work. In 1858 they were living in adjoining houses at 5 and 6 West Parade, Abbey Road. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Detail of a Billy and Charley forgery (image/jpeg) Billy, Charley and the Shadwell Forgeries

Amongst the many items that Hull Museums look after is a collection, which at first glance may seem nothing out of the ordinary. A group of 24 lead objects, ranging from medallions and pilgrim badges to ornate statuettes, Medieval you may think. However this collection is part of something much bigger, a clever forgery, conjured up by two illiterate mudlarks called William (Billy) Smith and Charles (Charley) Eaton, which fooled some of the most important historians and antiquarians in Victorian England. #SUBHEADING#Mudlarks to Forgers#SUBHEADINGEND# Billy and Charley came from the area of Shadwell, London and began making forgeries in the middle of the 19th century. They started out as mudlarks, scouring the banks of the Thames for anything of value which they could then sell on. This brought them into the contact of William Edwards, a London antiques dealer, who paid them for anything of interest they found. It soon became clear to Billy and Charley that there was money to be made in antiques, and in 1857 they began their counterfeit operation. They cast objects in lead, or lead alloys like pewter. They used carved plaster casts and bathed the finished objects in acid to make the objects look older. Their most popular objects were medallions, however they made coins, statuettes, ampullae's and even small shrines. Figures on the forgeries tended to be of Kings, knights and priests, all with naive expressionless faces. As Billy and Charley were illiterate the writing on the forgeries are all completely meaningless. The two men claimed that they found the pieces at Shadwell where a new dock was being built and William Edwards became an unwitting participant in their scam believing the forgeries to be the earliest pilgrim badges ever found. #SUBHEADING#Taken to court#SUBHEADINGEND# It is believed that in the 4 or 5 years that they were in production, Billy and Charley produced between 5,000 and 10,000 forgeries. The sheer volume of items aroused suspicions and they were brought to the attention of the British Museum who believed them to be forgeries. However, many archaeologists and local historians believed them to be real, giving them dates ranging from 1300 to 1600. Even a court case could not prove that the objects were forged or that the two men were behind it. After the court case Billy and Charlie continued making the forgeries. However Charles Reed, owner of a local printers, did not give up and bribed a sewer scavenger to break into their workshop and collect moulds which finally proved that they were forgeries. Despite this evidence they were never arrested, as it was difficult to prove they had broken the law, but they could no longer sell the pieces and production stopped around 1870. Many of the forgeries would continue to circulate around London, and there are now pieces all over the country, with some fine examples looked after by Hull and East Riding Museum. To have an important collection in a museum because it is a forgery would indeed seem strange to Victorian historians and archaeologists, particularly to those that dismissed them as no more than children's toys! View the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=2005.662.*&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=%222005.662.%22&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=30&SearchSubmit.y=12 TEXT=24 items# from this collection.


costume detail (image/jpeg) 1940s Fashion - back to 'Civvie' Street

#SUBHEADING# Demob Suits #SUBHEADINGEND# When the War ended men leaving the armed forces were issued with new clothes to ease their progression back into civilian life. As part of demobilisation, these 'demob suits' came in a variety of different sizes, colours and packages. If the full suit, including waistcoat and other items such as shoes and hat, were purchased, the customer had bought the 'Full Monty'; a term derived from the owner of the Burtons clothing store, Montague Burton, the main stockist for Demob suits. In reality choices and sizes were limited. Suits were only produced in several sizes which often meant they were ill fitting, and colour and style was determined by the location of the demob centre. For some men this was their first ever suit. For others aspirations of walking out a fashionable man on "Civvie Street" were not always fulfilled! #SUBHEADING# Christian Dior and New Look #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# In February 1947, fashion designer Christian Dior showcased his new spring collection in Paris. After years of wartime austerity and continued shortages people wanted something more glamorous, feminine and graceful. Dior's spring collection featured narrow shoulders, a round bust, small waist, padded hips and a full long skirt reaching far below the knee for a long pencil skirt. The style was soon dubbed by fashion journalist as 'New Look' although in many ways it was highly reminiscent of the mid 19th century dress silhouette. The New Look inspired a range of feelings from awe to strong resentment. It was considered inappropriate and irresponsible by the Board of Trade in London and some fashion designers agreed that the new skirt length made no economic sense and was unpatriotic. #SUBHEADING# A ridiculous extravagance? #SUBHEADINGEND# The British Housewife's League and the Women's League of Health and Beauty joined the protests denouncing the fashion as ridiculous extravagance. Some people saw the New Look as anti-feminist, requiring women to constrict their figures, making it hard for women to work and turning the clock back to the era of a 'caged bird attitude'. Such an attitude was irrelevant to the majority of working class women in the late 1940s. New Look was warmly welcomed in Paris and was featured in American Vogue October 1947. Despite protests the spring collection was a huge success and worn by fashionable figures such as Rita Hayworth, Margot Fonteyn, Princess Margaret and the Duchess of Windsor.


detail of shoe (image/jpeg) 1940s Fashion - Utility scheme

#SUBHEADING# Restriction Orders introduced #SUBHEADINGEND# The utility scheme was introduced into Britain by the Board of Trade on 1st June 1941 to ensure low and medium quality consumer goods were produced to high standards at reasonable prices. Utility applied to furniture and other consumer goods as well as clothes. Clothes were made from Utility cloth, which was defined in terms of minimum quality levels (weight and fibre content per sq.yard) and maximum allowed retail prices. #IMAGE# Clothes were identified by the CC41 label. Once manufacturers had met their utility clothing quota of production - 85 % of total production - they were then permitted to make clothes using non utility cloth, but still had to follow the same style regulations. To further economise, the Making of Civilian Clothing (restriction orders) was passed in 1942. This forbade wasteful cutting of clothes and set list of restrictions that Tailors and dressmakers had to work to. For example, dresses could have no more than 2 pockets, 5 button, 6 seams in a skirt, 2 inverted or box pleats or 4 knife pleats and no more than 4 metres of stitching. No unnecessary decoration was allowed. #SUBHEADING# Dress Restrictions - Yes : Fashion Restrictions - No #SUBHEADINGEND# To demonstrate that these limitations didn't necessarily signal an end to style and fashion, London's top fashion designers were asked by the Board of Trade to create a year-round collection. The focus was on line and cut, and the collection was elegant and simple. This tailored and slim line silhouette, with pronounced shoulders and nipped in waists became the standard wartime look. Jackets were short and boxy, or long and lean. Skirts were straight with a kick pleat or gently flared, and hemlines were 18 inches from the ground, just below the knee. Surface interest was created by imaginative placement of pockets or buttons which sometimes featured the CC41 utility motif. Some designs copied the military style with breast pockets or belts and small collars. Utility clothing also extended into children's wear, which also bore the same CC41 label. #IMAGE# Shoe designs were chunky and solid, with wedges or low 2" heels. Open toe shoes were banned as impractical and unsafe. Men's shoes adhered to the usual formula of hard wearing Oxfords or Brogued lace-ups. Civilian clothing for men became less formal, with many opting for open necked shirts, pullovers and cord trousers. Styles in men's clothes were also restricted under the utility rules. The waistcoat was abolished making it a 2 not 3 piece suit, pocket flaps eliminated, turn ups on trousers and braces.


ATS badge (image/jpeg) 1940s Fashion - Hard times for fashion

#SUBHEADING#Hard Times for Fashion#SUBHEADINGEND# The Second World War signalled radical changes to British Society. Resources were rationed, men were called up and the Home Front production was geared towards supporting the war effort. This was also a significant era for British fashion. As clothes became scarce, rationed and regulated by government design, the ability to assert individuality and style became increasingly difficult. With limited access to new clothing the British population were forced to "Make do and mend" the items they already owned. With limited cosmetics women had to be creative and inventive in their ways to keep looking beautiful. After the end of the war, the 'New Look' signalled a sharp contrast to the austere wartime fashion. After years of strict dress regulations and scarcity of fabrics, this ostentatious style seemed wasteful and unpatriotic. #SUBHEADING#Restrained and Austere#SUBHEADINGEND# War-time restrictions and shortages had a big influence on fashion. Fashion took on a military look with boxy square shoulders on jackets, waist belt and military-style pockets, knee length pencil skirt which was not too tight, allowing freedom of movement. This look was restrained and austere. It was thought un-patriotic and in bad taste to have fancy embellishments on clothes when there were so many shortages. Because leather was in short supply, wedge heels made of cork or wood were worn. This kind of sole also made it easier for women to walk longer distances or stand for longer periods of time due to their feet being better supported. Even though wool was short supply hand knitting was widely employed for cardigans, jumpers and waistcoats for men. #IMAGE# Hats remained un-rationed throughout the war. Woman could make a real statement with their hats and were encouraged to re-trim old hats and not buy new - the "Make Do and Mend" ethos. Dungarees, trousers and siren suits (jumpsuit) became acceptable wear at work and for leisure because they were practical and didn't require coupons to buy.


costume detail (image/jpeg) 1940s Fashion - 'Keep young and beautiful'

Britain may have been at War, suffering blitz, blackouts and shortages - but that was no excuse for Women to start neglecting their appearance! Even with their men away at war and their days spent working in factories or civil defence forces, magazines and advertising campaigns emphasised the importance for women to look their best. Cheerfulness and resolution were expected, and with clothes rationed or restricted for safety in the work place, hairstyles and makeup were seen as a way to brighten up the drabness of wartime clothes and express some individuality. The Hollywood Glamour of forties beauties such as Veronica Lake, Ingrid Bergman and Rita Hayworth set a high standard for women to follow, but despite shortages and extreme circumstances, a woman's duty to be beautiful was considered part of the war effort. #SUBHEADING# Hairstyles #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Hairstyles of the forties required a lot of hairpins, setting lotion and patience! Hair was meticulously curled into small pin curls and set with lotion, to create waves, rolls and curls of complicated proportions! Those working in the armed forces were required to have a hairstyle that didn't touch their collar, and many women adopted 'Military' or 'Victory' styles which were quite short. For those working in factories long hairstyles were a safety hazard and girls wishing to copy Veronica Lake's seductive flowing locks soon found their way to the emergency department! The use of scarves, hairnets and turbans prevented these kinds of accidents. The 'Pageboy', (shoulder length hair curled under sometimes with a waved fringe) and the 'Pompadour' (a style with a high standing front section, usually achieved by backcombing or the use of padding) were both popular forties styles. #SUBHEADING# Make up #SUBHEADINGEND# Despite the extreme circumstances of war, women were urged to put their 'best face forward' and use beauty and cheerfulness to help boost Wartime morale. Although cosmetics were becoming scarce, magazines offered handy helpful hints on looking beautiful. Red lipstick and nails were the height of fashion, as were high arched plucked eyebrows. But like everything else, fresh supplies of make up were in short reserve, requiring economical and inventive use of make up already owned to make it last.


Detail of polar bear model (image/jpeg) Polar Bear - King of the Arctic

Animals have always been shipped across the seas on various types of vessels and for many different reasons. Many were carried as food for the crew and some were taken as pets. Others were brought home for sale to zoological gardens, and this is the main reason why many polar bears came to Britain. Amongst the mariners who shipped polar bears across the seas were whaling crews. When hunting in Arctic waters, whalers came across many different animals including polar bears, walruses, musk oxen and birds. #SUBHEADING#Polar Power#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Not surprisingly, whaling crews were cautious of polar bears. They are the worlds largest land predator and are well adjusted to their environment in the Arctic. The polar bear's Latin name is Ursus Maritimus, meaning "sea bear". This name most likely originated because polar bears are very accomplished swimmers and do much of their hunting under water. Polar bears have thick white fur which enables them to endure the Arctic winds and creep up on prey in the snowy landscape. They also have hair on the soles of their paws to grip the ice. They grow up to 3 metres (10 feet) long and 1.5 metres high. They can weigh as much as 770 kg - three times the weight of a lion or tiger - and run up to 25 miles per hour over short distances. The stuffed polar bear on display at Hull Maritime Museum is an adult male and measures almost 9 feet long. #SUBHEADING#Encounters with Polar Bears#SUBHEADINGEND# Sighting and confronting a polar bear in its natural habitat must have been a frightening experience! Nevertheless, small numbers were overcome and either captured or killed. Despite their great size and strength, polar bears are solitary creatures so would have been reasonably unprotected when surrounded by people with weapons. #IMAGE# Whaling crews often became stranded in the Arctic during the winter and might kill polar bears for food. They were also shot for their valuable skins. The stuffed and skeletal bears at Hull Maritime Museum were most likely taken onboard ship alive for sale to zoos back home, the only place where the general public could see this splendid creature for themselves. However, such treatment by humans over time, as well as climate change and growing pollution problems, has today made the polar bear an endangered species. #SUBHEADING#Popularising Polar Bears#SUBHEADINGEND# Polar bears have captured the popular imagination of many people for being cute and adorable yet ferocious and powerful. Some carvings and artworks at Hull Maritime Museum have been inspired at least partly by polar bears and show how commonly the animals were encountered by whaling crews. Polar bears are included in various paintings of whaling scenes. Many pictures show cautious members of whaling crews approaching the bears with weapons such as guns and spears. In the early 1900s, 'Peppy' the Polar Bear became the icon of the major sweet product Fox's Glacier Mints. The great white bear has even inspired the name of a local pub down Spring Bank, which has now been called 'The Polar Bear' for decades! These magnificent creatures are clearly still admired in awe as much today as they ever have been.


Detail of fisherman working with a catch on deck (image/jpeg) The Fussey Collection

#SUBHEADING#Walter Fussey and Son#SUBHEADINGEND# The photographic company of Walter Fussey and Son, established in about 1930, was based on Ferriby Road, Hessle until 1992, when Malcolm Fussey donated their historic collection of images of the local trawling industry to Hull Maritime Museum. Malcolm Fussey was a commercial photographer, who succeeded his father, specialising in marine and industrial photography. The company logo, featuring a bellows camera, a cog and striped waves, represents photography, local industry and maritime trade. #SUBHEADING#The Fussey Collection#SUBHEADINGEND# The whole collection, dating from about 1930-1990, includes black and white glass plate, copies of vintage photographs and modern acetate negatives, with some later examples in colour. They cover all areas of the local trawling and fishing industry including overseas connections with other North Sea ports. #IMAGE# The main subjects represent the local shipyards of Cook, Welton and Gemmell and C.D. Holmes of Beverley, Richard Dunston of Thorne and Hessle and Cochranes of Selby. A large group of black and white negatives from the 1950s, represents the launch and trials of stern trawlers and tugs from shipyards in Beverley and Goole. There are also images of trawlers with registration codes from: Hull (H), North Shields (SN), Granton (GN), Grimsby (GY), Fleetwood (FD), Lowestoft (LT) and Aberdeen (A). #SUBHEADING#Stern Trawlers and Trawler Views#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# A set of negatives were taken for the local publication, Fishing News, with exterior and interior views of stern trawlers and portraits of the shipyard offices and staff. This includes international examples of a Russian frozen fish vessel at Grimsby and an Icelandic trawler. There are also images of the 'Ben Gulvain' from Aberdeen in Granton Harbour and the local 'Arctic Raider', as a Trinity House Guard Ship. #SUBHEADING#Fishing Gear and Procedures on Deck#SUBHEADINGEND# These images of 'side-fishing' trawlers shows aspects of working life on deck including the gallows, bridge, fish pounds, nets on deck, trawl door and winch, wireless room, galley, loading cod and sorting fish. Other processes covered are, loosing the 'cod end', gutting fish, hanging on tester hooks and fish filleters at work. #IMAGE# There are images of the deck fittings of the Hull vessel 'Arctic Corsair', after being modified for mackerel fishing. #SUBHEADING#Historic Events and Local Views#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# One of the historic images within the collection is the blockade of fishing Snibbies at Hull, on 1st April 1975, as a part of the Icelandic Cod Wars. A view of the 'Cordella' of Hull, as part of the Fishing Armada protest against the increased regulations and fishing quotas in the North Sea. The Hull trawler, 'Eastella' is seen departing from Antarctica, in November 1989. Edward Heath is shown visiting and speaking at Catch '76 Fisheries Exhibition at Hull Docks. Local dock views include Grimsby and North Shields as well as the St. Andrew's Dock, Fish Dock, Albert Dock, Timber Dock and Riverside Quay on the Humber at Hull. There are groups of traditional and local architectural subjects, including old hospital buildings and the Old Guildhall in Hull. Other views are of Coronation Day, 1911 in Paull and the old Pier and lighthouse, Paull, as well as traditional buildings and roads around Ferriby, Hessle, Hedon and Cottingham. #SUBHEADING#International Ports and Ships#SUBHEADINGEND# Merchant shipping from various international ports include ferries, tankers, dredgers and cargo vessels. Other international fishing vessels from France, Russia and Canada are captured on film as well as Cod War support vessels in the North Sea and Arctic fishing grounds. #SUBHEADING#Historic and Replica Ships#SUBHEADINGEND# Model and replica sailing ships such as a warship,Thames sailing barge and the 'Sir Winston Churchill' sail training vessel. Replicas include the 'Charlotte Rhodes' used for the1970s television drama 'Onedin Line' and the Elizabethan ship of Sir Francis Drake, the 'Golden Hind'. #IMAGE#


Detail from Valentine card (image/jpeg) The History of Valentine Day

Hull Museums have a large collection of Valentine's Cards and other objects associated with Valentines but where did the tradition originate? The history of Valentine's Day is surrounded in mystery, though February has always been the month of romance. St Valentine's Day contains both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Who was Valentine?#SUBHEADINGEND# It is believed that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than married ones he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine realised this injustice and performed secret marriages for young lovers. When Valentine's actions were discovered Claudius ordered that he be put to death. #IMAGE# It is also believed that Valentine sent his first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison it is believed that he fell in love with a young girl, daughter of a prison jailor. Before his death, it was suggested that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'from your Valentine'; a saying that is used in cards today. Most of the myths and legends show Valentine as sympathetic, heroic and a romantic figure. By the Middle Ages Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. #SUBHEADING#Survival of Valentine cards#SUBHEADINGEND# The oldest known Valentine still exists today as a poem written by Charles Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting that was written in 1415 is part of the manuscript collection at the British Library in London. The Oldest known Valentines message in the English Language is also at the British Library, written in Norfolk more than 500 years ago, the love letter dates to 1477 and was from Margery Brews to her fiance John Paston. #IMAGE# Most that survive in the Hull Museums collection are Victorian in date (1837-1901). They are usually handmade and hand printed so would have been very expensive to produce and purchase, until printing became cheaper and mass produced. #IMAGE# In the United Kingdom Valentines Day began to be popular in the 17th century. By mid 18th century it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Public displays of affected were discouraged at this time so a card or token could say things that people couldn't.


The Lister silver flagons, London, 1640

Flagons were originally made for ritual use in church. They were later adapted for more general use, including holding beer, and called tankards. These two flagons were made for show. It is unlikely they were ever used. The money for these silver flagons was left to the city by Sir John Lister. His family arms are engraved on their sides. They are engraved with an inscription: 'The gift of Sir John Lister to the towne of Kingston upon Hull. 1640.' Sir John Lister (1587-1640) was an important man in 17th century Hull. He was a successful merchant and lived in a house on High Street in Hull. This is now better known as Wilberforce House Museum. It was at this house that King Charles I stayed when he visited the city in 1639. Sir John was Mayor of Hull twice, in 1618 and 1629 and he was knighted in 1632. He was married to Elizabeth and had 16 children. In 1629 Charles I had dismissed parliament. However, in 1640 he needed them to help fight against Scotland and recalled them. This was called the 'Long Parliament' because it was in office for so long. Sir John Lister was elected to represent Hull in this parliament but died a few weeks after his election. Sir John Lister is buried at Holy Trinity Church, Hull.


Lister family portrait (image/jpeg) The Lister Family

The building which is now Wilberforce House Museum was built in the 17th century by the Lister family. The original building dated from around 1590 when John Lister acquired a plot of land on the High Street. #SUBHEADING#The Lister Family#SUBHEADINGEND# The Lister family were known lead merchants and the house looked onto the River Hull. At this time these plots were used as quays, known as staithes. Ships would dock along the River Hull adjacent to the High Street. John Lister was married to Anne, daughter of Robert Gayton and his family would have lived and traded on site. John Lister served on the Hull Corporation (old council) and became an Alderman (senior councillor). He was Mayor of Hull in 1592 and 1612 and served as Member of Parliament for the town in 1612. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#John's Son#SUBHEADINGEND# After John Lister's death in 1616, his son, also John followed in his father's footsteps. He was Mayor of Hull in 1618 and 1629 and became Member of Parliament in 1620 until his death in 1640. He was knighted in 1632. As the Lister family became more prestigious they were granted a coat of arms and they purchased a country estate at South Frodingham. The coat of arms and a portrait of Sir John Lister are displayed in the Banqueting Room in Wilberforce House Museum. #SUBHEADING#Charles I visit#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1639 King Charles I stayed in the house on this site. The King was'sumptuously entertained' by the Lister family. Only three years later the King was refused entry to Hull, marking the start of the English Civil War. Sir John Lister did not live to see this significant act of defiance to the monarch.


william bradley (image/jpeg) William Bradley, the 'Yorkshire Giant'

The Social History collections of Hull Museums contain an interesting item relating to the amazing tale of William Bradley the 'Yorkshire Giant'. The portrait, engraved by Samuel Freeman in 1811, shows Bradley standing in a doorway with another man of normal height. William Bradley, was born in Market Weighton (approximately 20 miles North West of Hull) on the 10th February 1787 and weighed 14lbs (6.35kg) at birth. He was the fourth of thirteen children. All the rest were of normal height except for one sister who showed signs she would be nearly as tall as her brother but she died at the age of sixteen. #IMAGE#By the time he was twenty Bradley was 7 ft 9 inches tall (2.36m) and weighed 27 stone (172 kg). He needed a walking stick 5 ft 10 inches in length (1.78m), which was taller than the average male height at this time. His feet measured 16 inches (406mm) long and more than 6 inches (159 mm) wide. There is a plaque on the wall of his house showing the size of his shoes, and he remains, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest Englishman ever on record. #SUBHEADING#Travelling Showman#SUBHEADINGEND# Bradley spent many years with a group of travelling showmen billed as "The Yorkshire Giant" including regular appearances at the Hull Fair. Word of his height spread and he was invited to an audience with King George III who presented him with a gold chain which he wore for the rest of his life. Bradley eventually retired from the performing circuit and returned to Market Weighton where he died on the 30th May 1820 aged 33. He was originally buried in the grounds of All Saints Church in the town but it was feared that bodysnatchers, or 'Resurrection Men' as they were commonly known would attempt to steal his remains, so he was later re-interred inside the church. #SUBHEADING#Remembering William Bradley today#SUBHEADINGEND# William Bradley is an important attraction for the town of Market Weighton. Since May 1996 the town has hosted an annual Giant Bradley Day, with stalls, exhibitions and entertainers taking over the main street. The Giant Bradley Heritage Trail was launched in 2005 highlighting interesting buildings across the town and in 2007 a lifesize oak statue was unveiled.


Detail of makers mark (image/jpeg) Silversmiths and Goldsmiths of Church Lane, Hull

#SUBHEADING#Church Lane#SUBHEADINGEND# Many of Hull's best known goldsmiths who worked between the sixteenth and late eighteenth century were based in the same location, in premises on Church Lane, Hull (now demolished). This was on the north side of Church Lane close to the junction of the market place. The first goldsmith to acquire the building was John Harrison during the reign of King Henry VIII. #IMAGE# Peter Carlill worked from Church Lane. He was a successful gold and silversmith who obtained his freedom to trade in 1556. This was a different time on account of the Reformation when much silver plate was seized. In later years however, his trade increased as did that of other silversmiths, when Elizabeth I called for the replacement of chalices with communion cups. He made cups for six parishes in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. His son James Carlill also became a silversmith and made a communion cup for Holy Trinity Church, Hull and in due course he inherited his father's workshop. After James's death the premises was leased to another goldsmith, Robert Robinson who bought his freedom in 1617. Very few items survive by him, although twelve communion cups that were made by him still remain in parish churches. During the civil war many goldsmiths faced a decline in trade as silver and money was being seized and in Hull it was used towards the cost of maintaining the Garrison. Robinson was wealthy so this didn't affect him. He took on a new apprentice in 1645 James Birkby. After his apprenticeship Birkby bought his freedom in 1651 and established his own business in premises very close by. The premise on Church Lane was left to Robinson's wife in his will and then passed to Birkby's son Peter. #SUBHEADING#Edward and Katherine Mangie#SUBHEADINGEND# Around the 1660s a silversmith, who had been trading in York came to Hull and bought his freedom and established his own business. Mangies' premises was at the centre of the busy market place and both high quality domestic and church pieces were made. Mangie produced maces for both Hull and the Grimsby Corporations. When he died his wife and son also called Edward took over the business. Mangie stamped his pieces EM and those produced while his wife was in charge stamped KM. #IMAGE# However, it is not known whether she made the silverwares herself or she was solely the proprietor of the business. Katherine's marker's mark initials are to be found on communion cups, an oval tobacco box, and spoons and are stamped seven times on a small walrus ivory and silver jewel casket. The Mangies remained in business on church lane until the 1730s, but after 1697 very few pieces by them are known. This suggests that after this time they were perhaps trading mainly as retailers and repairers. Katherine Mangie died in 1725 at the great age of 88 and her son Edward continued to trade as a goldsmith at the Church Lane premises for the next nine years and then he probably retired and in 1739 he died. Records show that by 1748 the Church Lane premises were leased to another goldsmith named Robert Jones. Jones used the premises as a retail shop but he also made repaired and engraved plate for the Hull Corporation between 1740 and 1750. In total eleven gold and silversmiths were known to have either worked or served an apprenticeship at the Church Lane premises. Two other important Hull silversmiths were Thomas Hebden and Abraham Barachin. Thomas was an apprentice to Edward Mangie at the Church Lane premises, but after his apprenticeship he set up his own business on the south side of Church Lane and became strong competition for Katherine Mangie. He traded there from 1681 until his death in 1695. He made both church and domestic plate and also a fine peg-tankard for the Corporation of Hedon in around 1690. #IMAGE# Abraham Barachin worked with Hebden and after his death in 1695, he married his widow. Barachin was the last Hull silversmith to use the town mark of the three ducal coronets in pale on a communion cup and a ladle of around 1708-1710. After this date, silver that was produced in Hull was sent to the York assay office. Barachin was also the only Hull goldsmith who obtained his freedom of trade in Hull after the introduction of the Britannia standard. This standard denoted a purer form of silver than was used in sterling silver coinage. However, it seems that Barachin must have used sterling silver instead as Britannia standard marker's mark had to show the first two letters of the maker's surname and Barachin simply used his initials A B with a crown above and a rose beneath. #IMAGE# Hull silver pieces stylistically have a simple shape that is embellished with engravings or repousse decoration on the more significant items. Some of the pieces appear to have been influenced by Scandinavian or Northern German style, for example the peg tankards. Many pieces are ornamented with inscriptions and armorials that represent the person to whom they were made and or presented at that time. These well-cut engravings catch the light and emphasize the surrounding polished surface areas.


Detail of inscription (image/jpeg) Goldsmiths and Silversmiths of Hull

#SUBHEADING#'The Kings Town'#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull was granted its Royal Charter in 1299 from King Edward I and it became the 'Kings Town'. For a short while it had a mint which produced silver penny coins of the realm. Indeed it is probable that there were gold and silversmiths working in Hull around this time, however the earliest recorded goldsmiths working in Hull, who also produced silverware, were working in the fifteenth century. During the sixteenth century the Hull gold and silversmiths formed 'The Guild of Goldsmiths of Hull'. However, it seems that by the end of the century there was a reduced demand for their trade and that their status had possibly declined as they decided to combine with smiths, pewterers, painters, cutlers, bookbinders and basket makers to form 'The Company of Goldsmiths and Smiths and others of their brethren'. It is also probable that there never was an assay office in the town. #IMAGE# Gold and silver pieces were normally sent to an assay office to be tested to ensure that their gold and silver content was correct. By a royal decree of 1328, the standard for gold and silver items had to match that for coinage, which was known as the sterling standard. If the quality of the silver was right then the piece would be stamped with the assay town's mark. #SUBHEADING#Hull's Mark#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1363 it was ordered that every smith should have a maker's mark with which their work should be stamped after being stamped with the assayer's mark. However, because the only assay centre was in London, this instruction was impossible unless the maker took their work to London. In order to correct this, in 1423, provincial goldsmiths were directed to use their own maker's mark on their pieces and principal town marks and it seems that the marks that were used to denote Hull never had any official backing. From the late sixteenth century, the engraved and layer stamped capital letter 'H' for 'Hull', was used to mark some silver pieces. From known works that still exist today the maker Peter Carlill was the first to do this in around 1580. A communion cup produced by him for Beverley Minster has this mark. Later, around the first part of the seventeenth century, Hull's town mark of the three ducal coronets in pale was adopted for the stamp mark on silverware and is found within a plain shield. Hull also had its merchant princes who were able to afford luxury gold and silver items for both the adornment of their homes and themselves. The river Humber, rather than being a barrier for trade, provided access to Lincolnshire as a market for Hull's silver as far south as Lincoln itself. #IMAGE# The Hull gold and silversmiths had plenty of competition from beyond the city for the local market. It was often the case that important and valuable orders were sent to companies in London and those of a lesser value were often taken by goldsmiths nearby in York. However, there was local support for the Hull goldsmiths and for their standard of craftsmanship. Many local clergymen placed orders for church plate, as did local Corporations and some individuals.


Wilberforce Monument and scaffolding, Hull (image/jpeg) Events

This section contains stories about events that changed Hull. The Wilberforce Monument was originally located near Princes Quay. A story tells of the amazing feat of it's relocation to Queen's Gardens a hundred years later in 1935. Royal visits to the city were important occasions. When Queen Victoria came in 1854, three chairs were especially made for her visit. Other events include the Opening of Hull's Electric Tramway in 1899. This is illustrated in a story about drawings of Hull that were created by F.S. Smith. An event of a disastrous kind is told in a story about an airship that crashed into the River Humber in 1921.


celtic world (image/jpeg) History of Hull Museums (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#Museum of Commerce and Transport (1925)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Museum of Commerce and Transport was opened on High Street in 1925 as the first of its kind in Britain. Sheppard was given the Old Corn Exchange building on High Street (now the Hull and East Riding Museum) to set up the museum, and persuaded local firms to carry out the work on the museum for free. It was filled with a transport collection which included carriages, trams, cars and a plane, some of which he begged from other museums. Displays showing the evolution of transport and Hull's principal industries were extensively damaged in 1941. It re-opened as the Transport and Archaeology Museum in 1957, the transport collections are now based in the Streetlife Museum. #SUBHEADING#Tithe Barn Museum at Easington (1928)#SUBHEADINGEND# Easington Tithe Barn opened in 1928 as Britain's first folk life and agricultural museum after the building had been restored by the East Riding Antiquarian Society. The building was closed when the war broke out in 1939 and was never re-opened as a museum. #SUBHEADING#Mortimer Collection of Prehistoric Antiquities (1929)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Mortimer Museum of Prehistoric Antiquities was opened in 1929 with a collection which Sheppard had campaigned for 13 years to get. This collection of more than 66,000 archaeological and geological objects had been excavated and collected by J.R. and Robert Mortimer. Sheppard became a close friend with J.R. Mortimer helping publish some of their collections. After Mortimer's death Sheppard managed to obtain the money to purchase the collection. The Mortimer Museum remained in 3 of the Victoria Galleries until it was transferred to the Transport and Archaeology Museum on High Street in 1956. The collection is now incorporated into gallery displays featuring archaeology and natural history in the Hull and East Riding Museum. #SUBHEADING#Railway Museum (1933)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Railway Museum opened on Paragon Street in 1933 displaying some of the railway collections from the Museum of Commerce and Transport. Having once worked with the railway Sheppard had always been a collector of objects relating to railway history. More than 250 exhibits were lost when the museum was destroyed by an air raid on 8th May 1941. #SUBHEADING#'Old Time' Street Museum#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1931 Sheppard attempted to create an entire street in a warehouse behind Wilberforce House on High Street, to be known as 'The Old Times Street'. His plan was to reproduce shops of 100-150 years ago, and by the mid 1930s it was near completion. However it was destroyed by an air raid in 1941 before it even had the chance to open to the public. #SUBHEADING#After the war#SUBHEADINGEND# The post-war period witnessed a consolidation of the collections and buildings remaining after the extensive damage suffered during the war. The Mortimer Galleries re-opened in February of 1949 and the Georgian Houses and a new garden was created behind Wilberforce House in 1950. The restored Georgian Houses and the Transport and Archaeology museums were opened in 1957. The Spurn Lightship, opened as a museum in 1986 and moored in the Hull Marina; Streetlife museum now housing Hull Museums' transport collection, moved from the Museum of Commerce and Transport in the 1980s. The Old Grammar School, housing the museum of Hull's social History; and Hull and East Riding Museum, opened in 1997 containing archaeological and natural history collections.


Untitled: Study of Ears 1980

This is a preparatory study that Newsome undertook for his major oil painting, 'Untitled: Nude', 1980-81. A comparison shows a close relationship exists between the two, providing a direct insight into the artist's working methods. Newsome turned from sculpture to painting in the 1970s, adopting a technique of precise draughtsmanship which emphasised his ongoing interests in the three-dimensional treatment of form. This drawing on squared paper illustrates this process.


A View of Barton Ferry

This romantic view of the Barton Ferry was engraved in 1801 by John Hassell, after (copied from) the original oil painting by T. Bradley, another artist - engraver. Hassell was one of the first engravers to apply colour to aquatint, a printing technique that resulted in a beautiful granular effect that made the depiction of atmospheric effects, such as the clouds, more realistic, giving greater variety of tone. Prints of this type, easily reproducible, were of increasing interest to collectors, and to tourists. Their subject matter reflected the contemporary interest in the landscape and topography of particular places. Formal dedications to town dignitaries beneath prints were common practice, and it is probable that the first copy of any such prints would be presented to the corporation.


turtle (image/jpeg) Our Natural World

The diversity of life is astonishing, and the world around us is full of incredible animals and plants. To understand the amazing forms of our planet, past and present, scientists have studied the variety of natural life often using museum collections. The natural science collections of Hull Museums comprise over 20,000 specimens, gathered over the last two centuries. East Yorkshire is teeming with wildlife and the collections reflect the main diversity of animals, plants, rocks, minerals and fossils from across the region. #SUBHEADING#Zoology Collection#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Zoology is a branch of biology dealing specifically with animals. The science was first established in German and English universities, and was often closely connected to medical training. Zoology collections include skins, skeletons and taxidermy (stuffed and mounted) specimens of mammals, reptiles, birds and their eggs, as well as collections of shells. Zoology also incorporates entomological collections which are insects preserved in spirit or pinned in drawers. Insects date back 400 million years and are the most diverse group of animals on earth; some 75% of all animal species are insects. The British diversity of insects is reflected in the museums collection, ranging from Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants) to Coleoptera (beetles) and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). #SUBHEADING#Botany Collection#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE#Botany is the scientific study of plant life, examining their growth, reproduction and evolutionary relationships. The study of plants began with tribal lore, used to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants. Plants are often collected and stored in a herbarium, preserving the plants as dried and pressed specimens. The museum holds many herbaria from mosses, ferns and conifers to flowering plants. Local collections include Dawson's seaweeds, H.D. Stanley's grasses and flowering plants and Eva Crackles' extensive collection of the flora from East Yorkshire. #SUBHEADING#Geology Collection#SUBHEADINGEND# Geology is the scientific study of the 4.6 billion years of earth history and literally means 'discourse about the earth'. Geology involves the study of rocks, minerals and fossils in order to understand how our planet evolved and what might happen to it in the future. #IMAGE#The geology around Hull and the East Yorkshire area is dominated by clays and chalks from the Jurassic (205 million years ago) and Cretaceous (142 million years ago) Periods, as well as glacial deposits from the Quaternary Period (1.8 million years ago). Common fossils found in the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks around Hull are of marine invertebrates such as ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and echinoids as well as vertebrate fossils of fish, sharks and marine reptiles. The ice-age left many glacial rock deposits of boulder clay which sometimes contain woolly mammoth and woolly rhino remains. The geological collections of Hull Museums reflect the age and type of fossils found in the Hull area, as well as including a range of rock and mineral specimens and even meteorites.


mineral samples (image/jpeg) Earth's Natural Palette (part 1)

Whether it's the ochre of a prehistoric cave painting, the bright green on an Egyptian tomb wall or the vivid blue of a Renaissance masterpiece, many colours used by mankind to brighten its world have come from minerals and rocks which naturally occur on our planet. For thousands of years colour has been sourced from all sorts of strange natural places: from ground up minerals to crushed insects, powdered plant roots to cow's urine. Pigments are powdered colour, and paints are made from them by mixing the pigment with liquid. Rocks and minerals have offered mankind a whole range of colours with which to make pigments, and we have used them for thousands of years to colour our homes, our belongings and even ourselves. It wasn't until the 18th century that artificially produced pigments largely replaced natural mineral sources for colour. #SUBHEADING#The First Palette#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# #IMAGE# The earliest known artworks were created by our Palaeolithic ancestors using a mixture of charcoal, chalk and coloured earth. From the embers of their fires came the first drawing material to be used by man, in the form of charcoal. This prehistoric drawing tool was used as early as 30,000 years ago in cave paintings. The earliest white pigment was chalk, which was also widely available to use. Both these natural drawing materials continue in use today. Ochre was the first colour paint to be used and is still used today. Ochre is iron oxide in earthy form, and the clay earth it forms occurs in many hues of mainly red, yellow and brown colours. Ancient peoples ground it into powder and formed paint by mixing it with spit or animal fat. They painted their shelters and themselves with it. Today it is mined, ground and washed to produce a similar palette of earth-coloured pigments to those used by our Ice Age ancestors. #SUBHEADING#Red#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Hematite and cinnabar are minerals which have been used as red pigments for centuries. Hematite is iron oxide in mineral form and is often a reddish-brown colour. It is sometimes an ingredient in red make-up powder we use today. The name hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood, and is descriptive of the colour it produces in powdered form. Cinnabar is scarlet-red colour, and it occurs naturally around volcanoes and hot springs. The Romans used raw cinnabar, painting their walls and their statues with it, and even using it on their lips as red lipstick. This must have been damaging to their health, because cinnabar contains the toxic element mercury. Early miners of cinnabar did not survive long in the mines from exposure to this toxic heavy metal. Cinnabar is the source of natural Vermilion paint, a vivid reddish-orange paint which came into widespread use in the middle ages and featured on many 13th century paintings. Vermilion was later synthetically produced from mixing mercury with sulphur. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=mineral&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=MIneral&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Minerals in our collection# or use the advanced search


medicine cabinet (image/jpeg) Nature's Medicine Cabinet

Many plants, herbs and spices are used by humans across the world as medicines. It has been estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that approximately 75-80% of the world's population still use plant medicines instead of or as a complimentary method to synthetic medicines. #SUBHEADING#Plant Medicines#SUBHEADINGEND# Since prehistoric times plants have played an important role in medicine, and through observation and experimentation we have learnt which plants can help promote health and well-being. Information on plant medicines has been handed down over the centuries, based on the traditional practices of the Europeans, Chinese, Egyptians, American Indians and other cultures. Herbalism, also known as herbology or medicinal botany, is the traditional medical practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Although many plant medicines have not been scientifically verified, they are thought to cure a wide range of ailments from warts and boils to dandruff and loss of hair and even infertility. Among the most common traditional remedies used in Britain during the 1900's was the treatment for nettle stings and warts: #IMAGE# 'If you get stung by a nettle, take a dock leave (Rumex) scrunch it up and rub it on the sting to reduce pain and rash.' 'To treat a wart, rub the fury inside of a broad bean (Vicia faba) case on the wart.' British flora consists of about 1,600 species of which over 400 have been documented as having medicinal properties. Museum collections of flowers and plants in a herbarium can provide a database of the medicinal benefits and dangers of a plant, as well as noting which part of the plant should be used, the season it should be harvested and to ensure accurate identification. #SUBHEADING#An Alternative to Man-Made Drugs#SUBHEADINGEND# Those who believe in traditional plant remedies will often turn to them before using conventional medicines. For example, in Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia, 60% of children with high fever resulting from malaria use herbal medicines at home as the first line of treatment. #IMAGE#The use of traditional plant medicines in Europe, North America and other industrialised countries is rapidly increasing. Many use herbal remedies as a complementary or alternative method to modern medicines. However, for many people in developing countries, using traditional remedies are a necessity because they either lack access to essential medicines or cannot afford the high costs of pharmaceutical drugs. Many pharmaceutical drugs are in-fact made from plants or the properties of plants have inspired their development. For example, aspirin which is today synthesized inorganically was inspired in its development by the traditional use of the bark of willow Salix to treat fever. In some cases, chemicals are extracted from plants and used as chemical building-blocks which are then used as drugs. #SUBHEADING#Dangerous Effects#SUBHEADINGEND# The use of plants can be a danger to human health, if inappropriately taken. Some plants are toxic and even deadly to humans, but most have been identified through trial and error over the last millennia. Examples of highly toxic herbs include poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), their risks known due to European history associated with sorcery. #IMAGE#In addition to human safety there is a risk that a growing herbal market might pose a threat to biodiversity through over harvesting, leading to the extinction of endangered species and the destruction of natural habitats and resources. View #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=plant&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=plant&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=42&SearchSubmit.y=7TEXT=all of our herbarium collections# or use the advanced search. Cures featured in this article should be used only with advice from a qualified medical herbalist. We hold no responsibility.


blue minerals (image/jpeg) Earth's Natural Palette (part 2)

#SUBHEADING# Blue #SUBHEADINGEND# Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone containing the blue mineral lazurite. The brilliant blue crystals of lazurite produce a deep vivid blue colour when ground to a pigment. The refinement of this rare blue mineral produced the rich colour called 'ultramarine', which became the most valuable painting material in the world. By the late 13th century artists were regularly using ultramarine, though they often complained at its cost. Into the 19th century it became so costly that artists rarely used it, turning instead to other pigments such as the mineral azurite, or the synthetic blues becoming available at that time. #IMAGE# Use of this pigment can be found in some of the earliest artworks we have here at the Ferens gallery, such as Battista Salvi's 'Holy Family with Two Female Saints', and Cavaliere D'Arpino's 'The Transfiguration'. Since the 19th century ultramarine paint has been artificially manufactured. Azurite was a much cheaper mineral than lazurite, and as a result its use was less restricted. It produces a blue pigment which tends to have a greenish tinge. This is because azurite is a copper mineral like the green mineral malachite, with which it is frequently found. Many Renaissance artists used azurite, including Michelangelo. It was used until the 18th century when new synthetic blue pigments provided better alternatives. #SUBHEADING# Yellow and Orange #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The bright and cheery colours of yellow and orange have a dangerous natural mineral source. The mineral orpiment has been used throughout history to produce a golden-yellow pigment by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese, the Romans, and throughout the medieval period up to the 19th century. However, orpiment is one of the most toxic minerals in the world, beaten in toxicity only by the mineral realgar. They are often found to occur together in hot springs. Both orpiment and realgar are compounds of the poisonous element arsenic. Artists grew to dislike using these minerals due to the effects it had on them, and added cautious warnings to their instructions on how to mix these pigments. By the 18th century orpiment and realgar were rarely seen in the artist's paint box, with synthetic pigments being favoured instead. It is thought possible that the use of arsenic-bearing pigments and pigments from other toxic minerals could have contributed to the illnesses of some artists, such as Van Gogh's mental illness and Monet's blindness. #SUBHEADING# Green #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Malachite is a copper compound and is possibly the oldest known green pigment used. It is crushed, ground and washed to produce a bright green colour, often with a bluish tint. Malachite was popular with the Ancient Egyptians and has been found in many of their tomb paintings. They even used it on their eyelids as green eye shadow. Malachite has been used throughout the centuries since, featuring in all periods of European painting up to the 19th century. Artificially produced green pigments largely replaced the use of this mineral after the 19th century. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=mineral&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=MIneral&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Minerals in our collection# or use the advanced search


Detail of Crinoid (image/jpeg) Fossil Myths and Folklore (part 2)

#SUBHEADING# Crinoids - "St. Cuthbert's Beads and Star Stones" #SUBHEADINGEND# Crinoids are commonly preserved in limestones. Their disc-shaped columnals which make up their segmented stems are often found in abundance, and it is around these that folklore has developed. The folklore name of St. Cuthbert's Beads originated from a belief that the monk St. Cuthbert (634-687 AD), who became Bishop of Lindisfarne, carved the disc-shaped beads on a stormy night so they could be found on the beach the next morning. This legend is depicted in Sir Walter Scott's Marmion (1808): #IMAGE#"But fain Saint Hilda's nuns would learn If, on a rock by Lindisfarne, Saint Cuthbert sits, and toils to frame The sea-born beads that bear his name: Such tales had Whitby's fishers told And said they might his shape behold, And here his anvil sound: A deadened clang - a huge dim form Seen but and heart when gathering storm And night were closing round. But this, a tale of idle fame, The nuns of Lindisfarne disclaim" Crinoids have also been known as Star Stones, so called because of their pentagonal shaped columnals. Star Stones were thought to have come to earth from the heavens. It was believed the star shaped columnals were generated in the clouds and sent to earth in times of thunder and violent showers. #SUBHEADING# Shark Teeth - "Tongue Stones" #SUBHEADINGEND# The fossil record of sharks largely comprises of their teeth because they are composed of resistant calcium phosphate minerals. Shark's teeth are one of the most abundant fossils, which is not suprising given that a Great White Shark has more than 300 teeth! #IMAGE# Before the origin of fossilised shark teeth became fully understood they were popularly known as Tongue Stones, due to their shape. Tongue Stones were considered to have grown naturally within the rock and to spontaneously generate themselves. Some show smaller lateral projections which were considered to be offspring still attached to their parents. In medieval times it became common practice to dip Tongue Stones in a glass of wine to neutralise any poison that an enemy may have added to the drink. #SUBHEADING# Fish Teeth - "Toadstones and Serpents' Eyes" #SUBHEADINGEND# Toadstones, so named because of their similarity to that of a warty-skinned toad, are actually the fossilised teeth of the fish Lepidotes. Lepidotes is a Jurassic and Cretaceous (205-65 million years ago) bony fish which inhabited both fresh and salt waters. Its jaws were lined with button-shaped teeth which enabled to crush the shells of the Lepidotes molluscan prey. #IMAGE# In folklore Toadstones were once thought to have come from the heads of living toads. They supposedly held medicinal powers against the bubonic plague if worn as amulets around the neck or wrists. This was believed because the toad's warty skin resembled the spots developed by plague victims. Much has been written about toadstones in literature as far back as the Romans. They were even mentioned in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It: "Sweet the uses of adversity. Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head." Duke Senior, Act 2, Scene 1 Fish teeth have also been mistaken for petrified Serpent's Eyes. The palatal teeth of the bony fish Sargus have a pale yellow or orange-coloured centre surrounded by a dark brown ring, giving them an eye-like appearance. According to the myth, St. Paul the apostle when shipwrecked on an island cursed all of the snakes. The curse caused the snakes to loose their eyes, which then became embedded in the island's rocks. #SUBHEADING# Bivalves - "Devil's Toenail" #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The bivalve Gryphaea was nicknamed the Devil's Toenail because its robust curved shape, marked with prominent growth bands, seemingly resembles a thick toenail. Orthodox wisdom heralded that these strange objects were made as the Devil clipped his toenails, and were believed to cure arthritic joint pains. View #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=fossil&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=49&SearchSubmit.y=14TEXT=all of the fossils# from our collections or use the advanced search.


Detail of sculpture (image/jpeg) Not Just Lumps of Stone

#SUBHEADING#Lorenzo Bellini by Giovanni Battista Foggini#SUBHEADINGEND# 1720 in Florence this bust was created by Giovanni Battista Foggini 17 years after the subject's death. It is thought that Foggini based this bust on an earlier work he'd done of Bellini in the year of his death in 1703. This earlier bust was commissioned by a Senator Padolfini, and it was intended for Bellini's own tomb but it was never installed. Lorenzo Bellini himself was friendly with the artist Foggini and had earlier commissioned him to produce a series of busts for his home, including one of Galileo. All of these busts, and the earlier portrait of Bellini have been lost in time but this later portrait still survives here. #IMAGE# Lorenzo Bellini was a very eminent professor of anatomy at the University of Pisa. He rose even higher in status and was appointed principal physician to the Medici Court in Florence. It is appropriate then that Foggini should be commissioned to capture his likeness. Foggini was himself 'Grand Ducal Sculpor' for the Medici Court, as well as becoming court architect. He was possibly the most influential artist in Florence in his day and was almost without rival. He was born in Florence in 1652 and showed such promise as a young artist that he was sent to study in Rome for three years. Returning to Florence in 1676 he immediately began to gain commissions for the Medici court. The major artistic influence on Foggini was a sculptor called Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini had been instrumental in creating the Baroque style of sculpture; using facial expressions and elaborate movements with the hair and robes of his subjects. Foggini continued this tradition well into the 18th century yet his later works apparently began to change with the fashion towards more classically influenced portraits with less movement, calmer, still poses and expressions. In this bust here the face is calm, benevolent even, and depicts the sitter as an intelligent and authoritative figure. The Baroque influence is still present, however, in the way the hair and robes are finished. #SUBHEADING#Caracalla by Giuseppe Canart#SUBHEADINGEND# Created in Naples in 1758 this bust shows the move back to the classical taste, so much so that this is a copy of an original antique bust. This is the Roman Emperor Caracalla by Giuseppe Canart. Canart worked as both a sculptor and as a restorer of antiquities during the period of the rediscovery of Herculaneum. #IMAGE# Very little is known about Canart, partly because he often worked under different names including Filippo Canarte and Josef Canard. Because of this his works are not easily identifiable. The subject of this bust, however, is very identifiable. This work is based on a very famous bust known as 'The Frowning Caracalla' which was in the Farnese collection in Rome and was sent in 1786 to Naples. This Farnese bust was considered by some scholars as being one of the last great works of art in antiquity. However, more recent opinion has suggested it might have originated later in the Renaissance. The bust was very popular in the 18th century and many copies were made, both in marble like this one, and in plaster. It was popular because of the drama and quality of the original, the way the head is aggressively turned and with a direct stare that challenges the viewer. Caracalla, his original name being Antonius Aurelius was ruthless like his father, Roman Emperor Septimus Severus. Caracalla apparently modelled himself as a self-styled successor to Alexander the Great. Ironically, it was in Alexandria where one of his most notorious actions took place. It's thought Caracalla had become the butt of some disrespectful satires while he was in the city in AD 215, and his response was devastating. He ordered a widespread massacre of the citizens of Alexandria. This was a dangerous time to be a Roman Emperor and in AD 217 Caracalla was assassinated by a member of his own bodyguard, praetorian prefect Macrinus. Macrinus seized power but was killed himself the following year. This is an exotic and foreign character to find in a corner of an art gallery in Hull but not quite as foreign as you may think. When Septimus Severus came to Britain, expelling Germanic and Gaulish raiders and focusing his attentions on Scotland, he was accompanied by his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. When Severus died of pneumonia it was just down the road in York. And so it was not far from here that power fell into the grasp of this ruthless character. You would be forgiven for thinking that these two busts are not related in any way: an earlier Baroque bust of an educated and civilised man and a later, classical styled copy bust of a murderous Emperor who killed his own brother. Well, they are interesting in that they show the subtle transition of tastes and practice in 18th century sculpture but they are more definitely linked in that they both belonged to the same man, Thomas Ferens. When Ferens bought Holderness House for his home in 1909, he also bought these busts and eventually bequeathed in 1930 to the art gallery that bore his name.


herbarium group (image/jpeg) Pressed Plants and Flattened Flowers

Hull Museums include several small herbaria collected by Robert Mortimer, Cecil Wright Mason and Eva Crackles. The collections contain specimens from North and East Yorkshire and include grasses, ferns, flowering plants and seaweeds. #SUBHEADING#What is a Herbarium?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#A herbarium is a collection of dried plants and flowers mounted on paper, and stored, catalogued and arranged systematically for study. The word 'herbarium' was originally used to refer to a book about medicinal plants but its use widened to describe a general collection of dried plants. In the early 16th Century, Luca Ghini, a Professor of Botany at the University of Bologna, Italy, is thought to have been the first person to dry plants under pressure and mount them on paper to serve as a lasting record. This practice spread throughout Europe and by the 18th Century it was well established. There are four main types of herbaria; international, national, local and historical. These usually reflect the size of the collections and the areas or region from which they were collected. #SUBHEADING#Collecting Plants#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Plant collections usually originate from expeditions undertaken by botanists (somebody who studies plants) or through an exchange with another collector. The specimens in a herbarium form a working reference collection used to identify plants and to study the relationships between different plant species. Each sample in a herbaria records information about where it was found, when it flowers and what it looks like. This information is enough for scientists to study the evolution of that species and can also help with conservation and ecology studies. #SUBHEADING#Medical Uses#SUBHEADINGEND# Herbariums also have a medical use with a long association between plants and medical treatments. One of the most effective painkillers today is morphine extracted from the plant Papaver somniferum (opium poppy). Herbaria have provided knowledge of the benefits and dangers of using the opium poppy and to note which part of the plant should be used and the season it should be harvested. #SUBHEADING#Preserving and Storing Specimens#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#The most common technique used to preserve a collection involves pressing and then drying the plants. Specimens are usually pressed, between sheets of blotting paper to absorb the moisture, and then dried under a low heat. This is usually done as soon as possible after the plant was collected to preserve its original shape and colour; essential for the accuracy and reference value of the collection. A final process, that has been introduced recently, is to place the specimens in a freezer for several days in order to kill any insects that may still be on the plants. Once the specimen has been preserved and identified they are then mounted on hard paper or card, known as herbarium sheets. Specimens are either strapped down with 'paper tapes', glued or stitched to the sheet. These sheets are then typically organised systematically, by family, genus and species. Delicate plant parts, such as flowers, fruits or seeds, not suitable for pressing can be preserved in spirit. These specimens are stored in jars of alcohol, used to prevent them from becoming brittle. View #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=plant&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=plant&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=42&SearchSubmit.y=7TEXT=all of our herbarium collections# or use the advanced search.


The Archer

Agar was one of the few women artists who exhibited with the Surrealists both in Britain and abroad. Born in Argentina to British parents she came to England as a girl and trained at the Slade School of Art, as well as in Paris during the 1920s. Her work was selected by Roland Penrose and Herbert Read for the International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries in London in 1936. A year later she was visiting amongst others; Picasso, Paul Eluard and Man Ray, as well as Penrose himself. This modest study made later in her career retains a Surrealist mood in terms of its imaginative combination of semi-abstract imagery with an other-worldly palette.


Brookes ship model (image/jpeg) The Brookes Ship Model and Poster

The abolitionists had to win over the hearts and minds of both Members of Parliament and the public if they were going to be successful in their campaign for the abolition of slavery. #SUBHEADING#Spreading the Message#SUBHEADINGEND# With no mass media, television or radio, the abolitionists had to reach a wide audience with a powerful message. They achieved this by the publication of the Brookes slave ship poster and a ship model. The poster and the ship model were based on an actual slave ship that was built in Liverpool in 1780-81. It continued to be a slave ship until 1804 and was named after its co-owner Joseph Brooks, a Liverpool merchant. The ship was later mistakenly referred to as the 'Brookes' and was one of nine ships measured for the 1788 Parliament enquiry into the British slave trade. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Brookes Ship Poster#SUBHEADINGEND# The original idea came from the Plymouth Abolitionist Committee who created a sketch of a slave ship diagram for use in their campaign. The London Committee realised the potential for this powerful image and produced another ship diagram showing a detailed engraving of the Brooks stowage plan. It is this poster that is recognised today and was designed to highlight to people the horrors of the slave trade. The ship was built to carry 451 people and the poster depicts the amount of space each individual would have. The overcrowding and sheer lack of space shocked everybody who saw it. In reality, this ship diagram was not a true reflection of the space given to the enslaved Africans. It is known that in 1783 the vessel carried more than 600 enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas. In 1789 more than 7,000 posters were printed and circulated throughout England. Thomas Clarkson used this poster in his anti-slave trade tours and its powerful imagery made an impact on everybody who saw it. When Thomas Clarkson took the poster to France, the Archbishop of Axix was 'so struck with horror that he could scarcely speak'. #SUBHEADING#The Brookes Ship Model#SUBHEADINGEND# This ship model was shown to MPs in Parliament by William Wilberforce during the abolition campaign. It was used to highlight the brutality of the Middle Passage as part of the abolitionist's fight against the slave trade. Two models of the ship were commissioned by the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. Clarkson gave one ship to Wilberforce to use in his anti-slave trade speeches and the other to Comte de Mirabeau, French statesman during his visit to Paris in 1789.


Celtic Gold

Today we take coins for granted, but 2000 years ago they were almost unknown in Britain. The Parisi - the people who lived in East Yorkshire during the Iron Age - did not make their own coins. Instead they used coins made by the Corieltauvi, a federation (or group) of tribes from south of the Humber. During the Iron Age the Corieltauvi (formerly known as the Coritani) territory was centred on modern Lincolnshire and extended into Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Yorkshire. They began to make gold and silver coins in about 50BC. #SUBHEADING#Making a Mint#SUBHEADINGEND# At least three Corieltauvi 'mints' (centres of coin production) are known, perhaps suggesting that the federation was made up of at least three tribes. The coins were made by striking a blank disc of metal between a pair of dies. More than 3000 fragments of moulds for casting coin blanks have been found at Old Sleaford in Lincolnshire. These early coins were imitations of so-called Gallo-Belgic coins which were used on the Continent, in what we now call France and Belgium. These in turn copied the coins of the Ancient Greeks. On most of the Corieltauvi gold coins, known as staters, a wreath appears on one side and a stylised horse on the other. In the early 1st century AD, some staters also carried the names of the tribal chiefs who issued them. It is possible that the use of Latin inscription on ancient British coinage reflects increased levels of contact between the Celtic and Roman worlds before the Conquest. #SUBHEADING#Princely Gifts#SUBHEADINGEND# Celtic gold and silver coins would not have been used in the same way as we use coins today. Rather than buying goods, they were probably given by tribal leaders and others in the upper echelons of society as gifts to other leaders or as a reward for services. #SUBHEADING#See Them for Yourself#SUBHEADINGEND# The Hull and East Riding Museum holds 21 gold staters from a hoard discovered near Beverley in East Yorkshire. These coins all date from the late 1st century BC. The hoard totals over 100 coins and other examples have been acquired by the British Museum and the East Riding of Yorkshire Museums Service. The museum also holds 28 gold staters from a hoard buried near Driffield, East Yorkshire in about 40 AD.


Detail from FS Smith sketch (image/jpeg) Drawing on Hull's Past - The F.S. Smith Collection (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#The Town becomes The City#SUBHEADINGEND# By around 1800, the Hull's Old Town had become too crowded to take any more building. Therefore, once the old town walls had come down, Hull began to spread beyond beyond the new docks that were built. In Victorian times the town's population increased rapidly and Hull was ranked as Britain's third port. In 1897, the town was granted city status. F.S. Smith's drawings of street scenes show the great variety of shops and businesses that existed in Victorian Hull . They include the familiar butchers and bakers, but also more unusual ones such as hatters and umbrella makers. Important buildings such as the old Dock Offices (now the Maritime Museum) and Paragon Railway Station still stand today. Others, like the Royal Institution, which was Hull's original museum, have now gone. Some drawings show the Wilberforce Monument in its original location before it was moved in 1935. #SUBHEADING#Hull's Surrounding Suburbs#SUBHEADINGEND# F.S. Smith didn't just draw places within Hull's city centre. He also captured streets and places in the surrounding suburbs of Hull. This revealed a city of great contrasts between rich and poor. Some depict affluent areas with rows of smart Georgian or Victorian residential properties. Other scenes show poorer housing running along the banks of open drains. Hull's key industries are also represented. Some drawings include mills which crushed seed for oil. There are also a few showing a five-sailed windmill on Dansom Lane. Some show various factories, one of these being a large 'Slate and Marble Works'on Park Road. The Victorian period saw the creation and opening of several parks in Hull. Many drawings show scenes within West and East Park. They include bandstands, lakes, fountains and statues. Many schools and churches are featured in the drawings. They are often quite grand buildings. They were a central part of life in Hull. A few show the elaborate Victorian church of St. Stephen with its tall spire. It was located close to Paragon Railway Station and was a useful landmark for visitors arriving in the city. Hull's new Shopping Centre is built close to the site and takes its name from the church. #SUBHEADING#Outlying Villages and Towns#SUBHEADINGEND# F.S. Smith also took his sketchbook to places beyond Hull, such as North Ferriby, Skidby, Dunswell and Beverley. He also sketched nearby Paull and coastal areas such as Dane's Dyke and Flambrough Head near Bridlington. Today's large villages are shown as being very rural and sometimes just consist of a few cottages and a pub with a dirt track roadway. Smith also travelled even further a-field and produced drawings of other places in Yorkshire. He also went to London and drew the Houses of Parliament.


Detail of a Roman glass bottle (image/jpeg) Romans Through the Looking Glass: Roman Glassware

Unlike pottery, metals and wood, glass is a very fragile material to make vessels out of. It often breaks and is very rarely found in its original condition, with little of it surviving from archaeological sites. However, at the Hull and East Riding Museum, there is a collection of Roman Glass from the Middle East and Egypt that is fascinating not only for its beauty but also for its completeness. The bottles, vases and dishes come in all different sizes, styles and colours and represent some of the best craft skills that the Roman Empire had to offer. #SUBHEADING#The Origins of Glassmaking#SUBHEADINGEND# The glass used in Britain before the Roman invasion was in the form of beads, and more rarely bangles. It wasn't until glassblowing techniques were invented and perfected in the first century BC that the production of glassware became widespread across the Roman Empire. #IMAGE# Its influences came firstly from Syria and Alexandria in Egypt, but by the time of the invasion of Britain in the first century AD, glass manufacturing centres had sprung up in Gaul (France), the Rhineland (Germany), Italy and Egypt. There is also evidence for glassmaking in Britain at sites in London, Colchester and York amongst others. Glass was used to make many different vessel forms. As well as cast cups and bowls, mould-blown decorated serving vessels, like flagons and dishes were also made. Cosmetic and ointment bottles known as unguentaria were also produced in different sizes, shapes and colours. Some of the most usable and widespread glass vessels were square-handled storage bottles, normally green/blue in colour and much thicker than the ornate cosmetic bottles. Examples of these have been found at Roman period sites in East Yorkshire such as at Shiptonthorpe. Glass bangles and beads have also been found; these again, vary in colour and technique. #SUBHEADING#Glass in its Different Forms #SUBHEADINGEND# Decoration on the glass could be achieved in a number of ways. Glass blown into a mould could produce ornate decoration of figures, animals and foliage. #IMAGE# Other production methods like cut decoration or trailing molten glass across the surface of the vessel were also employed. Some examples of these different kinds of decoration can be seen on the collection on display. The colour of many of the glass pieces also differed; it could range from blue and green to amber and yellow. Some of the most striking colours can be seen in the bangle fragments. The more detailed and finer the glassware was, the more expensive it was to buy, particularly if it was colourless and transparent. This meant that the very decorative vessels would only be used by the very wealthy. But towards the end of the Roman occupation in Britain, plain, undecorated glass had become cheap enough to replace ceramic tableware. Glass vessels, however were still highly prized and decorative pieces in some cases, would even be buried with their owner when they died.


Detail from Wilson line poster (image/jpeg) The Wilson Family

#SUBHEADING#The Baccarat Scandal#SUBHEADINGEND# The Wilson family are often remembered for having been host to the future Edward VII during Doncaster Race Week in September 1890. During his stay at the Wilson's home at Tranby Croft in Anlaby the Prince of Wales and his guests partook of a game of baccarat. This was a simple card game previously banned at Tranby Croft by Arthur Wilson. The game led to the accusation that Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming had been cheating, an unforgivable and un-gentlemanly sin. Lt Col Gordon-Cumming was a highly respected member of the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guard and a close friend of the Prince. The resulting trial in which Lt. Col. Gordon-Cumming sought damages for slander resulted in a lot of damning press coverage and the Prince of Wales himself was called to the dock. Forever associated with this infamous 'Baccarat Scandal', the family deserves more recognition for their hugely successful business, the Wilson Shipping Line Company. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Thomas Wilson and the Wilson Shipping Line#SUBHEADINGEND# The firm was founded in Hull by Thomas Wilson, who bought his first ship in 1825. Thomas Wilson (1792-1869) began business in the Swedish iron ore trade before founding the Wilson Shipping Line Company. He was a devout church goer and philanthropist, giving generously to the welfare of his home town of Hull. He married Susannah West in 1814 and they had fifteen children. The company prospered under Thomas Wilson's sons, Charles Henry and Arthur. By the early twentieth century it had become the largest privately owned shipping company in the world with over 100 ships sailing to destinations around the world. The company was sold in 1916 to Sir John Reeves Ellerman, reputedly the richest man in Britain at the time. #SUBHEADING#Charles Henry Wilson#SUBHEADINGEND# Charles Henry Wilson (1833-1907) was the son of Thomas Wilson. He worked hard with his brother, Arthur, to make the Wilson Shipping Line the success it was. During his father's youth Hull Docks had covered an area of around five acres. By the end of Charles Henry Wilson's life Hull Docks covered over 150 acres. This expansion was significantly contributed to by the Wilson family. As the business grew it was able to buy out other shipping lines and by 1907 the Wilson Shipping Line owned 99 ships. Charles Henry was also Sheriff of Kingston upon Hull in 1870 and represented the town as Liberal MP from 1874-1885. He went on to become a peer in the House of Lords and took the title of 1st Lord Nunburnholme from the village near his home at Water Priory. Unlike his brother Arthur, Charles wasn't interested in developing his social standing in high society and never entertained during the race week at Doncaster. His interests seem to have been centred on politics and business and he was instrumental in dealing with increasing business problems with the dock worker's unions. Despite his gruff exterior, Charles Henry Wilson had a very human side. During a strike at Hull docks in 1893 he generously subscribed to a fund for striker's wives and children, saying he '...could not bear to see little children suffer'. #IMAGE# On 27th October 1907 Charles Henry Wilson died unexpectedly. His brother Arthur suffered greatly from the personal and professional loss. A statue of Charles Henry Wilson still stands on a traffic island, outside of the main entrance to the Guildhall. #SUBHEADING#Arthur Wilson#SUBHEADINGEND# Arthur Wilson (1836-1909) was the youngest son of Thomas Wilson, yet with his brother Charles Henry he made the Wilson Shipping Line an international success. All of Thomas Wilson's sons worked in the firm as young men but by Thomas' death, Charles Henry and Arthur were the ones to succeed him. This marked his entry into aristocratic society and he went on to acquire 3000 acres of land in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He was truly accepted by 'high society' when he became the Master of the Holderness Hunt. Being 'Master of the Hunt' was an expensive role but one that led to him meeting the Prince of Wales. This in turn led to the Prince staying at Tranby Croft in September 1890, with the resulting 'Baccarat Scandal'. Arthur Wilson, the last surviving son of Thomas Wilson, died aged 72 in 1909. On the day of his death the large bell at Holy Trinity Church in Hull was rung for an hour and an half. This marked the end of an era. The Wilson Shipping Line was to suffer during the First World War and was sold in 1916.


detail from whaling print (image/jpeg) Hull and the Whaling Industry

#SUBHEADING# Hull Whalers #SUBHEADINGEND# Hull's whaling industry has been through a number of recessions and revivals in its colourful history. The first whaling ships left Hull in 1598 after the discovery of Greenland by Sir Hugh Willoughby. After a decline in the seventeenth century there was a successful revival in the mid eighteenth century mainly due to Sir Samuel Standidge who organised a small but successful fleet of whalers in the 1750's and 60's. It was not until the early nineteenth century however, that Hull's whaling industry really began to prosper. During the years 1815-1825 Hull had 2000 men employed in the trade and she could boast over 60 whaling vessels making it the largest fleet in Britain. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# Catching a Whale #SUBHEADINGEND# Whales were harpooned by a whaler in a small boat. This would not kill the whale but would allow the whaler to keep contact with the whale. Most whales would then attempt to flee by diving and then swimming away pulling the whaleboat with them. They would often swim for hours before tiring. The whalers would then use long lances or spears to stab between the whale's ribs and eventually kill it before towing it back to the main ship where it would be processed for its blubber and baleen. The favoured whale was the Greenland Right Whale so called because it was classed amongst whalers as the 'right' whale to hunt as it was slow, not too dangerous and floated when it was dead. Whalers in the South Seas and America hunted the Sperm whale which was much more dangerous, often fighting back and crushing whaleboats with their jaws or smashing into the boat. Although whaling was extremely profitable it was also a wasteful business and most of the carcass was abandoned overboard. A by-product of the whaling industry was the production of scrimshaw which became a popular past time with ordinary sailors and ships captains alike. #IMAGE# Most whaling took place between Spitsbergen and Greenland but as the number of whales depleted whalers were forced to enter more hostile areas such as the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay where ships often became trapped in ice. Whaling was a dangerous occupation. Many whalers lost their lives and nearly 800 ships were lost at sea between 1818 and 1869. #SUBHEADING# Decline of the Whalers #SUBHEADINGEND# Hull's whaling industry had begun to decline in the 1830's and by the mid 1850's there was only a handful of Hull whalers left. This decline was worsened by the successful introduction of steam powered whalers in Dundee and Peterhead. A few Hull ships were fitted with auxiliary steam but Hull's hopes for another revival were dashed with the Diana disaster in 1867 which led to the deaths of 13 men, including the ship's captain, after she was caught in ice in the Davis Strait. In 1869 the Diana was swept onto the Donna Nook where she broke up; a symbolic and poignant end the Hull's relationship with the whaling industry.


scrimshaw detail (image/jpeg) What is scrimshaw?

#SUBHEADING#The art of the whaler#SUBHEADINGEND# Scrimshaw is the name given to a type of hand made craft created by carving the teeth and bones of whales and other marine mammals. The objects are largely the result of mariners being confronted with time to occupy at sea and access to a ready supply of materials. Sailing, especially whaling, involved long periods of time when there was nothing to do and so 'scrimshandering' (crafting scrimshaw) occupied the men and kept them out of trouble! #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Variety of objects#SUBHEADINGEND# The whalers produced a wide variety of objects, some were purely decorative and others had a function. Examples include walking sticks, ladles, toys and games, plaques, busks, tools and engraved whale teeth. The latter are the most common and recognised type of scrimshaw. Some scrimshaw was made to be used on board such as this seam rubber. This was a tool used in sail-making for producing sharp folds prior to sewing. Alternatively the mariner would create a token, from a tiny trinket box to a full sized busk (used to stiffen bodices), to take home to their wife or girlfriend. These keepsakes would be treasured by the receiver as the whalers could be away at sea for years at a time. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Making Scrimshaw#SUBHEADINGEND# The process of making scrimshaw began by cleaning and polishing the bone or tooth. Sometimes rough shark skin was used as sandpaper to create the perfect surface for further decoration. The item was then cut, pierced or engraved. Early scrimshaw was decorated using crude sailing needles and this, plus the ability of the artist and the movement of the ship led to work varying in quality and detail. The designs etched into the object were then brought out by rubbing ink or carbon into them. Originally, candle black, soot or tobacco juice would have been used. When the excess was removed and the item polished, the designs were left black, or sometimes coloured if the artist had used coloured ink.


Detail of Starfish (image/jpeg) What is a fossil?

Fossils are the remains of creatures and plants, which lived on earth many millions of years ago, which have become trapped and preserved in rock. They come in a variety of sizes from micro-organisms to large skeletons and trace fossils. The word fossil comes from the Latin 'fossilis' meaning 'dug up', the ancient Greeks used the term to describe any distinctive materials dug up from the earth, including minerals, rocks and organic remains. It was not until the nineteenth century that the word began to be applied only to the remains and traces of pre-existing life preserved in rocks. #SUBHEADING#How fossils are formed?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#When marine animals or plants died their remains accumulated on the sea floor where they were covered in mud, silt or sand. Over a very long period of time these sediments became compacted into sedimentary rocks encasing the animal or plant remains with-in the rock. Not all life became fossilised; most simply disintegrated away before it could be preserved. When land animals or plants died the soft parts of their bodies, such as skin and internal organs, usually decomposed or were eaten by scavengers. However, if the hard parts of their bodies, such as bone, shell or wood, were quickly covered by water, sediment or volcanic ash, they might have been preserved. Teeth are commonly found because they are the hardest parts of animals and therefore more likely to be fossilised. #IMAGE# Although bone, shell and wood are hard components they are full of very small air spaces. Upon burial, water would seep into these spaces and deposit minerals. Often, over millions of years, all of the original bone or shell would dissolve away leaving a complete mineral replacement set in the surrounding rock. The organism remains are then said to the petrified, literally meaning 'turned to stone'. #SUBHEADING#Trace fossils#SUBHEADINGEND# In some cases the entire animal will decay away leaving a 'mould' that is filled with sediments or minerals that form a natural 'cast'. There also cases where footprints made in soft ground have created moulds that are later filled with sediments, making casts. These are known as trace fossils because they indicate the activity of an animal or plant and therefore the presence of former life. Other trace fossils include burrows and root tunnels. #IMAGE# Fossils are not only found in solid rock but have been discovered trapped in tar pits, amber and even in ice, preserving flesh, hair and sometimes stomach contents. Woolly mammoths, for example, have often been discovered trapped in ice and in 1997 an entire mummified woolly mammoth was found in the Siberian permafrost. #SUBHEADING#The importance of fossils#SUBHEADINGEND# Very few individual organisms are preserved out of the billions that have lived throughout geological time, and it is rare to find a complete specimen. Fossils are important to both palaeontologists (scientists who study ancient life) and geologists (scientists who study the history of the earth) because they provide vital clues about ancient life forms, ancient environments and links to the ancestors of modern organisms. View #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=fossil&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=fossil&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=38&SearchSubmit.y=13 TEXT=all of the fossils# from our collections or use the advanced search.


Detail of Ammonite (image/jpeg) Spineless Creatures (part 1)

Dinosaurs are vertebrates, just like you and me. We have a skeleton with a backbone. But what are invertebrates? Well, as the name suggests they are animals without a backbone. A great variety of invertebrate organisms evolved in the oceans over a very long period of time, and today we find them as fossils encased in rocks. In-fact invertebrate fossils are far more common than vertebrate fossils. #SUBHEADING#Ancient Marine Life#SUBHEADINGEND# Throughout Earth's history the oceans have been a host to a vast life source. Marine invertebrates including corals, marine snails, and crustaceans (crabs and lobsters) evolved over 500 million years ago and are still living today. Other marine invertebrates became extinct and their remains preserved as fossils. Do you know what fossil crinoids, echinoids, belemnites or ammonites are or look like? #SUBHEADING#What are Ammonites?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Ammonites are an extinct group of cephalopods. They are related to the living Nautilus, and belong to the Mollusc family. Ammonites thrived in the seas throughout the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods (245-65 million years ago). The ammonites have a coiled shell within which the soft parts of the animal lived, much like a snail. The shell is divided into chambers, which was used to trap air and help with the animal's buoyancy in the water, much like a submarine. They could swim up to depths of 500 metres, catching and feeding on fishes and crustaceans. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=ammonite&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=29&SearchSubmit.y=11 TEXT=ammonites# from our collections or use the search. #SUBHEADING#What are Belemnites?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Belemnites are the preserved internal shell of an extinct marine cephalopod, which were abundant during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods (205-65 million years ago). They are related to modern octopus and squid, and belong to the Mollusc family. In the oceans these belemnites would have looked like a squid, with a soft body enclosing the internal shell. Similar to the squid they would have used jet propulsion to chase their prey, catch small fish with their tentacles and eat them with their beak-like jaws. However unlike the modern squid, belemnites carried a serious of small hooks, instead of suckers, of the end of their tentacles to grab their prey. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=ammonite&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=belemnite&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=38&SearchSubmit.y=6 TEXT=belemnites# from our collections or use the search. #SUBHEADING#What are Bivalves?#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Bivalves are a group of marine and freshwater invertebrates. The group includes living representatives such as mussels, cockles and oysters. They belong to the Mollusc family, a group that includes gastropods (snails) and cephalopods. The bivalve shells consist of two hinged valves. The valves open to admit water or close to protect the soft body within. Most bivalves live on the surface of the seabed but some burrow into mud or sand. One of the most commonly found fossil bivalve is the extinct Gryphaea. It has a thick calcite shell and is typically found in Jurassic (205-145 million years ago) marine sediments. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=belemnite&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=bivalve&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=28&SearchSubmit.y=8 TEXT=bivalves# from our collections or use the search.


Detail of Trilobite (image/jpeg) Spineless Creatures (part 2)

#SUBHEADING# What are Brachiopods? #SUBHEADINGEND# Like the Bivalves, Brachiopods are a living animal that is enclosed between two shells, however they are not related. Brachiopods have both extinct and extant species, first appearing over 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period and still surviving today. #IMAGE# The Brachiopod shells consist of two hinged valves, usually one bigger than the other. All brachiopods are filter feeders, catching small particles of food from the water. Most brachiopods live attached to the sea-bed but some can burrow beneath the sand. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=brachiopod&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0TEXT=brachiopods# from our collections or use the search. #SUBHEADING# What are Crinoids? #SUBHEADINGEND# Crinoids are marine animals classified as Echinodermata, the same taxonomic group as sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers and brittle stars. They are commonly found in Carboniferous limestones, but have living representatives. #IMAGE# Different species adapted to living at different sea depths. Those adapted to the deep sea are commonly known as sea lilies due to their plant-like appearance. Sea lilies anchor themselves to the sea floor with root-like projections. They have a stem, at the top of which is the head and five or more radiating arms used to capture planktonic food. The stems comprise of hundreds of segments, called columnals, and each columnal has a central perforation that during life contained soft tissues. Different species have different shaped columnals, ranging from circular to pentagonal forms. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=brachiopod&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=crinoid&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0TEXT=crinoids# from our collections or use the search. #SUBHEADING# What are Echinoids? #SUBHEADINGEND# Echinoids are marine animals closely related to starfish, sea cucumbers and crinoids. Together they comprise the Phylum Echinodermata which means spiny skinned. Fossil echinoids can be found in rocks that date back to 450 million years ago, during the Ordovician Period. #IMAGE# Echinoids have a spiny ball-like appearance. They are made up of numerous plates, known as the test, which form the skeleton. This acts as a protective casing around the internal organs. On the outside of the test are tube feet which help in feeding and movement, as well as articulated spines which act as a defence mechanism. Echinoids either inhabit rocks on the sea-bed or burrow beneath the surface into the sand. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=crinoid&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=echinoid&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0TEXT=echinoids# from our collections or use the search. #SUBHEADING# What are Trilobites? #SUBHEADINGEND# Trilobites are an extinct group of Arthropods, which died out 250 million years ago. They are closely related to spiders and scorpions, even though they have a woodlice appearance. #IMAGE# The trilobite bodies are divided into three segments; the head, body and tail. This made them quite flexible, and they could role up into a ball for protection. Most lived on the sea-floor but some had the ability to swim, and were active hunters feeding on smaller invertebrates. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=trilobite&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=trilobite&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=56&SearchSubmit.y=10TEXT=trilobites# from our collections or use the search.


Detail from FS Smith sketch (image/jpeg) Drawing on Hull's Past - The F.S. Smith Collection (part 1)

The collection contains over 800 drawings of Victorian Hull and its surrounding region. They were created by Frederick Schultz Smith between 1880 and 1920. They record many buildings and places that have long since vanished due to wartime bombing or redevelopment. Others still remain standing alongside newer properties. #SUBHEADING#The Artist and His Drawings#SUBHEADINGEND# Although F.S. Smith became a familiar figure sketching on street corners in Hull, he was not originally from the city. He was born in Worthing, Sussex, in 1860. He came to Hull as a small child with his parents and he lived most of his life in the old St. John's Wood area in west Hull. He was still drawing in his sixties shortly before his death in 1925. The drawings are visual 'snap shots' in time. They were often produced to record buildings that were due to be pulled down. This drawing shows the old Guildhall which stood on the same site as the present Guildhall. The drawing was created in 1913, the year after it was demolished, from earlier sketches. The only part of the building to survive today is the cupola, which is in Pearson Park. They were most often done in pen and ink, though some scenes are in pencil or watercolour. Around three hundred were produced as commissions for C.E. Fewster, a paint maker in Hull, who collected historical records. Some were also used as illustrations in books and newspapers, such as the 'Eastern Morning News'. Others were sold to the people who owned the premises which he had drawn. #SUBHEADING#Hull's Old Town#SUBHEADINGEND# Many of the drawings depict familiar buildings and landmarks within Hull's Old Town. Some, like 'Wilberforce House', are still around today. Others depict buildings that no longer exist such as the timber-framed 'King's Head Inn'. Some drawings show impressive buildings such as the Corn Exchange on High Street. In contrast, others depict the slum-like dwelling places of the poor that were crammed into nearby passageways. The Old Town was bordered by water. The River Hull was to the east, docks to the west and the River Humber to the south. Several drawings depict the impressive double-decked Victoria Pier that was used by paddle steamer ferries on the Humber. The River Hull and the old harbour are shown as busy waterways, crowded with many types of vessels including barges, keels and small steamers. The Princes, Humber and Queen's Docks are also represented and include both trading and fishing vessels. Some drawings record the coming of electricity to Hull. One depicts the opening of the Hull Electric Tramway in 1899. Several street scenes include strange new 'arc' electric street lights. These were introduced as early as 1882 but because their carbon rods burnt out quickly, the town reverted to gas lighting after only two years. This picture shows an electric light on Trinity Square beside the market that used to take place there.


Detail from FS Smith sketch (image/jpeg) Can you spot the differences?

We have chosen two different drawings showing the same area of Hull drawn by F.S.Smith, there are differences in each case, see how many you can see! #SUBHEADING#Chariot Street#SUBHEADINGEND# Download the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17795 TEXT=activty sheet# and then once you have had a go compare it with our #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17796 TEXT=answers# #SUBHEADING#George & Dragon#SUBHEADINGEND# Download the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17795 TEXT=activty sheet# and then once you have had a go compare it with our #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17796 TEXT=answers# #SUBHEADING#St Johns Street#SUBHEADINGEND# Download the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17795 TEXT=activty sheet# and then once you have had a go compare it with our #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17796 TEXT=answers# #SUBHEADING#Prospect Street#SUBHEADINGEND# Download the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17795 TEXT=activty sheet# and then once you have had a go compare it with our #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/emuweb5/media.php?irn=17796 TEXT=answers#


Sheppard viewing plaster casts (image/jpeg) Plaster Casts

A large collection of plaster casts of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval inscriptions and sculpture were displayed in the Municipal Museum in Albion Street, Hull before the war. As part of the background research for the Phoenix Project, team members came across old photographs of Thomas Sheppard studying copies of Roman inscriptions. #SUBHEADING#Amazing discovery#SUBHEADINGEND# These copies were thought to have been destroyed in the Albion Street Museum in June 1943 when a German incendiary bomb gutted the building. But then Mrs. Barbara Kitchen, daughter of the second Director of Hull City Museums, Mr. J.B.Fay, suggested that the team look in the attic of Hull City Hall... Under a tarpaulin, in the corner of the attic - there they were after nearly fifty years. There are, in fact two separate collections of casts - one of medieval, and one of Roman period sculpture. The larger, medieval, collection was prepared by W. D. Keyworth for the Great Exhibition in 1851. It includes a series of plaster casts of architectural sculpture from Beverley Minster, St. Mary's Church, Beverley, Hedon Church and other ecclesiastical buildings in the region. There is also a copy of Anglo-Saxon cross from Easby, North Yorkshire, which dates to the eighth century AD. The centrepiece of the collection was a facsimile of the Walsingham font, possibly one of the most elaborate fonts in the country. #SUBHEADING#Roman Plaster Casts#SUBHEADINGEND# The pre-war collections at the Municipal Museum also contained a collection of plaster casts of Roman inscriptions and sculpture featuring the finest examples of tombstones, dedication stones and religious sculpture yet found. For example there is a copy of the famous tombstone of Marcus Favonius Facilis, a Roman centurion in the Twentieth Legion, from Colchester. There are, in addition, civilian tombstones from South Shields, and a dedication slab which records the completion of 4562 paces of the Antonine Wall by the Second Legion Augusta. The Roman plaster casts were issued by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies in 1912. The illustrated catalogue from which Tom Sheppard ordered the set survives. The introduction explains the reasons for producing the plaster casts. It was hoped that 'such as selection of the sculpture of Roman Britain may both aid the study of this particular province and also further our understanding of the Roman and Graeco-Roman civilisation which during the Empire spread over western Europe.' Several of the Roman plaster casts can be seen today in the Roman Gallery of the Hull and East Riding Museum. They are displayed with examples of the authentic Romano-British stonemason's handiwork such as the dedication slab from the theatre at Brough.


Detail from the painting (image/jpeg) 'The Gyppos' by Dame Laura Knight

'The Gyypos' is one of two paintings by Dame Laura Knight which are owned by the Ferens Art Gallery. Laura Knight is perhaps most famous now as the first female Royal Academician since the original women members. #SUBHEADING#First visit to the Races#SUBHEADINGEND# Knight visited both Epsom and Ascot and at Epsom was invited to a gypsy camp on a common at Iver Heath. Just as she had befriended the circus performers, she soon became friendly with the gypsies who visited the races and visited them regularly. This time, Knight was to be much more inspired by individuals rather than the horses which fill her circus paintings. In 'the Gyppos' we do not see the horses but only the excitement and activity around the track which is in the background of the painting. #SUBHEADING#The Gyppos#SUBHEADINGEND# 'The Gyppos' is particularly appealing and shows three girls posing for the artist at Epsom races. Two of the girls hold crystal balls suggesting they are fortune tellers. The artist is said to have taken a whole day to do the painting and gave each of the girls child five pounds. By co-incidence, the girl on the left in the painting later moved to Hull to live a non-gypsy life. She was called Katherine Towse and was 15 at the time of the painting. She could remember how Knight was drawn attracted by their bright clothes, their dresses and scarves. She also recalled how she often told fortunes but never those of her family. There was a dispute about the title of this painting when it was purchased by the Gallery in 1937. The artist chose to call it 'The Gyppos', a term which is regarded as offensive today, but the Gallery preferred 'At the Door'. #SUBHEADING#Mr Sully#SUBHEADINGEND# The three girls in the painting are posing at the door of the artist's borrowed Rolls Royce. It has an unusual viewpoint as, like the artist, we are looking down at the girls. The Rolls Royce was owned by a Mr Sully who took Laura Knight and Ally Bert to the races during the week. Apparently it was used during the weekend for weddings! The height of the Rolls Royce meant Knight could set up her easel and canvas inside and paint in comfort away from the weather. Gypsies often stood and posed for her in the car's open doorway. #SUBHEADING#Techniques and Methods#SUBHEADINGEND# This work was painted in 1936, much later than our other painting 'Dressing the Children, which was painted in 1906. If you compare the two paintings it is evident that her style changed drastically over a period of 30 years. 'Dressing the Children' shows the influence of 17th Dutch masters. She used dark and subtle colours, lots of grey, black and brown. In contrast, shortly after completing this painting, Laura moved away from such sombre tones and painted more impressionistic works full of bright light and colours. Knight's paintings from this period, like those of her contemporaries, not only provide a fascinating insight into an exotic world full of energy and drama but are a unique historical record of the early twentieth century and a way of life which was rapidly vanishing.


zepplin caught in searchlights (image/jpeg) The Forgotten Blitz

#SUBHEADING# Birth of the Zeppelin #SUBHEADINGEND# Although balloons were used in wars before the First World War, mainly for observation purposes, it was during this period that the development of dirigibles- cigar shaped airships with frames- began to become more widespread. The company that became synonymous with the dirigible was the Zeppelin Company. After retiring from the German army Ferdinand Von Zeppelin began developing the idea for the airship in 1897. The first zeppelin flew in 1900 and by the outbreak of the First World War the German army had seven military zeppelins. #SUBHEADING# Zeppelins Attack Hull #SUBHEADINGEND# During the years 1915 to 1918 Hull was subject to eight bomb attacks but the people of Hull endured up to 50 air raid warnings sounded by 'Big Lizzie'; the largest steam buzzer ever made. Luckily most of the air raid warnings were false alarms but Hull was unfortunate as it became a target for many of the air raid attacks by accident when the zeppelins were unable to reach their intended target. The attack on the 5 March 1916, for example, only occurred because winds had prevented the zeppelins from reaching their target. During this raid a ship in Earles ship yard was #IMAGE# partially destroyed and a bomb blast near Paragon Station's glass roof caused seventeen deaths. It was a similar story in June 1916 as a failed attack on London resulted in a bombing raid in Hull which led to over twenty deaths and damage to shops and houses. The air raids led to an increase in anti German sentiment and as a result some businesses supposedly owned by Germans were vandalised. In September 1917 nine zeppelins dropped bombs at various points along the coast. Even though Hull now had more anti aircraft gunners which had been issued after the 1915 air raid, they proved useless as due to poor visibility the anti-aircraft gunners were unable to see through the mist. Forty four bombs fell in total killing sixteen people. The zeppelins also attacked places like Goole, Driffield, Scunthorpe and Hedon. Driffield and Hedon fortunately reported no casualties during their raids on the 4 June 1915 and 24 August 1917 respectively. However, the air raid on Goole in August 1915 resulted in 16 deaths and there were four more deaths in Scunthorpe after a raid in January 1916. The final zeppelin attack of the war occurred in March 1918 with bombs being dropped on Sutton and Swine.


Hull Shipwrights' Union banner by Richard Dodd Widdas, Hull, 1885

This banner is painted on silk by Richard Dodd Widdas. The banner represents the shipwrights of Hull. This was a changing time for shipwrights as some worked on wood and others in iron. This huge banner measures 3.5 metres (11ft 6") by 2.8 metres (9 ft 2"). It is probably the most remarkable work by Hull artist Richard Dodd Widdas. It was painted the same year as his death in 1885.


Walrus Tusk Cribbage Board Made in Alaska by Angokwazhuk ('Happy Jack') c.1870-1918

This tusk is thought to have been decorated by the most famous of Inuit carvers. His name was Angokwazhuk. He lived in Alaska but in 1892 he travelled with Captain Bodfish to San Francisco. During this trip he was given the nickname of 'Happy Jack'. Cribbage is a card game that needs a special scoring board. It is thought that in 1892 Angokwazhuk may have carved the first ever cribbage board made from walrus tusk.


Whale's Tooth Decorated by Edward Burdett, USA, c.1815-1833

This scrimshaw tooth is thought to be decorated by Edward Burdett. Burdett was one of the best scrimshaw artists of his day. He was born in Nantucket in 1805. He made his first whaling voyage aboard the Nantucket ship Foster. Burdett died in 1833 when he became caught in a harpoon line and was dragged overboard. He was 28. The images on this tooth show the whaling ship Phoenix catching Sperm whales. These whales were caught for their oil and blubber but their teeth were also decorated like this.


Painted Whale's Earbone

These are whale's earbones, also known as a tympanium. One has been hand-painted to look like somebody's face. It was probably made by a Scottish or Scandinavian person involved in the 20th century whaling trade. Whaling became more modernised and efficient in the 1900s. After it had been killed, most of a dead whale's body was used to make money in contrast to earlier, more wasteful methods. Modern methods meant that difficult to reach bones like this became more available for painting.


Decorated Whale's Tooth, c.1808-1814

This jolly sailor is waving the Royal Navy's flag from the ship Cornelia. The Cornelia wasn't around for very long. It was built in 1808 and was broken up six years later in 1814. The Cornelia was called a fifth rate ship. This was because it had 32 guns like the one the sailor is standing in front of. Sixth rate ships had less than 32 guns. A first rate ship naturally had the most guns, from 110 guns upwards. The flag the sailor is waving is known as the White Ensign. Three types of ensigns are used for British ships. In this period the white ensign signified the white squadron; there were also blue and red squadrons.


Whalebone Bench, c.1801-1900

This seat is made from real whalebone, probably from a whaling expedition. Different parts of the whale's skeleton have been used to make the bench. Its legs are each made from a single vertebrae piece. The back rest and arms are made from the whale's ribs, and discs from the vertabrae. The bench may have come from the garden of a whale ship owner or captain. The wooden seat and whalebone legs are carved with mysterious pictures. The meaning of some of these pictures has been lost over time.


Whalebone Garden Seat

This seat is made from real whalebone, probably from a whaling expedition. Different parts of the whale's skeleton have been used to make the bench. Its legs are each made from a single vertebrae piece. The back rest and arms are made from the whale's ribs, and discs from the vertabrae. The bench may have come from the garden of a whale ship owner or captain. The wooden seat and whalebone legs are carved with mysterious pictures. The meaning of some of these pictures has been lost over time.


Porter's chair by Richardson & Sons, Hull (1885)

The roof on this chair was designed to protect the doorkeeper from the damp and cold. This job was originally done by a police constable who sat in the doorway of the old Town Hall making sure that only the right people were allowed inside. This chair may have been made when the doorkeeper complained about getting chilly. It was made 23 years after the Victorian Town Hall was built and furnished.


Ship's figurehead, made in the UK, c.1876

This figurehead is from the sailing ship the Earl of Beaconsfield. In 1887 the ship left Calcutta in India. It was hoping to sail to Hull with its cargo of linseed and wheat. It was a journey it never made. The ship was deliberately ran around by an angry member of the crew at Aldbrough, England. This carved figurehead was salvaged from the ship. It shows Benjamin Disraeli as the Earl of Beaconsfield. Disraeli was also Prime Minister at the time. This carved wooden figurehead of Benjamin Disraeli shows him in his robes as the Earl of Beaconsfield. Disraeli became a Conservative Prime Minster of Britain in 1868 and again in 1874.


Jug, probably made in Hull, c.1801-1900

'John Elerthorp is my name, A ferry-man of noble fame.' This jug is painted with a poem about John Ellerthorpe Junior. John was a ferryman from Hessle who specialised in taking animals across the Humber. Cattle, horses and market goods were sailed across the river in great numbers. Long before the Humber Bridge, passengers were also ferried across on a regular basis.


Narwhal Tusk Coat Stand

This is a coat and umbrella stand is made from a narwhal tusk. Many people used to believe these tusks came from unicorns. A narwhal is a small type of whale and the males have a long tusk. 'Unicorn horn' like this was used in medicine as late as the 1600s. They were said to ward off poison and epilepsy. It was extremely expensive and was worth more than ten times its weight in gold. This tusk is one of two collected by the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society which first established a museum in 1822.


Silver Box by James Phipps, London, 1779

This silver freedom casket is inscribed: "From the Corporation of Kingston upon Hull to Thomas Piercy Esq, CAPTAIN of His Majesty's Ship the COUNTESS of SCARBOROUGH for his Gallant Defence of the BALTIC FLEET in the Engagement with PAUL JONES, Sept 23, 1779." This silver box was given to Captain Piercy for his role in a sea battle at Flamborough Head, near Bridlington. In 1779 John Paul Jones attacked a fleet of British ships. He was from America which was at war with Britain at the time. Captain Piercy led one of the ships who fought Jones, defending the fleet that had been attacked. However, Jones won and he is still thought of as a hero in America.


Grace Darling Sunderland-ware jug

The ship Forfarshire set off from Hull for Scotland in 1838. It never reached its destination. The Forfarshire was shipwrecked off the coast of Northumberland. William and Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper and his daughter, rowed into the storm to try to save the people on board. Grace and William knew they might not get back alive. They would need survivors to help them row their small boat back in the rough sea. Nine people were saved by their bravery. This jug is inscribed with the poem: "My heart is fix'd, I cannot range, I love my choice, Too well to change."


Ship's figurehead, made in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, 1827

The paddle steamer 'London' worked on the Hull-London trade carrying cargo and passengers. The London was built at Gainsborough in 1823 for the Hull Steam Packet Company. The following year the London was chartered by Gee and Co for the Hamburg route. After a year she returned to coastal trade sailing between Hull and London. Originally 32.6m, the London was extended to 38.5m in 1842 and scrapped in 1861.


Grace Darling Staffordshire flatback pottery figure, c.1838-1900

The ship Forfarshire set off from Hull for Scotland in 1838. It never reached its destination. The Forfarshire was shipwrecked off the coast of Northumberland. William and Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper and his daughter, rowed into the storm to try to save the people on board. Grace and William knew they might not get back alive. They would need survivors to help them row their small boat back in the rough sea. After making two trips, 9 people were saved by their bravery. Unfortunately the remaining 43 crew members drowned.


Glass rolling pin, probably made in Newcastle, c.1764-1868

Sailors sometimes gave hollow glass rolling pins to their loved ones as gifts when embarking on a voyage. These rolling pins were often hung on a string above the fireplace in the sailor's home. A popular superstition said that if the glass fell and broke the sailor would be lost at sea. This rolling pin is printed with pictures of ships and two love poems. The ships decorating the rolling pin are 'The Unfortunate' of London, 'The Great Australia Clippership' and 'The Truelove' of Hull. Because of its Romantic name, pictures of the Truelove were often used to decorate souvenir pottery and glass.


Pepperbox Barrelled Pistol by George Wallis Junior, Hull, c.1825

This unusual looking gun is called a pepperbox pistol. The barrel looks like a pepper shaker with holes in the end. Not all the bullets were fired at once. It is a kind of revolver. This means that when fired the barrel automatically turns round ready to fire the next bullet. This made it much quicker than old fashioned guns that had to be reloaded after just one shot. This pepperbox pistol was made by one of best gunsmiths in Hull, George Wallis Junior.


Duelling Pistol by George Wallis Junior, Hull, c.1804

This is called a duelling pistol. However, if this pistol had been used in a duel it would have been regarded as cheating. The barrel has a procedure done to it called 'rifling'. making it more accurate. This pistol was probably only used for target practice. This duelling or target pistol was made by one of best gunsmiths in Hull, George Wallis Junior.


Tutankhamun and Hull

The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by archaeologist Howard Carter in November 1922 has been hailed one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century. While the Pharaoh's reign itself may have lacked distinction, the publicity that surrounded his discovery ensured that Tutankhamun has become immortalised in popular culture. Hull Museums have an exceptional collection of Tutankhamun replicas produced by Hull artist William Aumonier for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924 less than two years after Carter's amazing discovery.


(image/jpeg) The Tutankhamun Replicas

#SUBHEADING# The British Empire Exhibition 1924 #SUBHEADINGEND# The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun had caught the public imagination, leading to a widespread 'Tutmania' and a popular craze for all things Egyptian. It was decided that a replica tomb would be created at the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, and a set of replica funerary items found in the Antechamber of the tomb were created from photographs by architectural sculptor William Aumonier and a team of assistants. #SUBHEADING# A 'Complete' Replica #SUBHEADINGEND# The Exhibition brochure described the attraction as: "A complete replica of the tomb of the Egyptian King recently discovered at Luxor, Egypt by Lord Carnarvon and Mr Howard Carter - entrance 1/3, children 8d". Of course 'complete' wasn't quite correct. At the time of the Exhibition opening in 1924, only the Antechamber had been cleared, and the Sarcophagus with its iconic gold mask not yet opened. The items on show could only be a complete record of the small number of items discovered and photographed so far. Visitors to the replica tomb were greeted with an imposing cutaway facade of the cliffs of Thebes, and could be guided around the treasures of the King by tour guides in red tarbooshes. Authenticity was added in 1925 with the addition of a sandy walkway and a camel! However the tomb itself was not actually inside the Wembley Exhibition, but instead was placed in the Amusement park, between the Flying machine and the Safety Racer. As Egypt had never been part of the British Empire, and relations with Egypt were complex and ambiguous at best, it was decided that the replica tomb didn't really fit in with the main Exhibition's purpose of uniting and stimulating trade between the Empire States. #SUBHEADING# Howard Carter's Outrage #SUBHEADINGEND# The attraction proved immensely popular with visitors, but Howard Carter was outraged. He wanted the replicas destroyed and the exhibition closed down, claiming it was a breech of copyright, and that it was impossible to replicate the originals from a few photographs. Despite his protestations Carter lost the case. The reconstructed tomb remained one of the greatest hits of the Exhibition.


Detail of figure (image/jpeg) Egypt

The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun was a discovery which gripped the nation and the world. In 1924 a replica was made of the tomb objects. These objects are now in our collection. Read on to learn more about how the replicas are housed in Hull and why Howard Carter was outraged by them.


ship of fortune detail (image/jpeg) Takarabune and Seven Lucky Gods of Japan (part 1)

The Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin) are a group of deities from Japan, China and India. Each deity has existed independently for centuries before a monk called Tenkai 'created' the group in the 17th century (Muromachi period) to symbolise the essential virtues of man. Each God therefore, represents a different virtue; #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# Popularity #SUBHEADINGEND# Popularity is represented by Fukurokuju. Fukurokuju is the God of Wisdom, Longevity, Virility and Fertility and he originates form a myth about a Chinese hermit who performed miracles. His name, when broken down, means happiness, riches and longevity. He is three feet tall, has a large head, big eyes and a long white beard. He wears garments like an old Chinese scholar and he likes to play chess. He sometimes has cranes and/or a tortoise near him. He is closely associated with Jurojin as they are both said to inhabit the same body. #SUBHEADING# The Crane and the Tortoise #SUBHEADINGEND# The crane is considered auspicious in Japan. It is a symbol of longevity and is regularly seen with Fukurokuji. According to tradition if a person folds 1000 origami cranes their wish for health will be granted. The tortoise is a symbol of longevity due to its long life span. Also closely associated with Fukurokuji the tortoises shell is said to protect it from any enemy. The tortoise is also an attribute of Kompira the deity of seafarers. In Chinese mythology the tortoise is one of the four Auspicious Creatures and represents the element of water. It is the black warrior depicting strength and endurance. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING# Longevity#SUBHEADINGEND# Longevity is represented by Jurojin. Jurojin is the God of Wisdom and Longevity and originates form China. He has a white beard and there is a scroll attached to his staff which is said to carry all the wisdom of the world on it. He is closely associated with Fukurokuju as they are both said to inhabit the same body. He also said to be a heavy drinker and womaniser. #SUBHEADING#Dignity#SUBHEADINGEND# Dignity is represented by Bishamonten. Bishamonten is the God of dignity and the good fortune, wealth, happiness, righteousness and religious faith. Originating from India, he is often mistaken for the God of War due to his physical appearance and clothes. He wears armour and a helmet and carries a spear and a tower which signifies faith and treasure. He is tall and has a bushy beard and the pigeon is his messenger.


(image/jpeg) Life on-board the Spurn Lightship

In the beginning most of the men who came to work aboard the Spurn Lightship were those who had previously worked on the Middle Lightship. The normal procedure of working on the ship was for new recruits to be given a six month probationary period before being taken on in a permanent position. It then took a few more years of service before men were able to gain promotion to other occupations aboard the ship. #SUBHEADING#A Typical Day #SUBHEADINGEND# A regular watch aboard the Lightship consisted of four hours on and eight hours off but during the day men were expected to carry out other duties to keep the ship in 'ship shape'. Good weather tasks included varnishing, painting, splicing and cleaning. One person was delegated to clean the lighting equipment and was given the affectionate nickname 'Lampy'. Generators and engines also required regular servicing and fire and lifeboat drills were performed (The Lightship had one clicker-type lifeboat and one inflatable dingy). In bad weather, chores became even more important. The cables had to change fathoms in order for the Lightship to swing more in gales without breaking loose. Hourly reports had to be made so a record of the cable length, weather conditions, the state and direction of the tide and other incidents such as passing of other vessels could be kept. The master was required to keep a journal and the entries had strong emphasis upon the weather conditions as thermometer and barometer readings were logged. Both sea and air temperatures were taken at every high and low tide. #SUBHEADING#Self-Help#SUBHEADINGEND# All crew members were expected to be self reliant. Men were responsible for bringing their own provisions and the ship had no standing cook which meant the men had to prepare all of their own meals. It was not uncommon for a stew to be made and a stockpot to be kept going so hot meals were always available. Any extra provisions the men required were sent by their family with the service craft that visited the Lightship regularly, usually every Wednesday. The service vessel would bring fuel, fresh water, mail and other necessities. During their time onboard the lightship many men sustained injuries, mostly due to working with the ship's mechanics. Minor injuries were treated onboard and the captain retained a small medical book for use in such situations. However for more serious injuries the men were taken ashore in order to receive the appropriate care. In most cases of injuries, compensation was granted from the Board and in the most unfortunate cases which resulted in death, widows were, from 1965, awarded the allowance of 100 pounds per annum. #SUBHEADING#Food Supplies#SUBHEADINGEND# It was very important to ration food and some food was kept for emergencies such as the supply boat being kept away in bad weather. Bonuses came when passing trawlers would give the men fresh, gutted fish, but this could not be relied upon. Along the same thinking, men took fishing rods in hope of catching an extra meal time treat and to wile away the long hours, however, success was never guaranteed especially with the strong tides that they often encountered. Cleaning and tidying were also the men's responsibility but they rarely did their own washing preferring to wait until they went ashore. The code of conduct onboard the Lightship was strict and the Spurn was a 'dry ship' which meant that no alcohol could be consumed whilst aboard the vessel. In their freetime the men engaged in a variety of pastimes. Onboard, games were kept such as chess and scrabble to pass the time while others amused themselves by reading popular magazines, playing darts and cards, practising wood craft, putting ships in bottles or by literally making things from old rope. In the latter years a television was provided for the men.


umbrella detail (image/jpeg) Come Rain or Shine - Historic Umbrellas and Parasols

#SUBHEADING#Shield and Shade#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull Museums Costume and Textile collection has 89 umbrellas and parasols. Umbrellas are mainly used as a rain shield by men and women and parasols are used as a sun shield only by ladies during the 19th century and early 20th century. Umbrellas and parasols have a long history. They are seen in paintings and statues of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome as well as in China. Used mainly for protection from the sun. The word umbrella comes from the Latin Umbra meaning shade. Dr Johnson's first dictionary describes them as "a screen used in hot countries to keep off the sun, and in others to bear off the rain" (1755). #SUBHEADING#Sun Shade#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Parasols appeared in England as a sun-shade in the 17th century. They were used by women in the early 18th century for protection from the rain as well. By the Victorian era, parasols were very popular to keep the sun off, as a sun tan was not fashionable. They were made from silk and fine cottons with extra trimmings such as fringing, tassels and lace. We know that parasols were used, sold and repaired in Hull. The museum collections has a receipt is from a local umbrella and parasol maker Thomas Mapplebeck who had a shop at 39 Lowgate. In 1852 Mrs Lightfoot, the wife of a local solicitor, had 2 parasols covered, one with slate silk and one of gingham, and another parasol repaired. #SUBHEADING#One Man and his Brolly#SUBHEADINGEND# It wasn't until the 1750s that a man ventured out with an umbrella. He was Jonas Hanway, who, because of his bad health, thought it necessary to protect himself from the rain and always carried an umbrella around with him. This exposed him to ridicule by the public, some of which was very unpleasant. #IMAGE# Early umbrellas were made of oiled silk with heavy wooden frames which made them difficult to open or close when wet. Whalebone (baleen) was also used but this still made the article heavy. It wasn't until 1852 that Samuel Fox invented the steel ribbed umbrella claiming that he was using up stocks bought for making corsets. This made umbrellas much lighter and more portable. #SUBHEADING#The Folding Brolly and Beyond#SUBHEADINGEND# There are many claimants as to who invented the first collapsible/telescopic umbrella. In 1920s Hans Haupt in Berlin made a pocket umbrella and in the1930s the USA produced a collapsible umbrella called the 'Growey Umbrella'. Both claim to be the first to invent a collapsible umbrella. Strong nylon canopies came into use during the 1950s which could be manufactured in many different colours and clear PVC canopies were fashionable for a short while in the 1960s. These days umbrellas are made of very light weight plastics and Teflon coated fabrics, but are essentially the same construction that Samuel Fox made in 1852. #SUBHEADING#Brolly Bites#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# - the first shop dedicated to selling umbrellas was James Smith and Sons of 53 New Oxford Street, London, opened in 1830 and still open today. - the Museo dell'Ombrello Nr Milan in Italy is the only umbrella museum in the world. -the Duke of Wellington owned an umbrella with a dagger set into the handle.


Bronze Statuette of Sir Leo Schultz by Nigel Boonham (2006)

Sir Leo Schultz was an active councillor for many years. He was a major personality in Hull and many still remember him fondly. His long career was particularly effective during the Second World War. Leo was also awarded a medal for his work as an Air Raid Warden. This statuette is a scale model for a full-sized statue. It has been cast in bronze so it will last and form part of the Guildhall collection. Sir Leo Schultz OBE was a major figure in the recent history of Hull. He was an active councillor serving Hull for many years, and Leader of the Council from 1945 to 1979. He was always a prominent and recognisable personality in Hull. Leo was a talented and intelligent child. At the age of 15 he came first in regional exams for a scholarship to Oxford University. However, he was badly advised that Oxford was not really for a boy of his class and Jewish religion. Schultz reluctantly stepped down and later became a dedicated socialist. He used his great financial and political skills for public service rather than for his own benefit. Before the Second World War, Leo Schultz campaigned for Hull council to build expensive bomb shelters. He was successful and the shelters helped to save many thousands of lives. During the war he was also decorated for his work as an Air Raid Warden. The Council has commissioned the artist Nigel Boonham to produce a full-sized statue which will be unveiled next year. This will officially recognise Sir Leo's positive influence and life's work for the people of Hull. Nigel Boonham is a British portrait sculptor who started work as a sculptor in 1975. Boonham's reputation has grown steadily over the past two decades. He has made a series of distinguished portrait bronzes including Lord Runcie (Archbishop of Canterbury), Cardinal Basil Hume and Princess Diana.


model of the Ferriby boat (image/jpeg) The Ferriby Boats - Europe's Oldest Seacraft

#SUBHEADING#Europe's Oldest Sea Craft#SUBHEADINGEND# Europe's oldest sea craft plank built Bronze Age boats were found near Britain's estuaries and the seaways. These find spots show they were trading and exchanging goods and could also sail out to sea. Amber and metal were traded from the North Sea and the channel where prestige goods went ideas followed. Boat builders were technicians, sailors and they were pioneers. #SUBHEADING#What did they look like?#SUBHEADINGEND# The Ferriby Boats were plank built vessels and would have originally been nearly 16m in length with a maximum beam of about 2.5m. They had curved lines, box scarfing of planks to form a keel strake and the planks were fitted together, a sophisticated boat building tradition. Their rectangular planks were stitched together with thick withy (strong flexible willow stems now used in thatching and gardening) twine, the intervals were caulked (process used to seal the seams in wooden boats in order to make them watertight) with moss. Cleated stays and ribs imparted rigidity to the assembled craft. #SUBHEADING#The Nuclear Age#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1951 Radiocarbon dating was developed, it's a scientific method used for samples of which were once alive for example, bone, charcoal, wood and leather. All these types contain carbon and proportion of which is radio active 14C. The radio carbon dies and decays at a constant rate which can then be estimated and date the sample. Some of the Ferriby boats could not be used for C14 dating but there were other pieces which could be sampled, some wood, twine and the date in 1958 yielded a date in the Later Bronze Age 750 +/- 150 BC. Further C14 dating with the refinements of the method of C14 now produced the most recent dates to Ferriby boat one 1880BC - 1680BC and Ferriby boat two 1940BC-1720BC. Ferriby boat three dated to 2030-1780BC. The Ferriby boats were publicly acclaimed as Europe's earliest sea craft in March 2001. #SUBHEADING#The Use of the Ferriby Boats#SUBHEADINGEND# The Ferriby Boats were a means by which ideas, such as decorative design of pottery, and goods such as Baltic amber and metals, could arrive on the Humber shore. They may more often have distributed sought after commodities such as Whitby Jet, a frequent component of high-status burial assemblages in Northern Britain. The skill, social organisation, and courage of the ancient peoples of North-Western Europe are underlined. The Bronze Age sailors of North Ferriby were equipped to fetch as well as carry. These boats are considered to being part of a boat yard on the foreshore of the Humber, building as well as sailing was involved.


(image/jpeg) Fred Elwell's 'The Wedding Dress' Part 1

#SUBHEADING#'The Wedding Dress'#SUBHEADINGEND# The painting, 'The Wedding Dress', by Fred Elwell tells a story. At the centre, a young woman is kneeling on the floor. She is leaning on an open trunk with her head in her hands and beside her is her wedding dress, strewn across the floor. The woman's bowed body, with her face hidden from view, conveys her distress and grief. The emphasis on the wedding dress makes the story behind the woman's emotions explicit - she is in mourning for the man she was due to marry, or has recently wed. Elwell was an extremely accomplished still life painter and the placing of the dress with the shoes in the foreground is like a still life composition. The extensive folds of the fabric provide the artist with plenty of scope for skilfully capturing its texture and the play of light, including the subtle nuances of light and shade. Just above the dress the still life composition continues with what looks like a veil on the edge of the chest, with a small spring of flowers placed upon it. It is difficult to discern what the flowers might be, but flowers often hold a symbolic meaning in narrative works from this period, from purity and hope to death. #SUBHEADING#Use of Light#SUBHEADINGEND# Elwell is famous for his use of light in paintings, often paying great attention to highlights in a still life composition, or using a window to flood a room with light. In this painting, Elwell goes a stage further than just skilfully capturing the play of light, as he has uses light symbolically. Light dramatically contrasts with dark and is symbolic of the forces of life and death. The woman's jet black dress contrasts with the almost shimmering white of the wedding dress. This contrast is heightened further as the scene is divided into two halves - on the right hand side the large bed is covered with white sheets and drapes, with the falling light suggesting that there is a window just out of view. By contrast the left hand side of the painting is so dark that it is devoid of all detail. The room is almost pitch black and only a few outlines, such as those of pictures on the wall are visible. This heightens the sense of realism and the strength of the emotion, which almost verges on the sentimental. The painting is displayed beside two of Elwell's other narrative paintings in the Ferens, 'The War Worker' and 'First born', which also use domestic settings for an unfolding story. It's interesting to note that Elwell has used very similar props in all three paintings but to very different effect. In all three paintings, domestic dramas unfold around a bed, and in 'The First Born' the sense of optimism, fresh air and sunlight are contrasted vividly.


wilberforce monument detail (image/jpeg) Moving the Wilberforce Monument in 1935

#SUBHEADING#A Motoring Hazard#SUBHEADINGEND# Discussions about moving the monument began as early as 1932. The council felt that the monument was becoming a motoring hazard for traffic between Whitefriargate and Queen Square. After many discussions it was decided by the Queens Dock Committee that the monument should be moved to the eastern end of the newly laid out Queens Gardens. #IMAGE# In the council minutes of 25th January 1935, the Queens Dock Committee recommends that the council accept Councillor Tarren's offer to have his company move the monument to its new location. Councillor Robert Greenwood Tarran was a prominent figure in the community. He was the owner of Tarran Industries Ltd who were building material supplier to Hull Housing and Town Planning Committee and he later served as Sheriff of Hull. The minutes don't explicitly state that Councillor Tarran offered to move the monument for free but it is recommended that the gas, electricity and water committees provide their services for free due to Councillor Tarran's 'generous offer'. The official acceptance of Councillor Tarran's offer was minuted on 7th February 1935. #SUBHEADING#Moving the Monument#SUBHEADINGEND# It took four months in total to move the monument from Monument Bridge to the Eastern end of Queens Gardens with work beginning in April 1935. During the replacing of the foundation stone at Queen's Gardens a small deed box was put in a specially prepared cavity. The contents of the deed box are:- #IMAGE#Photographs and maps showing the old and new locations; Description of removal reasons and methods used to move the monument, typed on vellum; Page from Hull Times dated May 18th 1935; Notes and booklets about Tarran Industries; A Jubilee Crown piece (coin); Wilberforce House Medal 1906; Examples of coins from 1935; A copy of the Hull Daily Mail. An article in the Hull Daily Mail dated 15th April 1935 shows Councillor Tarran, the Lord Mayor and his niece at the top of the column before it is moved. Members of the public were allowed to go up the scaffolding to enjoy the view of Hull for a two shilling fee (20p in today's money), both in its original location and its new location. The money raised went to the Mother Humber Fund which gave the poor children of the city a holiday camp. The charity still exists today, but is called The Mother Humber Memorial Fund and is dedicated to the relief of hardship or distress. #SUBHEADING#Moved and Rededicated#SUBHEADINGEND# On the 19th September 1935 Queens Gardens were opened by Herbert Morrison and the Wilberforce Monument was rededicated by Mrs Arnold Reckitt, Wilberforce's great granddaughter. The estimated cost of moving the monument was 1,500 pounds which is approximately 70,000 pounds in today's money.


Kingston Pottery

Kingston Pottery was started in the mid-1970s by brothers John and Herbert Love. From 1962 the brothers had operated a number of pottery shops including one at 19 Trinity House Lane, Hull. The Love Brothers' shops sold a large volume of material made by Shorter & Son and when they went out of business in 1964 the brothers decided to produce their own pottery. Kingston Pottery started on a small scale and were assisted by Colin Rawson a leading designer with the Hornsea Pottery. They quickly learned the business and were able to increase production at an astonishing rate. The factory on Scarborough Street, off Hessle Road, used modern technology and used large capacity kilns to produce earthenware and china products, including figurines, large animal figural groups, Toby jugs and character jugs. #SUBHEADING# Export markets #SUBHEADINGEND# At its peak, Kingston Pottery produced between six to eight tons of pots every week. It produced some products especially for the American market, with the gift shop at the head of the Niagara Falls carrying a large selection of jugs made by Kingston Pottery. The firm also manufactured and supplied ceramic products such as kitchenware, bathroom accessories, planters and vases to major retail stores in Britain and overseas. Kingston Pottery purchased Royal Cauldon from Tim Brown to expand into bone china pudding ware and other fine porcelain items. In 1984 a third factory in Hull, Ferrybridge Pottery, was bought to keep up with growing demand. #SUBHEADING# Decline of Kingston Pottery #SUBHEADINGEND# The downfall of the Kingston Pottery was the UK coal miners' strike in December 1984. The strike forced Kingston Pottery to buy coal from the continent which was coarser, harder to manage burned less efficiently and cost more. The combination of increased costs with declining orders meant that in June 1985 the firm went of business. The factories were taken-over by Cauldon Potteries to produce its own high volume products. Some of the moulds for the large animal groups were sold to Masterpiece Sculpture Ltd of Hull, which continued to produce and market them. However, many of the moulds were destroyed when the business changed hands, some by disgruntled mould makers. The shops were also affected by the financial hardships and did continue for a couple of years before they too closed down.


Kingston Pottery - Character and Toby Jugs

Kingston Pottery made three different series of Character and Toby jugs produced between 1978 and 1982. A hand spraying process was used to apply the paint, making it possible to produce them quickly and cheaply. #SUBHEADING# English Royalty #SUBHEADINGEND# The first series was the English Royalty series, introduced in 1978 was a limited edition set of 12 large Character Jugs. Careful research was involved in selecting the most notorious monarchs for the series and each jug also came with a detailed biography of the monarch depicted. The first jug in the series was King John. After completing three of these jugs, the modeller, Frank Garbutt of Stoke, wanted to retire. John Love persuaded him to stay and create nine more jugs. The royalty jugs were very popular, with Henry VIII being the biggest seller, and Kingston Pottery wanted to expand the series further. However, Frank Garbutt died shortly after designing the twelfth character. Other modellers were asked to design jugs, but no one could capture the same look as Frank's designs. The Elizabeth I jug was the only one of the English Royalty series produced without a spout. This caused problems when it was exported to New Zealand because it was classified as a decorative item and carried a 100% import tariff. The firm modified those Elizabeth I jugs destined for New Zealand by hand forming a spout with the thumb before firing. This allowed them to be classified as a water pitcher and avoided the import tariff. #SUBHEADING#Charles Dickens#SUBHEADINGEND# Kingston Pottery's second series of character jugs introduced in 1979 featured 16 well known characters from Charles Dickens' works. The models which included the Artful Dodger, Scrooge and Oliver Twist were designed by local sculptor and designer Peter Dunn with an estimated 500 of each jug being produced. #SUBHEADING#Toby Jugs#SUBHEADINGEND# Kingston Pottery returned to Peter Dunn for their third series – that of Irish Water Jugs, commonly known as Toby Jugs. These jugs feature colourful characters familiar to people, and were sold in large quantities to New York pubs and taverns. Characters included Phil the Fluter, Molly Malone, Danny Boy and Mother Macree. There are many theories on the origins of the name Toby Jug - some believe it is named after Shakespeare's Sir Toby Belch in 'Twelfth Night'. The most popular theory is that it is named after a very large Yorkshireman Henry Elwes who was nicknamed 'Toby Fillpot' who died from over drinking in 1761. A stoneware jug model quickly became popular and the style was followed by other Staffordshire potteries.


Art Ambassadors in the Ferens (image/jpeg) Volunteering

Do you have a passion for history and the past? If so, you may be interested in becoming a Hull Museums Volunteer. This section gives you all the information you need to know including what we do, who we are looking for, and current volunteer projects.


(image/jpeg) Drag or Park Coach

Although this drag carriage is a private coach, it bears a close resemblance to the road coaches that appeared during the late 19th century. By 1850 the railways had forced most stage coach operators out of business, but a decade later there was a revival of interest among coach enthusiasts. Some of these coaches operated on a regular basis, especially during the summer months when trips to the country and seaside were very popular. A drag coach seated ten passengers outside, as well as a guard and coachman, two less than a road coach which was slightly heavier and required a team of six horses. The main details of the drag carriage in the collection are the discreet carvings and leatherwork on the undercarriage, the large windows and quality interior trim. The one in the Hull Museums collection dates to 1860. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Victoria

The Victoria is a four wheeled carriage intended to be driven by a professional coachman, carrying two forward facing passengers. A folding hood covers the passenger seat only, and there are no doors. The carriage was intended to be used in good weather by ladies who were 'taking the air' in the park or to attend social calls. The example in the Streetlife collection is dated to 1880 and was made by the local company W. Harrison of Anlaby Road, Hull. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Brougham

A four wheeled closed carriage, these vehicles were introduced by Lord Brougham in 1839 and became popular with professionals and businessmen who required a less expensive form of transport than other carriages in use at the time, and also liked the extra comfort and visibility in comparison to an ordinary cab. It was driven by a coachman sat at the front, with one or two horses. Two and four seat versions were available and it was often supplied with two sets of wheels, one with iron tyres for tarmacadam roads, and rubber tyres for wooden paved city streets. A luggage basket could be fitted on the roof and the interiors were often fitted with clocks, mirrors, and a speaking tube to communicate with the coachman. This type of closed carriage was one of the most commonly seen on Britain's roads towards the end of the 19th century. The example in the Streetlife collection dates to 1880 and was made by Barker & Co., with the arms painted on the door meaning 'Loyal Yet Free'. It was used on the streets of Hull until 1930. #IMAGE#


Group of pottery items (image/jpeg) Collections

Hull Museums has a wealth of diverse and interesting collections which are stored over a number of museum sites. This section allows you to take a thematic approach to exploring our collections, as each theme encompasses a wide variety of different types of objects and disciplines. Stories in each theme have links to many different subjects across many different collections, which allows you to discover related objects and interesting facts about our collections across the service.


foot (image/jpeg) Behind the Scenes

This section of the site contains information about our collections and how we care for them. There are updates on current projects across all our museums, information about the Adopt a Painting Scheme at the Ferens Art Gallery, and general information about how you can care for your own historic objects. If you have ever considered supporting the museums by becoming a volunteer, there are also details about current volunteer projects.


(image/jpeg) Adopt a Painting - Lady in a Pink Dress

Lady in a Pink Dress, earlier 19th century Attributed to Margaret Carpenter (1793-1872) Description Gifted to the Gallery in 1983 this portrait's poor condition has prevented it from being displayed. Carpenter was unusual as a woman artist who enjoyed a long and successful career in the Victorian era. Work required Restoration will enable the picture to be displayed for the first time. It also requires a new frame. Estimated conservation cost (without frame): £2,450 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4805 Dimensions: 66 x 53 cm


(image/jpeg) Adopt a Painting - Mountain Landscape with Figures

Mountain Landscape with Figures, late17th century by Dutch School Description This landscape showing Italian influence adds to the range of the Gallery's important 17th century Netherlandish displays. It was researched for the Gallery's Old Masters catalogue, 'Medieval to Regency' (2002). Work required Conservation is needed to prevent flaking of the paint in areas where it has developed age cracks and to remove over-painting that was badly applied in the past. Estimated conservation cost: £1,680 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4885 Dimensions: 50 x 61 cm


(image/jpeg) Adopt a Painting - Vertumnus and Pomona

Vertumnus and Pomona, mid 17th century by Paulus Bor (1603 - 1671) Description This important old master features in the Gallery's catalogue, 'Medieval to Regency' and forms part of our prestigious holdings of Dutch 17th century works. Work required Cleaning and consolidation of the paint surface is essential as the tension of the canvas also needs to be corrected. This will dramatically improve the appearance of the work and ensure it can remain on display in years to come. Estimated conservation cost: 2,450 pounds Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4766 Dimensions: 107 x 84cm


(image/jpeg) Adopt a Painting - The Gossips, Lorraine

The Gossips, Lorraine c.1911 by Henri Blahay (1869-1927) Description This large painting was an early acquisition by the Gallery's founder, T.R. Ferens, in 1913. It is unusual as it represents a French rather than British artist of the Edwardian era. It has been identified as a priority for the forthcoming Victorian and Edwardian catalogue of the Ferens' collection. Work required There is a significant amount of work required before this work can be displayed, including the repair of a large tear in the canvas, seen on the sleeve of the woman's cream blouse. Estimated conservation cost: £3,395 Catalogue information Accession No: KINCM:2005.4752 Dimensions: 121 x 183cm


(image/jpeg) Enquiries

#SUBHEADING#Finding out about an object#SUBHEADINGEND# As a museum service we receive a large number of public enquries, both about our collections and items in private ownership. Although we have a vast amount of knowledge and information about our objects, we can't always find the answer to everything. We currently have 164,000 records on our database for objects in the collections, but there is an awful lot of research still to be done. Because of the amount of enquiries we receive we can't always get back to you straight away, and it may be useful to think about the type of information you want before contacting us. The more details we have the easier it will be to help you. The following information is essential: Your name and contact details A full description of the information you require Enquiries can be made by emailing museums@hullcc.gov.uk, or post to: Hull Museums Ferens Art Gallery Queen Victoria Square Hull HU1 3RA Telephone: 01482 613902. If your enquiry is related to an individual, or archival records, Hull History Centre may be a better place to look. They can be contacted at hullhistorycentre@hullcc.gov.uk, or post to: Hull History Centre Worship Street Hull HU2 8BG Telephone: 01482 317500 We are sometimes approached to give valuations on objects, but unfortunately we are unable to do so for ethical reasons.


(image/jpeg) Archaeological Finds Days

#SUBHEADING#Come and ask an expert!#SUBHEADINGEND# Archaeological Finds Days give you the opportunity to bring along your finds for our Curator of Archaeology and the local Portable Antiquities Scheme advisor to identify for you. The dates for 2011 are below and times are always between 11am - 1pm. Saturday 29th January Saturday 19th March Saturday 28th May Saturday 30th July Saturday 24th September Saturday 26th November The main aim of these finds days is for you to gain knowledge about the archaeological items in your possession and for us to record them, which is an essential part of gaining more knowledge about our past.


(image/jpeg) Identifying Items

Knowledge about the collections at Hull Museums is an essential element of what we do. Hull is very lucky to have so many marvellous museums with fantastic, rare, and interesting objects. If you have an enquiry that you would like to ask one of our curators the following gives advice on how to contact us.


Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, c.1894

A member of the Davis family of Kirkella wore this stylish outfit. The family had a shop in Hull. They must have been rich to be able to afford clothes from Madame Clapham, Hull's best dressmaker. Each part of this dress would have been made separately at Madame Clapham's workshop. There were different rooms for making skirts, bodices and sleeves. Each worker was based in one of these rooms, so she could perfect her skills in a particular area. Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was widely regarded as the finest dressmaker in Hull. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967. Emily Clapham was born Emily MacVitie in Cheltenham in 1856. She left school at an early age to serve a dressmaking apprenticeship in Scarborough. At first her job was to pick up pins from the floor. She progressed to gain a thorough training in all aspects of dressmaking. It was clear from the start that Emily was very talented. She had an eye for fashion and colour combined with sound business sense. The skill of Madame Clapham was to select aspects of the latest fashions to create her own designs. Each season she bought a selection of sample gowns from the leading fashion houses of London and Paris. She designed her own creations using bodices, skirts and sleeves from different dresses. She had a talent for selecting the right colour, cut and trimmings to suit her client. Workers at Madame Clapham did all the sewing. Their fine needlework gained her an international reputation as a dressmaker. In contrast to the luxurious salon and fitting rooms, the workrooms were cold and bare. Madame Clapham was a strict employer with high standards, and the pay for workroom girls was low. However, they took pride in their work and received good training.


Bowl Made in Ancient Egypt, Around 4500 Years Ago

The first pots were made by smoothing layers of clay together. Potters learned to make this process easier by using a wheel. This Egyptian dish was made on a potter's wheel. This involves throwing clay onto a spinning wheel and shaping it with your hands. The wheel for making pots is thought to have been invented at the same time as the normal wheel. This was 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia (Iraq). Egyptians then used this technique for thousands of years. This is a round bottomed bowl from Qau el-kebir, around 2500 BC. It is terracotta coloured and has some blackening from firing in the kiln. This dish is a reddish colour that is very common on Egyptian pottery. This is because of the reddish clay found near the River Nile. Many Egyptian pots that have survived were placed in graves, containing foods as offerings for the after-life. When a coil pot is made up by hand it is impossible to make it perfectly round. The solution to this problem was the wheel. It is a crucial invention in the history of ceramics. The wheel probably developed gradually from a platform which the potter turned the pot before shaping another side. The technique was at first just a faster method of coiling. Village potters still use this method in some parts of the world. Improvements increased the speed and power of the wheel. Eventually it become possible for a potter's wheel to be used for "throwing" a pot. Qau el-Kabir is on the east bank of the Nile, between Asyut and Akhmim in Northern Upper Egypt. Its ancient name was Tjebu and it was also known as Antaeoplois in Graeco-Roman times. Qau el-kebir was once the capital of an area known as the 12th Upper Egypt Nome. It is an historically important area because it was the centre of early Egyptian Christianity.


Sophronia asking the Saracen King Aladine to release the Christian prisoners

This large-scale picture forms a relatively small part of one of the most ambitious decorative cycles executed in Venice in the middle years of the 18th century. It was originally formed part of a series of eight, which has resulted in its rather cramped composition. The question of which brother painted part or the whole of the cycle is debatable. This image has been painted solely by one artist in an entirely consistent style. Antonio was the more accomplished figure painter, although it has been suggested that Francesco may have painted the whole image in order to help his brother out in so large an undertaking. Sophronia, a Christian virgin, is shown here pleading for the lives of the Christians whom King Aladine has accused of stealing an image of the Virgin Mary.


Portrait of a young woman

The allure of this painting of a young woman can be attributed to its enigmatic qualities. The sitter remains unknown and even the date when Hals painted her remains a matter of conjecture. The sitter is likely to have been the wife of a Haarlem burgher or merchant, as isolated female portraits are very rare in Dutch 17th century painting - it is therefore probable that Hals also painted the sitter's husband, although none has ever been identified. The sitter is unforgettable for her serene but direct smile, and for the disarming simplicity with which the figure looks out at us.


Detail from decorated scrimshaw (image/jpeg) Whaling

The first whaling ships left the port of Hull in 1598, soon after the discovery of Greenland. The industry was thriving by the early nineteenth century after many recessions and revivals. During the years 1815-1825 Hull had 2000 men employed in the trade and she could boast over 60 whaling vessels making it the largest fleet in Britain. Using our important collections to illustrate, this section of our website explores Hull's whaling history from its peak to its decline in the mid to late nineteenth century.


Model of the 'Brunswick' (image/jpeg) Vessels

As an important port, Hull has seen a vast array of different vessels pass through its docks from massive sailing ships to small fishing boats. Hull museums collections are filled with objects illustrating the city's relationship with shipping and in fact, two of our nine venues, the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship, are vessels! Explore this section of our website to find out more.


Detail from Band of Hope medal (image/jpeg) I Promise to Abstain

During the late Victorian period there was an increased influence of 'Temperance' groups and societies that advocated abstinence from alcohol. It was from the 1870's that demand for 'aerated water' and other soft drinks become more popular in Hull because of this trend. Several organisations in Hull were involved in promoting abstinence, including The Band of Hope and The Sons of Temperance. #SUBHEADING#The Band of Hope#SUBHEADINGEND# Formed in 1874 the 'Band of Hope' was a Methodist movement which educated young people about the 'evils of drink'. Children could join from the age of six and they attended lectures and other activities including competitions and all members took a pledge of abstinence. #IMAGE# The organisation held several demonstrations in Hull. A booklet produced in 1883 for a demonstration at Hengler's Circus contains musical scores and words for songs to be sung. The movement felt that it was better to educate a child about the dangers of drink rather than try to convert an adult drinker. The Band of Hope in Hull had an estimated 10,000 young members. When they joined each new member was asked to pledge 'I Promise to Abstain From All Intoxicating Drinks As A Beverage'. The pledge was also inscribed on a medal that also featured an image of a praying woman with the wording 'Wine Is A Mocker'. #SUBHEADING#The Sons of Temperance and The 'Good Templars'#SUBHEADINGEND# The Sons of Temperance also had a large number of members in Hull. The organisation advocated total abstinence from alcohol as they believed that dependence on alcohol was the cause of many of society's problems including poverty, ill-health and violence. The 'Good Templars' held their first meeting in Hull in 1874. Taking their name from the medieval religious order of knights, The Knights Templar, who guarded the holy sites in Jerusalem. The 'Good Templars' sought to lead a crusade against the corruption of alcohol. Individual churches and chapels in Hull also formed their own temperance groups. The groups continued to influence people's outlooks and lifestyles until well into the twentieth century. Their causes were supported by some of Hull's key figures such as T.R. Ferens and Frederick Needler, who were both staunch Methodists. They presented certificates to people for giving lectures and writing essays about the effects of alcohol. #SUBHEADING#'Hull People's Public House Company'#SUBHEADINGEND# In order to cater for people who were teetotal and to provide an alternative to public houses in the city, the 'Hull People's Public House Company' was formed. This company had nineteen 'temperance' hotels and two cafes and they advertised themselves as being 'Viands of the Best Quality at Moderate Prices'. They sought to appeal to people who might otherwise use public houses and fall prey to alcohol. #IMAGE# The 'Wilberforce Cafe' on St. John Street (now Carr Lane) features on a drawing from around 1890 by F.S. Smith. Printed adverts for the company show that they sold tea, coffee and cocoa for a penny per cup and 'aerated waters' for one penny per bottle. The company was highly successful and profitable as receipts from the company amounted to 25,000 pounds per year. The company also built two factories to make its own brand of aerated water in Pearson Street and Marlborough Terrace. The company also had crockery made for its premises that had the company name printed on it. Some examples of this have been found beneath floorboards of the site that was their company house on Lowgate.


(image/jpeg) History of the Ferens Art Gallery (part 1)

Hull Corporation owned very few paintings before the start of the twentieth century, apart from civic portraits that were hung in the old Town Hall (now part of the Guildhall collection). The first paintings were given for the city's permanent collection in 1902 by the Hull Society of Arts and Sir Albert Rollit. In 1905, Thomas Robinson Ferens began contributing to the city's art collection by offering £5,000 in five annual instalments, for purchasing works of art. The early collection of paintings was exhibited in the top floor of the Municipal Museum on Albion Street. Ferens was dissatisfied with the display space and began to campaign for a purpose built art gallery. In 1910 he opened a small suite of rooms, later known as the 'Victoria Galleries', above shops in the newly built City Hall. This new display space was gradually filled with works bought mainly by Ferens but also included a few works from the Municipal Museum. By 1917 Ferens felt that this gallery space was no longer sufficient and urged for a separate larger gallery to be built. #SUBHEADING# A site and a design for a new gallery #SUBHEADINGEND# Ferens bought the redundant Church of St. John the Evangelist and offered the site for the construction of a new art gallery and gave 35,000 pounds towards the building costs. The church had been the first post-Reformation church to be built in Hull in 1792 and was last used in 1917. It was demolished during the first half of 1924. It was decided to hold a competition to find suitable plans and designs for a new art gallery. Seventy nine designs were submitted, many of which were more ambitious than the funding that was available. The London-based architects S.N. Cooke and E.C. Davies were chosen and they also designed chairs and other furnishings for the gallery and court spaces. #SUBHEADING# Building Work commences #SUBHEADINGEND# Work started on the building in 1926 and on 13th October of the same year, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, laid the gallery's foundation stone. This ceremony was part of a two day visit which also included visiting various factories and institutions across the city and a trip on the River Humber on the s.s. 'Brocklesby'. It is estimated that around 200,000 people turned out for the royal event. The gallery was built by the local firm of G.H. Panton & Sons who had also been responsible for building the City Hall which was completed in 1910. The gallery was built in classical style, with interior columns and Greek key borders. There are also twin Corinthian columns, a pedimented doorway; a classical swag frieze and stone balustrading along the roofline at the front entrance. The main entrance door is made of bronze with cast lion ornaments. The gallery was built of Portland stone and the central and entrance hall were of a grey-coloured mottled marble called 'Bianco del Mare'. This marble was almost lost at sea due to fire on board ship on its way from Italy but fortunately, the ship was able to dock at Brest harbour and transfer its cargo to another boat that was bound for Hull.


(image/jpeg) History of the Ferens Art Gallery (part 2)

#SUBHEADING# The Gallery opens to the public #SUBHEADINGEND# The building of the new art gallery was completed within eighteen months. On 29th November, 1927, the gallery was officially opened to the public. Ferens was unable to attend the opening ceremony as he had broken his ankle whilst on holiday so it was Ferens' niece Miss Wentworth, who formally declared the gallery open in her uncle's name. She was presented with a gold ceremonial key in recognition of the part she played in the opening. The Opening Exhibition of 1927 included many works that had been bought by Ferens, including Herbert Draper's 'Ulysses and the Sirens', Sydney Lee's 'The Cathedral Doorway' and Sir Alfred East's 'Evening on the Cotswolds'. #SUBHEADING# Display galleries #SUBHEADINGEND# The gallery contained seven display galleries on the ground floor that were arranged around an octagonal central court intended for sculpture. The galleries were designed to be floodlit from overhead glass domes. There were also two galleries on the first floor. The design of the building allowed visitors to walk right through without having to turn back and also enabled each individual gallery to be separately closed. When it opened the gallery featured a white marble fountain in the centre of the octagonal court. This was such an impressive structure that visitors often mistakenly thought that it was the tomb of Ferens himself. It was removed in 1964 in order to open up the court space for displaying sculpture. Taking the fountain out also solved the problem of school children splashing their shoes in the water reservoir! #SUBHEADING# Modern extension #SUBHEADINGEND# In building a new art gallery for the city, Ferens provided adequate space for the permanent collection of art to be kept on display. In 1989, work began on a major extension of the gallery that would still allow these collections to remain on view whilst also accommodating visiting temporary exhibitions. The extension provided three new exhibition galleries, a new cafe and an auditorium effectively doubling the gallery's public display space. There were also new public toilets, a lift to enable access to all floors in Monument Buildings and improved physical access for visitors to the ground floor galleries. The auditorium became the Live Art Space which is capable of accommodating 200 seated visitors for events. The gallery was formally re-opened after its redevelopment and refurbishment on 31st October, 1991, by the Queen Mother. She was given a tour of the gallery and watched a wheelchair ballet performance that was given by disabled children in the Live Art Space. She also unveiled a plaque marking the re-opening which is located near the front entrance, close to the foundation stone that was laid by her brother-in-law in 1926.


(image/jpeg) The Phoenix Project

#SUBHEADING#The threat of war#SUBHEADINGEND# Thomas Sheppard ignored suggestions about protecting the collections from the possibility of damage from air raids. He even advised other curators against the evacuation of their collections. Two weeks after the outbreak of war he told the Hull Daily Mail "even if there is an air raid they [the Hull Museum authorities] have taken the necessary measures for protection from anything except a direct hit". In the early hours of 24th June 1943 Hull's Municipal Museum on Albion Street took a direct hit by an incendiary bomb. The building collapsed and despite attempts by the fire wardens the building could not be saved. Although some items were salvaged thousands of items collected over more than a hundred years were destroyed. #SUBHEADING#The site is levelled#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull suffered extensive damage from the bombing and much of the city needed re-building. In the late 1940's the site was levelled with the collections still buried in the basements, and the site was left as a bomb site until the 1970's when it finally became a car park. In October 1988 workmen digging a draining ditch across the site discovered ancient pottery and a stone Buddha amongst the ruins and ash from the museum. Realising that they had stumbled across the basement of the museum the work was stopped. #SUBHEADING#The Phoenix Project#SUBHEADINGEND# In the days after the discovery of the finds in the drainage trench the initial archaeological investigation recovered more than 2500 items from the side of just one of the trenches. Only a full excavation of the Municipal Museum basements would reveal exactly how much of the collections could be salvaged. With plans in place for development on the site in the near future the Phoenix Project excavation was launched early in 1989. #SUBHEADING#Archaeological excavation#SUBHEADINGEND# The area of the buried museum basements was transformed into an archaeological site. Specialist archaeologists, conservators, computer experts and photographers were brought in. A temporary all-weather structure was built to allow work to continue regardless of the weather. The discovery had sparked high levels of public interest and the site was made accessible to the public via walkways, a visitors' centre and even a shop. For many the discovery brought back memories of the war. Although nobody was really sure what would be found the overwhelming quantity of the items recovered quickly justified the effort and cost involved. Early finds included a further five stone Buddha, a perfect Bellarmine jar, and fragments of Wedgwood's copy of the Portland Vase. Many of the recovered finds were in an excellent condition, with the range of objects recovered reflecting the richness of the collections: from coins through to Egyptian obelisks, jewellery to dinosaur bones, and even a killer whale's jaw. #SUBHEADING#Motorbike excavated#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the most surprising stories was the excavation of a 1940's motorbike which became the first motorbike to ever be excavated by archaeologists. The owner, Cyril Nichols, had left his 500cc New Hudson motorbike parked in the boiler room of the Municipal Museum having bought it from the caretaker. Cyril informed the archaeologists at the excavation that they may find his motorcycle, and sure enough they did. The project has meant that thousands of objects have been returned to Hull Museums' collections.


(image/jpeg) William Wilberforce's Chair, Attributed to Thomas Chippendale (c.1753-1779)

This chair is said to have belonged to William Wilberforce. Wilberforce is best known for his role as a campaigner against slavery and the slave trade. As MP for Yorkshire he played a key part in persuading the British Parliament to abolish the trade. The chair has a Chinese-style geometric design carved on its arms and legs. This style of decoration was popular in the 1700s when there was a craze for all things Chinese in Britain. William Wilberforce was born at 25 High Street, Hull, in 1759. This is now Wilberforce House Museum, part of Hull Museums. Wilberforce’s family came from Wilberfoss near York, which was the original spelling of the family name. In 1776 Wilberforce left Hull to study Classics at St John’s College, Cambridge. He wasn’t a model student as he preferred entertaining and playing cards. All this changed after he left University and became interested in politics and religion. At the age of just 21, Wilberforce was elected as MP for Hull. At the next election in 1784 he was elected as an MP for Yorkshire, one of England’s most powerful counties. Soon after 1784 Wilberforce became an Evangelical Christian. He was convinced that religion should be carried into every area of life. Through his religious beliefs Wilberforce became involved in the growing movement to abolish the slave trade. After Parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Bill in 1807 he campaigned against slavery itself. Wilberforce had many other interests apart from slavery. He wanted to improve morals and tackle the causes of poverty. He worked for prison reform and was interested in charity schools and improving the lives of poor children. He tried to end the sport of bull baiting and wanted to introduce compulsory smallpox vaccinations. He was involved with founding the National Gallery in London and the RSPCA.


(image/jpeg) T. R. Ferens (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#MP#SUBHEADINGEND# Ferens served the city as Liberal Member of Parliament for East Hull from 1906 to 1918. He first stood for election in 1900 but was defeated by Firbank by 836 votes. However, six years later, he won with a majority of 2,362 votes. He celebrated this landslide victory and also his thirty six years with the Reckitt company by giving a sovereign to each employee. He sent an accompanying letter expressing his appreciation of their work. The only request in the letter was that they didn't spend it on 'intoxicating liquor' as Ferens believed in abstinence from alcohol. #SUBHEADING#Religious Faith#SUBHEADINGEND# Ferens and his wife Esther lived at 'Holderness House', on Holderness Road. They were members of the nearby Brunswick Methodist Church and also taught at the Sunday School every weekend. This was very important to Ferens and he continued to teach to the end of his life, taking his last classes at his own home. In 1924, to mark the anniversary of the Church and Sunday School, he was presented with a bound album as a gesture of gratitude for his involvement. It contained photographs of past ministers, an account of its history, along with the signatures of members of the congregation. #SUBHEADING#Recognition and Honours#SUBHEADINGEND# In October, 1911, Ferens was presented with the honour of the Freedom of the City of Hull. At the ceremony, several speeches were made that expressed appreciation of both his charitable gifts and his religious and community work. The public gallery of the Council Chamber was crowded with people who had come to show their admiration. In the following year he was made a member of the Privy Council by King George V and later in the year, he was also made High Steward of Hull. Although Ferens was honoured in these ways, throughout his life he never sought recognition for his efforts. He was also offered a title on more than one occasion, but refused it, preferring to be known just as 'Mr Ferens'. #SUBHEADING#Death and Tributes#SUBHEADINGEND# Following a few weeks of illness, Ferens died on Friday 9th May, 1930. Two funeral services were held at the same time in the city -one at Brunswick Church and the other at Holy Trinity Church. As his wife Esther had died eight years previously and they had no children, 'Holderness House' was left to be used as a 'home for poor gentlewomen'. It is clear from sentiments expressed in Hull's newspaper obituaries that Ferens had been held in great respect and affection. The Hull Times had the headline 'Hull Loses a Lovable and Sterling Character'. The pages contained many tributes, one of them by the Principal of the Hull University College, who remarked that 'Hull will seem empty without him'. Although Ferens was not born in Hull, it was his home for over sixty years and it became his 'adopted city'. It is said that when he first moved to Hull, he had only two shillings that his mother had given him. He amassed great wealth, not as a result of privilege, but through ability and hard work. He then used this fortune to help others. As a result, thousands of people in the city and the surrounding region have benefited over the years. #SUBHEADING#Further Reading#SUBHEADINGEND# 'The Place that Ferens Made', produced by the University of Hull. 'From Medieval to Regency', by Christopher Wright, published by Hull City Museums & Art Gallery, 2002. 'Colourful Characters', by John Markham, published by Highgate Publications (Beverley) Ltd, 1990. 'Hull Loses a Lovable and Sterling Character', from 'The Hull Times', pp13-14, dated 10th May 1930.


(image/jpeg) Games are Prohibited Here!

#IMAGE# Throughout the centuries many games have faced moral and religious restrictions and have been outlawed. In ancient Egyptian times, games and sports, that were more physical, were criticised as they were classed as too dangerous. The Egyptians believed that their bodies were very precious and if they were damaged, could stop them becoming immortal in the afterlife. Also wealthy Egyptians thought that games that made them develop muscles belonged to the lower classes who had to do physical labour. The Egyptians felt that being overweight symbolised success and wealth. In Roman times most games of chance (except gambling on physical sports) were strictly forbidden by Roman law. They were punishable with a fine that would be four times the amount of money that was gambled. However it was widely known that most 'caponulae' and 'popinae' (inns and eating houses) welcomed secret game playing in their back premises. There are images of this in wall paintings from Pompeii. In Medieval times many board games and pub games such as billiards and skittles were played for money, because of this they became unpopular with the authorities in England in the 13th and 14th Century. Until the reign of Elizabeth I in 1559, laws prohibiting the playing of games in licensed establishments were in force. Pub games again were banned from taverns later in 1757 due to their seedy reputation. #IMAGE# In the 1640's there was a Civil War between the forces of King Charles I and Parliament. After Parliament's victory laws were passed against Sunday games as many in parliament were Puritans. In some areas people were even arrested for playing football! However it was very hard to make people obey the laws. For instance, just before Shrove Tuesday in 1660 the Bristol authorities announced a ban on 'cock-throwing, dog-tossing and football'; as a consequence the people of Bristol rioted. There have even been restrictions on games such as skipping and marbles. In Britain there was a religious tradition of game playing which used to begin on Ash Wednesday through to Good Friday. After that day, games such as marbles and skipping were strictly taboo and boys and girls, who attempted to play them, were liable to have their toys confiscated with the cry 'Goblins after Good Friday!' #IMAGE# There have been great attempts in history to banish the playing of games on Sundays and during religious holidays. Any association between the enjoyment of games and religion was and is greatly criticised. In our collections there is a document describing an incident where a soldier has dared to take a pack of cards into church. Luckily he cleverly thinks of a story to escape a harsh punishment from the Mayor, bravely and audaciously managing to compare his pack of cards to his bible and prayer book! Victorians also looked upon games played on Sundays harshly. A printed notice of a Royal proclamation in our collections shows Queen Victoria's stance at game playing on Holy days. On the notice you can see that the rule regarding this is repeatedly mentioned. #IMAGE# In Victorian times more toys were made to teach and give moral instruction. There were games such as 'Virtue rewarded and vice punished' that tried to teach good behaviour and 'What d'ye buy' that compared different shops and tried to teach children the value of money. Children centuries earlier, had been classed as adults at a much earlier age. Children as young as twelve were answerable to the law and could play adult board and dice games that involved money. However in Victorian times it was believed that children should not play with dice because they were associated with gambling so instead they used teetotums, numbered spinning tops to determine the number of throws.


(image/jpeg) Working Life

This section contains stories about the work that people used to do. Some relate to famous Hull companies that are still around today such as Reckitts. Others tell of less well-known craft firms and makers of the past. These include Richardson's furniture company and the goldsmiths of Church Lane. Many Hull soft drink and beer makers used bottles were made that feature Hull landmarks like the Wilberforce Monument. Shops were also important places of work for many.


(image/jpeg) The Spurn Lightship and WW2

Upon the outbreak of World War Two, the Spurn Lightship was forced to observe new rules for the safety of themselves and for the security of the country. The regulations set up during the war were then used to prepare schemes in case there should ever be another state of emergency. The first real rule affected the use of wireless telegraphy as it became mandatory to gain a license for the use of it. The license was granted by the Post Master General and stressed the need to avoid interference with military signalling. The Admiralty, Army Council and Air Council could also now ask for the closure of a station if they believed the working of the station to be inconsistent with the free use of signalling. #SUBHEADING# Light Regulations #SUBHEADINGEND# Changes were also made in the regulation of the lights. All lights within Board jurisdiction were classified as: E (to be extinguished), L (to be left burning in the interests of shipping, having been dimmed and screened), or E+ (to be extinguished, except in certain circumstances). The Middle (Spurn) Lightship was classified as E+ and only gave out light with the approval of the Flag Officer, for either HM Ships or Merchant Ships on days which had two dark tides. Even in these cases, the lights including the riding lights (the anchor light) had to be reduced in brilliancy. All lights were returned to full brilliancy after the war and the Spurn was re-classified as R in future times of emergency which meant that it was to have reduced light power except in fog. A crew member, Mr Milner, who was aboard the Spurn when war broke out during 1939, remembers how they used to get around the problem of extinguished lights: When the crew would listen below deck for the sound of returning trawlers and rush onto the deck to shine torches onto the name of the ship. He also remembered the one instance when the Spurn was attacked by German aircrafts and the crew were forced to dodge the machine gun bursts that were being fired at them. Provisions were also made in case of an enemy invasion. Buoys were allowed to have their moorings slipped and allowed to float out of position while lightships were to be towed to a safe position. In the case of the Lightship having to be abandoned they were instructed to empty all fuel and petrol into the River Humber.


(image/jpeg) Reckitts of Hull

The Reckitts company name is nationally and internationally renowned for its quality of production in household cleaners and pharmaceuticals. A family run business, it has provided local employment for over 160 years, and is responsible for the manufacture of many famous household brands including Dettol, Harpic and Lemsip. #SUBHEADING# From humble beginnings #SUBHEADINGEND# The company's foundation in 1840 was much more humble, and began with Isaac Reckitt renting a small starch making factory in Dansom Lane, East Hull. Isaac, born in 1792, was the fifth child of a Quaker family, and had attempted two business ventures prior to this - one milling business which had been ruined by a succession of poor harvests from 1827 - 1833, and one corn business in Nottingham from which he had never managed to make a profit. It took ten years before the company showed real signs of viability, but it proved immensely successful, and products branched out from starch to laundry blue and blacking. By the 1850s Reckitts employed 51 workers, over half of which were women, starting a tradition of large scale female employment in Hull. The early success of the company can be attributed largely to the work of Isaac's two elder sons, George and Francis, who acted as travelling sales representatives out on the road, advertising the family brand. By 1858 the company was firmly established, and all the loans Isaac had received from his Quaker family and friends had been repaid, and the company was £2000 in credit with the bank. In 1862, Isaac died, leaving the business in equal share to three of his sons, George, Francis and James. His other son, Frederic, remained chief chemist in the Reckitts laboratories. #SUBHEADING#Expansion and diversification#SUBHEADINGEND# The company then saw a large period of expansion, branching out into pharmaceutical goods in 1929 with the intention of creating a liquid antiseptic that was not corrosive to the skin. Dettol was created and first bottled in Hull, and launched in 1932. The company also merged with J. Coleman Ltd, in 1938, a rival competitor in the starch and laundry blue manufacture, and the company became known as Reckitts and Coleman, adding the expertise of the food industry to Reckitts extensive product repertoire. Today, the company is known as Reckitt Benckiser after a merger in 1999 with Benckiser N.V. and is now the world's largest household cleaning products company (excluding laundry detergents). From humble beginnings, the company has evolved and developed to become the international leader in its production field, whilst never forgetting its hometown roots in Hull where the Reckitts UK pharmaceutical department still stands on its original location down Dansom Lane.


(image/jpeg) Soft drinks - bottled by design

At first, carbonated drinks were contained in stoneware bottles, but these had a tendency to allow the gas to leak and consequently make the drink 'flat'. As a result, makers began to use glass for their bottles. The problem with the glass bottles was that the pressure of the gas within the bottle could force the cork stopper off especially if the cork dried out. Many shopkeepers were reluctant to store the drinks on their side to keep the cork wet, so manufacturers adopted a new shape devised by William Hamilton called the 'Hamilton Bowler'. This was egg-shaped with a rounded bottom preventing the bottle from standing upright. This shape came into general usage in 1840 and was used until the end of the nineteenth century. #SUBHEADING#The 'Codd' bottle#SUBHEADINGEND# Thousands of different types of bottle closures were tried and tested. In 1875 Hiram Codd, from Barnsley, introduced a design featuring a glass marble to keep it airtight. The bottle could only be 'opened' by pushing the marble down into an integral compartment within the bottle-neck and meant that every customer needed a wooden cap with a plunger. The bottle was patented as a 'globe-stoppered' bottle although it was more widely known as the 'Codd' bottle. #SUBHEADING#Hybrid designs#SUBHEADINGEND# The bottles were popular with young children, who liked to break the bottles to get the glass marbles out to play with, forcing Codd to use oval-shaped marbles in an attempt to discourage this. The design inspired the term 'Coddswallop' a derogatory term used by beer drinkers to refer to the soft drinks in the 'Codd' bottles. Numerous designs sought to combine the different elements including a Bowler design with a flat-bottom and even a Bowler with a marble compartment in the neck. Despite the introduction of the screw-stopper in 1872, the 'swing-stopper' in 1875 and the 'crown cork' in 1892 the 'Codd' bottle continued to be used until the 1930s. #SUBHEADING#Hull landmarks used as branding and trademarks#SUBHEADINGEND# Two Hull companies adopted local landmarks as part of their branding. Hindle & Sons bottles featuring the Wilberforce Monument. whilst the ale makers Linsley & Company, featured the King William III equestrian statue in Market Place and Burstall & Dodds used a Mermaid. The moulded inscription on the bottle surface usually included the company name and address with some manufacturers also featuring a paper label. Not all of the bottles that were used for containing soft drinks were made from glass. Companies that made ginger beer in Hull, such as Hawkshaw and Julius Peter's, used stoneware bottles instead with the latter bottles using a buffalo as its trademark. One of the largest glass bottle-manufacturing firms in the region was Dan Ryland's company in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The name or initials of the company who made the bottle usually appears on the back or base of the bottle. The Ryland company name is on some of the bottles in Hull Museums collections. #SUBHEADING#Further Reading#SUBHEADINGEND# 'History and Directory of Hull, 1892', written by T. Bulmer 'Bottles and Bottle Collecting' (Shire Album 6), written by A.A.C. Hedges, Shire Publications Ltd, Risborough. 'Antique Bottles Collectors Encyclopaedia', written by The Ole Bottlemen, B.B.R. Publishing, Elsecar, Barnsley. 'The Book of Bottle Collecting', written by Doreen Beck, The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd, 1973.


(image/jpeg) All At Sea Part 1

#SUBHEADING#Dutch Influence#SUBHEADINGEND# Marine painting has not always been popular. It was not until the 17th Century with the rise of the Golden Age of painting in Holland that what we regard today as true marine painting developed and came to the fore. In Western Europe marine painting began with scenes in early illuminated manuscripts; ships loaded with apostles or pilgrims frequently appear in the background of Gothic religious painting. By the end of the16th Century this had developed into accurate descriptions of busy ports and harbours in places such as Antwerp and Amsterdam. By the following century, parallel to the rise of landscape painting in Holland, artists had turned their eyes to the skies, estuaries and the open sea where the expanse of sky offered a variety of mood and atmosphere. The Ferens Art Gallery's collection of marine paintings is strongly influenced by the artists of the Netherlands. Artists such as Isaac Sailmaker, who was one of the early marine painters, adopted the 'pageant' style of Dutch marine painting depicting an array of fine vessels. This was the first of the styles to be adopted in Britain. #SUBHEADING#A New Style#SUBHEADINGEND# Two Dutch artists in particular were central in creating a new style of painting in England. They were father and son; both called William van de Velde, who travelled to England to depict for Charles II the growing might of the British naval and merchant fleets. The younger Van de Velde set the fashion for painting the action of wind and storm as well as the fighting of the naval battles of the Anglo-Dutch. Hull's example, showing a stage in the Four Days' Battle of 1666 is comparatively calm. Works such as Charles Brooking's 'Squadron Going to Winward' borrows from a Van de Velde composition whilst the paintings of Thomas Luny, later on, depict more conventionalised variants of this style. #SUBHEADING#Marine Painting and the Whaling Industry#SUBHEADINGEND# As Brooking had been influenced by the Dutch artist he, in turn, came to influence the earliest known Hull artists. By the end of the eighteenth century local ships were not battling with the Dutch but with the arctic conditions in the hunt for whales. It is unlikely that an artist ever went to the arctic to witness the whalers in action but we do know that one of the best early whaling paintings 'The Fleet of Sir Samuel Standidge', by an unknown artist, is based on a composition by Brooking that was readily available as an engraving. Although Hull whalers were clumsy conversions compared with the elegant clippers and schooners of the Indian and Transatlantic trade by the end of the eighteenth century it was common for ship owners to commission a portrait of their vessels. Most of the artists who took up this work were local artisans, sign painters, house painters and ship painters and although they had no formal training they at least possessed real knowledge of the subject that they were asked to paint.


(image/jpeg) All At Sea Part 2

#SUBHEADING#John Ward#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the most famous and outstanding painters to emerge from the simple background of vessel portraits was John Ward. Ward was the son of a master mariner and was influenced by paintings that he obtained by the Scottish born artist William Anderson. Under this influence Ward's paintings depicted the hustle and bustle of Hull's river, harbour and docks. He created a unity in his compositions where the foreground and the background are given equal importance and all of which are bathed in a subdued light. He also painted whaling scenes with remarkable serenity. Probably his best and most memorable painting is 'The Return of the William Lee' which illustrates the end of the whaling period in Hull and an era in Hull's economic history. Ward died in 1849 but his influence was still visible in the work of his imitators and pupils until almost the end of the century, notably in the works by William Griffin, Thomas Binks and W.F. Settle. #SUBHEADING#End of a Century and a New Beginning#SUBHEADINGEND# As the century progressed artists developed a more romantic outlook and storms, sunsets and shipwrecks grew in popularity, replacing the need to represent ships with such accuracy. Depictions of plucky vessels and last minute rescues like 'The Lame Duck' by Thomas Somerscales also became popular; typifying the British imperial superiority that would later suffer a massive blow during the Great War. During the Second World War artists such as Eric Ravilious took to the sea under the Government's Official War Artists scheme where they recorded the troops, the devastation and the battles on land and sea. Most of the work is quickly sketched with pencil, crayon or watercolour making for portable and rapid sketching. Ferens holds a large collection of work from this period. Mainly on paper, they also testify to the importance of the sea through boatbuilding, dock scenes and naval bases. #SUBHEADING#Post War Marine Art#SUBHEADINGEND# In the post war period artists have continued to take the sea as their inspiration and within the Ferens' collection it is possible to trace through these works some of the radical changes in style since the 1950s. Some artists such as Michael Ayrton, Donald Hamilton Fraser and Keith Vaughan have expressed responses to the sea in abstract form whilst others like, Will MacLean and George Fullard use objects associated with or taken directly form the sea. In contrast the traditional approach to marine painting can still be found in the work of David Curtis. #SUBHEADING#Ferens Art Gallery and Marine Paintings#SUBHEADINGEND# It was not until the appointment of Vincent Galloway as curator of the Ferens Art Gallery in 1928 that attention turned to the acquisition of marine paintings, and of works by artists of the Hull school in particular. Until then, marines were greatly undervalued and acquired by museums only for their maritime or social history interest. The first John Ward painting was acquired in 1936 for ten guineas. Since that time the Ferens has developed its collection of marine art into one that traces many of the most significant developments in European marine painting from the 17th century to the present day.


penny farthing detail (image/jpeg) The Ordinary Bicycle

#SUBHEADING#The High Wheeled Bicycle#SUBHEADINGEND# The appearance of the high wheel bicycle marked a revolution in cycle design, between 1870 and1885 over 200,000 were made. They were called 'Ordinaries' to distinguish them from the many 'safety' designs that appeared after 1870. These bicycles had high front wheels and very small back wheels; the only restriction on size was the length of the rider's legs. Positioning the seat directly over the driving wheel made better use of the rider's energy and allowed the rear wheel to become smaller.#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#It's popularity#SUBHEADINGEND# At its peak the Ordinary was unrivalled for speed and elegance, but learning to ride one was no easy task. To mount, the rider had to first place his left foot on the step above the back wheel and push off with his right foot, after gaining speed he stood up on his left leg, slipped forward into the saddle and then he was high above the mud and dust and enjoying a surprisingly comfortable ride. If however he was forced to stop suddenly by a stone, hole or brake hard, then he could easily be thrown over the handlebars #IMAGE# Between 1870 and 1882 machines like the Arial and Grout Tension and ideas like tangent spokes revolutionised wheel design. Wheels with metal spokes and solid rubber types combined with lightness with strength changed the smoothness of ride for the cyclist. The use of hollow steel tubing frames and forks made machines still lighter. By 1882 the average weight was just 45 pounds and racing machines just 20 pounds.


hobby horse detail (image/jpeg) The Hobby Horse Bicycle

Invented by Baron Carl Von Drais in 1817 the Hobby Horse is considered the ancestor of the modern cycle. The idea of a man powered vehicle was not new; the problem had exercised the minds of amateur engineers since at least 1750. Early experiments took form of three or four wheeled light carriages driven by hand cranks and foot treadles or both. #SUBHEADING#The Two Wheeled Machine#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The Drais machine was very different, it had only two wheels, one behind the other and instead of using cranks and levels the rider simply pushed with his feet on the ground. It was also easier to steer because the rider's hands were no longer needed to drive it forward. A bar held in the hands (handlebar) was attached to a pivoting fork and was used to turn the front wheel whilst moving, the rider's elbows were rested on the padded platform behind the handlebar, and this also helped to balance the machine. #IMAGE# As a novelty the hobby horse was an instant success amongst the fashionable societies of London and Paris, but much too expensive for working class people. Unfortunately it could only be easily ridden on level ground so its popularity was short lived.


(image/jpeg) Fred Elwell

Frederick William Elwell was born in 1870 in Beverley, a market town situated seven miles from Hull. His father James was a cabinet-maker, and it is to him that Fred owed his high standards of achievement and his love of craftsmanship. Fred began to study art at evening classes at the Lincoln School of Art. In 1887 he won a scholarship which enabled him to embark upon full time studies. It was during his period at Lincoln that he developed an interest in the work of the French Impressionist painters. In 1889 he became a student overseas at the Antwerp Academy, where his interest and immense skill in portraiture and still life developed under the influence of the work of 17th century Dutch and Flemish artists. Following a further period of study at the Academie Julian in Paris he moved to London, having had his first work accepted for display at the Royal Academy. #SUBHEADING#Back to Beverley#SUBHEADINGEND# Failing to make a living in London, he returned to Beverley where he began to establish a successful reputation as a painter of portraits for a wealthy Edwardian clientele. He continued to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy. In 1914 he married Mary Dawson Holmes (Mary Elwell), herself an artist of considerable talent. Her wealth enabled them to travel extensively, giving rise to Fred's impressionistic continental landscapes. Beyond Beverley, the Elwells were part of a fashionable circle of artists, which included Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) and Alfred Munnings (1878-1959). More crucially, however, the Elwells' wealth enabled Fred to paint what he wanted and he pursued the theme of working life in Beverley through numerous interiors featuring kitchen maids, woodcarvers and other local craftsmen. He eventually achieved national recognition in 1919 when his painting 'The Beverley Arms Kitchen' was purchased by the Chantrey Bequest for the national collection held at the Tate Gallery in London. Fred continued to undertake commissions, including a portrait of King George V. His close family and friends also remained his subjects throughout his life, and he gave encouragement, tuition and financial support to several young artists. He acquired a London studio in 1935, and in 1938 was elected to the Royal Academy. He served on its Council and on the Selection and Hanging Committee, the latter being the subject of his Diploma work. Despite his ties with Beverley he was a stalwart of the Academy. His flirtations with Impressionism and Modernism belied his steadfastly traditional working methods and subject matter. In his will he left 1000 pounds to the Academy Schools to endow an annual prize for still life painting. Fred Elwell died in Beverley in 1958 and was still painting three weeks before his death.


(image/jpeg) Late 18th and early 19th British and European Landscapes

#SUBHEADING#Dutch Tradition#SUBHEADINGEND# Late 18th and early 19th Century British Art revived the Dutch landscape tradition of focussing on the natural environment in contrast to the practice of placing landowners against a background of their landed estates. From the late 18th century a new merchant and industrial class, began to gain an interest in pure landscape painting as new patrons of Art. #SUBHEADING#Neo-Classicism and Regional Schools#SUBHEADINGEND# Italianate landscapes in the Grand Style were inspired by earlier classical style landscapes of the French 17th Century masters, Claude Lorrain and N. Poussin. This can be seen in the works of British artists of the 18th century such as A.Cozens, Richard Wilson and P. Nasmyth, who composed perfectly balanced vistas of tree framed rivers and mountain valleys. These draw on both the Dutch and Italian landscape traditions. Regional versions of this type, were developed by local landscape schools throughout England in and around Norwich, Lincoln, Yorkshire and Derbyshire, by artists such as J. Sell Cotman, Thomas Girtin and John Rathbone. #SUBHEADING#Realism#SUBHEADINGEND# Another branch of regional landscape painting in early 19th century Britain grew out of the Dutch realist tradition. These show intimate portraits of a particular local landscape and its working environment. English examples of this can be seen in the works of George Morland and Edmund Bristow around London and more locally, Peter de Wint, in 'On the River Witham'. J.C. Ibbetson, working in the Lake District developed a fine local variation on the Dutch landscape tradition in his rustic lakeside scenes or picturesque farms among the Cumberland fells. #SUBHEADING#Naturalism and Topography#SUBHEADINGEND# Truth to nature in the works of Constable and Turner revolutionised landscape painting by working directly from the natural subject and in the landscape of the early 1800s, as Constable has clearly done in his 'Cloud Study'. Other artists were more concerned with the historical formation and layout of a view, such as John Varley and his pupils, David Cox and A.V. Copley Fielding. 'Loading timber wagon in the grounds of Cave Castle, Yorkshire' by G. Arnald is an example of the natural and human formation of the land, with an unusual side view of the newly built neo-Gothic Cave Castle. Striking views of working life in open countryside around Glastonbury or the Thames valley can be seen in the watercolours of a follower of Turner, James Baker Pyne. The French coast is also brought vividly to life by the works of R.P. Bonington or Le Prince, with rugged and open shorelines inhabited by local fishing communities in the examples, 'Coast scene in Picardy' or 'Beach scene with figures'. #SUBHEADING#Coast and River Scenes#SUBHEADINGEND# Coastal and river scenes play an important part in the collections of the Ferens Art Gallery, from its base within the old shipping and fishing port of Kingston upon Hull. These include local views such as 'Shipyard at Hessle Cliffs' by J. Wilson Carmichael. Other British estuary waters are illustrated in Thomas Luny's views of Plymouth harbour and bankside views of the Thames from Limehouse Reach to Westminster Bridge by various artists. A European parallel to these works, can be seen in an early painting of the Grand Canal in Venice by the Venetian master, Canaletto.


(image/jpeg) Dutch 17th Century Landscapes

#SUBHEADING#Landscape as a Genre#SUBHEADINGEND# Before the development of landscape as an independent subject for painting in 17th century Holland, it was used as a background setting to religious and historical works of art in which figures were predominant. The painting of a particular landscape, concentrating on local weather, environment and the physical character of a place began developing around the city of Haarlem in Holland. #SUBHEADING#The Natural World#SUBHEADINGEND# The early use of figures as integral to a surrounding landscape rather than as the central focus of a painting, are, 'Two fragments of a landscape: February', attributed to Pieter Stevens the Younger working for Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. These reflect earlier works by Brueghel, founder of a Flemish school of painting in the 16th century, who combined landscape in equal balance with the activities of their native communities. They followed the pattern of the seasons and climate that governed medieval peasant society in the Netherlands. Another example of this observation of country life in Holland is, 'Winter Landscape' by Nicolaes Molenaer, a follower of the popular landscape artist, Jacob van Ruisdael. Like Breughel it demonstrates the suspension of normal farming and fishing activities during the frozen winter months. In 'Wooded landscape with cornfields' Ruisdael reflects the variety and spirit of Gelderland, in which ancient oak trees could be seen before they were cut down for shipbuilding, around a Dutch farmstead at harvest time. #SUBHEADING#History and Topography#SUBHEADINGEND# Other examples of the Dutch landscape tradition can be seen in works such as, 'Washerwomen at the foot of the Torre delle Milizie' by Wijk, which includes the daily life of a working town among important local landmarks like the tower of the title and its landscape setting. There is also the inclusion of a scene with clashing military figures on horseback amid a typical lowland clearing among trees in 'A Skirmish of Cavalry' by Abraham van der Hoeff. Other paintings concentrate more on historical and architectural details in views of urban or rural sites, such as 'View of Het Valckhof, Nijmegen' by Berkhout, or the port scene, 'View of Leuvenhaven, Rotterdam' drawn in reed pen and sepia ink by A.C. Salm.


FER183055 (image/jpeg) Early 20th Century British Art - The Rise of Modernism

#SUBHEADING#Moving Against Tradition#SUBHEADINGEND# At the turn of the 20th Century a wide range British artists began to react against the restrictive standards and conventions of the Royal Academy and working in response to the new model of Impressionist painting in France. They were mainly centred around London, where there was a constantly shifting scene of art and artists. This is illustrated in the painting by Richard Carline of artists who met regularly at the Carline household in Hampstead. It includes the well know independent artist Stanley Spencer and his future wife Hilda Carline. #SUBHEADING#The Royal Academy and France#SUBHEADINGEND# However the Royal Academy continued to exert a strong influence on art practice over the Edwardian period at the start of the century, with classic portraiture continuing to engage artists such as J. Byam Shaw and W. Strang. There were also artists using portraiture within domestic narrative scenes with a moral or sentimental message reminiscent of Victorian painting in works such as 'Memories' by Walter Langley and the 'Wedding Dress' by Fred Elwell. Frank Brangwyn was an example of an independently trained artist who learned his craft from Pre-Raphaelite and medievalist artists in the Arts and Crafts studio of William Morris, from which he developed his own style as a popular and prolific muralist and printmaker. Whistler was also a rising star in the independent art world of Paris and London at this time, and inspired pupils and younger artists such as Walter Sickert and Gwen John working in an impressionist style. #SUBHEADING#Impressionism in Britain#SUBHEADINGEND# The collective response French Impressionism among British artists, was the formation of a range of independent groups around the country to enable the free expression and experiment that they were unable to practice within academic institutions. One was founded in Newlyn, Cornwall by the artist Stanhope Forbes in 1884, with a similar artistic centre in Staithes on the Yorkshire coast, which included the painter Laura Knight. In London the main body for the display of Impressionist inspired works was the New English Art Club founded in 1886 by leading artists such as P.W. Steer, J. Lavery, G. Clausen, H. La Thangue and A. Stanhope-Forbes. These artists had been strongly affected by their travel and work in France where they came into contact with the new ideas and techniques of Impressionism. The young Walter Sickert also joined the exhibiting society after training with E. Degas in France. The rapid adoption of the latest developments from Paris, led to the formation of the Fitzroy Street group by W. Sickert and other radical young artists in 1907. They painted urban landscapes and interiors, which concentrated on the effects of light and colour on living subjects.


(image/jpeg) Early 20th Century British Art - Between the Wars

#SUBHEADING#7+ 5 Group and Neo-Romanticism#SUBHEADINGEND# This was the only progressive artist's group in existence between the Wars that had no particular stylistic or theoretical principles. It included 7 painters and 5 sculptors, who joined in reacting against the narrow interests of the Bloomsbury and London Groups. As it only lasted until 1935, the works of members at the Ferens Art Gallery, only represent their later ideas and development. These include Ben Nicholson and Cedric Morris, who drew on cubism and naive but symbolic landscapes. Neo-Romantic artists like Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland, created ideal views of the English countryside in its most poetic form. Other more formalist ideas can be seen in the works of Frances Hodgkins and Ivon Hitchens, which are created through interlocking abstract forms and symbolic colour. #SUBHEADING#Surrealism in Britain#SUBHEADINGEND# Surrealism, the art of dreams and chance, was first established in Paris through various magazines that featured the works of surrealist writers and visual artists. This revolutionary art movement was introduced to Britain by the artist Roland Penrose, who organised the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London. His own surrealist work can be seen in paintings like, 'Octavia', which reflects the menace and violence at the eve of WWII. Other British Surrealist works in the Ferens collection are by E. Burra, Tristram Hillier, Conroy Maddox and J.S. Bigge, that also reveal disturbing worlds, based on the irrational and unconscious mind. These artist began as members of the Unit One Group founded by Paul Nash in 1933 to promote both abstract and surrealist art, but only organised one exhibition before they broke up over disagreements on their founding principles. Abstraction was also being overshadowed at the time by the effects of Surrealism, which is clearly illustrated in the painting by John Armstrong, 'On the Balustrade'. #SUBHEADING#Independents#SUBHEADINGEND# Other artists at the time, developed along more traditional and independent lines, inspired by the 'Old Masters' in their concern for the portrayal of a subject in realist and classical detail. This can be seen in the paintings of M. Frampton, G. Brockhurst, and Stanley Spencer. Spencer was exceptional among this group in his visionary approach to the interpretation of the life and environment of his local village of Cookham. #SUBHEADING#World War II and its Aftermath#SUBHEADINGEND# The conservative reaction of modern artists the destructive effects of WWII, led to a return of traditional forms and subjects, in an attempt to preserve a national landscape and identity. This was encouraged by the work of Official War Artists, who provided an accurate visual record of the Home Front and troops abroad, as in Paul Nash's, Objective Blenheim 1941. However, you still get a good idea of the concerns of artists before the War in works like Graham Sutherland's 'Devastation' of 1941, that presents a symbolic vision of the destructive forces of War on the order and shape of the natural world.


(image/jpeg) Early 20th Century British Art - Artists Groups

#SUBHEADING#New English Art Club, Fitzroy Street and the Camden Town Group#SUBHEADINGEND# A leading member of the New English Art Club, the artist and critic Roger Fry, decided to organise major exhibitions of a new generation of French and Continental artists, following in the wake of Impressionism. These included Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Seurat, which Fry gave the collective title of 'Post-Impressionist' in 1910. Another exhibition in 1912 also introduced radical modernist works by Matisse, Picasso, Braque and Russian painters. These examples can be seen in a work by Roger Fry when he painted his own son Julian between the two Post-Impressionist exhibitions. The more radical artists of the Fitzroy Street Group then reformed as the Camden Town group in 1910 under the leading urban painters, Sickert, Gore and Gilman. Therese Lessore, as Sickert's wife did not join the group, but she continued to draw and paint in sympathy with their principles into the 1920's. #SUBHEADING#Bloomsbury, Vorticism and WWI#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1913, Roger Fry formed the Omega Workshop in collaboration with other Bloomsbury artists and intellectuals, which applied the theory and practices of Post-Impressionism to decorative and applied arts, which included the fine artists Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Wyndham Lewis and Nina Hamnett. This was the point reached by the outbreak of WWI in the movement of British art away from traditional narrative subjects, towards a more open and individual perspective. At the same time Wyndham Lewis made a radical break from 'Post-Impressionist' ideas to set up the Rebel Art Centre and published the magazine 'Blast' (1914-15) for the promotion of 'Vorticism', a movement based on the ideas of French Cubism and Italian Futurism. In opposition to the naturalist origins of Post-Impressionism, these artists were inspired by urban machinery and industrial design, but only organised one one exhibition before the Great War. Examples of these artists in the Ferens can be seen in works by Wadsworth, Nevinson, Roberts and Bomberg, from after the War, by which time they had rejected their more radical ideas. There are few representations of WWI in the Ferens collection except in the works of artists like Frank Brangwyn, who was not an official War Artist, but made drawings of soldiers in action for various War Services. There is also a sombre memorial panel by Ewart of soldiers standing in a trench. #SUBHEADING#The London Group#SUBHEADINGEND# Founded in 1913, the London Group took over the role of exhibiting progressive modern art from the NEAC. The selection committee exhibited the widest range of art movements at the time, including Camden Town, Bloomsbury and Vorticist artists. It was strongly supported and influenced by the ideas of Roger Fry, and included both Harold Gilman and Walter Sickert as Presidents. The first exhibition in 1914 covered the radical works of modernist painters such as Bomberg, Epstein and Gertler, whose works reached a peak of production and development in the 1920s. Other exhibitors were artists inspired by the colourist techniques of French 'Fauve' artists. They included Louise Pickard, Adrian Allinson and Matthew Smith, using emotionally charged colour in bold forms, who were also highly influenced by the masters of colour from the Renaissance and Baroque periods of art.


(image/jpeg) Purchasing for the People! Vincent Galloway Part 2

#SUBHEADING#Marine Paintings#SUBHEADINGEND# Galloway also oversaw the acquisition of many of the Gallery's marine paintings and those by local artists. Therefore, helping to develop a comprehensive overview of local art, often referred to as the Hull School, which complemented mainstream English painting. Many pictures of local significance were purchased for relatively modest sums from the Ferens Endowment Fund. It is fortunate for the Gallery that Galloway was particularly enthusiastic about the merits of John Ward of Hull, and during his time at the Gallery he acquired a significant amount of his work. Including the acquisition in 1955 of Ward's masterpiece, 'The Return of the William Lee', which he brought for £200. Aside from Galloway's determination to collect works representing the local Hull School he organised a number of key exhibitions including a historic marine exhibition which was part of the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was the largest and most comprehensive collection of marine art ever organised and brought together over 290 works, many of which were by local artists. To coincide with this exhibition he brought up to date a 'Directory of Hull and East Riding Marine Artists'. The exhibition and publication put John Ward and Hull Marine artists on the map of English painting. #SUBHEADING#Brangwyn#SUBHEADINGEND# Galloway was on friendly terms with Brangwyn and it was a friendship which resulted in a remarkable and very substantial bequest of works by Brangwyn. These included 21 etchings donated in 1931 and the oil painting of Venice, 'Santa Maria Della Salute' in 1934. In the 1930s Brangwyn was very well known, but increasingly his style was regarded as 'old fashioned' and fell out of favour - it is only recently that his reputation has been revived. Luckily, Galloway was in no doubt as to his remarkable artistic achievements and gave him much recognition and encouragement. #SUBHEADING#Duveen Bequest#SUBHEADINGEND# One of the key characteristics of the Ferens is that contemporary work has always been collected, reflecting how art has and continues to change. Galloway did not perhaps have much of a reputation for purchasing contemporary work, but he did nonetheless recognise the importance of reflecting contemporary work - both in terms of collecting and also exhibitions. Many of the contemporary works in the Ferens' collection were the direct result of another friendship - this time with Lord Duveen. Duveen was a native of Hull and had a long-standing association with the Gallery. In 1926 the Duveen Paintings Fund was established. It was active from 1926 until 1929 and the works purchased by the Fund were stored at the Tate Gallery. On Duveen's death they were first of all offered to the Tate who selected six, after this first refusal was then given to the Ferens. Galloway selected 11 works which were officially presented in 1949. A further three, originally selected by the Tate, were also eventually offered to the Ferens, making a total of 14. The paintings reveal Duveen's commitment to the avant-garde. #SUBHEADING#Retirement#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1960 Galloway retired and by this time the gallery had moved on considerably, it had a comprehensive marine collection, a good collection of work by artists active in Hull from the late18th century onwards, and a substantial number of Old Master paintings of the Netherlandish and Italian schools. He also developed a collection of 20th century British artists, paving the way for his successors. In 1972 an exhibition of his own work was held at the Gallery, it featured many portraits of local personalities and historically famous people connected with the city.


(image/jpeg) Purchasing for the People! Vincent Galloway Part 1

#SUBHEADING#Ferens Art Gallery - 1929#SUBHEADINGEND# Between 1929 and 1992, the creation of the collection at Ferens Art Gallery has been, with a few exceptions, the responsibility of three successive curators; the first and longest serving of these curators was Vincent Galloway. In 1929 the Gallery had been open for a couple of years and a new post was created - curator at the Ferens with specific responsibility for the art collection. At the time this was extremely controversial and angered a Museums Sub-Committee who did not want the Gallery to have independent status. Initially Thomas Sheppard was appointed to run the Ferens but Sheppard was responsible for other museums and this decision was over-ruled by a Property and Bridges Committee who decided the two posts should not be held by one person. Ultimately this decision to grant curatorial independence was extremely far-sighted and was to benefit the Gallery greatly. #SUBHEADING#Sheppard's Replacement#SUBHEADINGEND# The appointee to replace Thomas Sheppard was Vincent Galloway - a young Yorkshire portrait painter who would serve as curator from 1929-1960. His appointment was made on the advice of the Directors of the National Gallery and Aberdeen Art Gallery - it was also supported by local artists Fred Elwell who wrote a glowing reference recommending him for the post. The competition was stiff and the shortlist included Sydney Paviere, an Arthur Devis expert who was pursuing a career at Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston. Galloway was instrumental in establishing the unique identity of the collection and in shaping its future direction. At the gallery's inception, there were no works by artists of local significance, no old masters and no representation of the Hull School of marine painting of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Approximately 650 works were either purchased or donated during Galloway's time and approximately 90 of those works are currently on display at the moment. In Gallery 2 at the Ferens Art Gallery seven of the pieces of art currently on display were acquired by Galloway including Beukelaer's 'The Fish Market'. His decisions undoubtedly influenced how the Ferens appears today. #SUBHEADING#Portrait Paintings#SUBHEADINGEND# For Galloway, English painting meant portraiture and he himself had an extremely strong local reputation as a portrait painter, undertook many public commissions, including some which are now in the collection of the Guildhall. With the exception of the Arthur Devis, almost all of the 18th century portraits were acquired by Galloway. These include the Portrait of a Lady, originally attributed to Hogarth, current attribution unresolved, and, perhaps most notable of all, the portrait of George Fothergill which has only recently been identified as one of the earliest known portraits by George Stubbs. Interestingly the painting nearly didn't make it into the Gallery's collection. It was originally offered to the Gallery along with another picture of 'Mrs Fothergill', the sitter's great aunt, but both were rejected by Galloway, possibly because they were by an unidentified artist and simply attributed to the English School. However, in 1954 Galloway changed his mind, approached the owner and offered to buy the work. It is certainly a tribute to Galloway that he bought this portrait now identified as a Stubbs.


(image/jpeg) Chariots

The travelling chariot or private posting chariot was an expensive and luxurious means of travel used by the wealthy when long journeys were to be undertaken at speed. Rather than sharing a mail or stage coach with other people, the nobility preferred to use their own means of transport. The coachman's seat could be removed and luggage carried on the platform below, or on the roof of the carriage. Two or four horses could be used and these could be hired at inns along the route, although it was usual for the owners own horses to be used for the first one or two stages of the journey. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Carriages and Coaches

Coach, chariot, barouche, landau, cabriolet, britzschka, drag, victoria, and brougham, all names for different types of horse drawn vehicles of the middle and upper classes during the 19th century. Hull Museums has an important collection of all of the above vehicles on display at the Streetlife Museum. They represent an age of elegance and wealth that are rare survivals of their type. Here you will find an introduction to them and the world of carriage travel.


(image/jpeg) Barouche

The barouche was an open four-wheeled carriage. Early models, although heavy, were very popular because they were low to the ground and easy to climb into without a step. It demanded at least four to six strong horses to pull it along. Although primarily a fashionable summer vehicle, it did have a hood that could be pulled up to protect the passengers riding in the open carriage from rain. There was also a knee flap that could be used for further cover. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Landau

The Landau probably first appeared in England in the 1790s. It quickly gained in popularity because it was well suited to the changeable English weather, with the ability to be quickly converted from an open to closed carriage. The leather hood could be pulled over the two seats and the windows lifted from the body to create a closed cab. Early examples needed frequent greasing and blacking of the metal bars on the side of the hood which gave off an unpleasant smell, but the carriage remained popular throughout the 19th century. The example in the Streetlife collection bears the arms of the Chater-Fawsitt family, and dates to 1868. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Cabriolet

The cabriolet had much in common with the curricle, which it had succeeded as the vehicle to be seen in for the fashionable man about town. A two wheeled, one person vehicle, it was used in England from about 1810, refined and improved from a French design. The racy yet elegant lines of the cabriolet came reasonably priced, and the vertical sitting position for the driver allowed them an unobstructed forward view, whilst the hood gave excellent protection from the elements. It eventually went out of fashion, but was remembered as one of the fastest and stylish vehicles of the era. The example on display at the Streetlife Museum is dated to 1820 and bears the arms of Goldsmid. The maker is named as K. Goodall & Son. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Britzschka

This is a type of travelling carriage that originated in Eastern Europe. It first attracted attention in England when English delegates attended the Congress of Vienna in 1814, which resulted in some London coach builders, notably Hobson & Co. of Long Acre, building their own. The most attractive feature of the carriages was that it allowed passengers to recline full length during long journeys, and the hood could be raised in bad weather. Used mostly by the wealthy travelling to Europe on the Grand Tour or by government officials. A distinguishing feature is the straight lower line and the double carved lines (ogee curves) at either end of the body. The example in the Streetlife collection is dated to 1820 and was used by the Sykes family of Sledmere, East Yorkshire. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Writing Desk and Bookcase by Mordecai Kitching, Hull, 1828

The story behind this bookcase and writing desk is revealed by the plaque attached to its front: ‘This secretaire was made by Mordecai Kitching and presented to his much loved sister Lucy Archer Kitching on the occasion of her marriage to George Francis Bristow at the Holy Trinity Church Hull, July 24th 1828’. The plaque allows us to discover more about the people who made and used the secretaire. It is rare for furniture to have such detailed information. Mordecai Kitching ran a small furniture making business in Hull in the early 1800s. His father Thomas had moved to Hull from Barton on Humber in the 1790s. Thomas married Mary Archer at Holy Trinity Church in 1796. They had at least eight children. Mordecai was born in 1805, and his sister Lucy followed in 1807. Mordecai is first listed in local trade directories in 1826, as a cabinet maker in Blanket Row. Later trade directories show that he moved his workshop several times. The last time Mordecai is mentioned in trade directories is in 1839, when he was working at Humber Dock Walls. He died on 22 February 1839, aged 33. The quality of this secretaire shows that Mordecai was a very skilled furniture maker. In many ways the design is typical of mahogany secretaire-bookcases from this period. This suggests that Mordecai kept in touch with fashionable styles and techniques by subscribing to published pattern books. However, the top of the bookcase – known as the pediment – is an unusual shape. This shape may have been characteristic of furniture made in the Hull area. Mordecai made the secretaire as a wedding present for his sister Lucy. The Bristow family, who Lucy married into, were respectable but modest tradesmen. Lucy’s husband George owned a grocery shop in Queen Street. High quality pieces of furniture were usually owned by very rich families. The ownership of this secretaire shows that craftsmanship of a high standard could also be available to less wealthy people.


(image/jpeg) On the move

Hull Museums has a wealth of early modes of transport, from fantastic state coaches and carriages, to vintage cars, bicycles and even a sleigh. Read about the evolution of our transport heritage in the following pages.


(image/jpeg) Bicycles

The invention of the bicycle was revolutionary for millions of people and continued to have an important place in everyday life right up to the present day. The first examples were uncomfortable and difficult to ride, but as they evolved they proved to be extremely popular means of transport for everyone.


(image/jpeg) Cars

Read about the collection of early motorcars from the very first days of motoring when they were nothing more than motorised horseless carriages. Open to the elements with a top speed of 4 miles per hour, they were hardly luxury travel, but they did offer independent transport for those that could afford such luxuries.


(image/jpeg) Coaches of the Nobility

The coaches and carriages of the nobility were designed to reflect the status of their owners. These families wanted to show off their wealth and position by advertising their own ancestral colours in the painted livery or their family motto's and crests on the doors and bodywork. Two fine examples in the collection of Hull Museums is the State Coach which bears the arms of Sir H. Readett-Bayley of Hunmanby, once Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire (below), and the Town Chariot of the Earl of Yarborough, Brocklesby Park, Lincolnshire (above), both dated to c.1860. They are richly decorated in the livery colours of the family, with padded, woven textile interiors, even on the ceiling and inside the doors. Each has a hammercloth cover over the coachman's seat at the front, again decorated with stitched ornamentation and tassels around the edges. #IMAGE# Of the two, the state coach was the more ornate, being reserved for civic ceremonies and driving to representations at the royal court. On these occasions the coachman and two footmen were in state livery which consisted of heavily braided velvet coats, knee breeches, white silk stockings and buckled shoes. They wore curled and powdered wigs with cocked hats for the footmen and a tricorn for the coachman. The footmen stood on a small platform at the back, while the coachman had control over the horses at the front.


Detail of early steam car (image/jpeg) The Dawn of Motoring

#SUBHEADING#A Slow Start#SUBHEADINGEND# Before 1896, motoring in the United Kingdom had a tough time. Under pressure from developers of Britain's growing railway network, the Government introduced the Locomotive Act 1865. Strict rules limited motor vehicles to a top speed of only four miles per hour in the countryside and just two miles per hour in towns. Each vehicle also needed someone to walk sixty yards in front waving a red flag or lantern to warn pedestrians and horse riders. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Making Progress#SUBHEADINGEND# Most of the innovations in car design were happening in France and Germany. For example, in 1891, French engineers Rene Levassor and Rene Panhard took the very successful German-made 6hp Daimler Phoenix engine and fitted it to a car they had designed. Unlike other engineers they wanted to try something new and developed the Systeme Panhard, a car so revolutionary that it would influence car design well into the late-20th century. There is an example in Hull Streetlife Museum which was built in 1899 and has revolutionary features including a front-mounted engine with rear-wheel drive and an in-line sliding gear transmission. #SUBHEADING#Stepping Up a Gear#SUBHEADINGEND# As the popularity of motoring spread across the English Channel pressure from motorists led to a relaxation of the rules firstly in 1878, which removed the need for a red flag and then in 1896 the Locomotives on Highways Act was introduced. Now, smaller private motor vehicles were free of most of the strict regulations and the speed limit was raised to fourteen miles per hour. The era of motoring in Britain was born and car ownership increased dramatically. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were an exciting time for car engineers. Small-scale precision engineering allowed them to experiment with replacements for inefficient steam-powered vehicles. In comparison to steam and petrol, electric cars (such as the Cleveland Electric Buggy) were mechanically simple, easy to drive and quiet. However, the batteries were very heavy, took a long time to charge and the owner would not dare venture far from home as the range was very limited. Instead, the power of the petrol engine was harnessed over its rivals, steam and electricity. #IMAGE##SUBHEADING#Laws and Licensing#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1903, the Government took steps to regulate the growing motoring population with the introduction of The Motor Car Act 1903. It introduced the crime of reckless driving and set penalties for those who were found guilty of it. The Act also required every vehicle to be registered with the council where the driver lived, each car was given a unique number and it had to be displayed on the vehicle. Drivers too were required to be licensed although there was no test, the driver simply had to pay the council a fee of five shillings. In 1925, Hull's pioneering curator Thomas Shepherd acquired nine motor vehicles from a private collection in London. At the time demand for these cars from museums was low but Shepherd had the vision to see that in time these examples of the early days of motoring would become very important. Nowadays, these cars attract visitors from all over the world.


piece during cleaning (image/jpeg) Overview of the Adopt a Painting scheme

The Ferens Art Gallery houses an internationally significant collection of work ranging from Old Masters through to 21st century contemporary art. The Gallery is dedicated to making all of the art in its care accessible to as many people as possible. An important aspect of this is ensuring that works are preserved in as good a condition as possible so that they can be enjoyed by visitors now and in the future. The Friends organisation has supported the Gallery in several recent conservation projects but this positive work is a small drop in the ocean compared to the wider collections' needs for which the oil paintings alone number in excess of 800 items. There are many important works both on display and in our reserve collection desperately in need of attention. The launch of the 'Adopt a Painting' scheme marks the 80th anniversary since the Ferens opened its doors to the public. If you're interested in adopting a work from the attached list, all you need to do is contact us. We'll be happy to show it to you and talk further about the work needed. If you then decide that you want to go ahead with the adoption we will offer you the following benefits: Your name on the picture label when the work is displayed A behind the scenes visit to the conservator's studio with the curator to see the work in progress The option to be present for the work's 'unveiling' when it returns to the Gallery The opportunity to use the image on your own greetings card without paying the usual reproduction fees The satisfaction of knowing that you have helped to preserve a unique work of art for the enjoyment of future generations If you would like to help the Ferens Art Gallery in this way but can't afford adoption on your own, why not join up with friends, family or neighbours for a group adoption? For more information please contact Kirsten Simister, Curator of Art on 01482 613911 kirsten.simister@hullcc.gov.uk Image: Philip Wilson Steer, 'Boulogne Sands', 1891, [KINCM: 2005.6186] conserved with an annual Woodmansterne Conservation Award.


what the Hasholme boat may have looked like (image/jpeg) A study of the Hasholme Boat

#SUBHEADING#How Was it Built?#SUBHEADINGEND# The Hasholme Boat was made from a single large oak tree cut down around 450 BC. The tree was hollowed out and trimmed to make a vessel of over 41 feet (12.5 metres) long. It would have been transported on log rollers to a waterside for work to begin in shaping the vessel. The stern end of the boat was blocked off by a piece of wood which slotted in tightly. To make it watertight a mixture of moss and twigs was used. A 'U' shape has been cut into the end which was purely decorative. There is a shelf where a member of the crew would have steered and supervised the vessel. The bow had been damaged during drainage. The Hasholme boat was utilitarian as it could have had a maximum crew of eighteen rowers and two steersmen. Or it could have had five crew members and five tons of cargo. When the boat sank it was carrying butchered meat and partly worked timber. #SUBHEADING#Dating of the Hasholme Boat#SUBHEADINGEND# The dating of the vessel was achieved by Dendrochronology which is a scientific dating method based on the analysis of tree ring growth patterns. It can date wood to exact calendar years. Dendrochronology dated the vessel to 322-277 BC (Iron Age). Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method used for samples of which were once alive for example, bone, charcoal, wood and leather. All these types contain carbon and proportion of which is radio active 14C. The radio carbon dies and decays at a constant rate which can then be estimated and dating the object. A sample of the vessel was dated to 450+/-70BC. #SUBHEADING#The Future#SUBHEADINGEND# A chance discovery in an East Yorkshire field has given us a remarkable survival from our distant past. Behind the vessels return to Hull lies the great challenge of preservation. The technical achievement of the excavation and rescue has been followed by the technical challenge of spray cleaning and strengthening the delicate structure of the vessel by impregnating it with a special wax. The Hasholme Boat is a solid reminder that our links with water for transport and trade go back to prehistory, and it is fitting that the boat should find its final home in Hull a city so famous for its maritime heritage. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Thomas Sheppard

#SUBHEADING#Thomas Sheppard#SUBHEADINGEND# Thomas Sheppard was born on the 2nd October 1876 in South Ferriby, North Lincolnshire. One of ten children, both of his parents were teachers, he was a regular visitor to the museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society. Sheppard seems to have developed an interest in geology at an early age. His uncle, Thomas Havercroft was a local collector and taught Sheppard all he knew about collecting. In later years Havercroft helped begin the Municipal Museum's archaeology collection. Sheppard was only educated to elementary level and spent his last year as a pupil teacher. At the age of thirteen he became a clerk with the North Eastern Railway and later worked in the company's Dock Offices. Sheppard's work for the North Eastern Railway entitled him to free rail travel throughout East Yorkshire, giving him the opportunity to visit sites of geological interest across the region. #SUBHEADING#Geological Rambles#SUBHEADINGEND# As an eighteen year old Sheppard wrote a series of newspaper articles, subsequently re-published in 1903 under the title, 'Geological Rambles in East Yorkshire'. Sheppard also attended courses at the Natural History Museum in London and gained certificates in a wide range of natural history subjects. Sheppard was a member of numerous scientific societies and clubs and it is through these that he met John Robert Mortimer, a Driffield antiquary, who introduced Sheppard to prehistoric archaeology. Sheppard spent many afternoons at Mortimer's Museum in Driffield and in 1900 he produced 'Catalogue of the Mortimer Museum at Driffield'. During the late 1890's the future of Hull Literary and Philosophical Society's Museum was in jeopardy. Responsibility for the collections was eventually transferred to Hull Corporation in 1900 and Sheppard wrote to the Council urging them to appoint a curator. #SUBHEADING#Hull Municipal Museum#SUBHEADINGEND# Despite being only twenty-four years old and with little museum experience he was appointed curator on 15th January 1901 with a salary of one hundred and fifty pounds a year. Talking about his appointment Sheppard said "I was instructed to come to the museum at ten o' clock each morning, smoke my cigar...leave at four o'clock and if anybody wanted any information to give it to them, and if any gifts were made, to accept, but I had to incur no expense". However, it was made clear to Sheppard that the only reason the museum was there was to gain an art gallery. The first thing that Sheppard did was to close the museum for eighteen months and had it totally refurbished. He abolished admission charges when the museum re-opened on 2nd June 1902 and thereafter the museum never had fewer than 2000 visitors per week. He opened the museum two evenings a week between April and October and in 1908 opened the museum on Sunday afternoons. #SUBHEADING#A Life Devoted to Collecting#SUBHEADINGEND# During the next forty years Sheppard devoted his life to Hull's museums (he was awarded the title of Director of Museums in 1926) and by the time he retired in 1941 he was responsible for the opening of eight different museums A workaholic, alcoholic with a weak heart, Sheppard's health declined during the 1930's. His retirement in 1941 was marred by the destruction of many of his museums and collections during the bombings of the Second World War. Sheppard died at his home on the 18th February in 1945.


Fine art detail (image/jpeg) Brush Strokes

This section of the site explores the stories about works of art held across the museum service, from the 17th century right through to the 20th century. It also includes an insight into the early years of the Ferens Art Gallery, and the work of Harry Hudson Rodmell who produced wonderful poster designs for advertising the great cruise liners which sailed out of Hull.


Detail from a Rodmell poster (image/jpeg) Harry Hudson Rodmell

Harry Hudson Rodmell (born 1896) was encouraged to pursue art as a career from a very young age. In 1912 he entered the Hull School of Art with a two year scholarship.#IMAGE# It is unsurprising that Hull born Rodmell would find inspiration down at the docks. They were his favourite spots to take his sketchpad and so he developed a love of ships and an in-depth knowledge of many types of vessel.This interest revealed itself in his work and he began to produce work of an extremely high quality, even at this young age. Whilst still at college he painted a picture of S.S.Eskimo which was of commercial poster quality. The design was bought by the owners (Wilson Line of Hull) of the vessel and loaned to hotels as an advertisement for the line. Whilst he was tempted to concentrate on maritime subjects he made sure to develop a range of skills. Rodmell excelled in many subjects including etching, lithography, carving and illustration. #SUBHEADING#Prints get published#SUBHEADINGEND# His first ever published magazine cover was for the Craven Street School Magazine in 1912. It was the start of things to come and many more were to follow. Some of his designs remained magazine covers and others were developed into striking posters. The earliest printed posters in the Rodmell Archive are dated 1920. Many calendars that he made for well known shipping lines also survive from this early period in his career, as do a number of tidetables. A long series of these was made for the tug company Captain William Watkins of London. The series starts in 1926-1950 and then 1951-1968 when the company became Ship Towage. At 43 years this was his longest running commission!#IMAGE# Whilst it is not surprising that the need for posters advertising recreational travel disappeared during the war, it is odd that his talent wasn't called upon more at this time. As a result, the majority of his shipping posters were published in the inter war period. Rodmell had a wealth of companies requesting his designs. #SUBHEADING#Sharing his skills#SUBHEADINGEND# Rodmell was brought up in Hull and was proud of his city. As a result he involved himself closely with various civic projects intended to raise the city's profile. He worked alongside the Maritime Museum and Ferens Art Gallery as well as with local charities such as the Sailor's Children's Society. He also shared his talent by teaching school, college and community groups as well as donating pieces to raise funds. #IMAGE# Harry Rodmell was a commercial artist of great professional skill and one of the outstanding poster makers of his generation. He was also a first class artist, constantly developing and eagerly embracing new materials.Throughout his career his work was often exhibited but never in a solo exhibition. He contributed to exhibitions organised by such bodies as the Society of Marine Artists, Royal Watercolour Society and the Hull Art Circle. It is remarkable that Rodmell's first one man show wasn't until 1984 and it is sad that this was not during his lifetime.


(image/jpeg) The Captured Slave - Conservation of Original Frame

'The Captive Slave' is one of the most interesting paintings held by Wilberforce House Museum, and it is currently being conserved by Mike Howden who is a specialist conservator based in South Yorkshire. Through the generous donations of the public we have been able to conserve the frame of this historically important image of an enslaved African. The artist is unknown but was previously attributed to Thomas Barker of Bath (1769-1847), and later to John Philip Simpson (1782-1847). Recent research has uncovered that this is in fact a copy of the Simpson painting which was purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago, USA in 2008. It was painted around 1827, whilst the campaign for the total abolition of slavery was still gathering support, so this image would have been a controversial subject-matter for the artist to depict. The identity of the sitter is not known but recent studies have suggested that it is of Ira Aldridge (1807-1867) who was a great nineteenth century Shakespearian actor. He was born in New York City on 24th July 1807, the year the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed. He was also an outspoken abolitionist, which makes Wilberforce House a perfect home for the painting. The painting was conserved in 2005 as part of the 2007 Wilberforce House Museum redevelopment. However in recent years the gilded ornate frame has become weak and fragile. Frames are often overlooked by the public but can be historically important, especially if it is an original frame. It is believed that the frame for The Captive Slave is original to the painting, so this frame would have been the one that the artist had chosen to present their work to the public. Mike Howden has specialised in conserving frames for many years and he is pictured here working on the frame belonging to the Captive Slave. Hull Museums would like to thank the generosity of the public for donations, as their support has enabled this beautiful and decorative original frame to be conserved. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) What's New

Find out what's been happening at Hull Museums and the Ferens Art Gallery. Maybe a new object acquired for the collection, or something different from our stores that hasn't been displayed before. For current exhibitions and events please follow the events link above and choose a museum site


(image/jpeg) Conservation in preparation for First World War Centenary

In preparation for the First World War centenary commemorations, various items of costume and textiles from our collections are undergoing conservation treatment ready for display at the Ferens Art Gallery for the 'When War Hit Home: Hull and the First World War' exhibition, which will open in July 2014, and the redevelopment of the Georgian Houses section of Wilberforce House Museum, due to open at the end of the year. Funded by Arts Council England, this will help to illustrate the experiences of Hull people during the war. The pieces undergoing treatment include an officer's uniform and a gas mask which echo life on the front, and a nurse's uniform which exemplifies the growing role undertaken by women at work. A home-made table cloth showing naval ships and the words 'Welcome Home' is being cleaned and professionally mounted to reflect the poignant stories of those men who returned home at the end of the war. Some very fragile dresses are also being treated and will be displayed to illustrate alterations in women's fashion over the period and how this reflected changes in society. #IMAGE# A number of First World War era firearms are also being conserved by the Royal Armouries in preparation for display within an East Yorkshire Regimental gallery at Wilberforce House Museum, due to open late in 2014 and also funded as part of the same Arts Council England project. #IMAGE#


(image/jpeg) Watercolour of River Hull Goes on Display

A watercolour painting titled 'River Hull' painted sometime between 1997 and 1998 by local artist John Sharp, has been displayed in Gallery 10 with other local and maritime scenes for the first time since its acquisition by the Ferens Art Gallery. It was the winner of the 'Hull 700' competition as part of the Ferens Winter Exhibition in 1998. The prize was the Gallery's purchase of the work for the Ferens permanent collection. The view shows the River Hull looking south towards Scott Street Bridge.


(image/jpeg) Inuit Parka Undergoes Conservation

Conservation work has recently been carried out on a sealskin parka which can usually be seen on display at Hull Maritime Museum. The parka and canoe had been on show under strong fluorescent lights for many years, which had resulted in the skin becoming dry and brittle. Now new LED lighting has been installed to lower the temperature inside the case and the parka has undergone treatment to repair the holes and soften the skin so it could be returned to display. This was made possible by funding from Museums Development Yorkshire and public donations. The parka is believed to be associated with two Inuit people called Uckaluk and Memiadluk who came to Hull in 1847 with Captain Parker, a famous whale ship captain, to raise funds for their community. During their stay they were thrilled to see a model of an Inuit sitting in a kayak on public display, and this same model is thought to be the one that they saw. The owner of this parka tragically drowned in Hull's Garrison Moat whilst giving a display of kayaking. Little else is known about this Inuit man or his visit to Hull. His possessions were later given to the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society by the Arctic explorer Sir John Ross. Several Inuit people visited Hull during the 19th century, arriving onboard Hull's whalers and always causing great interest, the first recorded visit being in 1815.


(image/jpeg) James Johnson's Romantic Landscape Returns

A visitor favourite, James Johnson's 'Romantic Landscape' has returned to the displays in Gallery 5 at the Ferens Art Gallery following the fitting of a more sympathetic 19th century-style reproduction frame by a specialist conservator. The painting was last shown in Gallery 8 in 2011 when an exhibition of the Ferens landscapes from the permanent collection was mounted to complement the Tate's loan of 'Bigger Trees near Warter' 2007, by David Hockney.


Detail of ammonite slab (image/jpeg) William Constable (1721-1791)

William Constable was an avid 18th Century collector, gathering a range of objects from works of art to numismatics, and scientific instruments to natural history specimens. In 1966, Hull City Museums were generously donated 201 objects from William Constable's Cabinet of Curiosities. However, the majority of his collections are now on display in the purpose built cabinets at Burton Constable Hall. #SUBHEADING#The Constable Family#SUBHEADINGEND# William Constable was born in 1721 to Cuthbert and Amey (Clifford) Constable of Burton Constable Hall. He inherited a love of science and botany from his father, and became a passionate collector of natural history. Cuthbert Constable married again to Elizabeth Heneage, after the death of his first wife in 1731. She bore him a second son, Marmaduke, who like his half-brother also held a great interest in science and owned a great collection of British birds. #SUBHEADING#Burton Constable Hall#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Burton Constable, home of the Constable family for over 700 years, is a large Elizabethan mansion set in over 300 acres of historic parkland in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Cuthbert Constable, William's father, inherited the Hall from his maternal uncle William Constable 4th Viscount Dunbar (1653-1718), who had no legitimate children. As a condition of the inheritance Cuthbert was obliged to change his surname from Tunstall to Constable. In 1746, following the death of his father, William inherited the Constable estate. As a patron of architecture he decided to continue his father's remodeling of the Hall as well as modernise the interior design, for which he spared no expense. Although William married, due to ill health he had no children and so upon his death in 1791 the Hall was again passed to a nephew, Edward Sheldon (1750-1803). Today, Burton Constable Hall and its surrounding parkland are a museum owned by the Burton Constable Foundation, a charity whose mission is to safeguard Burton Constable for future generations. Visit www.burtonconstable.com #SUBHEADING#The Constable Cabinet of Curiosities#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#William Constable showed much interest in the advancement of arts and sciences. He was interested in botany, geology, zoology, physics and science in a wide sense. In 1769 William embarked on a Grand Tour to Italy where he acquired many works of art and curiosities to add to his extensive collections. His spinster sister Winifred accompanied him on his journey and kept a diary of her brother's illnesses throughout their travels. It was thought that he sought the sunshine for health reasons as much as for education. There were more than a dozen individuals who contributed to William's collection including friends, relatives, the famous zoologist and traveler Thomas Pennant (1726-98) and the well-known naturalist, botanist and philosopher, Emanuel Mendes da Costa (1717-1791). During his studies William set out to observe and collect the phenomenon of nature, both for knowledge and amusement, and even attempted to master the systems of classification that were current before Linnaeus. Despite advances in scientific thinking, even as late at 1769 William still believed it would be possible to cross breed chickens with rabbits, as is reveled in his correspondence with the notable biologist and Catholic priest John Turbeville Needham (1713-81). Cabinets of Curiosities emerged in Europe during the 16th century (known as Wunderkammer) and were originally the preserve of monarchs. In this instance the word 'cabinet' refers to a room rather than a piece of furniture, containing collections of natural history, archaeology, numismatics, works of art and antiquities. Exhibits often included specimen believed to relate to mythical beasts thought to exist, such as unicorns and dragons. By the 18th century this had become popular amongst gentlemen and merchants, many of whom, like William, were fellows of the Royal Society. #IMAGE#Today William's Cabinet of Curiosities is displayed in the museum rooms at Burton Constable Hall, along with his collection of scientific instruments. Although curiosity collections were not uncommon during the 18th century, the collection at Burton Constable is of significant importance as it is the only to survive in it's original country-house setting and many of the objects still retain their original 18th century labels. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=Constable+Collection&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collection4=Constable+Collection&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=36&SearchSubmit.y=7TEXT=Constable Collection# or use the advanced search.


(image/jpeg) Anlaby Road Wesleyan Church

ROLL OF HONOUR Anlaby Road Wesleyan Church The Great War, commencing 1914 Our Boys' Response - all these offered themselves for service at the nation's call. The prayers of this church are requested for our absent ones. God defend the right. Bentley, Harold Booth, Richard Cherry, Edgar Crabtree, Stephen Dewson, Robert Foulger, Ernest French, Jack Fulstow, Bernard Gill, Norman Harrison, Walter Harvey, George Jefferson, George Jenkins, Will Johnson, Frank Johnson, Frederic Ling, Miles Martindale, Cyril McAndrew, Douglas Nassau, Arthur Nassau, John Newland, Walter Newton, Robert E. Nicholson Alf E. Nicholson, George Nicholson, John Nobson, Herbert Nobson, Arthur Page, Fred Page, Kenneth Parker, Fred Parrish, George Parrish, Harold Ramsey, Walter Rutter, Bernard Shepherdson, Charles Hy Slingsby, Cyril Spring, George Storey, Wilfred Swan, Harry Taylor, Alf Thompson, Will Turner, Frank Watson, Harold Watson, Hubert Wilson, Robert Wilson, Thomas (R.N.) Wormald, Samuel Wright, Stanley


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour World War One

#SUBHEADING#World War One Roll of Honour#SUBHEADINGEND# After the 1914-1918 war there was a great need to remember those who had served or died for their country. It was common for names to be listed on memorial boards, posters and plaques at various locations around villages, towns and cities, paid for by companies where they had worked, churches, or by voluntary donations. As part of the 2014 World War One exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery a small selection of these memorials were chosen and the names listed. Those included are as follows: Anlaby Road Wesleyan Church Needlers D.M. Stevenson & Company Ellerman's Wilson Line Ellerman's Wilson Line Hull & Barnsley Railway Copies of Anlaby Road Wesleyan Church, Needler's and D.M. Stevenson can be viewed below. Hull & Barnsley Railway and Ellerman's Wilson Line can be viewed by going back to COLLECTIONS PROJECTS and clicking on the relevant list. If you have any information that may assist the museum service in either identifying the individuals on the list, or other background details, please contact us at museums@hullcc.gov.uk or telephone 01482 613902. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#ANLABY ROAD WESLEYAN CHURCH#SUBHEADINGEND# ROLL OF HONOUR Anlaby Road Wesleyan Church The Great War, commencing 1914 Our Boys' Response - all these offered themselves for service at the nation's call. The prayers of this church are requested for our absent ones. God defend the right. Bentley, Harold Booth, Richard Cherry, Edgar Crabtree, Stephen Dewson, Robert Foulger, Ernest French, Jack Fulstow, Bernard Gill, Norman Harrison, Walter Harvey, George Jefferson, George Jenkins, Will Johnson, Frank Johnson, Frederic Ling, Miles Martindale, Cyril McAndrew, Douglas Nassau, Arthur Nassau, John Newland, Walter Newton, Robert E. Nicholson Alf E. Nicholson, George Nicholson, John Nobson, Herbert Nobson, Arthur Page, Fred Page, Kenneth Parker, Fred Parrish, George Parrish, Harold Ramsey, Walter Rutter, Bernard Shepherdson, Charles Hy Slingsby, Cyril Spring, George Storey, Wilfred Swan, Harry Taylor, Alf Thompson, Will Turner, Frank Watson, Harold Watson, Hubert Wilson, Robert Wilson, Thomas (R.N.) Wormald, Samuel Wright, Stanley #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#NEEDLERS#SUBHEADINGEND# Needler's Ltd. Erected in grateful memory to the men of this firm who made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country in the Great War. Allen, Joseph Cox, Harry Eagon, Joseph Lamb, George Lumley, Joseph Ricketts, Lawrence Rothwell, Charles Sampson, Herbert Saville, Alfred Thompson, Edward Wheldale, Albert #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#D.M. STEVENSON AND COMPANY#SUBHEADINGEND# 1914-15-16 D.M. Stevenson & Co. (Hull Office) Roll of Honour Employees serving with the British Forces Boyle, C. 2nd - Lieut. (4th E. Yorks) Collins, F. Lieut. (Royal Naval Division) Cornwall, S.J. Pte. (10th E. Yorks) Hill, J.B. Sergt. (1st W. Yorks) Mungall, R.H. Lieut. (E.R.Y.I.Y) Pitman, A. Gnr. (2nd E.R. Batt.) Vollans, C. Pte. (10th E. Yorks) Young, P. 2nd - Lieut. (4th E. Yorks) LORD DERBY'S GROUPS Arkless, H. Musgrave, C.E. Soulsby, W.S. Stoner, J. Turner, J.


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour: Ellerman's Wilson Line

#SUBHEADING#ELLERMAN'S WILSON LINE CRICKET & ATHLETIC CLUB#SUBHEADINGEND# Roll of Honour to the memory of members of the Ellerman's Wilson Line Cricket and Athletic Club, Hull, who made the supreme sacrifice whilst serving in defence of their King and Country in the Great European War 1914-1919. Billington, W.C. Blenkin, G. Brealey, A. Chester, R.J. Davis, D.C. Dunley, E.R. Farr, F. Gamble, L.C. Grey, H. Grey, R. Hodgson, V. Holford, A.J. Horsley, C. (missing) Huddleston, C. Lacey, G.F. Illingworth, F. Ingham, C. Johnson, F.H. (missing) Mandeville, J.W. Moore, A. Raine, F. Robinson, H.P. Saunby, R.E. Thornton, F. Walton, F. Whitelam, L. Wright, T. Yardley, A.S. Young, L. Wilcockson, G. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#ELLERMAN'S WILSON LINE MARINE DEPARTMENT#SUBHEADINGEND# ROLL OF HONOUR Ellerman's Wilson Line Ltd. Marine Department Names of captains, officers and cadets serving in the Company's Steamers, who lost their lives at sea during the Great European War. Altoft, J.W., 2nd Officer, S.S. Dido, 26 Feb 1916 Andrew, G.E., Master, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Barnes, G.G., Cadet, S.S. Gitano, 23 Dec 1918 Barron, J.W., Chief Officer, S.S. Gitano, 23 Dec 1918 Boyle, F.B., Master, S.S. Harrogate, 20 Feb 1918 Brumby, F.J., Chief Officer, S.S. Sappho, 24 Dec 1915 Carmichael, E., 2nd Officer, S.S. Tycho, 20 May 1917 Clarke, C.A.C., Cadet, S.S. Polo, 12 Feb 1918 Cook, F., Master, S.S. Ibis, 12 May 1918 Craven, B., Chief Officer, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Day, J.W., 2nd Officer, S.S. Ibis, 12 May 1918 Decent, W.J., Master, S.S. Gitano, 23 Dec 1918 Donaldson, W., Master, S.S. Vasco, 16 Nov 1916 Donovan, M.W.M., 2nd Officer, S.S. Cito, 17 May 1917 Duffill, G.H., 2nd Officer, S.S. Hydro, 22 Jan 1915 Friis, B., 2nd officer, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Gardham, R.A.D., 2nd Officer, S.S. Cavallo, 1 Feb 1918 Glenton, J.J., 2nd Officer, S.S. Gitano, 23 Dec 1918 Golightly, W.M., Chief Officer, S.S. Zara, 13 April 1917 Hodgson, R., Chief Officer, S.S. Umba, 30 April 1918 Joules, H., Chief Officer, S.S. Calypso, 9 July 1916 Kerridge, T.W., 2nd Officer, S.S. Umba, 30 April 1918 King, D.R., Cadet, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Margerison, G.W., 3rd Officer, S.S. Chicago, 8 July 1918 Martin, J., Master, S.S. Sappho, 24 Dec 1915 Matthews, R., Chief Officer, S.S. Ibis, 12 May 1918 Moorhouse, E., Cadet, S.S. Toro, 12 April 1917 Neale, J., Master, S.S. Romeo, 3 March 1918 Orme, G.W., Master, S.S. Cito, 17 May 1917 Pardoe, H.L., 2nd Officer, S.S. Romeo, 3 March 1918 Pitts, A., Chief Officer, S.S. Romeo, 3 March 1918 Robertson, J., 3rd Officer, S.S. Ibis, 12 May 1918 Senior, J.B., Cadet, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Seniscal, W.B., Master, S.S. Biruta, 6 Aug 1918 Sharp, G., Master, S.S. Hydro, 22 Jan 1915 Simpkins, J.R., Cadet, S.S. Gitano, 23 Dec 1918 Smith, C.C., Master, S.S. Calypso, 9 July 1916 Spain, W., 3rd Officer, S.S. Montebello, 21 June 1918 Stockdale, T., 2nd Officer, S.S. Calypso, 9 July 1916 Taylor, J.B., Master, S.S. Dido, 26 Feb 1916 Tether, D.M., 2nd Officer, S.S. Toro, 12 April 1917 Thomson, C.H., Cadet, S.S. Cavallo, 1 Feb 1918 Vinson, E., 3rd Officer, S.S. Dido, 26 Feb 1916 Williams, G.B., Master, S.S. Tycho, 20 May 1917 Young, J.W., Master, S.S. Umba, 30 April 1918 #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#WILSON LINE#SUBHEADINGEND# The Roll of Honour Members of Staff of the Wilson Line who served in defence of their King and Country in the Great European War Andsell, J.W., East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery Ashby, C.M., 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Ashby, W.H., East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery Bailey, J.W., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Barron, F.G., 38th (Hull) Divisional Ammunition Column, R.F.A. Bays, H.S., No. 3. Co. Royal Engineers (Chatham) Beal, A.W., East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery Bean, J.W., No. 4 Co. Army Service Corps, York and Durham Brigade Bee, C.S., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Bell, G.E., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Berriman, J.W., 5th Batt. Yorkshire Regiment Billany, H., 10th Co. R.A.M.C. Billington, W.C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Bilton E., 3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance Binks S., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Birkhead, R.H., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Blenkin, G., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Boddy, A.E., 12th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Bolmeer, E., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Bonewell, H.W., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Bonewell, J.R., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Bonewell, S., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Booth, J., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Bradley, E., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Brealey, A., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Brittain, G.F., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Brocklesby, W., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Brooks, E., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Brooks, S. 3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C. Brown. J.E., 5th (Cyclists) Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Bruce, R.N., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Brumby, B., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Campion, C., 163rd Battery, R.G.A. Cass, J.W., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Chester R. J., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Clarke, G.W., 5th (Cyclists) Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Coates, H.C., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Collier, W., 124th Heavy Battery, R.G.A. Cook, J., East Riding (Fortress) Royal Engineers Credland, C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Cross, A.N., 9th Batt. West Yorkshire Regiment Crowston, C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Cunningham, L., East Riding (Fortress) Royal Engineers Daubney, F., 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery, R.G.A. Dawson, J.T.R., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Dean, J., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Dodsworth, G.H., 5th (Cyclists) Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Eckles, W.M., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Edwards, A.H., River Humber Examination Service, East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery Edwards, H.R., 2nd Northumbrian Ammunition Column R.F.A. Elsom, L., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Eltherington, G.W., 2nd Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Evans, E.W., 124th Heavy Battery, R.G.A. Fill, J., 2nd Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Flowers, C., 3rd Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Foss, J.W., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Foster, J.W., 1st Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Friis, H.L., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Gibbins, C., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Gillingwater, W., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Gleadow, J.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Green, H., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Grey, H., 1st Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Grey, R., 10th Batt. West Yorkshire Regiment Guy, W.H., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Hall, A.G., Royal Marine Light Infantry Harrington, F., 19th Hussars Harrison, H., H.M.S. No. 10 Special Reserve Squadron Harvey, L., 2nd Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Herron, H., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Hinchsliff, G., 2nd Northmbrian Ammunition Column R.F.A. Hobden, F.L., Royal Engineers Hodgson, V., 4th Batt Cameron Highlanders Holdorf, C.W., 3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance R.A.M.C. Holland, M., 9th Batt. West Yorkshire Regiment Howard, H., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Huddleston, C., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Hurst, W., East Riding Royal Garrison Artillery Hussey, A.F., 3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance R.A.M.C. Hutchinson, R., East Riding (Fortress) Royal Engineers Ibbetson, F., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Illingworth, F., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Jameson, F., 1st Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A Jeffrey, A.P., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Jepson, C., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Johnson, F.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Joys, S., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Kennedy, L., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry King, H.E., 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery, R.G.A. King, J., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Kirby, T.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Lacey, G.F., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Lancaster, H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Lawson, F.W., 1st Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Lawson, H.O., 4th Batt. Cameron Highlanders Leach, H.W., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Leach, L., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Lee, H., 1st Hull Troop of Boy Scouts Leeman, G., 7th Batt. Lincolnshire Regiment Leybourne, J.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Lidgley H.R., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Locking, F., 12th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Lonsdale, C.K., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Major, T., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Manley, J.L., 2nd Northumbrian Ammunition Column, R.F.A. Marritt, F., 12th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Marshall, A., 148th Battery, R.F.A. McAndrew, D., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Middleton, W., 12th Battery, R.G.A. Moore, A., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Mumby, I.R., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Oliver, E., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Ombler, S., East Riding (Fortress) Royal Engineers Ormston, R., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Parkinson, A., 12th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment Petty, D., B Battery, 92nd Brigade, R.F.A. Porter, A., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Pratt, A.J., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Prince, T.N., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Pritchard, T., 11th Cavalry Reserve Prout, J.W., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Pullan, C.D., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Read, W.A., 9th Batt. West Yorkshire Regiment Reading, J., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Riby, W. K., 3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C. Robinson, A., 2nd Battery, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Sangwin, C.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Saunby, R.E., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Seekings, C., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Shawler, J., 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Silabon, T.H., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Simms, A., Ammunition Column, 2nd Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. Simpson, J.S., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Sisson, H., 124th Heavy Battery, R.G.A. Skipsey, J.A., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Slingsby, C.A., 38th (Hull) Divisional Ammunition Column, R.F.A. Smith, D.G., Royal Engineers Smith, G.A., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Snowden, C.B., 5th (Cyclists) Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Spain, A., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Spiers, J.S., 12th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Stanton, J.C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Stathers, G.E., Royal Garrison Artillery Stutt, R.H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Sutton, H., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Thompson, R.S., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Thornham, G.C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Tognola, A.W., 3rd Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Trotter, A.P., 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Trought, W.F., 7th Batt. Lincolnshire Regiment Tuffs, G., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Tutty, E., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Walton, F., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Ward F., R.A.M.C., attached Assistant Director of Medical Services (12th Division) West, J., 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards West, W., 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards White A., Sussex Regiment Whitehouse, G., 6th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Whitelam, L., Inns of Court Officers Training Corps Wightman, O.N., East Riding (Fortress) Royal Engineers Wilcockson, G., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Wilson, F.C., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Wilson, J.H., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Wilson, R., East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry Winsor, H.S., 5th (Cyclists) Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Woollons, T.G., 11th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Wright, T., 13th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment Young, L., 10th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour: Hull & Barnsley Railway

#SUBHEADING#HULL & BARNSLEY RAILWAY#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull and Barnsley Roll of Honour In Memorandum The Great War 1914 - 1915 (Name - Grade - Station - Regiment or Ship) The sections below are split into: Chief Offices, Cartage Dept., Dock Dept., Engineer's Dept., Locomotive Dept., Superintendant of Line Dept. but names are in alphabetical order within each department. CHIEF OFFICES Robinson, H.E. - Clark - Stores Dept., Lorne Street, Hull, 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Steele, M.J. - Assistant to Steward - Charlotte Street, Hull, 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) CARTAGE DEPT. Postill, J.W. - Rullyman - Messrs Greenwood Bros., Hull, 5th Battn. Worcestershire DOCK DEPT. Fletcher, W.C. - Coal Tipper - Alexandra Dock, Hull, 2nd Battn. York and Lanc. Prior, J.H. - Dock Gateman - Alexandra Dock, Hull, H.M. Auxiliary Cruiser "India" Withers, A. - Coal Hoist Spellman, Alexandra Dock, Hull 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards ENGINEER'S DEPT. Hayes, T.H. - Timekeeper - Alexandra Dock, Hull Royal Garrison Artillery (T.F.) LOCOMOTIVE DEPT. Burley, A.G. - Fitter's Apprentice - Springhead, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Harper, B. - Wagon Repairer - Springhead, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Kane, J.E. - Hydraulic Fireman - Alexandra Dock, Hull 3rd Battn. Lincolnshire Kitching, A.E. - Engine Cleaner - Springhead, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Leggott, T. - Machinery Attendant - Alexandra Dock, Hull 6th Battn. King's Royal Rifles Simpson, E. - Steam Crane Fireman, Alexandra Dock, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Snell, W. - Engine Cleaner - Springhead, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) Webster, G.H. - Engine Cleaner - Springhead, Hull 4th Batt. East Yorkshire Regiment (T.F.) SUPERINTENDENT OF THE LINE'S DEPT. Duckworth, A.R. - Signalman - Hemsworth, Royal Marine Light Infantry


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour: Hull & Barnsley Railway Supplementary List 1

#SUBHEADING#HULL & BARNSLEY RAILWAY SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 1#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull and Barnsley Roll of Honour Supplementary list of staff who have joined His Majesty's Service 1914-1918 The lists below are split into the following departments: Chief offices, Cartage Dept., Dock Dept., and Engineers Dept. All names are in alphabetical order within each department. Barton, G.B., Sec.-Lieut. (Engineers' Assistant) James, J.A., Sec.-Lieut. (Engineers' Office) Litton, F.H., Capt. (Asst. Loco Engineer) Mead, A.G., Sec.-Lieut. (Asst. Dock Master) Richardson, C., Sec.-Lieut. (Estate Department) Saunders, F.G.C., Sec.-Lieut. (Goods Manager's Office) CHIEF OFFICES Barton, F.R. Barton, J.E. Borman, S. Boulton, E.S. Brooks, W.H. Chambers, C.F. Chambers, H. Clarke, W.R. Crosskill, A. Duncan, N. Falkingham, F. Gemmell, F. Gibson, J.W. Gilleard, H.G. Hannath, C. Herbert, R.B. Isitt, A. Johnson, H.B. Lacey, C. Laverack. H.A. Marshall, F. McMillan, W. Morritt, A. Nixon, F. Pearson, L. Rial, W. Richardson, W.E. Slater, W.J. Stephenson, N.A. Thompson, L. Wilson, E.J. CARTAGE DEPT. Andrews, G.E. Arthur, H. Botterill, F. Briggs, S.B. Brown, G.H. Butcher, E.C. Campion, G. Champman, F. Coates, S. Coulson, R. Douglas, F. Firth, E. Foster, W. Gray, J. Haller, T. Hepple, F. Hewson, C.E. Jackson, S. Kammerer, A. Kiel, W. Kirk, W. Kitching, J. Last, F. Leadley, G.H. Loughton, J.W.H. Milner, J.R. Murrey, J. Murrey, T. Ness, E.S. Ness, G.C. Petch, W. Peters, F. Pomfrey, H. Portergill, D. Potter, T. Purkis, J. Savage, W. Smith, G.C. Tonrach, T. Watson, H. Willcox, A.J. Windass, H. DOCK DEPT. Arnell, J.W. Austin, E.A. Bacon, H.G. Baker, R. Barmby, M.H. Batty, W. Beels, T. Billany, L.M. Binns, R. Bradley, J.P. Brown, E. Brown, F.G. Brown, T.R. Brown, T.W. Brown, Thos. Wm. Brown, W. Carlise, A.J. Chambers, T. Clapham, J.G. Constable, J. Cropper, G.S. Dale, G.F. Dell, J.W. Derrick, B.G. Devaney, J.F. …on, T. [section of paper missing] …mitt, E.A. [section of paper missing] Filby, E. Gibson, R.P. Gray, J.C. Hagues, A. Hagyard, H. Hall, W.H. Harriman, D.H. Henry, F.S. Hodgson, A. Horspole, P. Hudson, L.H. Huggins, A.V. Hunt, T. Hunter, S. Hutchinson, S.F. Iveson, A.H. Jackson, J.W.H. Keith, A. Keith, H. Lane, S. Linney, W.J. Little, G.H. Locklin, W. Markham, C. Maw, F.H. Middleton, S. Milner, R. Minards, D. Mitchell, A.S. Mitchell, J.R. Monkman, R. Moore, J. Moore, W.H. Morgan, H. Morgan, H.A. Mowforth, E. Nelson, J.V. Nightingale, L. Paine, H. Parker, C.E. Parker, G. Peam, J. Pearson, A.H. Pearson, H. Pickering, F.E. Plumb, A.S. Ponderson, R.B. Porter, T. Rothwell, A. Shanks, F.R. Simpson, J.H. Simpson, T.H. Skelton, G.E. Smith, W.H. Stout, S. Strickland, R. Thornton, G. Thundercliffe, S.C. Uney, G.E. Uney, R.W. Vokes, S. Waites, F. Walgate, T. Ward, W.P. Wardale, B. Wardrop, A. Whittaker, A. Wilkinson, C. Williamson, E. Wilson, F.J. Wilson, J.E. Woodford, J. Wrigglesworth, F. ENGINEER'S DEPT. Bacon, J.L. Batchelor, F. Beck, R.W. Bishoprigg, R. Brearley, F. Buckle, G. Chalmers, C. Clitheroe, C.S. Cockerill, R.W. Cogan, W.S. Colgrave, H. Corrie, F.W. Cowley, E. Cunnell, H.J. Davis, W.E. Dickinson, L.R. Featherstone, G. Fell, C.M. Filby, G.W. Gorbutt, A. Gray, F. Gyles, W.M. Hadlow, J. Hayzen, E.F. Hessey, J.W. Hoggard, R.A. Holliday, J.W. Hopkinson, H. Hopson, A. Johnson, J.E. Johnson, W. Lawler, G.L. Laws, J. Lofthouse, W. Lowe, J. Mawer, H.L. Micklethwaite, J.E. Mounsor, H. Nicholls, A.E. Oates, R. Payne, B.G. Sampler, T. Sellars, E.S. Sharp, W. Smith, George Smith, G. Smith, G.S. Smith, J. Smith, J.O. Smith, S. Spencer, S. Stainton, A. Stubbs, A. Sugden, R. Tate, H. Tindall, S. Willoughby, F.S. Witty, A.E. Wright, E. Yates, G.R.


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour: Hull & Barnsley Railway Supplimentary List 2

#SUBHEADING#HULL & BARNSLEY RAILWAY SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 2#SUBHEADINGEND# The lists below are split into the following departments: Goods Dept., and Locomotive Dept. GOODS DEPT. Abbey, C. Andrews L.S. Baker, F. Barker, J.G. Barnes, R. Barnfather, D. Basker, R. Batty, H. Bell, C.H. Binks, F. Blenkin, S. Bradley, F. Bradley, W.A. Brady, D. Burwell, J.H. Caley, J. Champlin, T. Christie, H. Cole, A.E. Cornwell, H.S. Coxon, A. Crombie, J.B. Cutting, F. Devonport, C. Dixon, E. Dixon, L. Dixon, S. Dobson, R. Edge, F. Fairchild, H. Fergusson, W.M. Foster, C. Franklyn, W. Fussey, A.E. Gll, F. Gardiner, W. Gilleard, F.W. Gregory, J.H. Hall, S.C. Herbert. E.W. Hick, J. Hildreth, A.A. Hocknell, A.E. Hodgkinson, H. Holmes, J.W. Hunt, J.F. Jackson, J.W.K. Jewit, S. Kevern, W.E. Leigh, T.H. Lindsay, J.R. Lowson, H. Lunn, W. Mansfield, G. Mark, J.W. Marritt, A.M. Martin, F. Mason, G.F.W. Morris, C.J. Mowforth, J.W. Mumby, W.B. Noble, J.L. Page, J.W. Peck, E.T. Pickles, A.E. Pinder, H. Pye, H. Riches, A.W. Ringrose, L. Robinson, A.E. Robinson, C.F. Sanderson, J. Sharpe, H. Skaife, C. Skelton, G. Smith, F.S. Spencer, W. Taylor, G.B. Thompson, H. Thomson, S.W. Thornton, C.B. Tiplady, H. Tucker, P. Tucker, S. Wallis, C.H. Walster, A. Watson, T. Wells, V. West, W. Wheatley, W.H. Whitton, G.H. Williams, E.J. Withington, F. Yell, H. LOCOMOTIVE DEPT. Adcock, J.W. Allen, D. Andrews, J. Anson, W. Arnott, H. Asher, E. Atkinson, J.W. Avison, P.E. Bailey, W. Barker, J.W. Barley, C.S. Barratt, J.A. Bavin, C.V. Baxter, R. Beatty, R.A. Bell, H. Bell, W.H. Best, J. Beverley, J.H. Blackburn, H. Blanchard, E. Borman, A.W. Brotherton, R. Brown, P. Budd, T. Carroll, J.C. Carroll, J.F. Carter, A. Cartlich, J.H. Cawood, H.H. Cawthra, H. Chambers, A.R. Chappell, H. Child, A.E. Child, W.H. Chilvers, C. Clackston, J.J. Coggle, R.W. Collinson, V. Cook, F. Cook, T. Cookson, E. Cowburn, S.F.L. Craggs, T.W. Craven, T.H. Croft, T. Crossley, F. Davis, A. Dobbs, C. Driffil, L. Duck, A. Eastwood, H. Edmonds, C. Ellis, H. Ferguson, J. Filby, W. Fisher, W. Fuller, J. Glenton, T.A. Gomersall, E.H. Gray, A. Gray, C.W. Green, F. Greener, R. Greenwood, W. Grindell, W.H. Gyngell, A. Hadlow, H. Hall, S. Hammond, J.L. Haycock, W. Hender, G.R. Hickman, J. Hobson, G.A. Horton, W.B. Hudson, A. Hudson, H.L. Huggins, B. Hutchinson, J. Ingham, J. Jacklin, C.W. Jackson, C.T. Jackson, D. Jenkyn, E. Johnson, A.W. Johnson, S.H. Kellington, C.W. Kennedy, C. Kennedy, J.M. Kirkwood, C. Kirman, G.W. Kitching, G. Ladigus, E.V. Leake, W. Ledger, H. Lee, R. Leonard, F. Lickeriss, J. Lister, G. Lodge, S. Lucas, H. Marritt, G.H. Marshall, A.D. Marshall, C. Martindale, H.W. Massey, E.G. Medd, R.W. Mellis, F. Middleton, G. Milner, E. Moore, A.V. Moore, J.W. Moore, P.L. Mortimer, E. Mothersdale, S.M. Noden, T.F. Norton, B.W. Nurse, R. O'Donnell, C. Paddison, J. Palmer, F.E. Pittaway, J.H. Poole, C.F. Poole, R. Potts, F. Pudsey, E. Quantock, W.V. Race, H.H. Reffold, T. Robinson, A. Robinson, A.V. Ruffles, H. Sharp, J.H. Shepherdson, C.R. Shepley, F. Shores, A. Simmons, J. Sleight, C.S. Smith, H. Sole, B. Southwick, E. Spence, T.R. Spencer, E. Starkey, R.H. Staveley, G.A. Stephenson, A.H. Stephenson, C. Stringer, J. Surr, J.E. Sutton, G. Tasker, J.W. Taylor, A. Thompson, J.H. Thornton, C. Thorpe, J.W. Toft, H. Townsend, E.A. Townsley, H. Towse, F. Trafford, A. Trail, L. Tuck, J. Turner, T.B. Tyson, J.H. Veasey, Isaac, Vine, A. Vollans, J.A. Walker, C.W. Walton, J. Ward, G. Ward, J.W. Watson, W. Webster, J. Wells, H. Whitelock, E. Wilkinson, L.E. Winduss, H. Wisker, F.S. Yarrow, G.


(image/jpeg) Roll of Honour: Hull & Barnsley Railway Supplimentary List 3

#SUBHEADING#HULL & BARNSLEY RAILWAY SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 3#SUBHEADINGEND# The lists below covers the following department: Superintendent of the Line's Department. SUPERINTENDENT OF THE LINE'S DEPT. Armitage, H. Armstrong, N.J. Bailey, J.R. Banks, E.E. Barker, A. Barker, S. Barrow, F.E. Baxter, T. Bell, A.W. Bell, W.J. Bellard, C.W. Bennett, J.E. Billany, A.W. Blacker, J.W. Blades, W.R. Blenkarn, T. Bourner, A.E. Boynton, G.E. Bradley, J.E. Branton, B. Brooksbank, L. Brown, H.H. Bruines, F. Burkitt, W.S. Byrne, P. Calvert, W. Capes, A.E. Ceely, B.G. Chapman, W.E. Chicken, G.P. Christian, E.E. Clark, G.W.S. Coates, C.E. Coates, P. Conway, A. Cook, S. Danby, C.W.B. Darley, W. Dennison, T.E. Donkin, M. Douglas, T.S. Drake, A.J. Edwards, J. Ellis, L. Farmery, H. Farmery, P.W. Foster, G.W. Gagg, W. Goodworth, P. Greaves, J. Green, F. Hairsine, J.L. Hall, A. Hanley, P. Hessey, R. Hick, S.A. Hill, G.H. Hillerby, L. Hodges, F.W. Hoggard, B. Holland, T.E. Holmes, W. Hopper, E. Hopper, G.A. Hugman, G. Kirby, T.W. Johnson, A.H. Johnson, F.W. Knott, H. Lake, R.C. Lapish, E. Lazenby, W. Leach, T. Lee, F. Lee, L. Lewis, R. Lodge, A.H. McCloud, A.F. Marshall, W.A. Melton, J. Milbank, J. Moore, P. Morby, R.A. Mortimer, W. Neal, F. Nutbrown, E. Pawson, A.E. Phillips, W. Pickering, A. Pickersgill, G.N. Pinder, F. Pinder, G. Pinder, G.E. Pridmore, L. Pridmore, M. Rhodes, T.A. Richards, W.S. Robinson, H. Robinson, W.C. Roydhouse, G. Runkee, F. St. Paul, A. Sampson, P. Saxton, A. Scotney, W.L. Scott, W.H. Shooter, G. Simpson, P. Simpson, T. Sinclair, W. Skinner, G.B.H. Skinner, W.T. Slater, J. Smith, H. Smith, J. Smith, L. Smith, W. Smith, W.H. Stamp, H. Storey, J.A. Stout, T.F. Sweeting, F. Teal, F.N. Thomas, G. Thompson, C.F. Turnbull, A. Turnbull, R.C. Walker, G.S. Waslin, H. Waslin, J.R. Waters, F.N. Watson, J.W. Waudby, G.H. Welsh, A. Welsh, T.E. White, E. Wigglesworth, W.A. Williamson, A.E. Wilson, A.W. Wilson, G. Wood, H. Woodall, A. Wrigley, E. Yarrow, E.


bronze group (image/jpeg) Collections Projects

This section of the site contains information about collections related projects across the museums service.


horse brass detail (image/jpeg) Horse Brasses

Hull Museums has a collection of horse brasses which are believed to have been donated by H. Robinson Carter. The flat decorative brass objects we know today as horse brasses have a long history that can be traced back in essence to the pre-historic era. It is believed they were originally created as a talisman against evil spirits, over time they became more decorative in nature. Today they are seen as an excellent form of folk art usually associated with the working horse. #SUBHEADING# Early History#SUBHEADINGEND# It is widely accepted that the early horse brasses were used as a talisman to protect the working horse and oxen from evil spirits. A working horse was a very valuable commodity not only to pull the plough but also transporting people and goods. It is thought that the early talisman would have been amulets made from polished stone and would have carried depictions of the suns rays. The sun and the day were frequently used to represent the power of good whilst night and darkness were associated with evil. The grave of a Siberian chieftain thought to be over 2000 years old included seven mummified horses complete with bronze decorations that would be recognised today. It is unclear whether the tradition was introduced to Britain by Gypsy communities or by knights returning from the Crusades. Brasses from the medieval period have been found created from thin sheets of hammered brass called latten, with its warm yellow colour closely resembling that of gold and would bear a simple design. #SUBHEADING#As Decoration#SUBHEADINGEND# The use of horse brasses simply as decoration is believed to date from the early nineteenth century. From about 1825 casts were use to create the brasses enabling them to adopt more and more complex patterns. These patterns would be created by carving the original in close-grained pearwood and then making an imprint of the pattern using wet sand, a small channel would be dug into the sand between the different patterns to allow the brass to run from one mould to the other. The cast brasses were coloured in one of two ways - through immersing it in an acid or by applying a lacquered coating. Adding a silver finish to the metal helped to protect it in coastal areas with briny seas. Each brass would then be finished by hand including the filing down of the rough edges from the casting process and finally given a vigorous polish.


(image/jpeg) Hasholme Boat

#SUBHEADING#Conserving a prehistoric boat#SUBHEADINGEND# The Hasholme Boat is an Iron Age dug-out log boat that is on display in the galleries at Hull & East Riding Museum, in the Museums Quarter on High Street, Hull. The boat, which is around 2,300 years old, was excavated in 1984 after being discovered in a former inlet of the Humber estuary near Holme on Spalding Moor. It arrived in Hull in 1986, after being stored at the National Maritime Museum for two years. It was installed in a purpose built tank at Hull & East Riding Museum and was sprayed with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for 19 years, which is the same type of treatment used on the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII. In December 2009 a decision was made to turn off the spray system because the equipment was coming to the end of its life and the treatment had gone on for far too long and was beginning to cause deterioration of the structure. A wood specialist conservator from York Archaeological Trust was called in to advise on the next step and it was agreed that the tank would be cleaned and spray systems removed, leaving the boat to dry out naturally, as continued spraying would be very costly and would have little benefit. A specialist hazardous waste company were contracted by Hull Museums to enter the boat tank wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatus. They removed the waste PEG liquid from the base of the tank and cleaned the tank to remove any contamination. The boat was then carefully washed down to remove the mould that had grown on the surface, and a chemical biocide applied to prevent further mould problems. The boat has dried out very slowly since the above work was carried out. New metal struts have been specially fabricated to support some of the more fragile areas and the large decorated transom (end section) has been successfully freeze-dried to preserve it for future display. More conservation work was carried out in 2012 to consolidate the whole surface and the boat is monitored on a regular basis for signs of deterioration. There is now environmental control equipment inside the tank to keep the humidity at a constant level to prevent further cracks in the wood.


(image/jpeg) Buildings

Hull Museums Service began with the collections of the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society, and under the curatorship of Thomas Sheppard the Service and the collections grew, acquiring both buildings and specimens! Read on to find out more about the history of the museum buildings, what they used to display and how they have developed into the museums we have today.


(image/jpeg) Early Museums in Hull

#SUBHEADING#The Wallis Museum (c1780-1833)#SUBHEADINGEND# The Wallis Museum was opened in the 1780s by the gun maker George Wallis. The museum displayed collections of weaponry and exhibited methods of their fabrication. The museum is believed to have closed in the 1830s. #SUBHEADING#Hull Literary and Philosophical Society#SUBHEADINGEND# On 7th October 1822 a group of local gentlemen met at the Dog and Duck Inn on Hull's High Street. The meeting was called to discuss an idea of purchasing a collection of natural curiosities and forming a society. A subsequent meeting formed the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society and approved the purchase of the collection, which became the core of the Society's museum. The Society rented two rooms above the newsroom of the Exchange, Bowlalley Lane but by 1827 had out grown the available space. Over the next 25 years the museum moved from location to location each time needing larger and larger premises to house the ever growing collection of items the Society had acquired. The problem was resolved when the museum moved into The Royal Institution in Albion Street on 24th October 1854. Members of the Society were admitted free, with the public allowed access on Saturday afternoons on payment of one penny from 1874. In 1897, to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, a fund was started; half of the proceeds of which was used to build an Art Gallery on top of the Royal Institution, which was opened in 1900. In the same year responsibility for the collections were handed to Hull Corporation. #SUBHEADING#Other museums#SUBHEADINGEND# Robert Dunn's Museum, which opened c1831 displayed preserved animals, birds and insects to show the skills of Robert Dunn as a taxidermist. Reimer's Anatomical Museum (est. 1852), was a museum which housed a collection of specimens and models of human anatomy aimed at highlighting the affects on the human body of the various indulgences of the time.


(image/jpeg) Collectors

This section explores the stories behind the people who had a passion for collecting. Every collector has their own motivations for collecting, whether it's for scientific and historical study or just for a love of collecting those objects. Read on to find out about their lives, what they collected and what made them so enthusiastic about their chosen collection.


Detail from Votes for Women doll (image/jpeg) Votes for Women

Suffragettes and Suffragists Millicent Fawcett formed the National Union of Women's Suffrage Society (NUWSS) in 1897 to unite most of the existing suffrage societies, their aims were to extend women's political rights. Tactics were mostly peaceful persuasion and constitutional to expand the rights of women and to improve social conditions. They welcomed male members to educate them about women's suffrage. The suffragists compiled petitions, met politicians, in elections they supported candidates who were in favour of votes for women and trained women to speak at public meetings. Emmeline Pankhurst on October 10th 1903 was frustrated by the lack of progress achieved by the NUWSS so formed their own group the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). Their tactics were militant, used violent confrontations often illegal and involved public disorder. Their aims were to achieve the same political rights for women as there was for men. Their methods were 'Deeds not Words!' in 1905 Chistabel Pankhurst was sent to prison for spitting and hitting a policeman at a liberal meeting. Mainly they heckled speakers at liberal meetings using megaphones. However, at the beginning the two groups worked together as a united front but the violent methods of the WSPU led Mrs Fawcett to withdraw her support for the group as she felt this went against the cause. #IMAGE# Emmeline Pankhurst Visits Hull Emmeline Pankhurst visited Hull to try and start a suffragette group in the city. The local newspapers in Hull reported the events of Emmeline Pankhurst visit. The Hull Daily Mail on Wednesday, 6th November 1907 reported that Mrs Pankhurst is well known for the prominent part she played in the women's suffragette movement in London, Manchester and other counties, who ran the gauntlet of a good deal of heckling at the end of her first speech in West Hull. The meeting was held last evening at 7.30pm, near the fishermen's memorial on Hessle road, South Boulevard, Hull. Several hundred people turned up mostly working men who did not approve or disapprove but were listening out of curiosity. Mrs Pankhurst talked for over an hour; she spoke clearly and explained her mission to Hull to get the government candidate to pledge the question giving women the vote. She had a clear and easy way of speaking and she wore a dark full length jacket and dark hat. Her main arguments were to show the position of working women, the wages they received and their conditions of their labour. Since working men were given the vote their wages had gone up, but women in the same industry got 50% less than twenty years ago. Women wanted the vote to get bad laws repealed and good laws passed and to be of assistance in helping men and women to better their social and industrial conditions, women paid taxes and rates but could not vote. #IMAGE# Although the suffragists were prominent in Hull for a long time, a number of suffragettes in Hull chained themselves to railings and participated in more militant campaigns. The suffragists played a huge part in Hull, setting up meeting and discussions with local politicians. When women got the vote it all happened so quietly that it almost went unnoticed after the long struggle, the event itself crept on to the statute book with scarcely a whimper. But suddenly in February 1918 the British electoral roll went up by 8,000,000 to nearly 16,000,000 and women had got the vote at last! With the help of the women of Hull.


(image/jpeg) Hull Seamen's General Orphanage

Hull Seamen's and General Orphan Society was established at Spring Bank in 1865. It was set up to house children whose fathers had been lost at sea. The orphanage was very expensive to run. From the beginning the Wilson family, who owned a very successful and world renowned shipping company, gave generously to the orphanage funds. They donated thousands of pounds, paid for extensions to the building which could accommodate more children, and organised summer excursions for the orphans. Other funds were generated by placing metal collection tins at various sites across Hull, the East Riding and Lincolnshire, including pubs, hotels, social clubs and institutions, the Wilson Line vessels and the Humber ferries, as well as Tranby Croft (Arthur Wilson's home in Anlaby). #SUBHEADING#Finding a New Home#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1916 the Wilson Company was bought out and the Orphan Society lost a major source of its funding. Three years later, the Spring Bank premises became unsuitable for the orphanage's needs and the search began for a new home. In 1920, the children visited Hesslewood Hall in East Yorkshire. They must have liked it because the Society moved into it. Girls arrived on 18th January 1921 and the boys followed in February. Hesslewood was a large country house which had been built for Joseph Robinson Pease Senior in 1792. His son was the first chairman of the Mariners Church Orphan Society (the pre-runner of the Hull Seamen's and General Orphan Society) from 1853. #SUBHEADING#Raising New Funds#SUBHEADINGEND# The premises at Hesslewood were expensive to run and struggled to accommodate the children residing there, who totalled over 100. The boys had to live in a wooden hut until a new wing was completed for them in 1924. From the 1930s, the master demanded that each child received pocket money of 1 shilling per week. Maintenance to the aging buildings had to be periodically undertaken. All of this put pressure on funds. The situation had become so bad by the 1950s that even food bills were cut to save money. Funds were raised by various means including concerts by the school band, theatrical performances, fetes, charity events and film advertisements. Much still relied on benevolent funders, but collections boxes also continued to bring in money. These were now made from wood. Some of them are held at the Maritime Museum. The one pictured here is roughly cut, suggesting it may have been made on-site at the orphanage, perhaps by one of the children. [image: KINCM: 2006.5190] Looking back, the orphan's motto 'courage to climb' was a fitting slogan for the perseverance shown by staff, children and the local community in maintaining financial support for the Hull Seamen's and General Orphanage for over 100 years. Further Reading: J.D. Hicks, Our Orphans: the story of the Hull Seamen's and General Orphanage, 1853-1979 (Lockington Publishing Company, North Ferriby, 1983) G.M. Attwood, The Wilsons of Tranby Croft (Hutton Press, Beverley, 1988)


Detail from 'Votes for Women' playing card (image/jpeg) Hull & Women's Rights

Today we consider the right to vote as one of the fundamental principles of human rights. Yet in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were denied the chance to take part in the democratic process and were unable to vote. The campaign for women's political rights was a long uphill struggle and it was not until 1928 that all women in Britain could vote. Hull women played an active role in these campaigns. #SUBHEADING#Suffragettes and Suffragists#SUBHEADINGEND# Millicent Fawcett formed the National Union of Women's Suffrage Society (NUWSS) in 1897 to unite most of the existing suffrage societies after the defeat of the first women's Suffrage Bill in Parliament. The movement was divided on how to achieve their aims as the suffragists believed in peaceful protests and embedded themselves within the existing political structures to persuade and educate the public about women's suffrage. The suffragists compiled petitions, met politicians, and during elections they supported candidates who were in favour of votes for women and encouraged women themselves to become public speakers. Millicent Fawcett believed in non-violent action as any aggression would indicate to men that women could not be trusted with the vote. The suffragettes believed in more militant action and broke away from the suffragists. The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was formed in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst who was frustrated by the lack of progress achieved by the Suffragist group, National Union of Women's Suffrage Society (NUWSS). Their tactics were militant and involved public disorder; burning property and chaining themselves to rails in protest. They frequently disrupted public meetings using megaphones. Emmeline Pankhurst's daughter; Christabel Pankhurst was sent to prison in 1905 for spitting and hitting a policeman at a liberal meeting. However at the beginning the two groups worked together as a united front but the violent methods of the WSPU led Mrs Fawcett to withdraw her support for the group as she felt this went against the cause. #SUBHEADING#Hull's Campaign for Women's Rights#SUBHEADINGEND# The suffragists were more prominent in Hull than suffragettes. One of the most well-known suffragists in Hull was Dr Mary Murdoch who promoted women's rights whilst being the first female GP in the city. Yet there were occasions when women chained themselves to railings in the city of Hull and Emmeline Pankhurst, a notable suffragette visited Hull during her political campaigning. #SUBHEADING#Mary Murdoch Hull's first female GP and Suffragist#SUBHEADINGEND# Dr Mary Murdoch was born in Scotland but was most famous for her pioneering work in Hull as the first female GP and her campaign to promote the Suffrage movement across the city. When Mary graduated from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1893, she was one of only a handful of women who were slowly being allowed to practice in a more senior role than nursing. Her first appointment after graduating was as House Surgeon at the Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Park Street, Hull. In 1900 Mary appointed Dr Louisa Martindale as her assistant at the hospital and they lived together in a house on Beverley Road. Both women shared a crusade to improve women's lives in Hull and started a women's suffrage society, holding committee meetings in their house. In 1904 Mary became founding president of Hull's NUWSS (National Union of Women's Suffrage Society), attracting hundreds of members and forming branches in nearby towns. Mary often acted as NUWSS branch delegate during out of town trips, such as when they visited London to present a petition to the House of Commons. Louisa eventually returned to her home in Brighton, but Mary continued to be an inspiration to local women, even driving voters to the polls in her open top carriage during the local by-election of 1907, decorated with the red, white and green colours of the suffrage movement. In 1910 Mary became the first female GP in Hull which was a remarkable achievement. She also became involved in several public campaigns including working to improve the appalling living conditions in the city. When war broke out in 1914 she dedicated herself to helping the sick and injured, but sadly died in 1916 after a short illness. #SUBHEADING#Emmeline Pankhurst and Hull#SUBHEADINGEND# Emmeline Pankhurst visited Hull in 1907 to help set up a suffragette group in the city and the 6th November edition of the Hull Daily Mail reported that she had given a public speech near the Fishermen's Memorial on Hessle Road, South Boulevard, Hull. The newspaper report stated that she had spoken for nearly an hour to several hundred people, mostly working men and she had a clear and easy speaking style. Suffragettes and Art The suffragette movement used art as propaganda for their cause. Paintings, embroidered banners, posters, photographs and enamels were created and sold to help finance their campaign. Emmeline's daughter, Sylvia Pankhurst was a trained artist. However they also destroyed art as part of their cause. In 1914, the painting, Rokeby Venus by Velasquez was attacked by the suffragette Mary Richardson (1889-1961) who was known as Slasher Mary. She had damaged the painting as a protest against the government attacks on Emmeline Pankhurst. This caused great concern to many art galleries up and down the country with photographs of militant suffragette being circulated to gallery attendants, ready to stop any potential attack. #SUBHEADING#Art Attack in Hull#SUBHEADINGEND# The attacks on works of art in London and Manchester prompted Ferens Art Gallery to withdrawal from public display in 1914 the painting, Farewell by Lord Frederick Leighton. The artist was a well known critic of the Suffrage movement which made the painting more vulnerable to potential attack. It is unclear if a specific threat had been made against this piece of art work, but the concern was so great that the then curator, A.H. Proctor, considered placing plain clothed policemen on duty in the gallery. It was placed back on public display in the Ferens Art Gallery in September 1914 after the suffragettes called a truce due to the outbreak of the First World War. The women's suffrage movement as a whole was a highly organized political movement that utilized the national daily newspapers to create maximum publicity. As well as processions and demonstrations, badges and regalia were created to spread the message. Even playing cards and postcards were published to ensure the widest possible publicity. The collections held by Hull Museums contain political material relating to the campaign for women's political rights.


(image/jpeg) The Captive Slave portrait returns from conservation

The painting, 'The Captive Slave' is one of the most well-known artworks held by Wilberforce House Museum, and it has returned to the Museum after being restored by Mike Howden who is a specialist conservator based in South Yorkshire. Mike Howden spent many hours conserving the gilded ornate frame which is believed to be original to the oil painting, which was previously conserved in 2005 in preparation for the Centenary Commemorations of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 2007. The artist is now considered to be unknown despite the previous attributions to Thomas Barker of Bath (1769-1847) and more recently to John Philip Simpson (1782-1847). Even the identity of the sitter is as yet unknown but it has been suggested it could be Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), a great nineteenth century Shakespearian actor. The painting itself is unusual in that it depicted an enslaved African. The British public used the products of slavery in their daily lives, but rarely were faced with the realities of the slave trade presented in this artwork. The new location of the painting within Wilberforce House Museum allows the visitor to fully appreciate the evocative image and original frame as they first enter the house. The frame was becoming increasingly fragile due to its proximity to the entrance creating micro-vibrations that over time would have caused further damage to the frame. Conservation of the painting was made possible with public donations, and with your continuing support important museum objects can be conserved for future generations.


(image/jpeg) R38 Airship Disaster - New Addition to the Collections

An aluminium cross has been acquired for the collection at Hull Maritime Museum, made from the wreckage of the R38 airship which was lost over Hull in 1921. Whilst undergoing trials, the 695 foot long giant broke up over the Humber off Victoria Pier on August 24 1921, witnessed by thousands of people. Forty-four American crew members lost their lives that day and a memorial was erected in Western Cemetary to those who died. #IMAGE# The aluminium charm is in the shape of a memorial cross, pierced at the top with an attached metal ring. The inscription reads 'In Memory of R 38'. It joins other items in the collection, including postcards, pieces of fabric which were recovered from the river during the salvage operation, and a souvenir candlestick made from the metal bodywork of the airship. #IMAGE#


Detail from Redmore print (image/jpeg) Hull and the sea

The Humber estuary links the rivers of Yorkshire and the East Midlands with the North Sea. Hull developed as an important port where the River Hull meets the Humber. Products from the surrounding area were exported to northern Europe, and raw materials of the Baltic region, mainly timber, were imported into England. It continued to grow with more and more docks being established and trade thriving.

 

This section of our website illustrates Hull's connection with the sea by exploring the museum collections ranging from archaeological finds to artwork.


(image/jpeg) Loans

#SUBHEADING#Loan Requests#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull Museums and the Ferens Art Gallery have a responsibility to lend objects from their collections to other venues, to increase public access and enjoyment of these items. The objective is to lend to a wide a range of venues as possible within the constraints of museum professional standards and policies, both within the UK and abroad. We will try to meet all requests for loans from our collections, subject to the conditions of loan, display requirements and the needs of the objects in question. The decision to lend will be at the discretion of the curator in charge of the collection and is dependent on object condition, transport requirements, whether the item is available for loan, and suitability of the loan venue. Objects will not be loaned to institutions which cannot meet Museum Accreditation standards, so we would not lend to private individuals or venues not accessible to the public. #SUBHEADING#How to Request a Loan#SUBHEADINGEND# In the first instance, send us a written request by letter or email at least 3 months before the start of the loan. If it is less than this there is no guarantee that we will be able to agree the loan in time. Please include the following information in the letter/email: Name and address of organisation Contact details of the person dealing with loan List of items you wish to borrow Start and end dates of the loan Location of site where the objects are to be displayed Security arrangements for the protection of the objects The number of objects agreed for loan will depend on the resources available to prepare the objects before dispatch to the loan venue. A signed loan agreement and condition reports must be in place before objects are handed over into the care of the borrowing institution. The loan will be for a maximum period of 3 years, after which it must either be returned, or the loan reviewed by Hull Museums and a loan agreement signed for a further 3 years. The borrower is responsible for all costs related to the loan, including preparation, transport and packaging, couriers (if required), insurance, mounts and conservation to prepare an object for display. The loan items must be covered for all risks insurance by the borrower before the loan commences. #SUBHEADING#Contact Details#SUBHEADINGEND# (Name of Museum) Hull Culture and Leisure Limited Room 29 Dock Office Chambers New Cross Street Hull, HU1 3DU Telephone 01482 613902 Email museums@hcandl.co.uk


(image/jpeg) What We Do With Objects

When an object is accepted as a donation to the Museum Service it begins a journey that will eventually see it joining thousands of other items under our long-term care. It isn't just a matter of placing it on a shelf and forgetting about it, which is why we have to ensure that we have the time and resources to look after it both now and in the future. Sometimes this is the reason why we have to reject donations, simply because by accepting one object we are taking away the care from items already in the collections. #SUBHEADING#Paperwork, Databases and Lots of Tissue!#SUBHEADINGEND# It may sound boring but documentation is the backbone of all museums, without it we would not know where an object has come from, who owned it (maybe someone famous), whether it is associated with other items in the collection, or linked to an important person or event. Take for example the Needlers box above, which came into the collections in February 2014. It was given by a private donor to the Hull History Centre (sorry, but donor details are confidential, so we would never give out names and addresses), who then transferred it to our social history collection after it was agreed by our curatorial team. All the information about where it had come from, what it was, and date of transfer, was recorded onto a form which was signed by the donor to give us legal title to the object. Then comes the important bit, every single object in the collections is assigned an individual unique number so that we can track it wherever it goes. This box was given number 2014.43 by using a pencil to mark it underneath where it can't easily be seen when on display, and then the number was recorded in a log book called an accession register which lists everything in the entire collections. Following that we created an individual record on our computer database which links straight through to our collections website (have a look now by searching for 2014.43 in the search box above). The Needlers box was also photographed and we recorded its condition and measurements at the same time. The type of storage required for any object is vital if it is to survive a long time (hopefully forever!). Our Needlers box is made of cardboard with coloured text and decoration, so it needs to be kept dry, away from bright light and any insects that may like the taste of cardboard! We have all sorts of ways of packing up objects depending on what they are made from, but whatever we use whether a box, tissue, cover, or plastic sleeve, it all has to be archival, meaning the objects won't react with acids or other substances in the packing materials. We have all seen old plastic go sticky, or tissue paper turn yellow with age. We certainly don't want that for our museum objects. As you can see, any addition to the collections is very time consuming, but by making sure we record all the information correctly, the details can be used in future for enquiries, researchers, exhibition panels and labels, or even collections websites!


(image/jpeg) Volunteer Projects

We have many different activities to offer our volunteers depending on your area of interest and level of expertise. Here are some examples of current projects you can get involved in: #SUBHEADING#FUTURE FERENS:#SUBHEADINGEND# Are you.... Aged 18 to 25 and passionate about art? Do you.... Want to make a difference and want to get experience working in an art gallery? Then.... GET INVOLVED WITH FUTURE FERENS This volunteer scheme started in 2006 and is for young people aged 18 to 25 with an interest in art and the Ferens Art Gallery. Over the years the group have worked with gallery staff to make the gallery and its exhibitions more accessible to young people through a number of projects, often externally funded. The Future Ferens have been closely involved in a number of high profile exhibitions over the years including three ARTIST ROOMS exhibitions (Woodman, 2011, Warhol, 2012, Creed, 2013) from the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. They contributed to the marketing, learning and curatorial elements of these three exhibitions. The group attend regular meetings with gallery staff to discuss and develop projects. This is the perfect time to join the group and get involved in our ambitious 2017 projects at the gallery, which is great for CV's, coursework, references and getting a job! INTERESTED? Get in touch with your CV, contact details and a short statement about why you'd like to join the Future Ferens. 01482 613902 / future.ferens@hcandl.co.uk #SUBHEADING#EDUCATION ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS:#SUBHEADINGEND# The museum hosts a number of events and activities at weekends and during school holidays, and as a volunteer you can get involved in craft activities, object interpretation and interacting with the public. We also deliver large living history one day events such as Edwardian Easter, Festival of Archaeology, Big Bus Day, Remembrance Weekend and Victorian Christmas. If you are interested in helping with any of these activities please contact us at museums@hcandl.co.uk, or telephone 01482 613902. Please tell us why you want to become a volunteer and which activities you would like to get involved with. The more information we have about you the easier it will be to find you a suitable volunteer position.


28th November 2009 (image/jpeg) Why Volunteer?

#SUBHEADING#Why become a volunteer? #SUBHEADINGEND# We are looking for enthusiastic people who have an interest in museums and a willingness to provide a good service to the public. All we ask is your interest and commitment to spare a few hours in your week to help us out whilst doing something you enjoy. We appreciate that there are many different reasons why people want to volunteer, but we are particularly looking for the following: #SUBHEADING# Work Experience#SUBHEADINGEND# Are you a student or graduate who wishes to follow a career in museums or heritage? We can offer the opportunity to gain valuable experience working in a museum, which is an essential element of any CV. #SUBHEADING#People Skills?#SUBHEADINGEND# Do you enjoy helping and talking to the public? If so, you may be able to help us at our museum events, such as Victorian Christmas. We are sometimes also short of people to watch over our temporary exhibitions and carry out visitor surveys. Please see our VOLUNTEER PROJECTS page for more information and contact details.


(image/jpeg) Hull & Barnsley Railway Albums

#SUBHEADING#Digitising Railway History#SUBHEADINGEND# There are many objects in the collections at the Streetlife Museum of transport which relate to the history of the Hull & Barnsley Railway, including medals, signs, war memorials, plans, and posters, but some of the most remarkable are two large photograph albums dating from 1882, showing the construction of the Hull & Barnsley Railway. Each album is titled 'Views of Works on the Hull and Barnsley Railway / Photographed by A.W. Cox, St James's Street, Nottingham'. The images were taken during February 1882 three years before the railway opened, and show scenes all the way down the length of the line, which stretched from Hull to Cudworth near Barnsley. Workmen are photographed with picks and shovels digging out for bridges and cuttings, then loading the spoil up onto horse and carts or small locomotives, and depositing the waste onto huge tips. Some of the images are a health and safety nightmare, with men stood on small planks of wood across deep holes in the ground, or on top of rickety wooden scaffolding. The albums were found in storage and it was felt that they were a high priority for digitisation due to their importance to railway history in the region. The problem was that unlike normal photographs the albums were much too big and heavy to place on a scanner, as there were concerns that this would cause damage to the albums themselves, which is always an issue with documents of this age. As such, each and every one of the 112 images were individually photographed so that they could be viewed by the public on our collections website. If you want to see the images please search for 1957.75. High resolution images of these photographs can be purchased from Bridgeman Images by going to 'bridgemanimages.com'


(image/jpeg) Fred Elwell's 'The Wedding Dress' Part 2

#SUBHEADING#Death and the Victorians#SUBHEADINGEND# Although 'The Wedding Dress' was painted in 1911, after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, it undoubtedly reflects Victorian tastes. In fact it is not unusual to extend the end of the Victorian period until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. Death was a common theme in Victorian art; painters often contrasting the sorrow caused by death with previous happiness and joy. The fashion for portraying death was probably partly due to Queen Victoria's rigid practice of mourning, wearing mourning clothes for a whole decade after the death of her husband, Albert in 1861. In Victorian paintings, death is commonly given a domestic setting, such as the privacy of the middle class bedroom found in Elwell's painting. Other characteristics typical of the period include the use of significant objects, such as the wedding dress, to remind us of the recently departed, and portraying the mourner so they do not engage the spectator, making the scene intensely private. #SUBHEADING#Innocence and Experience#SUBHEADINGEND# Another popular theme is the contrast between innocence and experience. In this painting there is a contrast between the innocence symbolised by the white dress and flowers and the sudden heralding of experience with the death of the woman's future husband. The fragile world of innocence is threatened by this loss. Ironically, some years after posing for the painting, the model, Violet Press, lost her own husband in the First World War, after only a very short marriage, adding a greater poignancy to the work when we look at it today. #SUBHEADING#Elwell#SUBHEADINGEND# Elwell frequently used local people, native to Beverley, as models. The model in this painting was a Mrs Violet Press, a costumier of Minster Moorgate West, Beverley. The same model also posed for a very large and monumental painting, titled, 'Bereaved' or 'The Wreath', by Fred Elwell's future wife, Mary Dawson Holmes, also exploring the subject of widowhood. Mary's painting preceded Fred's by three years and may even have been a source of inspiration for him. This in part contests a teacher-pupil relationship, with Fred as the teacher and Mary as the pupil, which has often been accepted. Behind the sorrow portrayed in the painting, both fictional and real, there is a far happier story about the talents of two individual artists Fred Ewell and Mary Dawson Holmes; with their shared interests and inspirations, but own distinctive styles and visions. Mary's 'The Wreath' was reproduced in a contemporary magazine, alongside another work by Fred Elwell's from the same Royal Academy Summer Exhibition - a remarkable coincidence in view of Fred Elwell's later marriage to Mary.


Picture by Gabriel Szabo/Guzelian (image/jpeg) Lorenzetti - Early Renaissance Masterpiece

In 2013 the Ferens Art Gallery acquired a significant art work which will now remain in the country for the benefit of the UK public. The rare and beautiful early Renaissance painting, 'Christ between Saints Paul and Peter' (dated c.1320) by Sienese artist Pietro Lorenzetti was placed under a temporary export bar by the Culture Secretary due to its high quality. Painted in tempera with a gold background, the panel once formed part of a larger altarpiece. A quintessential work by the artist and his only fully autograph work in the UK, it is considered to be of outstanding aesthetic and scholarly importance and the most ambitious purchase the Gallery has made since the Frans Hals Portrait of a Young Woman, bought in 1963. The purchase was made using the Gallery's Ferens Endowment Fund with the Heritage Lottery Fund, Art Fund and Wolfson Foundation awarding generous grants to Hull City Council. The 700 year old art work has now joined the Ferens permanent collection after receiving conservation treatment courtesy of the National Gallery in London as part of its commitment to the support of regional galleries. The conservation took about a year and included structural stabilisation, cleaning and restoration, and it is now displayed permanently at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. The Lorenzetti has been bought in memory of the Ferens highly esteemed and popular former Director, John Bradshaw (d.2001), using his bequest. In addition the majority of local funds came from the Ferens Endowment Fund, a trust ring-fenced for the purchase of art works established by Thomas Robinson Ferens the Gallery's founder, in 1928. Bradshaw, who died in 2001, expressed a non-binding wish for a pre-1800 work in his will and it is felt that the Lorenzetti provides a fitting tribute to him both as Director of the Ferens Art Gallery (1965-1974) and Curator of Hull City Museums and Art Galleries (1974 -1992). On arrival in Hull, the Heritage Lottery Fund grant has enabled an extensive public engagement programme around the Lorenzetti which is expected to last a total of 20 months.


(image/jpeg) What We Collect

Hull Museums and the Ferens Art Gallery, like many other museums and galleries in the UK, have to follow strict national guidelines by having a written policy for which objects we are allowed to collect. We have hundreds of thousands of items in our collections across eight sites, all of which require gallery display or storage space, documentation, photography/scanning and conservation, and so taking in more objects has to be very carefully considered. The only reasons for accepting new objects are: Significant gaps in the collections Research or educational potential Important local significance where these are not already represented Each museum site has an individual list of what it will consider. These are as follows: FERENS ART GALLERY Portraits Maritime Paintings European Old Masters with emphasis on Dutch and Flemish 17th century works 19th and 20th century British works Contemporary collecting focusing on photography and new media Sculpture HULL & EAST RIDING MUSEUM Archaeological material illustrating human activity in the Hull and East Riding region Archaeological material relating to Hull Citadel (up to late 17th century) Natural history will only be collected in very exceptional circumstances HANDS ON HISTORY MUSEUM Coins, medallions, tokens and medals, if of unique importance 20th century male costume, specifically relating to Hull Women's costume dating to the 1940s, specifically relating to Hull Madame Clapham costume made in Hull Items relating to the Old Grammar School HULL MARITIME MUSEUM Whaling items if not already represented in collections, with strong links to Hull Original photographs of vessels and crew relating to Hull Artefacts linked to Hull's contribution to north and south pole expeditions Professionally made models of boats and ships with strong link to Hull Paintings of Hull's maritime heritage. Only in exceptional circumstances Significant items relating to Hull's fishing industry and decline, after 1970. Artefacts relating to Hull's merchant shipping, docks and dockers Items relating to maritime migration through Hull, especially 19th century objects Ship building artefacts relating to Hull (not plans) Artefacts relating to local gunsmiths, but only if unique STREETLIFE MUSEUM Carriages. Only in very exceptional circumstances, with local significance Motor cars. Only in very exceptional circumstances, with local significance Street furniture with direct local provenance and only in exceptional circumstances Items relating to Amy Johnson (East Riding Museums must be consulted first) WILBERFORCE HOUSE MUSEUM Hull silver dating from 17th century. High quality and identified maker Genuine 18th and 19th century anti-slavery items, particularly relating to specific individuals Contemporary slavery items on a case by case basis Social history items of high importance with strong local connections SPURN LIGHTSHIP Items not currently represented on the ship, to complete the displays Personal histories of individuals who worked on board the ship, but only unique experiences HULL GUILDHALL This is now a closed collection, so offers will no longer be accepted. If you think that you have an object that you wish to donate that fits with the above requirements, please contact us on 01482 613902, or email museums@hcandl.co.uk. If you could send us a photograph of your object that would be very helpful.


Detail of bodice and sleve (image/jpeg) Costume and Fashion

Clothes and fashion are a part of our every day lives. The costume collections at Hull Museums contain over 6,000 items, ranging from bodices to boots and waistcoats to whalebone corsets. The collection represents every major historical period from the Georgian period to the last decades of the 20th century. This section explores the diversity and development of fashion, showing what we used to wear, where we used to wear it and how we used to live.


The Negress Lying Down (image/jpeg) Rembrandt Drawing

Woman Lying in a Darkened Room is a print of 1658. It portrays the back of a nude woman lying down on her side. The work is the third and final state of the image that Rembrandt produced and therefore the most fully worked version. Small scale and with a dense and richly worked surface, experts describe the print as a fine example. Significantly the image was never reprinted after the artist's death so the etching is one of a handful known.


Woman Lying in a Darkened Room

Rembrandt and Frans Hals were contemporaries and are recognised as the supreme portraitists of the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt was in addition one of the greatest of all printmakers and made over 300 etchings exploring the full expressive range of the print from self-portrait etchings to large-scale prints. During his lifetime his etchings were acclaimed throughout Europe as an individual contribution to art and were more widely collected and admired than his paintings. His reputation was more easily spread by prints than by paintings and in 17th century England it was the former that were widely known. This print's inappropriate original title was 'The Negress Lying Down', given by the first cataloguer of his work in the 18th century. Rather than portraying a black model it was a life study made in semi-darkness as an exercise in exploring the effects of light and shade, seen in the dark, rich tones that envelop the figure. The same pose of a female nude seen from behind, lying on her bed had been explored a decade earlier by Velazquez in his painting The Toilet of Venus (1647-51). Whilst the similarities are striking, Rembrandt can never have seen the work of the Spanish master, but it is likely that both artists were familiar with a common source. Etching, drypoint and burin on paper. Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Ferens Art Gallery, 2007.


(image/jpeg) What Does a Curator Do?

The word Curator can mean anything from a person who looks after an entire museum on their own, to someone who just specialises in one subject such as a curator of Roman Archaeology. Here at Hull Museums we have several curators who look after particular areas of the collections, such as art, archaeology, social history, maritime history, transport, natural history, slavery and costume. There is also a Collections Curator who looks after the documentation and care of collections across the whole service. Caring for the collections is a continuous process and includes a large number of different tasks. When you visit a museum you may not realise that we are as busy behind the scenes as we are with the objects you see on display in the galleries. As a service we provide access to collections through: Public enquiries Pre-booked visits from researchers wanting to see specific objects Arranging loans of objects to other venues which allows people in other parts of the UK or the world to see our collections Constantly adding new records and images to our website Permanent and temporary exhibitions Family activities during the school holidays, or other events What you don't see: Documenting objects onto our database Finding out more information about the collections so we can hand this information on to the public Packing items for storage or transport Preparing objects for loan Cleaning storage areas and objects on display Creating exhibitions (these can be up to 2 years in the planning) Carrying out condition reports on vulnerable objects so we know if there is a problem with their condition Pest management checks to ensure the collections are not being damaged by insects or rodents Maintenance of long-term displays Ensuring gallery and storage areas do not become too damp or dry, too hot or cold Photography and scanning of collections Addressing accessibility issues to allow everyone to enjoy the collections A large number of individuals and organisations need daily access to collections and information, whether through visits to the museums, image and information enquiries, research visits, loan requests, temporary exhibition applications, educational visits, lectures and family holiday activities, so sometimes it is not always possible to respond to enquires immediately.


(image/jpeg) Managing the collections

This section is an introduction to how we manage our collections across all of our varied museum and gallery sites. From information about the type of objects we collect to What does a curator do? You may wish to borrow an object from us, read about care and conservation, or even how we document an object.


(image/jpeg) Care and Conservation

What is conservation? Answer - the opposite of restoration, which is returning an object to the way it looked when it was new. Museums have a responsibility to protect information about the full life of an artefact, so by wiping away all the dents, marks and scrapes, we could be destroying important clues as to how the object was used in the past. For example, if we 'restored' an archaeological object it would prevent us from carrying out scientific analysis in future because the residues of the past would no longer exist. The same goes for a vintage motorcar, by replacing all the parts we would eventually end up with a new car with nothing left of the original vehicle. So, conservation is stabilising an object so it doesn't deteriorate any further, which may be for the purpose of better storage or display. At Hull Museums we always use qualified conservators to give advice or carry out work on our collections. Most conservators are specialists in a certain field, such as textiles, furniture, leather, or paintings. This work can be time consuming and costly so it is important for us to prioritise objects dependent on their importance. #SUBHEADING#Food and drink#SUBHEADINGEND# Prevention is always better than cure, so we try and protect the collections by carrying out regular pest checks to make sure that our objects aren't being eaten by insects or rodents. This is the reason we ask visitors not to bring food and drink into our museums, as crumbs and sticky soft drinks will encourage pests into the buildings. If we do have events where food and drink is allowed we always confine it to certain areas away from the collections. Insects can have a devastating effect on collections if they take hold in a building, especially woodworm or clothes moths. Anyone who has had moths eat their best woollen jumper will know how destructive they can be. #SUBHEADING#What Causes Deterioration#SUBHEADINGEND# Apart from pests, the condition of an object can deteriorate in a variety of ways: Handling Damage from UV light Exposure to heat or damp Changes in humidity To prevent deterioration from the above we: Carefully consider the consequences before picking up an object, to check for weak points Lights are dimmed in galleries, or windows covered Radiators are turned off near to where objects are displayed or stored We continually check all areas for temperature and humidity to ensure these remain static #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Materials#SUBHEADINGEND# Knowing what an object is made of is essential to its long-term care. Different materials require specific environmental conditions to survive. That's why we have monitors to record temperature and humidity, and use humidifiers, de-humidifiers, or building management systems to control the environment. Some materials are also easily damaged by light, such as brightly coloured textiles or watercolour paintings. The following shows a selection of materials and their requirements: Oil paintings - not too dry as the paint will crack. Not too damp or it will cause mould Textiles - dry and cool as pests don't like these conditions Metal - dry to prevent corrosion Leather - needs some moisture in the air but not too wet as this will cause mould Photographs and negatives - dry and very cold (sometimes they are even frozen!) Paper - fairly dry, but not too much as it will become brittle As you can see it is quite complicated, and made even more difficult when a variety of materials are stored or displayed in the same areas, or one object is made from a composite of materials. For example a horse drawn carriage usually has a textile interior, metal frame, wooden body and leather hood. In such cases we have to decide on which material is the most fragile and tailor the environment to suit. If you would like to know more about conservation projects at Hull Museums, please go to 'What's New' above, or back to 'Behind the Scenes' and 'Adopt a Painting Scheme' or 'Collections Projects'.


Charles I at the Gates of Hull (image/jpeg) 1640 Charles I visits Hull

In September 1640 Charles I (1625-1649) visited Hull, whilst on a journey from London to York. During this time Hull had become heavily fortified, with much ammunition stored there, because the King's relations with Scotland were deteriorating, and war seemed inevitable. #SUBHEADING#The decision to visit Hull#SUBHEADINGEND# The decision to visit Hull was taken during the journey, leaving the Mayor of Hull, William Popple, only a few days to make arrangements. There was a determination to welcome the King properly and with ceremony. A foot platform was constructed at Beverley Gates, the entrance to Hull, for people to view the arrival of the monarch. A rich carpet was laid down and the leading citizens of the town were 'desired to be ready to receive and wait on His Majesty, in their best robes, habits and attires'. In September 1640, Charles I accompanied by Lords, Knights and Gentry, was received at Beverley Gate by the Mayor, Recorder, Alderman and other leading citizens. #IMAGE# The Mayor, in scarlet robes, greeted Charles I with expressions of loyalty and with gifts. The keys of the town were presented, with a purse holding one hundred pieces of gold and several yards of quality ribbon. It is reputed that the ribbon was later tied in a knot upon the King's hat, which he called his 'Hull favour'. The Recorder, Francis Thorpe, then delivered a long speech to the royal procession, with assurances of 'our most sincere loyalty', and with promises to protect the King 'against all your enemies, with the utmost of our lives and fortunes'. Francis Thorpe later turned against the Royalists, and was a Commissioner at Charles' trial in 1649, which ordered the King's execution. #SUBHEADING#The King responds#SUBHEADINGEND# Charles I responded to this warm reception with a shorter speech and declared it was his duty to live 'for the good of his people'. The procession then moved on, through the town, as the noise of bells, cannons and chants of 'God save the King' filled the air. #SUBHEADING#The King's Lodgings#SUBHEADINGEND# The King lodged that night at the home of Sir John Lister, former Mayor of Hull, on High Street, probably on the site of what is now Wilberforce House Museum. 'A noble and magnificent entertainment' was provided in the Banqueting Room in honour of the special guest. On the following day the royal party inspected the garrison of the town, and after dining, was escorted back to the gates, to continue their journey north, via Beverley. As Charles' relations with Parliament grew steadily worse, Hull as a port and a fortress grew in importance to both sides. Parliament was able to appoint a governor, Sir John Hotham, with strict orders not to surrender the town to the King. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Treason#SUBHEADINGEND# In April 1642, Charles I arrived at Beverley Gate, where he was refused entry. An ultimatum was issued, and ignored, to open up the gates to the King. The governor was declared guilty of high treason, but the royal party was forced to return to Beverley. The reception the King received in 1642 was so very different to the one staged just two years previously. Most published references indicate that Charles I visited Hull in 1639, but new research by a prominent local historian in 2004 has highlighted that this date is wrong and the visit took place 30th September - 1st october 1640.


Egyptian votive textile, c.1500BC

This textile was painted by an Egyptian around 3500 years ago. It shows the goddess Hathor as a sacred cow with a sun disc. She is being worshipped by a woman. Hathor could also appear as a woman with cow horns.

Hathor was also known as "the Great One of Many Names". She had power over anything to do with women. This piece of material was probably placed on an altar as an offering by a woman.

This painted textile entered Hull's museums from the collections of Mr. Robert de Rustafjaell in 1911. He was a British-American collector and author. Robert was born in Birmingham and later lived in Egypt as a geologist and mining engineer. He emigrated to America after World War I and changed his name to Colonel Prince Roman Orbeliani.

This textile is from a temple of Mentuhotep II, at Deir el-Bahari, on the west bank of Thebes. Rustafiaell probably bought it with similar votive linens in Luxor in 1906 from locals who had found them at Deir el-Bahari.

This Egyptian textile shows the sacred cow of Hathor. Hathor mostly appears as a cow with beautifully painted eyes. Her sacred colour is turquoise. When she appears as a woman she often has a pair of elegant cow horns. Hathor has many titles and was important in every area of life for the ancient Egyptians.

She was known as "Lady of Stars" and "Sovereign of Stars". As "the Mother of Mothers" she was the goddess of women, fertility, children and childbirth. She had power over anything having to do with women. This included problems with childbirth through to health and beauty matters. She was worshipped by both male and female priests. More festivals were dedicated to her and more children named after her than any other Egyptian god or goddess.


Anti-slavery medallion by Wedgwood, Stoke-on-Trent, c.1790-1799

Over 200,000 medallions like this were made to campaign against the slave trade in the 1700s. The medallion shows a kneeling African in chains. He is asking, ‘Am I not a man and a brother’?

Europeans who supported the slave trade treated Africans as goods to be bought and sold. ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ reminded British people that Africans should be treated as human beings. The logo was an early and very successful brand for a political campaign.

Slavery abolitionists used the image of a kneeling slave as their emblem in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It is based on an anti-slavery design created at Josiah Wedgwood’s pottery factory in 1787. William Hackwood, a worker at the factory, modelled the design.

The kneeling slave image was first used on medallions like this one. The design also appeared on ceramics, hairpins and jewellery. Fob signets with the kneeling slave design were used to seal letters in wax. Clay pipes and tobacco boxes were made to remind people that the tobacco they smoked was grown by slaves. The public showed their support for the campaign to abolish the slave trade by buying these items.

This slave design has been criticised because it shows Africans as passive people pleading for their freedom. In reality, many Africans fought against their own enslavement.

The design is more revealing about how white European anti-slavery campaigners saw themselves. However, the logo was extremely successful and provoked sympathy from those it was aimed at; the British public and Parliament. It became a very important brand for the anti-slavery campaign.

People across the country also supported the campaign by signing anti-slavery petitions. These were handed to Parliament. 100 petitions were produced in 1788, increasing to 519 in 1792. Some contained over 20 000 signatures. The British slave trade was abolished in 1807.


William Wilberforce's coat, c.1780-1800

This jacket is made of gold and mauve woven silk. It belonged to Hull’s William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire. He was the leader of the campaign against the slave trade in Parliament.

The jacket is part of Wilberforce’s court dress, the costume he would have worn to visit the King’s court. Court dress was more luxurious than everyday wear. The jacket would have been worn with knee length trousers, white stockings, buckled shoes and a waistcoat.

William Wilberforce was born at 25 High Street, Hull, in 1759. 25 High Street is now Wilberforce House Museum, part of Hull Museums. Wilberforce’s family came from Wilberfoss near York, which was the original spelling of the family name.

In 1776 Wilberforce left Hull to study Classics at St John’s College, Cambridge. He wasn’t a model student, as he preferred entertaining and playing cards. All this changed after he left University and became interested in politics and religion.

At the age of just 21, Wilberforce was elected as MP for Hull. At the next election in 1784 he was elected as an MP for Yorkshire, one of England’s most powerful counties.

Soon after 1784 Wilberforce became an Evangelical Christian. He became convinced that religion should be carried into every area of life. Through his religious beliefs Wilberforce became involved in the growing movement to abolish the slave trade. After Parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Bill in 1807, he campaigned against slavery itself.

Wilberforce had many other interests apart from slavery. He wanted to improve morals and tackle the causes of poverty. He worked for prison reform and was interested in charity schools and improving the lives of poor children. He tried to end the sport of bull baiting and wanted to introduce compulsory smallpox vaccinations. He was involved with founding the National Gallery in London, and the RSPCA.


Drake's Island, Plymouth Sound

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


Plymouth Coast from Plymouth Sound

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


Plymouth Sound, Looking Towards Coastline

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


View Across Plymouth Sound from Barbican

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


Plymouth Sound ? Unknown View

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


Old Jetty under the Citadel, Plymouth, or near Sutton Pool

Luny was one of the most prolific of all marine painters. He continued to produce large numbers of pictures even when, in old age, he was crippled by arthritis. He was a pupil of Francis Holman (died 1790) and his marine expertise came from his time serving in the Navy. It is likely that this set of paintings was executed during a visit to Plymouth on Naval duties. It is rare for a group of pictures like these to have survived together, as there was always the temptation to sell them separately.


Belle Vue 'Garden Scenery' platter

Before the Second World War Hull Museums collected several pots made at Hull’s Belle Vue Pottery. Most of these were destroyed in 1943 when the Albion Street Museum was gutted by fire caused by incendiary bombs. This platter is a lucky survivor. The platter is also special because it is one of the few surviving examples of a named Belle Vue design. The printed decoration is called ‘Garden Scenery’. The name of the pattern is stamped on the platter’s base. The Belle Vue Pottery existed on the Humber bank in Hull from 1826-1841. The pottery was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. Merchant William Bell set up Belle Vue. He bought the site for £1700. Bell decided to name his pottery after a street recently built nearby called Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell’s father was one of the men in charge of building Belle Vue Terrace. William Bell must have chosen the name for his pottery because of its family connections. William Bell began making ceramics on a large scale from 1826. He extended the factory that already existed on the site and employed as many as 30 apprentices. Bell had no previous experience as a potter, but he made his pottery a success. His employees brought recipes with them from former employers. Copper plates for making printed decoration were bought from engravers. The pottery’s location next to the River Humber was essential for its success. It had its own wharf where ships tied up to unload clay for making the pots. Other ships brought coal to power the kilns. The wharf was the only place for ships to collect finished pots for export, mainly to Germany. Disaster struck at Belle Vue in 1840. The Hull and Selby Railway Company opened a railway line along the Humber Bank. The railway cut off the pottery’s access to the river, and it became impossible to run the pottery. The pottery closed in 1841.


Belle Vue transfer printed tea cup

Even the inside of this tea cup is printed with flowers, fruit and moths. People drinking from the cup would not have been able to see the design inside until they finished their tea. Perhaps the decoration was intended for show, so the cup could be ornamental when it wasn’t in use. This tea cup’s bulbous shape is typical of Hull’s Belle Vue pottery. The pottery made cups of many different shapes and sizes, but this shape was a favourite. The Belle Vue Pottery was run by a merchant called William Bell. It manufactured ceramics on the Humber bank from 1826-1841. The pottery site was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. A group of archaeologists excavated the Belle Vue pottery site in 1970. The archaeologists found hundreds of pieces, including this teacup. The teacup was broken into several pieces and had to be pieced back together. Most of what we know about Belle Vue pottery comes from this excavation. Most Belle Vue pots, including this one, were made from good quality white earthenware. The majority were decorated with transfer printed patterns. These were quick and cheap to produce as the same engraved copper plate could be used to print hundreds of pots. Despite its location near the centre of Hull, most Belle Vue products were destined for foreign markets. Because of its location on the Humber bank, the pottery had its own wharf. Ships tied up there to unload raw materials, and to take aboard finished products for export. In the first seven months of the pottery’s existence alone William Bell exported 78 000 potter’s dozens of ceramics. A potter’s dozen was the number of pots that the potter’s carrying boards would hold at once. Bell operated a warehousing business in Hamburg with his brother Edward, so most of his products were exported there. Other destinations included Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Spain.


Seaman's tidy box, possibly made in Hull, c.1838

This is a very rare piece of scrimshaw linked to the Hull whaling trade. It is a seaman's wooden tidy box. The whalebone panel on the box shows the ship the Riby Grove. This was a Hull whaling ship that was lost in the Arctic in 1838.

The box is inscribed “RIBY GROVE HULL 71` 20 NTH.” This probably gives the co-ordinates for where the Riby Grove sank.

This seaman's tidy box has two brass plates. One is stamped “E. Wills” and one “E.O.Rogers.” It’s possible that one of these men was the maker of the box. The whalebone plaque in the lid depicts the Riby Grove in the Arctic, with whaleboats chasing whales amid ice.

The ‘Riby Grove’ was a registered whaler in Hull. It was built in Whitby in 1818 and weighed 242 tonnes. It was active in whaling between 1834 and 1838. It was a Brigantine rigged ship.

The Arctic whaling trade was extremely dangerous. In 1835, Hull lost five vessels from its whaling fleet of twenty-three ships. The ships that were lost that year were crushed in ice at Baffin Bay.

This box was acquired by Hull Museums from T.Housby, May 1978.

A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of sperm whales. Other countries, including Britain, also produced scrimshaw, especially “busks” and items from baleen. This mostly originated from the whales in Arctic fisheries.

Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most scrimshaw is from after these periods.


Fishy Business!

Hull's fishing industry boomed between the late 19th century and the mid 20th century. Fish merchants played a key role in distributing the catch to the public. While the trawlermen, tired from a long trip, were going ashore, fish merchants would be arriving on St. Andrew's Dock from 6am to examine the catch and decide which batches they would bid for later that day. They would have met a bustling scene, with fish bobbers unloading basket after basket of fresh fish from the trawlers and filleters ready to process it. #SUBHEADING#George Beaumont - Fish Merchant#SUBHEADINGEND# George Robert Beaumont worked as a fish merchant in Hull, and the papers he left give us an interesting insight into his occupation. Trade directories tell us George had his own business from the late 1910s. This was based at Billingsgate market on St. Andrew's Dock - often referred to by locals as the 'Fish Dock'. He lived close by in the City's fishing community district. George became a member of The Hull Fish Merchants' Protection Association, Ltd. in the mid-1930s. This body had been set up in 1890 and is still operating today. The Hull fishing industry faced difficult times in the late 1930s as many of the port's trawlers were requisitioned for war service. Catches became so low that fish merchants struggled to continue trading. Despite these difficulties, George's business survived and continued operating into the late 1950s. A collection of George's correspondence was acquired by Hull Museums in 1995. This includes lists of sales and purchases to various people between 1950 and 1951, telegraphs concerning fish catches at sea and copies of the annual reports of The Hull Fish Merchants' Protection Association, Ltd. for 1934-5 and 1938-40. #SUBHEADING#Advertising his trade#SUBHEADINGEND# Like anyone involved in a competitive industry, fish merchants had to promote their trade. One item amongst George Beaumont's papers is a card blotter which advertised his business. It was used as a marketing technique which would have been distributed to potential and existing customers. The blotter served both a decorative and practical purpose. It would have been kept on a desk and used to absorb the excess ink from letters and accounts, etc., which resulted from writing with fountain pens. It is easy to imagine how such a useful tool could serve as a constant reminder of this fish merchant's business, with his contact details always to hand. The picture shown is of a scene at Robin Hood's Bay. Why this small fishing village on the North Yorkshire Coast was depicted rather than a scene of Hull's fishing industry is unknown. Maybe it was intended to represent the quality catch linked to a traditional fishing haven, or perhaps George Beaumont simply liked the picture. The exact date when the blotter was made is unknown, but it was certainly after 1937 when George Beaumont adopted the telephone number printed onto the front.


Titanic souvenir (image/jpeg) Joseph Groves Boxhall - The Last Man Standing

J.G Boxhall was born in Hull on 23 March 1884. Following in the seafaring footsteps of his grandfather, uncle and father. Boxhall started his apprenticeship in 1899 and after completing his mates' certificate in 1903, he joined the Wilson Line as 3rd Officer of the Lago. He passed his 1st mates certificate in 1905 and was 2nd Officer of the Rosario in the same year. He studied at Trinity House, Hull and in 1907, after successfully completing his exams, he joined the White Star Line and was appointed 6th Officer of the ship Oceanic. In the following years, he served on Oceanic, Arabic, and in 1909 he was offered the position of 4th officer on the Titanic. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#The Titanic#SUBHEADINGEND# After picking up his ticket in Liverpool, Boxhall travelled from Belfast to Southampton with the Titanic, and on the 10 April 1912 she set out on her maiden voyage. On the night that Titanic sank, Boxhall was walking the bridge when heard the signal that an iceberg had been spotted ahead. After the collision he was ordered by Captain Smith to go and check the forward part of the ship and was informed by the carpenter that the mail hold was rapidly filling with water. Boxhall calculated the ship's position and sent out the distress signal, and later fired the distress rockets from the bridge, trying to signal to a vessel which vanished over the horizon (thought to be the California but this was never proved). Captain Smith informed the crew that Titanic would sink within an hour, to an hour and a half, and Boxhall was put in charge of Lifeboat 2. Carrying mainly female passengers, the boat was less than two thirds full when they were picked up by the Carpathia. #SUBHEADING#After the Titanic#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Boxhall gave evidence at the U.S Senate Inquiry and at the Board of Trade Inquiry in Britain before returning to his duties in June 1912 as 4th Officer of the Adriatic. He was aboard HMS Commonwealth at the outbreak of war and was promoted to Lieutenant RNR in 1915, joining a torpedo boat at Gibraltar in the same year. After the First World War Boxhall married Marjorie Bedells in Sheffield on 25 March 1919 and then joined the Cedric as Second Officer on the Liverpool-New York run. Although Boxhall was never master of a vessel he was an experienced and capable officer and before retiring in 1940 he was 1st Officer of the Berengaria; another of the great 'Leviathans'. #SUBHEADING#A Night to Remember#SUBHEADINGEND# Boxhall was reluctant to speak of his experiences on the Titanic but did agree to be technical advisor on the 1958 film 'A Night to Remember' and in the years that followed he gave interviews to a few researchers. His health deteriorated in the 1960's and he died in 1967. He was the last surviving crew member of the Titanic and he was cremated and his ashes scattered on the spot where he had thought the Titanic had gone down with so many lives lost.


waist detail (image/jpeg) The Mitchell Collection of Costume

The Mitchell collection of costume was kindly donated to the museums in 1991 from an enthusiastic local collector, Mrs Kathleen Mitchell. From corsets to capes and bodices to boots the collection of more than 450 items of costume and accessories contains many exquisite examples of historic costume especially from the Victorian and Edwardian periods. As with many museum collections, the story of its creation is as interesting as the objects themselves. #SUBHEADING#Mrs Mitchell#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Kathleen Mitchell (nee Stacey) was born in Sheffield in 1912, and moved to Hull in 1950 to teach at St Johns Church of England School. She and her husband John Mitchell organised barn dances between two local schools. Despite initial problems making the boys and girls dance country dances together in a time of Rock and Roll, her enthusiasm was infectious enough to make the events a great success. The Mitchell's were well known within the Folk music and dance world. Kathy led a local branch of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), which flourished under her leadership. She organised the Whitby EFDSS festival, and taught country dancing and sword dancing and prepared the Country Dance Demonstration Team. She was treasured as great teacher and very gentle woman, and in recognition of this was presented with the Gold Badge by the Society in 1978, the highest award they could bestow. #SUBHEADING#Collecting costume#SUBHEADINGEND# Kathy Mitchell's collection of costume was a personal hobby arising from a genuine interest and love of historical costume. She amassed such a large number of items that it virtually took over her house. She collected items from wherever she found them; second hand shops, auctions or through donations. Pat Raine, a local costume expert and friend to Mrs Mitchell, recalls meeting Mrs Mitchell after an introduction by a mutual friend. Kathy had been pleased to show her collection to a fellow costume enthusiast and someone who used the fashion and historical context of many items. Sadly very little of the collection has any known provenance due to the various methods of collection, but living in Hull and Sheffield makes it likely that many of the costumes have a local connection to the city and the wider Yorkshire area. #SUBHEADING#Donation to the museum#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Kathy had talked to Hull Museums before her death about donating a few key items which were historically important, and a good addition to their collections. Unfortunately this had not been completed before she died in June 1990.The executor of her estate was kind enough to donate the entire collection to the museums including an extensive collection of slides, showing the costume photographed by Mrs Mitchell in her garden, sometimes on live models, a practice not advocated with historical dress today. #SUBHEADING#Acknowledgments#SUBHEADINGEND# Many thanks to Pat Raine for kindly supplying this information on Kathy Mitchell. Pat has assisted Hull Museums many times by providing research and expertise on costume items. The museums wish to acknowledge her long standing support. View all of the items in the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&collection26=Mitchell+Collection&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=51&SearchSubmit.y=11TEXT=Mitchell Collection# or use the advanced search


ulysses detail (image/jpeg) Ulysses and the Sirens

One of the most popular works in the Ferens Art Gallery, it was purchased from the artist in 1910 for 600 pounds (the equivalent of 42,000 pounds at today's prices). However when it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy it received rather poor reviews. The Times newspaper was critical because it was not faithful to Homer's tale. #SUBHEADING#The legend of Ulysses#SUBHEADINGEND# The tale of Ulysses, or Odysses as he was to the Greeks, was first recorded by Homer. One of the principal heroes of the Trojan War Ulysses adventures took him to the underworld. On his return, he visited Circe, an enchantress with the power to drive the wind. She warned him that on his journey he would pass the island where the sirens dwelled. The sirens were mythical, female creatures who sang hypnotically at sailors to lure them onto dangerous rocks. Circe advised Ulysses to have his men's ears blocked with bees wax and to have himself bound to the mast so he might hear their song and live. Ulysses followed the enchantress' advice and we can see he has been strongly bound by his men and they sailed safely past the island. #SUBHEADING#The Sirens#SUBHEADINGEND# The depiction of the sirens is an interesting one as Homer's account was rather vague and artists usually drew them as bird like figures with female heads. Draper, however, depicts them as mermaids and young women. We see a boat full of muscly sailors apparently terrified by three nude girls. As they climb aboard, an act of assertive sexuality, the sirens change from mermaids into women. The theme of the nymph and the temptress became something of an obsession in Draper's work. This work was done later in Draper's career, when he was a married man, and contrasts dramatically with an earlier work by him The Sea Maiden which shows the sailors as the aggressors. The picture contains many contrasts; the sea and the air, the masculine and the feminine, the dark and the light, hard and soft. These contrasts are enhanced by the colours used by Draper with the sailors being dark and weather beaten, the sirens are pale and untouched by the sun like an English Edwardian lady. #SUBHEADING#The artist#SUBHEADINGEND# Herbert Draper was born in 1863 in London. A talented child he went on to study at the Royal Academy's schools of Art and later won a travelling scholarship taking him to both Paris and Rome. As a young man Draper was informally engaged to May Walker, and he seems to have been deeply effected when she broke off this engagement and later painted a work called 'The Promise of May'. He later met and married Ida Williams despite a brief holiday romance with Evelyn Percival Clark. Herbert Draper enjoyed popularity as an artist in his own lifetime and we know that Draper took care to ensure the accuracy of his work by visiting the British Museum to consult contemporary artefacts. When Draper sold the work to the Ferens he wrote to say that he was pleased that "my work will not be buried in a private collection as is too often the case" .


Detail form Hull Tapestry (image/jpeg) The Hull Tapestry Project

The Hull Tapestry depicts, in colourful and varied stitch, the history and achievements of the city of Kingston upon Hull. The idea was first suggested in June 1990 and was approved by the City Council the following year and the designer Mrs Pat Mackrill was asked to consider possible scenes for inclusion in the panels. A wide range of organisations and individuals were approached to take part in the project and more than 100 people expressed a desire to be involved and indeed the project has been fortunate to have so many people so willing to give their time and effort so generously. #SUBHEADING#The Work Begins#SUBHEADINGEND# In early May 1991 work began on samplers to test the abilities of the volunteers and as a means of teaching the different stitches involved. The volunteers worked under the supervision of Suzanne Flew and Eileen Chapman both of whom remain in this capacity more than 16 years after work first started. Later that year the late Queen Mother visiting Hull to re-open the Ferens Art Gallery commented on the design of the first panel showing Charles I being refused entry to the City at the Beverley Gate. In November 1991 the themes for the individual panels were decided upon and work started on the first panels. They are currently on open access in a dedicated room inside the Guildhall.


Decorated stem chock from a Humber keel, 1900s

This is a decorated stem chock from a Humber keel. The stem was on the front, or bow, of the boat. Humber keels were distinctive vessels with square sails. They could be seen shipping goods inland until the 1920s and followed the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire waterways. The Humber keel is known as the classic Humber sailing barge, with a tradition stretching back to the medieval period. They were the last working vessels using sails in the region but after the 1920s most became motorised.


(image/jpeg) The Tutankhamun Replicas at Hull Museums

Howard Carter had never seen the Tutankhamun replicas, and they were far better reproductions than he gave them credit for. It took William Aumonier, advised by Egyptologist Arthur Weigall, eight months to produce the items, using gold leaf at an estimated value of 1000 pounds. His attention to detail was remarkable, and included reproducing the pinholes in the Tailor's mannequin and the broken portions supposedly wrenched off the Royal Throne by thieves.#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING# The Hull Connection #SUBHEADINGEND# At first glance Hull might seem an unusual place for these replicas to end up, but Aumonier was a local Hull artist, and had recently completed the Stuart Memorial for Holderness Road, Hull, a bust of Thomas R Ferens for the City Art Gallery, and a Great War Memorial Fountain to commemorate the loss of 153 employees of the local Reckitts company. After the exhibition at Wembley had finished the collection was offered for sale, and purchased by Albert Reckitt, and donated to the people of Hull in 1936. #SUBHEADING# On display #SUBHEADINGEND# The first exhibition of the Tutankhamun replicas went on display in Hull's Mortimer Museum in 1936. Hull Museums Publications, written by the Museum's director Thomas Sheppard, published an article on the collection, detailing its reproduction materials and notes from the sculptor himself. The collection was then moved to a special gallery created in one of the warehouses behind Wilberforce House in 1939. These warehouses were destroyed by enemy action in 1941, but thankfully the replicas had already been removed and were not destroyed with them. They were re-displayed in 1972 to coincide with the British Museum's 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' Exhibition, followed by an exhibition in 1993 that featured a mummified Priest on loan from the British Museum. Finally, the collection was put on permanent display in Hands on History museum, where Tutankhamun's replicated funerary treasures still manage to astound visitors today.


Still Life: The Pickwick Club, 1950s

Elwell had a skill with painting still life subjects, which was due in part to his thorough training at Lincoln School of Art and his later studies of Dutch art in Antwerp. His first known signed and dated work was 'Still Life with Fish', with which he won a national art prize. His talents at depicting such objects as plates and copper pans permeated much of his work, and he frequently worked still lifes into his larger narrative paintings. Towards the end of his life, Elwell returned to the still life as a subject in its own right, and it is from this period that 'Still Life: The Pickwick Club' appears to date. The painting takes its title from the picture of the Pickwick Club that appears on the wall within the composition. A punchbowl and glasses, silver salver, candelabra, decanter and pipes are amongst the objects that Elwell also includes, both to demonstrate his artistic skills and to evoke the convivial atmosphere of the gentlemen in the debating club. Elwell was a master in using highlights to convey the play of light upon objects and is clearly evident in the flicks of white paint on the jug and in the reflections on the silver plate. This painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1956, and again in 1958, posthumously. It was one of the pictures sold from Bar House following the death of Elwell that year.


Portrait of TR Ferens (image/jpeg) T. R. Ferens (part 1)

The name of Ferens is well-known throughout Hull. The city's Art Gallery bears his name, as does one of the main roads through the city, 'Ferensway'. It is quite surprising then that although he was a generous benefactor, successful businessman and M.P. in the city, he was not actually born in Hull, but in County Durham. Thomas Robinson Ferens was born on 4th May, 1847 and was the son of a Miller. He moved to Hull in 1868 at the age of 19 when he began working as a clerk to Mr James Reckitt. He progressed through the company of Reckitt and Sons, taking on the roles of Secretary, then General Manager and eventually Chairman. He became a wealthy industrialist, with an old Hull saying that 'Reckitt's Blue made Ferens' gold'. #SUBHEADING#Benefactor#SUBHEADINGEND# Although Ferens became very wealthy, his Methodist up-bringing meant that he had no desire for luxurious living. He regarded the possession of wealth as a stewardship for him to use to benefit others. Accordingly, he made gifts to the city totalling more than one million pounds. It is for these generous gifts that he is best remembered. Ferens helped to fund a variety of causes and contributed to the formation of Hull University, the hospital and the city's art gallery. #SUBHEADING#Art Gallery#SUBHEADINGEND# Ferens had a great love of art and he also believed that works could have both a moral and spiritual effect on the viewer. In view of this he gave 5000 pounds in 1905 for the purchase of new works for the city. He also started to campaign for a dedicated art gallery as he was dissatisfied with the display space for art in the Albion Street Museum. In 1917 he offered 35,000 pounds and the site of St John's Church, Queen Victoria Square for the construction of a new art gallery. The Ferens Art Gallery was opened in November 1927 and the following year Ferens provided a 20,000 pounds covenant for the purchase of new works of art. During his life, Ferens acquired almost forty paintings which he either presented to the gallery or gave by bequest. These tended to be High Victorian works by well established artists that were purchased from the annual Royal Academy exhibitions. Paintings include Herbert Draper's 'Ulysses and the Sirens', Edgar Bundy's, 'The Night School' and Edward Atkinson Hornel's 'Lace Makers'. Two marble busts by Canart and Foggini were also bought which are earlier, being eighteenth century in date. #SUBHEADING#Other donations#SUBHEADINGEND# Ferens generously gave 250,000 pounds towards the founding of Hull's new University College. He also supplied the original 18 acre site on Cottingham Road. The foundation stone for the new University College was laid in 1928, by the Duke of York (future King George VI). Once the College was built, Ferens endowed a further 240,000 pounds. He also gave some land for the East Park in East Hull and paid for the building of the Ferens Boating Lake in 1913 within the Park, which was further extended in 1923. Ferens thought of both young and old and gave 14 acres of land for a recreation ground for the Young People's Institute, as well as providing funding for twelve almshouses, known as the 'Ferens Rest Homes' for elderly people.


Wall tile, H&R Johnson, Cobridge, Staffordshire, c.1904

The style of this tile is called ‘Art Nouveau’. This is French for ‘New Art’. Art Nouveau was a new art for a new century. It featured on buildings and decorative objects around the start of the 1900s.

Art Nouveau was inspired by nature. It used twisting lines and usually included flowers and leaves. This tile shows floating lilies and a leaf. In the early 1900s tiles with lilies and tulips were made to decorate house porches.

Art Nouveau style was developed in Belgium, Vienna and Glasgow and then spread throughout Europe. In England, the style was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and the Aesthetic movement. These two stylistic movements flourished in the late 1800s.

This tile has been made in a mould so that the lilies, stems and leaf are raised above the background. Moulding was an effective way of showing off the rhythmic lines of Art Nouveau designs.

The tile is covered with a brilliant turquoise translucent glaze. Translucent glazes were the most fashionable finish for tiles in the early 1900s. The translucency of the glaze allows the raised areas of the tile to appear lighter as the glaze is thinner. Where the glaze is thicker on the flatter surface, the colour appears deeper. This gives a two tone effect and makes the picture stand out from the background.

Many tiles were made using techniques that produced designs with a raised surface from 1890 to around 1910. Flat tiles with printed decoration became less popular. Printed decoration of any kind was less frequently used from around 1895.


Portrait of Feroze Mehta

An artist and writer born in Assam, India, Colquhoun studied art in London at the Slade School. She was one of the Surrealist Movement's most flamboyant and innovative members, and was one of the few women to contribute both theoretical texts and fantasy writings. She mercilessly parodied the male dominated surrealist obsession with sexual imagery and eroticism. Her association with the Movement was, however, brief. She left in 1940, deploring their dictates and factions, to pursue her occult studies. The hard outline in this portrait stems from Northern Italian and German painting, but its expressiveness anchors it firmly within 1930s surrealism. The sitter is presumably Indian, possibly connected to the artist through her life in Assam. His foreign character is highly compatible with the modelling; he was perhaps a 1930s intellectual.


Decorated walrus tusk (scrimshaw) c.1801-1900

This scrimshaw shows HMS Acorn chasing a slave ship. In 1807 Britain officially stopped its own role in the slave trade. Britain then used its powerful navy to stop others from trading in slaves as well. Between 1807 and 1866 the Royal Navy captured more than 500 slave ships.

This tusk also depicts an Innuit man in his kayak. Whalers working in the Arctic often had contact with native people. This inspired subject matter and also provided walrus tusks to work on.

This tusk is inscribed “HMS ACORN IN CHASE” and “Esquimaux in his boat.” It is also inscribed “Walruses” and shows three of the creatures.

This walrus tusk is one of a pair, both depicting HMS Acorn. HMS Acorn also appears on another item of scrimshaw in the collection.

HMS Acorn was a 12 gun vessel launched on 15th November 1838. Between 1839 and 1843 she was commanded by Commander John Adams off the west coast of Africa. HMS Acorn was hulked in 1861.

Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen. It can also be made out of walrus tusks like this piece.

The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. In parts of England it was used early on to describe past-times and recreations. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering”, he wanted them to be pre-occupied with a creative past-time.

Scrimshaw was at its height in the early 19th century. A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of Sperm Whales.

Other countries, including Britain, also produced scrimshaw. Especially “busks” and items from baleen, mostly originating from the whales in Arctic fisheries.

Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most surviving scrimshaw is from after these periods.


Henrys Gun (image/jpeg) Henry's Gun

Henry's Gun is a stave-built iron barrel and breech of a Tudor port piece, designed for close fighting against ships. Mounted on a modern wooden carriage, only four of its type survives worldwide. With a limited range (c500 metres) and accuracy, it would have fired solid stone balls, about 15cms across and weighing 5.5kg (13lbs), to penetrate the side of a ship. Bags of flint and scrap iron would also have been fired to shred its crew and rigging. It is believed a crew of four men would take five minutes to re-load the gun after firing. If this was Henry VIII's gun it would have been made by the King's Gun-maker Cornelius Johnson or his son John Johnson. If, however, it is one of the guns shown on the plan in 1540 it might have come from a ship possibly originating from the Low Countries. #SUBHEADING#Henry VIII and the Defence of Hull#SUBHEADINGEND# The gun was found on the site of the South Blockhouse, part of the fortifications built by Henry VIII between 1541-3 along the east bank of the River Hull. It closely overlooked the mouth of the river, a site from which even short-ranged guns could threaten ships entering the port. Henry's fortifications completed the circuit of Hull's defences, and were meant to maintain royal control over this strategic port. Ironically, Henry's Gun may have helped defend Hull against Royalist attack in 1642 in what was possibly the only time it was fired in anger. #SUBHEADING#The discovery of Henry's Gun#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# This type of gun was first mentioned at South Blockhouse in a list of Henry VIII's property compiled in 1547. In 1553 Hull Corporation were give responsibility for both the guns and the fortifications. Stone shot was still stored at Hull in 1660, but was by this time an outdated weapon. The breech and barrel of Henry's Gun was dumped and buried in 1681, when the South Blockhouse was used to form part of the Hull Citadel. They were discovered again in 1997, as archaeologists examined the remains of South Blockhouse. #SUBHEADING#Making the gun#SUBHEADINGEND# The gun barrel is made of wrought iron, and was made using the same technique as a wooden barrel with eight hammered strips or staves being bound together by eleven hoops. The hoop at the muzzle was modified to form a simple gun-sight. The breech was made in a similar way, but with thickened hoops, a tubular iron sheath and a one-piece collar. The body of the carriage would have been made locally from a single timber. Elm was preferred by many as its complex grain allows it to withstand the shock of discharge. Oak was widely used in 16th century Hull by builders and shipwrights, and was used for the replica carriage. Made by craftsmen from the Royal Armouries workshops in Portsmouth, the design of the carriage is based on those found on the Mary Rose (built between 1509-11).


Detail of vessel (image/jpeg) History of the Hull & East Riding Museum

The site of the Hull and East Riding Museum was originally the Customs House. It was here, close to the overcrowded river frontage of the first port of Hull that customs and excise men tried to assess cargoes for the payment of duties. As the ships in the haven of the River Hull were often triple and quadruple banked, checking the cargoes was very difficult. Hull was notorious for not paying customs and excise duties. Outside the museum is a direct reminder of the early significance of this part of Hull. High Street has a sinuous profile which follows the winding course of the River Hull. In the Middle Ages High Street ran alongside the river but because of the reclamation of land behind the staiths or jetties, the river has shifted into a narrowing and deeper channel further to the east. #SUBHEADING#Corn Exchange#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1856 36 High Street became the Hull Corn Exchange. It was designed by Bellamy and Hardy of Lincoln. Its massive stone frontage is decorated with a bearded mask above the arch, supported by Corinthian columns; and agricultural implements and harvest motifs are carved on the entablature. The gates were cast at Joseph Wilson's Victorian Foundry in Drypool. #SUBHEADING#Museum of Commerce and Transport#SUBHEADINGEND# By the late 19th century the Corn Exchange was underused and the building opened as a Museum of Commerce and Transport in 1923. It was created by Thomas Sheppard, the first curator of Hull Museums. Sheppard used his persuasive powers on local firms who agreed to refurbish the Corn Exchange free of charge. The exhibits included products representing the different industries of Hull as well as stage coaches, sedan chairs, bicycles and every type of vehicle including an aeroplane! #SUBHEADING#Museum of Transport and Archaeology#SUBHEADINGEND# The museum was damaged by bombing during the Second World War and reopened as a Museum of Transport and Archaeology in 1957. Following the construction of the Streetlife Museum, the vehicles were transferred and 36 High Street was used to display Hull's archaeological, geological and natural history collections. #SUBHEADING#The Hull and East Riding Museum#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1989 the museum changed its name once more, as The Hull and East Riding Museum it tells the story of the region from its geological origins in the warm seas of the Cretaceous period to the settlement of the landscape by people with more than ten thousand years of archaeology in East Yorkshire represented. The museum has seen a series of major developments in the last 20 years including the installation of the Hasholme boat within its conservation chamber (in 1988); "Celtic World" displays (1991); pre-historic displays (1990s); refurbished Roman (2002) and Anglo-Saxon (2003) galleries. #SUBHEADING#The Museums Quarter#SUBHEADINGEND# As part of the Museums Quarter, which unites the Wilberforce House, Streetlife and Hull and East Riding Museums as a single attraction around an attractive garden with floral displays and fountains, has further stimulated public interest in the museum.


Chair, late 1700s

A plaque on the back of this chair says it belonged to Samuel Thompson. Samuel sold timber that arrived at Hull’s docks by ship. The plaque tells us the exact date he was born and that he died in 1803. After Samuel died his wife and sons continued his business. No one knows for certain if this chair was made in Hull but as Samuel was a local man it’s likely. Perhaps it was made from the wood he sold? Hull was an important regional centre for furniture making in the 1700s and 1800s. The city’s furniture industry was founded on its role as a timber port. Wood imports from northern Europe and the Baltic have been part of Hull’s commerce for centuries. As early as 1304, 25 000 boards of timber arrived in Hull. They were used mainly in the building and shipbuilding industries. By the 1600s, Hull was second only to London as a timber port. The easy availability of timber encouraged furniture makers to settle in Hull in the 1700s. This in turn changed the character of the timber trade. From the 1770s, Hull timber merchants began to specialise in importing exotic hardwoods from South and Central America. Woods like mahogany were in great demand for making good quality furniture. Hull’s first constructed dock opened in 1778, covering 9 ¾ acres. Before this, the only place for timber ships to dock was in the ‘Old Harbour’ in the River Hull. New timber yards sprang up around the dock. This tempted furniture makers to set up business in the surrounding streets, such as Savile Street and Bond Street. Hull’s trade links meant that by 1800 it had become the regional centre for furniture making, overtaking Beverley and York.


Detail of Hornsea Buckle (image/jpeg) Hornsea 'Anglo-Saxon' Cemetery

#SUBHEADING#The Excavations#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1913, whilst building a bowling green for the newly built Hornsea Hydro-Hotel, a number of early Anglo-Saxon burials were discovered. Thomas Sheppard, the then curator of Hull Museums, excavated a total of twelve skeletons from the site. No further exploration of the cemetery was made until 70 years later when further building work in the area brought about the discovery of another six burials. Ten of the original burials were placed in a row, aligned East to West. The remaining two lay at either end of a possible parallel row to the north. Seven of these burials were extended. This means the body has been placed with the spine and leg bones in more or less a straight line. Whilst the remainder were crouched - the hip and knee joints had been bent through more than 90 degrees. These burials belong to the people who lived in Britain following the Roman occupation. They are often referred in history and archaeology as 'Anglo-Saxons'. They lived here during the 'Early-Medieval' period (around 410 - 800 AD). The cemetery in Hornsea dates to around the 6th century AD. #SUBHEADING#The Grave Goods#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#The people buried at Hornsea believed in an afterlife. Food and personal belongings were buried with them to aid them in their new life. Grave goods found at the cemetery include four beautiful copper alloy 'cruciform' (cross-shopped) brooches. Other finds included copper alloy strap-fittings, a fine ornamented silver disc' the blade from an iron knife, a copper alloy buckle, a necklace of many coloured glass and ceramic beads and a jet spindle whorl. A bell was also discovered at the same time as the excavations but our archives suggest this was found in a nearby garden. #IMAGE# Three food vessels where also found alongside the burials. Unlike Anglo-Saxon cremation urns these vessels are plain without any trace of decoration. They are very similar to ordinary domestic vessels and would probably have contained food when placed with the burials. The total size of the cemetery still remains unclear. In 1970 part of a bone comb was found at the foot of the cliffs to the north of the original site. This may suggest that the cemetery was spread over a much larger area than first anticipated. The finds from the cemetery are now part of Hull & East Riding Museums collections and are searchable through our online database. An early account of the excavations suggest that various small beads and one or two copper alloy brooches had been divided up amongst the workmen prior to Thomas Sheppard's arrival on site. It could even be possible that some of the missing grave goods are still in the workers families today. #IMAGE# So, if you have a family connection to Hornsea, you never know what you could find lurking at the back of your cupboard!


harry cartlidge on the wilberforce monument (image/jpeg) Harry Cartlidge - Life Through a Lens

Harry Cartlidge was born in Hull in 1893 and was always fascinated by photography. When he was 13 his mother bought him his first camera, a quarter plate box-camera. He once remarked 'When I was a youngster you could buy little negatives showing pictures of footballers and various personalities which you printed by exposing them to the sun!'. When he left school be became a clerk in the Territorial Army Office before joining the London and North Eastern Railway Co. as a shorthand clerk. He worked at St Andrews Dock and Hull Dock Offices (now the Maritime Museum). He continued to work in Hull moving between the dock and the Police Office at Paragon station. He developed his skills as a photographer taking portraits of staff at the railway and dock offices and wedding photographs of soldiers getting married on leave. #SUBHEADING# Public recognition of his work #SUBHEADINGEND# During the 1920s he began to submit his work for publication and his work appeared in a number of magazines and papers. He also entered, and won, a number of photography competitions. In August 1929 he spotted smoke from the Hull Fish Market and rushed to the scene with his camera. #IMAGE# His pictures of the fire were quickly developed and appeared in a number of national newspapers the following day. The images were also requested by the fish merchants and the Fire Insurance Companies. His camera captured other events across the city, including a detailed series of the Wilberforce monument being taken-down and moved to Queens Gardens in 1935. He even climbed the scaffold, as the public were invited to do for a small fee, and documented the city from this unique vantage point. #IMAGE#He regularly took photographs of locations close to Hull, with favourites including Beverley, Whitby and Scarborough. A picture of a floodlit Beverley Minster, a popular subject, even featured in an album presented to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to celebrate their coronation, 1937. In 1951 he married May Terry who he worked with the North Eastern Railway Co. A few years later at the age of 60 he retired from the railways enabling him to devote more time to photography, including joining the staff at a local photographic shop. He regularly took photographs of Hull street scenes, shop fronts and buildings. He continued to give slide talks around the city too, even into his nineties. In 1982 he featured in an episode of the BBC TV series 'Magic Lantern Show' called 'Yesterday's Humberside'. View all of the items from the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&collection2=Cartlidge+Collection&museumall=all&museum6=Maritime+Museum&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=45&SearchSubmit.y=14 TEXT=Harry Cartlidge Collection# or use the advanced search


ferriby boat being moved (image/jpeg) The Discovery of the Ferriby Boats

#SUBHEADING#The Discovery#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1930 the sudden movement of the deep water channel from the south to the north side of the Humber scoured away recent silting on its northern bank. The result of this was the exposure and discovery of ancient peat and silts, especially at Melton and North Ferriby (East Yorkshire). Two local teenagers Claud and Edward (Ted) Wright watched this development with interest. Together they kept watch on this area of the Humber foreshore for a decade. Their discovery was so significant and important in advancing archaeological study of early seafaring. In 1937 erosion revealed the first boat found by local teenager Ted Wright at North Ferriby, near Hull. This find turned out to be of great importance. These boat builders had used technology that made no use of metal parts. At this time there was no dating technique. #SUBHEADING#Preservation#SUBHEADINGEND# The survival of moss and yew withy ties holding the planks together demonstrated the excellent preservation of the burial due to the anaerobic water logged conditions. Anaerobic conditions means without air, like waterlogged sites there is insufficient oxygen for bacteria and fungal growth, the normal rotting process does not take place so remain preserved. 1940 Ted Wright discovered the keel plank of a second boat and in 1946 the remaining parts of the Ferriby boat one and two were excavated and recorded. The two boats were similar in design and boat two had Bronze Age axes tool marks. In 1963 the discovery of the third boat similar in build to the previous two but earlier. With the help of Hull Museums, the East Riding Archaeological Society and of Hull engineers Priestman Brothers Limited was invoked to accomplish its successful recovery. Ferriby Boat three was cradled in steel, dragged from the Humber, and transported to water filled holding tank at Hull Museum, Albion Street. #SUBHEADING#Sutton Hoo's Excavator#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1946 with the support of C W Philips one of the excavators of the Sutton Hoo ship burial helped the local businessmen and individuals remove and excavate the first two boats, lifted and transported to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. Detailed recording in some measurements took place which was very useful as a number of pieces did not survive the conservation techniques of the 1940s.


Decorated ostrich egg

This ostrich egg may have been painted by a sailor as a present for someone. Or it may have been a souvenir of a new place visited. Sailors often experienced new lands and cultures and could be away from home for years at a time. Presents for wives and girlfriends would become especially important as reminders. Only 10% of all ostrich eggs laid end up hatching. An Ostrich egg is the largest edible egg in existence. It weighs from 1.2 to 2.2 kg. The Ostrich egg is equivalent to approximately twenty-four chicken eggs! To hard boil an Ostrich egg takes over one hour.


mineral detail (image/jpeg) Toothpaste to Toasters, Matches to Make-up (part 1)

There are over 3000 known minerals occurring on our planet, and new ones are discovered all the time. Each mineral has its own unique physical and chemical properties, such as the colours it occurs in, how heavy and how hard it is, how light reflects from it and what shape it breaks up into. This makes minerals very diverse, and they occur in all shapes and forms. #IMAGE# The properties which some minerals have make them very useful to us. Minerals have been vital to the development of the human race. We have found some surprising uses for these naturally occurring materials, and we use them in many ways throughout our day-to-day lives, often without realising it. From toothpaste to toasters and matches to make-up, almost everything we use, consume or produce involves minerals or the metals we make from minerals. We have many minerals in their natural form here in the museum collection at Hull, and many objects across the whole collection where minerals have been used to make them. Take a look at what these particular minerals here are used for, and then see if you can find any objects across the museum collections where minerals might have been used in some way to make them. #SUBHEADING# Mica #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#This is a flaky, shiny and often transparent mineral, which breaks into thin flexible sheets like these seen here. These properties make mica useful in many completely unrelated ways. Mica is resistant to heat and doesn't conduct electricity so it is used as an insulator in high voltage electrical equipment, and in the elements of appliances such as toasters. Because it is resistant to heat it can often be found on the inside of your oven doors, and even on the glass in your greenhouse! Mica's shiny, glittery look has made it useful for putting the sparkle into your make-up. It is ground up and used to add glitter to many products such as lipstick, nail varnish and face powders, and can even be found as an ingredient in some toothpastes. #SUBHEADING# Fluorite #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Fluorite comes in an amazing range of colours, and is often thought of as the most colourful mineral in the world. Because of this fluorite has been used as a semi-precious mineral for centuries. The purple, yellow and white variety of fluorite known as 'Blue John' is a popular mineral for making ornaments and jewellery. But it's uses don't stop there. Fluorite is used in the production of hydrofluoric acid, and it sometimes replaces glass in some high performance telescopes and cameras. It is also the source of fluoride, which is put into many types of toothpaste and into drinking water to keep us healthy. Fluoride is highly useful in the chemical industry, and is used for making plastics, lubricants, cleaning agents and even medicines. Because fluorite has a low melting point it is used as a flux for smelting metallic ores to make metal. Fluorine also comes from this mineral, which is used to make the non-stick coating on your pots and pans! View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=mineral&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=MIneral&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Minerals in our collection# or use the advanced search


Detail of Snakestone (image/jpeg) Fossil Myths and Folklore (part 1)

Fossils are the remains of animals or plants which once lived on the earth millions of years ago. Some of the oldest fossils are 3,500,000,000 years old! When fossils were first discovered people did not really understand what they were, and so many myths and folklore developed over time about where fossils came from. #SUBHEADING# Ancient Tales for Ancient Fossils #SUBHEADINGEND# Before the mid-18th Century the origin of fossils was generally regarded in terms of superstition. Many magical and medicinal accounts developed across different cultures regarding these weird and wonderful objects, explaining how they came to be. The true nature of fossils only came about with the start of scientific research as recent as the 19th Century. #SUBHEADING# Ammonites - "Snakestones" #SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Ammonites, the most iconic of all fossils, have a rich folklore. Probably the most famous story about ammonites is the English folklore of ammonites being coiled snakes that had been turned to rock and lost their heads. These are often referred to as Snakestones, and have been mentioned several times in literature including in William Camden's Britannia (1586) which states, 'if you break them [ammonites] you find within stony serpents, wreathed up in circles, but eternally without heads'. Most of the legends surrounding Snakestones centred around Whitby in North Yorkshire. As the legend goes, St. Hilda, the Saxon abbess of Whitby (614-680 A.D.), was given the task of founding an Abbey on the plains of Whitby but the place was so infested with snakes that habitation by humans seemed impossible. Snakes and serpents were seen as devilish, so it was important to cast them out before building a sacred place. So, St. Hilda prayed and after a short period the snakes coiled up and she cut their heads off with a whip, they then turned to stone and St. Hilda threw them off the edge of the cliffs. You can still find these fossils in the cliffs and on the beaches of Whitby today. Sir Walter Scott recorded St. Hilda's actions in his poem Marmion (1808): "When Whitby's nuns exalting told, Of thousand snakes, each one Was changed into a coil of stone, When Holy Hilda pray'd: Themselves, within their holy ground, Their stony folds had often found." #IMAGE# The absence of heads in these Snakestone fossils is also sometimes attributed to a further curse issued by another Christian martyr; St. Cuthbert. To reinforce the legend of the Snakestones' origin, it became common in Whitby to carve snakeheads onto ammonites, especially in Victorian times. Usually specimens of Hildoceras and Dactylioceras are used for this purpose, Hildoceras being named in honour of St. Hilda. You can find a carved Snakestone in the natural history section at the Hull and East Riding Museum. #SUBHEADING# Echinoids - "Fairy Loaves and Snakes' Eggs" #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Echinoids, also known as sea urchins, are amongst the most commonly found fossils. Therefore it is not surprising that over the years legends have developed about these fossils, sometimes even taking on a religious or magical importance. Originating from Suffolk in Eastern England, the folklore name of Fairy Loaves was given to the heart urchin Micraster because they resembled round loaves of bread. People would place an urchin by the heath in hope that it would ensure the household would always have bread. If the household went without bread for more than a week it was thought witchcraft had stopped the Fairy Loaves' protective powers. In other myths, fossil echinoids are considered to be Snakes' Eggs. It was thought that at midsummer magical Snake Eggs were formed by the froth from snakes. The froth, shaped into a ball, was believed to have the power to protect one from deadly poisons. If stolen from the snakes during midsummer's eve and kept on a piece of cloth, the ball would retain its magical powers. #SUBHEADING# Belemnites - "Thunderbolts" #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#The bullet-shaped belemnites, found in clays and chalks throughout England, were once thought to have been created where lightning struck the ground during thunderstorms. This gave rise to their mystical name, Thunderbolts. It was believed that Thunderbolts could keep a person from being struck by lightning or bewitched by demons. View #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=fossil&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=49&SearchSubmit.y=14TEXT=all of the fossils# from our collections or use the advanced search.


ichthyosaurus detail (image/jpeg) Ichthyosaurs - 'Fish Lizards'

Ichthyosaurs are an extinct marine reptile thought to have first appeared on our planet around 250 million years ago and disappeared approximately 95 million years ago. The word 'ichthyosaur' comes from the Greek words 'ichthyos' meaning fish, and 'sauros' meaning lizards/reptiles, so ichthyosaurs are also known as 'fish-lizards'. They were most abundant in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Periods, swimming through the oceans at the same time that dinosaurs were roaming the land. #IMAGE# Many different species of ichthyosaur existed during their long time on Earth. The earliest ichthyosaurs were long and eel-like, but as the group evolved their body shape changed to become more fish-like. The different species of ichthyosaur varied in size, averaging 2-4 meters in length, though some fossils have been found at 15 meters long! By the Late Jurassic, around 100 million years after they appeared, the ichthyosaurs had established a shape which resembled modern-day porpoises. #SUBHEADING# Deadly Predator of the Sea #SUBHEADINGEND# Like our dolphins and whales of today ichthyosaurs were air-breathing marine reptiles and they gave birth to live young in the sea. The later ichthyosaurs which resembled dolphins had four paddle-like fins, a shark-type dorsal fin and a fish-like tail. They had long, slender jaws with many sharp teeth, and large eyes which were strengthened by rings of bone. With these features the ichthyosaur became a fast swimmer and a good hunter, making it a deadly predator of the pre-historic seas.#IMAGE# Ichthyosaurs were carnivores and fed on various marine creatures. Some ichthyosaur fossils have been found with their stomach contents fossilised between their ribs, showing they mainly fed on fish and cephalopods such as squids and belemnites, using their teeth to crush the shells of their prey. This fossil in our collection contains tiny hooklets thought to be from belemnites which the ichthyosaur had eaten. View all the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=fossil&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=fossil&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=fossils in our collection# #SUBHEADING# Ichthyosaurs in Yorkshire #SUBHEADINGEND# Ichthyosaurs lived all over the World throughout their time in the Earth's seas. Their fossils have been discovered in many locations in Europe, North America and South America, spanning most of the Mesozoic Era. In the Lower Jurassic Period the area that is now East Yorkshire was covered by a warm sea where ichthyosaurs and other marine reptiles would have swam through the waters feeding on the rich supply of sea-life. This is why their fossils can be found in the rocks of this area, and many specimens in our collection were discovered around the Whitby area. #IMAGE# Ichthyosaurs decreased in species diversity during the Cretaceous Period, and finally became extinct in the Mid-Cretaceous. They were unable to compete with other marine reptiles which had adapted better to the conditions of the oceans. They were finally replaced as the top marine predator by the plesiosaurs, ending their reign of the seas almost 150 million years after they appeared on Earth. View all the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=Ichthyosaur&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Ichthyosaur specimens in our collection# or use the advanced search


mammoth tooth (image/jpeg) Woolly Mammoth - icon of the Ice Age (part 2)

#SUBHEADING#Extinction#SUBHEADINGEND# In the last ice age the Woolly mammoth was a successful species which roamed throughout the northern sub-arctic tundra regions, from Britain to Siberia; through Europe, Asia and North America. However despite their once large number and numerous adaptations they have since become extinct; it is likely that a combination of events brought about its end. #SUBHEADING#Over Hunting#SUBHEADINGEND# Mammoth's were extensively hunted by our ancestors; their large size and relatively slow speed made them easy targets for the skilled nomadic hunters who preyed on them. Mammoth remains have been uncovered with early hunting tools beside them, and bones show evidence of butchery. Their flesh provided food, their huge skins supplied hunters with material for clothing, and furthermore their bones could be carved for tools, musical instruments, jewellery, and combs, evidence even suggests that the mammoth's huge bones could have been used in the construction of huts. #SUBHEADING#Disease#SUBHEADINGEND# When humans first came into contact with woolly mammoths they may well have introduced new bacteria and diseases to which the mammoth had no immunity. The fleas, ticks and lice that our ancestors and their domesticated animals brought with them could easily have passed on deadly bacteria to the mammoth, and from there it could pass through the herd killing many animals in a short amount of time. #SUBHEADING#Environmental change#SUBHEADINGEND# 12,000-10,000 years ago the ice age began to thaw and the mammoth's natural sub-tundra habitat and food sources began to disappear. During this period thousands of large mammals found themselves in an unfamiliar climate and became extinct, including many camels, horses, bears, sabre-toothed cats, the giant rat, and the woolly rhino. The fossil records show that woollies disappeared from Britain and most of the globe in this period. However, discoveries made in 1993 on Wrangel Island off the coast of Siberia, suggested that a dwarf variety, no taller than 2 metres high existed, clinging to a final cold corner of the globe until as little as 4,000 years ago. #SUBHEADING#Back from the dead?#SUBHEADINGEND# Whatever it was that brought about the extinction of the woollies, they are no longer with us. However some scientists are keen to change this and hope to revive the beast through DNA recovered in the animals frozen remains. They hope to successfully breed a mammoth using the egg of its closet living relative the Asian elephant, possibly producing a creature that is 88% mammoth within 50 years. View all the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=whitby&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=mammoth&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Mammoth specimens in our collection# or use the advanced search


mineral detail (image/jpeg) Toothpaste to Toasters, Matches to Make-up (part 2)

#SUBHEADING# Quartz #SUBHEADINGEND# Quartz is the most widely distributed and commonly occurring minerals on Earth. Its physical and chemical properties make it incredibly useful to us. It is a hard mineral and is very durable, making it an excellent abrasive. The range of colours it occurs in and the reflective surfaces of its crystals make quartz a popular decorative gemstone. It has been used throughout history to make jewellery and to decorate objects - the eyes of the Roos Carr figures are made from quartz. #IMAGE# Because quartz is hard and transparent, it is used to make glass. Your windows, bulbs, mirrors, glasses and even the computer screen you are looking at now have all been made using silica sand from quartz. In fact the silica in quartz is used to make the silicon chips inside your computer, which allow it to run properly. Quartz has electrical properties and heat resistance which make it of great importance in electronics, and is used in many of the electronic products you may have at home, such as televisions, video games, phones and radios, as well as in industrial electronics. Quartz even keeps the time for you! When a crystal of quartz is put under pressure it vibrates 32,768 times in a second, which is a very useful property for time-keeping. You can find a tiny crystal of quartz in devices such as watches, where components in the watch count the crystal vibrations. Once the vibration count reaches 32,768 the watch ticks along another second. Our daily contact with quartz and silica is immeasurable - from ceramics to paper, clocks to paint and cement to powdered milk, it is used to make all sorts of things we rely on every single day. #SUBHEADING# Calcite #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#Calcite is extremely common on our planet, and because of its physical properties it is very useful to us. It is soft and lightweight, making it useful as a mild abrasive in the cleaning agents you scrub your home with, and in the toothpaste you scrub your teeth with! It is used in the manufacture of metals, glass and rubber. In fact calcite can be found in all sorts of products we use. Next time you have stomach ache you may use calcite to make it better as it is found in antacid tablets, as well as in many other medications. Calcite also has a unique optical property: when you look through a transparent crystal of it you can see a double image of whatever lies behind. This makes it useful in optical instruments such as microscopes. However, the main use of calcite is in the construction industry. Marble and limestone are rocks formed almost entirely from calcite, and they have been used throughout history as building stones, and are used to make cement and concrete for our roads, buildings and pavements today. #SUBHEADING# Gold #SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Gold has one very well known use - jewellery, but it is useful for other things too. Gold is dense, soft and flexible, and it conducts electricity very well. This makes it incredibly useful in electronics where intricate circuits are needed. It can be found in a wide range of electronic products and equipment, including computers, mobile phones and some appliances you may use at home. It is used in dentistry and medicine, and is made into bullion to be stored in banks as precious metal reserves. View all of the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=mineral&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=MIneral&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Minerals in our collection# or use the advanced search


mammoth tusk (image/jpeg) Woolly Mammoth - icon of the Ice Age (part 1)

A firm visitor favourite at the Hull and East Riding Museum is Mortimer the life sized reconstruction of a Woolly Mammoth. The ancient beast, an icon of the last Ice Age, has been extinct for thousands of years. The discovery of fossils, frozen bodies preserved in the Siberian permafrost, and cave paintings left by our ancient ancestors all help us piece together how these magnificent animals lived. #SUBHEADING#The Last Ice Age#SUBHEADINGEND# The Woolly Mammoth lived in the last Ice Age, from around 250,000 years ago. Despite popular belief they did not live on glaciers; such a barren environment would not have enough food to support such massive animals. Woolly Mammoths actually lived in sub-arctic tundra regions. The museum collections include artefacts found in the region indicating that the Mammoth lived in the East Riding around 75,000 years ago during the onset of a cold stage. During this period the summers could have reached highs of 10C but plunged in the winter months to as low as -20C, the mammoths had a number of adaptations to help them survive in these harsh conditions. #SUBHEADING#Hair#SUBHEADINGEND# The mammoth had an overcoat of thick, coarse, dark and incredibly long hair; on the underbelly this hair could reach 1m in length. Underneath was more hair, a 2.5cm thick undercoat of dense, fine woollen, yellow-brown fur. Beneath the skin was a thick layer of blubber like fat. The thick grey skin (similar to that of an elephant) was covered in glands, which secreted fatty grease into the hair to give further protection against the cold. In the more temperate summer climate the mammoth would moult. #SUBHEADING#Tusks#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# The Woolly Mammoths had huge curved tusks, which could reach 5m in length more than twice the length of a male African elephant. The curved tusks would have been used like a shovel to clear the snow and get to the food buried beneath. They would also have been used for self-defence and mating rituals. #SUBHEADING#Tails, trunks, ears and teeth#SUBHEADINGEND# Woollies had much smaller tails, trunks and ears than the modern elephant. These adaptations helped to prevent excessive heat loss. African elephant's ears can measure 1.8m in length, mammoth ears were tiny in comparison and would have been just 30cm long. The trunk was shorter with the tip of the trunk had two finger-like projections which the mammoth used to grasp the rough tundra shrubs it fed upon. Woolly Mammoths were huge creatures, growing to about 330cm [11 feet, similar to modern Indian Elephants] and weighing as much as 8 tons, over 8100 kg which is the same weight as a London double decker bus! #IMAGE# A fully grown Woolly Mammoth would have needed to consume over 100kg of vegetation daily, leading some researchers to believe that around 20 hours of a mammoth's day was dedicated to eating! Mammoth's teeth were adapted to cope with grinding the harsh, tough, tundra vegetation, which was the staple food of their diet. Like elephants, mammoths grew six sets of teeth during their lifetime, a set consisting of four teeth in total; two at the top and two on the bottom jaw. View all the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=whitby&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=mammoth&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0 TEXT=Mammoth specimens in our collection# or use the advanced search


(image/jpeg) The Russian Outrage : Under Attack

By late October 1904 Russia had been engaged in a war with Japan for over six months. As well as major land defeats they had lost three of their own vessels in February 1904 and by now a sense of anxiety and paranoia had taken over the Russian crews patrolling the seas. Although this war had nothing to do with England it would have dire consequences for the men on the Gamecock fishing fleet on the night of the 21 October 1904. The Gamecock fishing fleet consisted of around 50 steam trawlers and on the 21 October 1904 they were fishing off the Dogger Bank, a favoured fishing ground for over a quarter of a century. At the same time a Russian Baltic fleet were making their way across the North Sea to help the Russian Pacific fleet who were being held down by the Japanese navy at Port Arthur on the coast of Manchuria. The crew of the Russian fleet, led by Admiral Rojdestvensky, were inexperienced and jumpy and the sudden appearance of the English fishing fleet as well as the firing of signal rockets by the mark-boat alarmed the Russian look-outs who assumed that they were under attack. #SUBHEADING# The Attack#SUBHEADINGEND# The Russians didn't wait to identify the vessels in their midst but instead opened fire convinced that they were firing on Japanese torpedo boats. The crew of the trawlers, who at first were intrigued by the presence of Russian warships, now panicked as they realised that they were under attack. They fired green flares to call off the attack and desperately held up fish to signal to the Russians that they had made a mistake. The Russians however, did not stop firing and for twenty minutes the trawlers were bombarded with several hundred shells. The shooting was so wild that the Russians even hit one of their own ships, the 'Aurora'. By the time the Russians had stopped firing they left one vessel sinking and five others badly damaged. Skipper Henry Smith and mate William Leggett of the 'Crane' were both killed in the attack whilst William Smith, John Nixon, Harry Hoggart, Arthur Rea, Albert A Almond, John Ryder were wounded (Skipper's son John Alfred Smith, on his first time at sea, was the only man on board the 'Crane' to escape unscathed). #SUBHEADING# The Rescue#SUBHEADINGEND# With the 'Crane' about to go under and the 'Mino', 'Moulmein', 'Gull', 'Snipe' and 'Majestic' all badly damaged efforts got underway to rescue the survivors and transport them to the nearby mission ship, the 'Joseph and Sarah Miles'. Crew from the 'Gull' including Charles Beer (mate), Harry Smirk (chief engineer), Edwin Costello (boatswain) as well as Arthur Rea (engineer on the 'Crane') and William Smith also of the 'Crane' all helped rescue survivors from the sinking ship and later earned Albert medals for gallantry. Once the survivors had been safely put on board the 'Joseph and Sarah Miles' the Gamecock fleet limped its way back to Hull with the bodies of Henry Smith and William Leggett on board the 'Moulmein'. By the 25 October news of the attack was well known and the Royal Navy had been put on full alert ready to intercept the Russian Baltic fleet; Britain and Russia were on the brink of war.


(image/jpeg) The Russian Outrage : The Aftermath

As news spread of what had already become known as the 'Russian Outrage' there was a national outpouring of grief. Fundraising began for the victims with King Edward VII leading the way with a donation of 210 pounds. Public outrage at the attack, however, was fierce and crowds even gathered at Buckingham Palace to show their support for the lost fishermen. This mood was probably not helped by the exaggerated and often doctored images of the damaged vessels that were being published and sold as souvenirs. One such example is a photograph showing crew members of the 'Mino' stood beside a large gaping hole in the hood of the companion way (staircase). A genuine photograph shows that they were several shell holes in the hood but the damage was by no means as extensive as shown in the doctored image. (The hood of the companion way is now on display in Hull's Maritime Museum.) #SUBHEADING# An Apology#SUBHEADINGEND# The Tsar issued an apology for the attack but it was an explanation from Admiral Rojdestvensky that the people wanted. The British government made it clear that without this explanation, a formal inquiry and some form of compensation there would be serious consequences. On 26-27 October the Channel, Mediterranean and Home fleets of the Royal Navy were prepared and ordered to set an intercepting course; if Britain didn't receive word soon then hostilities would begin. On the 27 October the confrontation ended when Admiral Rojdestvensky sent a telegram explaining his actions. Although it was deemed by most to be unsatisfactory it was enough to alleviate the situation and prevent all out war between the nations. On the same day that Rojdestvensky sent his explanation the people of Hull were burying the two victims of the attack. There was a huge funeral for Henry Smith and William Leggett with both the Mayor and Town Clerk in attendance. They, along with the blue jackets from HMS 'Hearly', a number of fishermen and representatives of all the Hull public bodies helped form a funeral procession that was over a mile in length. #SUBHEADING# The Inquiry#SUBHEADINGEND# The international inquiry began on 19 January 1905 in Paris under the presidency of Admiral Fournier of the French Navy. The inquiry cleared the Gamecock fleet of any responsibility and established that there were no Japanese torpedo boats in the area at the time. The Russian fleet was also criticised for not picking up any of the survivors after the attack and they were forced to pay damages of sixty five thousand pounds to the trawler company and the families of the dead and wounded men. In 1906 a memorial statue was erected on Hessle Road in honour of the three men who had died - Walter Whelpton skipper of the Mino had died in May 1905 through shock attributed to the events on 21-22 October 1904. The statue is now a de facto memorial to all those involved in Hull's fishing industry who have lost their lives at sea.


Detail from photograph of nurses (image/jpeg) Life and Death in the Mid 1900's: The story of Ivah Fenton

#SUBHEADING#Childbirth before the NHS#SUBHEADINGEND# A midwife's main equipment would have included clean towels, a bath of warm water, clean sponges, soap, scissors, linen thread to tie the cord and the 'Household Physician', which was her medical bible. By 1938 qualified midwives attended around 83% of all births, but before this women had their babies at home and learnt about childbirth from their mothers, grandmothers and other female relatives. From the Mid 1900's women relied more and more on professional medical care and over the last 50 years medicine has developed into the NHS system we know today. #IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Training to be a Midwife#SUBHEADINGEND# To become a midwife in the mid 1900's Ivah Fenton completed 12 months training at the Municipal Maternity Home and Infants Hospital on Hedon Road, Hull. Between 1936 and 1937 she attended the lying in wards, labour wards and isolation department, after passing her exams she remained on staff for holiday relief duty gaining experience in the infant's hospital. Ivah Fenton would not have been short of work, the average married woman had 6 or more pregnancies and families with 12 children were not uncommon, but among the poorer social classes qualified midwives had to compete with women using the local handywomen to attend their delivery due to superstition and because they were cheap and would help around the house. In 1934 a handywoman could be hired for 15 shillings compared to 30 shillings for qualified midwives. Considering that childbirth was a precarious event at this time and that 20% of children died before the age of 5 this was not ideal, and measures were put in place to prevent unqualified women attending births.#IMAGE# #SUBHEADING#Dangerous but Satisfying#SUBHEADINGEND# A midwife's job was also a dangerous job. Midwives had to go out into homes where squalor, disease and malnutrition were rampant. The main causes of infant mortality were poverty and insanitation, with conditions such as diarrhoea, measles, whooping cough, tuberculosis and pneumonia spreading quickly among tightly packed and overcrowded housing. A midwife depended on clean and warm water to wash the newborn child and often water would be contaminated and the only source of water would be from a stop tap in the yard. Part of being a midwife was also to look after the mother and child after attending the birth. Ivah Fenton would have normally attended the mother and baby for 14 days after birth. And it was these success stories that Ivah Fenton was remembered for, along with her kit bag are a collection of photographs, letters of recommendation and letters from women and husbands thanking Ivah for her help and hard work. #IMAGE# In dedication of the memory of Ivah Fenton by her loving husband Percy Fenton.


silver cod (image/jpeg) Silver Cod Trophy

Between 1954 and 1968 the Silver Cod Trophy was awarded annually by the British Trawlers' Federation to the vessel catching the largest amount of fish during the year. #SUBHEADING#The Winners#SUBHEADINGEND# The first winner was the 'Arctic Warrior' with the most successful trawler being the 'Somerset Maugham' which won the trophy a total of four times including three times in a row between 1965 - 1967. The trophy, which contains 100 ounces of silver and is a foot high, was made by Leslie Durbin a famous silversmith who also made items for King George VI. #SUBHEADING#The Trophy#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#This smaller version of the trophy is the one awarded to Skipper Norman Longhthorp of Willerby and his crew of nineteen on the Hull trawler 'Falstaff' in 1959. The 'Falstaff' was a brand new ship which Longthorp had only taken on that year and he skippered her around Iceland, the North Sea and the Norwegian Coast. The catch was 39, 695 kits, (or 400, 000 stone of fish) caught during 332 days at sea and worth an estimated 130, 000 pounds the equivalent to more than 2 million pounds in todays prices. The skippers trophy is part of a collection of items donated by one of Longthorp's descendents, includes Norman's scrapbook from the award ceremony, which took place at the Annual Silver Cod Dinner at the Fishmonger's Hall, London. Also in the scrapbook is the menu from the dinner (with cod server as a starter) and a telex report, a BBC radio interview with Longthorp during which he discusses his adventures. Hull Museums also has a replica of the full size trophy listing all the winners of the event. This original skipper's trophy is kept in the stores.


carboy detail (image/jpeg) The carboy

#SUBHEADING#A symbol and a storage jar#SUBHEADINGEND# Carboys have become a recognisable symbol of pharmacists worldwide. A good example, complete with colourful contents, is displayed in the shop window of Castelow's chemist shop which is now recreated in the Streetlife Museum, Hull. The term carboy comes from the Persian word qarabah or qarrabah, meaning "large flagon." It is thought that carboys originate from the Near East, where drug sellers used large glass vessels, filled with coloured liquids, especially rosewater and wine, in their stalls. #SUBHEADING#Adopted by pharmacists#SUBHEADINGEND# The use of the carboy as a symbol for pharmacists dates back to 1600 when they were used to distinguish between pharmacists and apothecaries (who used a pestle and mortar as their sign). In the 1700s they became even more familiar as a pharmaceutical sign when shop windows were made in bigger panes and large window displays were possible. As a result, ornamental carboys became a familiar window decoration. #SUBHEADING#Designs#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE#The most popular designs were the 'onion,' the 'pear' and the 'swan neck' shaped carboys. The vessels are impressive not only because of the shape and size but the brightly coloured liquid that was, and still is, displayed in them. Today, this is usually food colouring in water but originally chemicals, which were often dangerous, were used. The bright colours were not only intended to attract customers but also likely to represent certain things. For example blue and red may have represented venous (deoxygenated) and arterial (oxygenated) blood. The colour of the liquid could also represent chemical substances, for example yellow for gold, green for copper and purple for mercury. Although the carboy is still a widely used symbol for pharmacists and some can still be found in shop windows, they are no longer a common sight and instead we see advertisements and the latest products.


Bracket Clock Sold by Barnby & Rust, Hull, 1911

This beautifully carved clock was a special present. A plaque on the base says it was presented to Colonel C.H. Milburn by officers who served under his command. The officers were from the Second East Riding of Yorkshire Royal Garrison Artillery and Second Northumbrian Brigade Royal Field Artillery. Both of these were based in Hull. They were Volunteer brigades. Volunteers are part time soldiers who are only called up to fight in an emergency. This clock was sold by Barnby & Rust, clockmakers and jewellers of Hull. The firm was established by Bishop Barnby. He was a watchmaker and silversmith at 13 Marketplace in 1834. By 1851 the company was called Barnby & Son, and by 1858 it had become Barnby & Rust. It still existed in Silver Street in the 1980s. Clocks and watches were made in Hull from the early 1700s. Local demand for clocks supported several makers. In the 1700s there were around six clockmakers in Hull at any one time. By 1820 there were 30 clockmakers in Hull, but there were also new threats to local clock making. By 1800 clock and watch parts were being mass produced in Birmingham. By the 1830s entire clock mechanisms could be bought from Birmingham. This reduced the demand for local clockmakers’ skills. In the 1800s clocks and watches were imported from France, Germany and America. By 1855 Jacobs & Lucas of Hull were advertising ‘Geneva watches, solely by competent foreign workmen.’ Many local traders became clock sellers rather than clockmakers, although they could make basic parts and do repairs. We’ll never know which parts of this clock were made in Hull. There is a plate inscribed ‘Barnby & Rust Hull’ attached to the clock face, so the clock would have been assembled in Hull. Sometimes clockmakers marked their own name on ready made clock parts. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund.


Whalebone stay busk (scrimshaw)

Busks like these were made as gifts for whalers' wives and were meant to be worn next to the heart. Busks were rigid pieces of whalebone used to stiffen the front of women's bodices. It would be a reminder of the man who made it when he was away at sea for years. Busks are often decorated with images of homes, hearts and peaceful images. A whaler wouldn't want to remind his wife of the dangerous nature of his job. This is a whale jawbone busk, or 'stay busk'. It is decorated on both sides with many images. One side depicts a raised curtain, ship with a union flag, a thatched cottage, a castle and trees. There are also two hearts with an arrow through with initials "A.R".


sewing machine detail (image/jpeg) Singer sewing machine

Singer sewing machines are a common feature of most museum collections, and Hull Museums' collections are certainly no different! Sewing machines were one of the first home labour saving devices to be mass produced and distributed widely, and Singer became a company of international reputation, establishing factories and distributing machines all over the world. #SUBHEADING#Popularity#SUBHEADINGEND# Their popularity and mass production means, beautiful as they are, they are not considered valuable by serious antique collectors. However, they do represent a major feature of domestic life, and their affordability on hire purchase allowed a large range of families across the social spectrum to benefit from quicker household sewing chores. #SUBHEADING#Our Example#SUBHEADINGEND# This particular machine is housed in its own bentwood case, and can be dated from its serial number to 1917. It was manufactured at Clydebank in Scotland, the largest sewing machine factory in the world. This 99 model was introduced as a smaller, more portable version of the previous 66 model, but don't be deceived - this is still very heavy! It is operated by turning the handle attached to the wheel, which required both concentration and co-ordination to turn the wheel with one hand whilst guiding the fabric through the foot and needle with the other. Although this is an early machine it is remarkably flexible in its functions. The instruction booklet outlines how to use all the various additional attachments, provided in the built in box, which included a binder, a quilter, foot hemmer, a braider and a ruffler for different finishing touches. It also provides troubleshooting tips for constant thread snapping, breaking needles and incorrect tension. This machine was either bought or serviced in Hull, as a receipt left in the box has the address of 'P. Camm, Sewing Machine Engineer, 102 George Street, Hull'. The reverse advertises the sale of new and second hand machines, telling customers that 'Your old machine is worth money! We offer generous part exchange allowances'. Sewing machines were so popular because they provided a quicker way of making and repairing clothes and household items. #IMAGE# The 'Ready to Wear' clothing industry was just beginning in the 1920s, but those with sufficient sewing skills (and less money) would have continued to make their own clothes from patterns of the latest fashions available in women's magazines or by pattern companies such as Buttericks. This machine must have seen many changes in clothing fashions. Although we don't know what exactly was made on this machine, the last person to use it was probably making something brown - this is the colour of cotton still wound on the undercarriage bobbin!


Madame Clapham (image/jpeg) Madame Clapham: Hull's Celebrated Dressmaker

Mrs Emily Clapham opened a dress making salon in Hull in 1887, which by the 1890's was highly regarded and attracted world wide patronage for the quality and style of ladies' fashion that she produced. Unusually as a local business woman with no premises outside the city, she was able to maintain a high profile clientele and compete with the London fashion houses of the period. The salon continued to trade until Madame Clapham died in 1952, when the salon was taken on by her niece until 1967. #SUBHEADING#The Making of a Dressmaker#SUBHEADINGEND# Emily, born in Cheltenham in 1856, left school at an early age to serve a dressmaking apprenticeship at Marshall and Snelgrove in Scarborough. She started by picking pins up from the floor and gained a thorough training in the dressmaking trade. She had a good eye for fashion and colour and combined this with good business sense. She went into business with her husband Haigh Clapham in 1887 and invested their savings to purchase No.1 Kingston Square. Madame Clapham was known as an imposing woman, always dressed immaculately in black or navy. Her floor length trains rustled as she moved around the salon and she left behind the scent of lavender, which she always wore. She was a strict Christian Scientist and often helped her family out financially or by giving them employment. #SUBHEADING#The Court Dressmaker#SUBHEADINGEND# #IMAGE# Madame Clapham's reputation as a fine dressmaker was at its height from 1890 until the outbreak of the First World War. This was an era of strict dress codes and many social engagements including race meetings, balls and dinner parties. In the 1890s the salon was so successful that Madame Clapham purchased number two Kingston square in 1891. Number three Kingston Square was purchased just before the First World War, with a legacy left to Madame Clapham by her aunt. As Madame Clapham's reputation grew she received many orders for dresses for clients to be presented at court wearing during the "coming out" season. Madame Clapham added the title of Court dressmaker to her Salon's labels in 1901 as a mark of her highly regarded reputation. #SUBHEADING#The End of an Era#SUBHEADINGEND# The First World War had a big impact on Madame Clapham's business as it resulted in a decline for the exquisite dresses of the earlier years. Attitudes and Social codes changed after the war and women gained a greater degree of freedom. Madame Clapham still created evening dresses in the new styles and expanded into corsetry and under garments to fit under certain dresses. The Second World War had an even bigger impact on the Clapham Salon and nearly caused it to close. Rationing made fabrics expensive and many employees were made redundant or went to serve the war effort. The business did pick up after the War but the demand for made-to-measure outfits declined. Madame Clapham died at the grand age of ninety-six on the 10th January 1952. Emily Wall, Madame Clapham's niece and employee continued Madame Clapham's legacy at number 3 Kingston Square under her aunt's name until 1967. View all of the items in the #LINK=http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/contactsheet.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=&newsearch=new&title=clapham&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&museumall=all&location=any&SearchSubmit_x=31&SearchSubmit_y=16&moucheltextsize=xlarge&EMUSESSID=js4dskm1q8o268km2vbgskq8e6&Page=1TEXT= Madam Clapham Costume collection# or use the advanced search.


Horse brass, c.1860-1870

Alice the elephant at London Zoo inspired this horse brass showing an elephant. Alice and her partner Jumbo were the zoo’s most famous inhabitants in the 1860s.

Jumbo was especially famous. Articles about him were printed in popular newspapers. He was modelled in pottery and appears on several horse brass designs. Alice only appears on this design.

Alice and Jumbo’s story had a sad end when Jumbo was sold to an American circus, splitting the couple up.

Jumbo being sold to the circus captured the public’s imagination. Popular songs were written, like this one:

Jumbo said to Alice ‘I love you’.
Alice said to Jumbo ‘I don’t believe you do,
If you really loved me as you say you do,
You would not go to Yankeeland and leave me in the Zoo’.

Horse brasses are ornaments for decorating the harness of a heavy horse. They were most popular from the 1850s until the 1930s.

Heavy horses were a vital part of the economy in the 1800s. They were used in agriculture, forestry, industry and transport. They pulled ploughs in the fields, and carts for brewers, coalmen and corn merchants.

Horse brasses were mainly associated with farming and the countryside. One of the highlights of the ploughman’s year was the ploughing match. His horses appeared with their harnesses glittering with polished horse brasses. Brasses are still seen on horses at agricultural shows.

The earliest brasses were hand made by hammering sheets of brass. They had simple designs. The development of brass casting around 1825 allowed complex designs to be used. The town of Walsall in the West Midlands was famous for its brass foundries. Many brasses were made there.

To make cast brasses like this one, a pattern was carved in wood. A sand mould was prepared from this pattern and molten metal was poured into it. Any rough edges were removed with a file. The brass was given a final polish before being sent to the harness maker.


Slipware Cup Made by Belle Vue Pottery, Hull, c.1826-1841

Drips of liquid have been used to make the brown, moss-like pattern on this cup. It is said that the liquid contained tobacco juice and urine! Many people called pottery decorated like this tobacco-spit ware. Its proper name is Mocha. Mocha is named after a semi-precious stone called moss agate or mocha stone. Mocha stone contains green minerals. Mocha ware was first made by William Adams at Cobridge, Staffordshire in the late 1700s. Its manufacture for cheap, utilitarian wares is said to have continued until 1914. Mocha was also made at Burslem and Tunstall, Staffordshire; Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Scotland; Swansea; Sunderland; Leeds and Derbyshire. Mocha is a type of slipware. Slipware is pottery decorated with coloured liquid clays, known as 'slip'. On this cup dark brown, light brown and cream slip has been piped onto a blue background to make a plant pattern. Slipware was once very popular. It was made in huge quantities at Hull's Belle Vue Pottery and was aimed at the cheaper end of the market. Unfortunately the popularity of slipware didn't last and by the 1840s it was very unfashionable. This cup was made at the Belle Vue Pottery, which existed on the Humber bank in Hull from 1826-1841. The pottery site was near to where Kingston Retail Park is today. Merchant William Bell owned the Belle Vue Pottery. He bought the site for one thousand, seven hundred pounds. Bell named his pottery after a street recently built nearby called Belle Vue Terrace. As well as making slipware, Belle Vue produced many pots decorated with printed patterns. Others had hand painted floral designs, or were decorated with brightly coloured glazes.