National Museums Scotland Research Articles

A Hebridean Plough-type

Material culture, Ethnology, Folklore, Scottish History, Rural Life, Regional Studies, Local Studies, Hebrides, National Museums Scotland, Museums, Museology, European ethnology, plough, ploughing, South Uist, North Uist, Benbecula, West Kilbride, Clearances, Highland Clearances

A Lectotype for the Scottish Middle Devonian (Givetian) fish Osteolepis panderi and the historical problems of the genus Osteolepis

In 1860 Pander described a new species of fish from the Givetian of Scotland using the invalid name Osteolepis microlepidotus which was a synonym of Osteolepis macrolepidotus . In 1948 Jarvik published a monograph on this fish giving it the name Osteolepis panderi . However, he did not designate a type specimen or a type locality. This was due to Jarvik's mistake in thinking he had to choose a specimen from one of the specimens used by Pander and being unable to view Pander's collection in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad) due to World War II and the subsequent Cold War. O. microlepidotus first appeared in print in 1829, but Sedgwick and Murchison's description was inadequate for erecting a species. Shortly after, Agassiz described specimens of O. microlepidotus , which were later shown to be specimens of O. macrolepidotus. Jarvik should have chosen one of the specimens he used as he erected the species O. panderi . After a seven-decade delay NMS G.1903.130.35 in the National Museums of Scotland is chosen as the lectotype from the many specimens used by Jarvik in his description of the species. Skinnet Farm Quarry in Caithness, Scotland is also chosen as type locality for this species.

User versus institutional perspectives of metadata and searching: an investigation of online access to cultural heritage content during the COVID-19 pandemic

Findings from log analyses of user interactions with the digital content of two large national cultural heritage institutions (National Museums of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland) during the COVID-19 lockdown highlighted limited engagement compared to pre-pandemic levels. Just 8% of users returned to these sites, whilst the average time spent, and number of pages accessed, were generally low. This prompted a user study to investigate the potential mismatch between the way content was indexed by the curators and searched for by users. A controlled experiment with ten participants, involving two tasks and a selected set of digital cultural heritage content, explored: (a) how does the metadata assigned by cultural heritage organisations meet or differ from the search needs of users? and (b) how can the search strategies of users inform the search pathways employed by cultural heritage organisations? Findings reveal that collection management standards like Spectrum encourage a variety of different characteristics to be considered when developing metadata, yet much of the content is left to the interpretations of curators. Rather, user- and context-specific guidelines could be beneficial in ensuring the aspects considered most important by consumers are indexed, thereby producing more relevant search results. A user-centred approach to designing cultural heritage websites would help to improve an individual’s experience when searching for information. However, a process is needed for institutions to form a concrete understanding of who their target users are before developing features and designs to suit their specific needs and interests.

Shackleton and Bruce: disentangling Antarctic geological collections at National Museums Scotland

Amongst the Antarctic geological specimens held by National Museums Scotland are those from collections made during early 20th Century expeditions led by William Speirs Bruce and Ernest Shackleton. Historical circumstances and ambiguous labelling led to the Shack- leton material, from his 1907–1909 Nimrod expedition, being incorporated into the Bruce collection and incorrectly assigned to the latter’s 1902–1904 Scotia expedition. The recent identification of the Shackleton specimens, examination of their surviving labels and a re- view of the relevant Polar literature has now allowed the confusion to be resolved and ex- plained. The Shackleton collection proves to comprise ten basaltic rock specimens from Ross Island, from the vicinity of the active Mt Erebus volcano, and two granitic rock specimens from mountains further inland at the western margin of the Ross Sea. The geologists likely to have been involved in the collecting were Tannatt William Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and Raymond Edward Priestley. Two additional specimens can be assigned to a subsequent Australian expedition led by Mawson in 1911–1913.

A curious account of ancient Egyptian Treasure Trove in Scotland

An ancient Egyptian object buried in the grounds of a historic house near Monimail in Fife was found by chance in 1952 and acquired at the time by the then Royal Scottish Museum (now National Museums Scotland). A second object from the same location appeared by chance in 1966 and was shown to the Museum but not accessioned. The revelation of a third object in 1984 prompted an investigation that produced clear evidence there had once been a larger collection of Egyptian antiquities at Melville House. This paper offers the first published account of how these events unfolded and discusses the possible origins of the collection through a visit to Egypt by members of the Leslie-Melville family in 1856–7. The third object and the finds made in 1984 during the investigation were claimed by the Crown as Treasure Trove and all are now in the collections of National Museums Scotland. They are apparently the only ancient Egyptian items to have been declared as Treasure Trove in Scotland. A catalogue of these objects, along with the original find, is provided. The main text of the paper is by Elizabeth Goring with additional comments by Margaret Maitland; the catalogue is by Margaret Maitland.
 Canmore ID 30153

Two Sculptures, One Master? A Technical Study of Two Rare Examples of Polychrome Sculptures Associated with “the Master of Saint Catherine of Gualino”, Italy, Fourteenth Century

ABSTRACT Between the 1960s and 1990s art historian Giovanni Previtali identified a group of polychrome wood trecento sculptures from the Umbrian-Abruzzo region of Italy as the work of one hand. He named his artist the Maestro della Santa Caterina Gualino after one of the pieces considered to epitomize the style he had identified. Previtali's attribution has since been universally accepted in art historical publications and catalogs. This study tests this assertion through scientific analysis of two of the sculptures named in the group. A team from National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston compared a statue of the Madonna and Child (Edinburgh) and Saint Agnes (Boston) using a variety of analytical tools. Cross-references were made to three other sculptures in the group to which access was gained. The results of this analysis highlight the challenges of testing stylistic associations in the laboratory. Despite taking a scientific approach to data collection and collation there is still much scope for subjectivity in interpretation. Rather than providing a conclusion, our work has opened the door wider still for multiple interpretations, illustrating the limitations of analysis in supporting definitive statements about the authorship of Medieval polychrome sculpture.

Assessing the identity of rare historical museum specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) using an ancient DNA approach

The blue antelope or bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) is an extinct species of antelope that lived in South Africa until ca. 1799–1800. Disappearing only 34 years after it was described, it was the first large African mammal species to have become extinct in recent times. Therefore, current scientific knowledge of the blue antelope is limited to museum specimens. However, these are extremely rare and further complicated by uncertainties surrounding their taxonomic status due to morphological similarity with the closely related extant roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) and sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). A previous study found that only four (out of ten) genetically analysed historical museum specimens could be confirmed as Hippotragus leucophaeus. Here, we analyse a further five potential blue antelope specimens, two of which had been morphologically identified as blue antelope (one from the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London and one from National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh), plus an additional three specimens identified here as candidate blue antelope specimens (from the NHM). We find that only one of the five specimens can be genetically validated as Hippotragus leucophaeus, whereas the other four specimens were identified as H. equinus. Furthermore, using hybridisation capture, we generated two complete mitochondrial genomes for blue antelope specimens that were formerly known only from partial mitochondrial genomes. The diversity analyses including all newly generated genomes further confirm that the mitochondrial nucleotide diversity across this species was low.

Review: Science and Technology galleries at National Museums Scotland

Review: Science and Technology galleries at National Museums Scotland

Prosthetic limbs on display: from maker to user

Prosthetic devices have been used in museums to tell clinical, technical and personal stories. Here we reflect on the ways artificial limbs and their users were represented in recent museum projects at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and at National Museums Scotland. We consider how these meaningful artefacts illuminate three overlapping themes in museum scholarship and practice: the representation of disabled people and disability in museums; reflections on conflict-acquired limb loss; and the presence or otherwise of user or patient voice in interpretation. In working with and representing people who design and wear prosthetics we advocate a balance between narratives of technique and of use.

‘South Kensington is practically as far away as Paris or Munich’: the making of industrial collections in Edinburgh, Newcastle and Birmingham

The provocation within the heart of the Congruence Engine leads us to consider not only the connections between our industrial collections, but the differences which shine a light on the gaps that exist nationally as well as institutionally due to the unique ways in which those collections were built. Emerging out of discussions held at the project’s launch conference, this paper will compare and contrast the foundation and development of the industrial collections held within our three institutions: National Museums Scotland (NMS), Tyne & Wear Archive & Museums (TWAM) and Birmingham Museums Trust (BMT).

Collections development in hindsight: a numerical analysis of the Science and Technology collections of National Museums Scotland since 1855

Collections development in hindsight: a numerical analysis of the Science and Technology collections of National Museums Scotland since 1855

Smart and sustainable: collecting urban transport and mobility innovation in the 2020s

How can museums collect transport objects to reflect the changes that we can see happening on the streets around us today? Much of what is changing relates to behaviour and integrated transport systems, both of which lack material ‘objects’ to collect. Some transport changes might be more easily acquired for the historic collection – the arrival of on-street hire bikes, for example – but much of what is different with the emerging systems is about attitudes, behaviour and the use of smart technology. Scotland’s cities are experiencing a revolution in smart, sustainable transport and active travel. City centre transformation schemes, already several years in the planning, have been radically accelerated by the response to Covid-19. During lockdown in 2020 cities prioritised pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles as part of the public health emergency. At the same time electric vehicles, cargo bike delivery collectives, bike and scooter hire schemes, extended tram network and hydrogen-powered public buses are all making an impact on how Scottish cities operate.This article explores the changes we see today to vehicles, systems and infrastructure on the streets of Scotland’s cities as a microcosm of the wider global transport revolution and provides two case studies of recent acquisitions made by National Museums Scotland to illustrate how museums might capture this moment. By considering the Lutz Pathfinder pod, a prototype fully autonomous vehicle, and items relating to Edinburgh’s Cargo Bike Movement, this article brings together two ends of the sustainable transport technology spectrum: futuristic driverless cars and low-tech bicycle deliveries. Furthermore, this article suggests approaches to how museums might collect other areas of change in transport systems and infrastructure.

Return of the space hoppers: more measures on dH Comet G-BDIX

De Havilland Comet 4C “G-BDIX” arrived at the National Museum of Flight (NMoF) in Scotland in September 1981 and has been displayed outdoors and fully exposed to the environmental conditions ever since. In 2018, National Museums Scotland (NMS) set a development in motion at its NMoF site with the aim to display the dH Comet, amongst other aircraft, in a new, environmentally controlled hangar. Due to planning permission issues the project was cancelled, and the museum is now scoping out alternative options. This led to focus on the outside of the aircraft and provided the opportunity to revisit the work carried out during a project in 2012/13, at the time making the passenger cabin watertight and rectify interior damage.

Scottish heart brooches

This article presents a study of Scottish heart brooches, primarily from the 18th century, using the collections of the National Museums Scotland, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, the Highland Folk Museum and those reported to the Treasure Trove Unit. By researching over 350 heart brooches it has been possible to gain a fuller understanding of their purpose and meaning, their various styles and their production centres. A re-evaluation of these objects is important because an understanding of them exists that may not be wholly accurate, such as their connection to Edinburgh through the locked booths in the High Street which has given rise to their more commonly known name, ‘luckenbooth brooches’. However, the reality from the study is that more were produced in northern Scotland, particularly from the mid-18th into the early 19th centuries. There is also a deeply ingrained romantic notion of them, and while this is certainly true in many cases, other meanings exist such as protection, religion and health. Furthermore, by studying a quantity of brooches from the 13th to early19th centuries, it has also been possible see regional variations between Inverness and Aberdeen and how the heart form changed through time.

Two Lost Items of Humeana

Abstract This note reports on the disappearance of two items associated with the philosopher David Hume (1711–1776). The first item, formerly preserved in the National Library of Scotland, is a portion of a manuscript: the Register of the Proceedings of the Curators and Keeper of the Library of the Faculty of Advocates. The portion concerns the period during which Hume held the Keepership of the Library. The second item, formerly preserved in the National Museums of Scotland, is one of only two extant copies of Hume’s supressed Five Dissertations (1755–6).

A Note on Modern (Fake) Shabtis as Tourist Art

This brief communication is a discussion of several styles of shabti figures identified during the National Museums Scotland review of Egyptian material in Scottish collections. The shabtis’ combination of historical styles, nonsensical inscriptions and material composition clearly characterize them as modern productions, despite several recent publications identifying them as Roman Period pseudo-shabtis. This brief communication seeks to address this interpretation and re-establish them as pervasive examples of Egyptian tourist art from the late nineteenth to early/mid-twentieth centuries.

Book Review James Hutton . The Founder of Modern Geology by Alan McKirdy, 2022. National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, 160pp, 978-1910682449, £14.99 paperback.

James Hutton's reputation is widely recognised in geological circles internationally, but in his introductory chapter, Alan McKirdy laments the contradiction that such an important character of the Scottish Enlightenment does not enjoy equivalent celebrity in his homeland. The attractive new edition of National Museums Scotland's biography should go some way towards correcting that imbalance, and in view of the 2026 tercentenary of Hutton's birth the publication is timely. A cross-corner banner on the front cover promises “revised and expanded” and, relative to the first edition of 1997 and its subsequent revisions, the claim is certainly justified.

Holidaying behind the Iron Curtain: The material culture of tourism in Cold War Eastern Europe

During the Twentieth Century, foreign travel underwent a process of democratisation. Increasingly, through the development of package holidays to ever more far-flung destinations, leisure tourism for the first time allowed ordinary people to experience different cultures first hand. With the increased availability and affordability of foreign travel, actively promoted by travel agencies with strong left-wing political affiliations and supported and facilitated by international friendship societies, the number of western tourists visiting Eastern Europe multiplied through the 1960s and 1970s despite the Cold War. This paper will explore western tourism in Eastern Europe during the Cold War in a Scottish context through the material culture of travel collected during this period, focusing on the collection of Miss Eileen Crowford (1913 - 1990) held by National Museums Scotland. Miss Crowford was a life-long Edinburgh resident and an avid collector. Her collection spans the 20th century and includes a significant collection of costume jewellery, mass-produced decorative arts and travel souvenirs. Drawing upon previously unresearched material in the archive and objects acquired on her travels, both items that she bought and things that she was given or obtained as part of the travel experience, provides a case study through which to explore engagement with communist culture and politics in a Scottish context. This paper discusses how these trips were being marketed to prospective Scottish travellers, and how souvenir production and distribution, as well as conditions of access, reflect an often-mediated experience of the Soviet East.

Rediscovering Ancient Egypt: consideration of the legacy, ethics and aesthetics of previously restored Egyptian artefacts

National Museums Scotland’s (NMS) new permanent Ancient Egypt gallery project at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh gave an opportunity for current conservators and curators to collaboratively assess and evaluate historic conservation and restoration treatments. Restoration had been an integral element in transforming archaeological fragments from Egypt into museum display objects in the UK, and restoration often went beyond the purposes of stabilisation and preservation to the point of obscuring or distorting original features. The evaluation of these earlier restorations informed treatment decisions and became one of the major challenges for conservators. Common overarching questions were applied in deciding the appropriate approach balanced against the principles of minimum intervention set out in NMS’s conservation policy and the time and resource limitations of a capital project. The process provided an important opportunity to review the collections’ history and to reassess the museum’s conservation and curatorial aims and values. This article examines some of the issues and challenges with dealing with previously restored ancient Egyptian collections through selected case studies from the project, involving gilded coffins, stone statuary, and smaller inlaid wood and faience items.

Collecting COVID-19 at National Museums Scotland

This opinion piece discusses National Museums Scotland’s first responses to collecting COVID-19. Drawing on perspectives from social history, biomedical science and military history, this short paper contextualizes COVID-related collecting within the contexts of the organization’s programme of contemporary collecting and the nation’s ongoing socio-political journey.