Curator’s Choice – Ivon Hitchens, The Path Between Waters, 1937

Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979) is arguably one of the most popular British artists of the 20th century. He’s best known for …

Curator’s Choice – Skipping Rope

These two skipping ropes are held in the permanent collections here at the Hands on History Museum. They both have …

Curator’s Choice – Early Bicycles

The Streetlife Museum is home to 200 years of transport history, here you can enjoy all the sights, sounds and …

One pint or Two

The story of the Co-operative Society as a whole has been the subject of many books and articles and it …

A Silver Lining?

In the nineteenth century, following the Coinage Act of 1816, Britain adopted the gold standard. Under this system, the government …

Are You Being Served?

Large department stores used to be a common sight on our local high street, but with the rise of on-line …

Guest Blog – Polar Bear Pub Sign

The Polar Bear Pub has been a key cultural hub in Hull since the late 19th century. Back in 1895, …

Curator’s Choice – My Parents Kissing… by Nan Goldin

American photographer Nan Goldin (b.1953) has used the camera to record details of her life since the 1970s. Her powerful …

Victor Newsome

Artist Victor Newsome (1935 – 2018) was born in Leeds and studied at Leeds College of Art. In 1960, Victor …

Guest Blog – Andrew Marvell Statuette

Though famed more widely during his lifetime for his work as a politician, Andrew Marvell is now widely regarded as …

Guest Blog – Arthur Lucan, ‘Old Mother Riley’

Drag, in all its forms, has been a popular source of entertainment across the centuries. When theatre first became part …

Curator’s Choice – Iron mirror from Garton Slack

This iron mirror was found in the grave of a young woman who was around 20-30 years old when she …

Curator’s Choice – Ships Figurehead: HMS Albion

As the Collections Curator for the museums service, working cross-service, dealing with collections care and documentation for thousands of historic …

Curator’s Choice – Medieval ‘Poulaine’ shoe

This extraordinary leather shoe with its long, pointed toe was excavated from a waterlogged pit on the north side of …

Curator’s Choice – The Archer, 1966, by Eileen Agar

Eileen Agar was an artist you could call a rebel, an innovator and a free spirit. Her painting, The Archer, …

Curator’s Choice – Around by Bridget Riley

For my second object selection I have chosen Around, 1963, by Bridget Riley. Around, 1963, is an example of Riley’s …

Curator’s Choice – The Last Beverley Pipemaker by Frederick William Elwell, c.1900

This painting is on display in Wilberforce House Museum in the craftsmanship gallery near my office and for many years …

Curator’s Choice – Pilgrim Souvenir of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster

This fragile little object is part of a 14th century pilgrim souvenir. Made of pewter, it is only 4.5cm long. …

Curator’s Choice – Pelago, Italy by Frank Brangwyn

Sir Frank Brangwyn (1867 – 1956) is a highly regarded figure of many artistic talents. His landscape painting of Pelago, …

Curator’s Choice – Two wooden canisters

The Hands on History Museum was not always a museum, it was once Hull’s Old Grammar School. The room which …

Curator’s Choice – The Golden Wedding by Pompeo Massani, c.1900

Looking at Pompeo Massani’s small canvas The Golden Wedding, painted at the turn of the 20th century, I wonder how …

Curator’s Choice – Inuit Polar Bear Bone Ornament

This small (7.5 cm by 3.5 cm) polar bear ornament is carved from walrus ivory. It is shown walking on …

Curator’s Choice – Low Countries Redware Dripping Pan

This wonderfully weird medieval dish is a dripping pan made in a distinctive type of pottery known as Low Countries …

Curator’s Choice – Mr Great Heart, Peter Howson, 1997

I think this compelling painting is one of the absolute highlights of the Ferens collection of modern and contemporary art. …

Curator’s Choice – Thomas Clarkson by Alfred Edward Chalon

This painting of Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) by Alfred Edward Chalon shows Clarkson dressed as a gentleman in his study looking …

Curator’s Choice – Georgie by Arthur Gaskin, 1898

This tiny jewel-like portrait records the head and shoulders of a young woman in profile, tightly framed, with head slightly …

Curator’s Choice – Queen Anne

This painting shows Queen Anne, it currently hangs in the Guildhall here in Hull. She can be seen seated in …

Guest Blog – Frederic, Lord Leighton

Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896) was president of the Royal Academy by 1878 and his works were extremely popular during his …

Guest Blog – Elsa Gidlow

Elsa Gidlow is not the most famous LGBTQ+ figure, but she was revolutionary in her time. As a lesbian living …

Curator’s Choice – Flag

This nylon flag, in the shape of two joined pennants is an Ellerman’s Wilson Line table flag. The top part …

Curator’s Choice – Newspaper

These two images from a newspaper show when King George VI visited Hull in 1941. The first image shows Paragon …

Curator’s Choice – David Bowie Bodice

This bodice, also known as a boob tube, was created by a dedicated David Bowie fan who stitched every sequin …

Curator’s Choice – The Student by Nina Hamnett

Nina Hamnett was an artist nicknamed the ‘Queen of Bohemia’. She was uninhibited by convention, a talented painter, designer and …

Four Scottish Women in Hull

Over the years, Ferens Art Gallery has established a noteworthy holding of modern Scottish art. We look at works by …

Video: Nishapur City

Tell Us What You Think We’d love to know what you thought about our From the Stores blogs. Your responses …

Video: Nishapur Pottery

Tell Us What You Think We’d love to know what you thought about our From the Stores blogs. Your responses …

Exploring Islamic Art: Pottery from Nishapur

At Hull and East Riding Museum we have thirty pottery objects within our Islamic Art collection. They are from a …

Exploring Islamic Art: Nishapur

At Hull and East Riding Museum we have thirty pottery objects within our Islamic Art collection. They are from a …

Curator’s Choice – Jet necklace from Middleton-on-the-Wolds

This jet necklace was made in the Bronze Age, around four thousand years ago and was buried with a person …

Curator’s Choice – My Wife, My Bairns and My Wee Dog, John, by John Byam Shaw (1872-1919), 1903

This group portrait in pastel by John Byam Shaw celebrates bourgeois family life at the turn of the 20th century. …

Curator’s Choice – Medicine Chest from the Hull Whaling Ship ‘Diana’

“We have a good medicine chest on board, which I believe to be the case with a majority of whale …

Curator’s Choice – The Rye Marshes by Paul Nash

The first work I have selected from the Ferens collection is The Rye Marshes, 1932, by Paul Nash (1889-1946). This …

Video – Dr Mary Murdoch – Hull’s first female doctor

Community Curator: Social History Lauren gives a short insight into Hull’s first female doctor and founder of the Hull Women’s …

Curator’s Choice – Jacob Epstein, ‘Isabel’, 1933, bronze

The work I’ve chosen as my first object is from the Ferens sculpture collection. It’s a striking half-length nude in …

VIDEO: Exploring Islamic Art – helmets

Explore Hull Museums’ Islamic Art collection with Alice (Research and Documentation Assistant for Archaeology). This video focuses on two Persian …

Curator’s Choice – Leyland Bus

As the Collections Curator for the museums service, working cross-service, dealing with collections care and documentation for thousands of historic …