19th-Century “Curio Cabinets” were a middle-class fad, and miniatures of a much older tradition, “Rooms of Wonder” or “Wunderkammer,” which were a precursor to the modern museum. In this exhibit-companion blog post, explore some curious from the museum’s permanent collection.
Markets were some of the liveliest places in nineteenth-century London. Being a social space for makers, buyers, and sellers, nineteenth-century markets shaped the lives and homes of their participants. In both public spaces like markets and private spaces like homes, baskets featured as useful tools for storage, commerce, and craft. Join me as I venture into London’s market scene, taking inspiration from an item from Dalnavert’s collection and exploring nineteenth-century literature to unpack the histories that markets and baskets contain.
