In the Horniman

We work at the Horniman Museum and Gardens' stores and come across all manner of interesting, unusual and fascinating finds. Here we share a few we like with you, but there are lots more listed on our website. You can learn more about all the collections at the Horniman on our website. NB: we're not responsible for others reblogging or writing about our objects, but we hope you like these objects as much as we do. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-36129824-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[in-the-horniman]

Despite being winter, it’s still not typical penguin weather here in London. Luckily, this little jackass penguin is from walmer climes. They live in South African waters and got their name due to the loud honking noise they make!

This specimen, may become part of a new permanent display as we will soon begin dismantling our current Natural History Gallery.

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We were getting some dolls out for a visitor when we saw this curious object in the same box.

We didn’t think it looked like a doll at first, but on closer inspection it is indeed a figure. Before we tell you, can you guess what it’s made from?

Object number 19.2.58/1

The first part of the number, is also the date in which it was acquired by the museum.

Answer: Fig doll or nawakee from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

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We have all been very busy in the store preparing for the redisplay our Natural History Gallery.

Here’s a lovely Flying Fox we needed to measure!

Flying Foxes are a type of megabat and can have a wingspan of up to 1.5metres! They are mainly vegetarian but can also eat insects.

Bats are so often thought of as scary, but we think he has the cutest face!

Object number NH.A3832

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Back to work after the Christmas break, and this is the first thing that caught our eye today!

These big golden tiger eyes were peeking out from a box of fans!

This is an umpires fan from Japan, during the Edo period (1603-1867) it is made from wood, coated in lacquer and painted in brown, red and gold.

It was used during sumo wrestling matches to declare the winner. There is a dragon on the reverse, but he is no longer clearly visible due to wear.

Fans similar to this, but made from metal were used in earlier eras. These were called Gumbai fans and were used for signalling troops during battle.

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Sometimes the simplest of things can bring a bit of joy to our day working in the stores.

This little sea shell has been made into a pincushion, with the smallest of interventions. It has a small padded piece of fabric attached between each side of the shell, and is adorned with a green satin ribbon.

It dates from the 19th century and was collected in Brighton.

Object number 23.74

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Whilst getting objects out for some visitors to the store, we came across these wonderful marionettes from China!

Their faces are full of character, but what really caught our eye is their hair. The plait and both moustaches are made from real human hair! The embroidered detail on the clothing is pretty magnificent too!

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It’s Mothers Day in the UK this Sunday. As floral bouquets are a traditional gift on this occasion, we thought we would share this fabulous example! 

These flowers were all painstakingly handmade from wax! The detail is just incredible! They are extremely delicate, which is why they were housed in a glass display dome. Some of the flowers have lost some petals over the years, but considering it is over 100 years old, they are still stunning! Making wax flowers was a popular women’s hobby in the Victorian period when this was created. These were acquired by the museum in 1931 and were made by the donors grandmother. 

Object number 1931.35

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Every time we open a box here in the store, it reveals some kind of treasure. Today’s treasure is a map!

This is an embroidered map of Ireland, which is said to have been made in 1793. The outlines of the counties, as well as the decorative border have been stitched in what looks like chenille thread in muted colours. Smaller details such as the names and ship at the bottom have been worked in finer thread.

We love the area under the ship where the splitting fabric has been darned, it almost makes the sea look more realistic! A great example of the age of an object adding to its beauty and charm.

What treasures would you like to see from our store? With museums currently closed under UK lockdown restrictions we are missing browsing museums and galleries. If you are too, we would love to share more objects with you to help with your cultural fix! Comment below, or send us a message and we will try our best to help!

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As it’s a little harder this year to muster any festive spirit, we thought we would look to the collections for a little cheer!

This beautiful little model depicts a reindeer with a rather spectacular pair of antlers and a handsome yellow and red harness. He is pulling a ‘Pulkke’ the Norwegian word for sleigh. 

This object has been in our collection since 1932 and is currently on display in our World Gallery. 

Object number 32.53

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This beautiful and somewhat mysterious object is out in the store today. We did not know what to make of it at first, but it was then identified as a knitting sheath! 

It is most likely from the 19th Century and would have allowed the user to keep knitting whilst looking after their children and doing the chores, talk about multi tasking! The long end would have been tucked into the top of their skirt, with the spikes holding the knitting in place. This one is quite special as it has all been carved from one piece of wood, including all of those chain links! Many knitting sheaths were made as love tokens and with all of it’s heart motifs, this one seems like a good candidate in that respect! 

[in-the-horniman]

A fantastic bair dance wand from Papua New Guinea. The bair usually come in pairs and are held by Tolai men when they perform their kulau dance. The figure represents a benevolent playful spirit known as a tabalivana – we think he looks very happy.

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Knife money came into circulation in China during the Zhou dynasty around 2,500 years ago – although it is not known exactly why or how it first started. This example of knife money has inscriptions in seal script saying 'yi dao' meaning 'one knife' and 'ping wu qian' meaning 'worth 5,000 cash'.

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This handsome fellow is a Jacobin pigeon, a domestic breed of Columba livia. Jacobins take their name from the Jacobin monks who were known for their distinctive hoods. The breed has been known from as early as 1500 and you can find out much more about this unusual breed from the British Jacobin Society.

This particular bird was mounted by Edward Gerrard & Sons and made his way into our collections in 1920. Our visitors may also recognize the breed from our domestication of pigeons display in the Natural History Gallery, which shows a wide variety of fancy pigeon breeds developed from the Rock Dove.

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Whilst working on repacking our lighting section, we came across this candlestick and inkwell combo from India.

We think the design is stunning! Its curves are suggestive of different forms, depending on which angle you view it from. The inkwell section rotates, looking similar to a trumpet shape when down and revealing a beak shape when closed into the main body. It also has beautiful inlaid surface decoration throughout.

It was acquired by the Horniman in 1909.

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We just love the expression on this masks' face! He represents Lakhe, the demon killed by Krishna and is ftom Nepal. The mask is made from hammered copper, with white metal details.

Object number 1985.91

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We came across these beautiful Japanese stencils today. They were used to create intricate designs on textiles. The colours which show signs of their use really bring them to life. We've never seen such a happy bat!

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With the chilly weather at the moment, we can see how useful this boot warmer must have been in a time before central heating!

As you can see from the label, they are from Bury-St-Edmonds in the UK and date from late the 18th Century or early 19th Century.

Object number 13.204