The British Museum: A History`This is the story of the British Museum, the oldest and greatest publicly funded museum in the world'. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the museum in 2003, this book documents the enormous changes that have taken place to the building, its collection, its staff, and its role in society. Essentially a chronological history from the founding of the first collection upon the death of Sir Hans Sloane in 1753, through to the present day, David Wilson presents a detailed discussion of the setting up of the museum, its opening to the public, its educational and research functions and the collections that it houses from around the world. Discussing the benefactors, collectors, excavators, curators, the museum staff and administration, the public who visit the museum and the relationship between the museum and the government and other financial institutions, he shows how the British Museum remains the most respected and internationally recognised museum of its kind. |
Contents
Preface | 6 |
Access and Accessions 175999 | 35 |
Long Awakening 17991836 | 58 |
Copyright | |
5 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
academic acquired acquisition Albert Museum Anglo-Saxon antiquities departments appointed archaeology Ashmolean Museum assistant keeper Assyrian became bequest BL Add Bloomsbury British Library British Museum catalogue Caygill century classical classical antiquities Coins and Medals collectors conservation Curator curatorial Department of Prints Director display early Egyptian Egyptology Elgin Marbles Ellis Ethno Ethnography example excavations exhibition Franks Franks's Fund Gallery gift grant Greek and Roman Hawkins important institution interest Iron Age John Kenyon later London Lord major Manuscripts Marbles material medieval members of staff ment Montagu House National Museum natural history Newton objects officers Oxford Panizzi Parliament Parthenon particularly period Principal Librarian Printed Books Prints and Drawings published purchase Reading Room Romano-British Rupert Bruce-Mitford scholar sculpture Select Committee senior Sloane Sloane's South Kensington Museum space specialist Three-Age system tion Treasury Trustees University College London Victoria and Albert visitors William wrote