A Decade in Black

Between 1888 and 1898, Sarah Dominick (née Craig) (1851-1946) may have wondered why death visited her family so often. In that sad decade five of Sarah’s close family died ─ her stepfather, father-in-law, mother-in-law and two sisters. In keeping with the death ritual of her time, Sarah would have packed away her more colourful outfits […]

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Moustachioed Crockery

Pencil, walrus, toothbrush or handlebar? This cup protects them all. The porcelain ledge across its rim kept the moustaches of Victorian gentleman from getting wet or stained as they sipped their hot beverages. This highly specialised kind of crockery is said to have been invented in the mid-1860s by the potter Harvey Adams, who clearly […]

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The Peculiar Print

Standing in front of this portrait of Queen Victoria you might wonder why there are vertical lines running through it but stepping to either side solves this mystery. A step to the right reveals a portrait of Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and a step to the left reveals a portrait of his wife, […]

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