Article titled 'The Horniman Museum'

An article which describes the collection at the Horniman Free Museum; the author of the article is very complimentary, noting that the museum is the first one that the “country could boast”. Additionally, the author goes as far as to say that “there is no excuse for the South Londoner who does not accept Mr Horniman’s invitation to inspect his curios” indicating their strong admiration for the museum’s collection. The curator Mr Quick is also mentioned, described appreciatively as “courteously and learned”, with regard to the fact that visitors may have the opportunity to meet him upon their entry to the museum. The antiquities which are remarked upon by the author are similar to some of the descriptions in previous catalogue entries. Some of these artefacts are accompanied by images of them. Most notably among these descriptions is a Dahomeyan war drum, which is described to be “decorated with skulls and thigh bones”, along with other instruments from various cultures – the description of the stringed instruments is accompanied with images of them. Some of the artefacts listed are similar to the descriptions of those mentioned in previous catalogue entries, most notably the mentioning if the African lion and other birds and animals. Additionally, the author notes the number of visitors on Boxing Day and the Wednesday afterwards (2225 and 1372 respectively). The article also describes the members of the public who are welcome to attend the museum including clubs, schools and societies.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk