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Curator’s Choice – Gwen John
This Bisexual Awareness Week we’re exploring the life and art of Gwen John. The Seated Woman by Gwen John is …
Smells and Secrets from a Museum Store
Opening a box from the museum store I was immediately struck by a strong perfumery scent that took me back …
Curator’s Choice – Beni Hasan Boat
This Ancient Egyptian model boat is nearly 4000 years old and comes from an 11th Dynasty Middle Kingdom shaft tomb …
Curator’s Choice – The Swan Ship Model
This exquisite wooden model from the Hull Maritime Museum collections is of the Hull whaling vessel the Swan. It is …
Monet in Mind – Philip Wilson Steer’s Boulogne Sands
Philip Wilson STEER b. 1860 – d.1942 Boulogne Sands (Children Shrimping) 1891 Oil on Canvas Boulogne Sands is exhibited in …
Monet in Mind – Emily Beatrice Bland
Emily Beatrice BLAND b.1864 – d.1951 The Almond Tree 1920s Oil on board The Almond Tree is exhibited in the …
Monet in Mind – Townley Benson
Townley BENSON b.1848 – d.1907 A Mexican Mountain Scene 1900 A Mexican Village 1890s Oil on panel Hung as a …
Monet in Mind – Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith
Sir Matthew Arnold Bracy SMITH b.1879 – d.1959 Environs d’Antibes, France 1934-1938 Oil on Canvas Sir Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith …
Monet in Mind – Richard Long
Sir Richard Julian LONG b.1945 Waterlines Paper and Ink Sir Richard Julian Long is best known for his land art. …
Monet in Mind – Vincent Galloway
Vincent GALLOWAY b. 1894 – 1977 Outdoor Sketch with Haystacks 1921-1925 Oil on plywood panel Vincent Galloway was a young …
Curator’s Choice – Dockers’ Tools
The docking industry underwent significant change in the second half of the 20th century as mechanisation, containerisation and reorganisation transformed …
Monet in Mind – Roger Hilton
Jess from the Future Ferens gives an insight into Dark Form on Yellow by Roger Hilton. Please click here for …
Curator’s Choice: Madame Clapham Ball Gown
Emily Maria McVitie was born in Cheltenham in 1856. She left school at an early age to become a nurse, …
Monet in Mind – Walter Richard Sickert
Walter Richard SICKERT b.1860 – d.1942 Hotel Royal, Dieppe, France c.1899 Oil on Canvas Walter Richard Sickert was an extremely …
Monet in Mind – Derwent Lees
Derwent LEES b.1884 – d.1931 The Blue Pool 1911 Oil on panel The Blue Pool is featured in our Monet …
Monet in Mind – Beatrice Bright
Beatrice BRIGHT b.1861 London – d.1940 Evening Glory after 1918 Oil on canvas Beatrice Bright is a little-known artist who …
Monet in Mind – John Brown’s The Pier
John Alfred Arnesby BROWN b.1866 – d.1955 The Pier 1905 Oil on Canvas John Alfred Arnesby Brown was a leading …
Monet in Mind – Donald Hamilton Fraser
Donald Hamilton FRASER b.1929 – d.2009 Blue Seascape 1957 Oil on canvas Throughout his career Donald Hamilton Fraser predominantly focused …
Monet in Mind – John Loker
John LOKER b.1938 Vertical Extracts 2 1979 Oil and acrylic on canvas John Loker developed abstraction over four decades. In …
Monet in Mind – Daniel Sherrin
Daniel SHERRIN b.1869 – d.1940 Nature at Rest 1890-1940 Oil on Canvas Daniel Sherrin lived for a while on the …
Monet in Mind – Roger Lanyon
Peter LANYON b.1918 – d.1964 Dry Grass 1959 Oil on canvas Peter Lanyon’s preferred subject matter was nature and the …
Monet in Mind – Henry Dawson Senior
Henry DAWSON Senior b.1811 – d.1878 Wild Sunset 1875 Oil on Canvas Henry Dawson began painting in 1835 at age …
Monet in Mind – William Kiddier
William KIDDIER b.1859 – d.1934 The Wood c.1931 Oil on canvas Landscape painter William Kiddier is said to have completed …
Monet in Mind – Mary C. Wilson
Mary C. WILSON Still Life with Roses c.1945 Oil on canvas A little known artist, Mary C. Wilson captured everyday …
Monet in Mind – George Clausen
George CLAUSEN b.1852 – d.1944 Sunrise in September 1924 Oil on Canvas George Clausen was one of the foremost modern …
Monet in Mind – Moffat Peter Lindner
Moffat Peter LINDNER b.1852 Birmingham – d.1949 The Flowing Tide c.1910 Oil on Canvas Moffat Peter Lindner painted mainly maritime …
Monet in Mind – Albert Julius Olsson
Albert Julius OLSSON b.1864 – d.1942 Moonlight, Cornish Coast c.1906 Oil on Canvas Albert Julius Olsson was a maritime artist …
Monet in Mind – Claude Monet’s Antibes
Claude Monet in the Mediterranean Claude Monet is arguably the most recognisable of the French Impressionists. His gestural painterly style …
Curator’s Choice – The Invacar
Hull Museums large object stores house a variety of cars, trucks, buses and various other transport items that we are …
Curator’s Choice – Rosa Bonheur
This Lesbian Visibility Week we’re admiring the work of the iconic artist Rosa Bonheur. Bonheur was a defiant 19th century …
Curator’s Choice – Mine Clearance Badge
Over 100 years ago, the First World War had a huge impact on Hull, its communities and its maritime economy. …
Curator’s Choice – Capper Pass Time Clock
As the Collections Curator for the museums service, working cross-service, dealing with collections care and documentation for thousands of historic …
Curator’s Choice – Silver Cod Trophy
The Silver Cod trophy was awarded by the British Trawlers Federation between 1954 and 1968, to the skipper and crew …
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
Image: Around, 1963, Bridget Riley, Emulsion on board. © Bridget Riley 2021. All rights reserved For my second object selection …
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 …